Sri Ganganagar is the northernmost city of the Indian state of Rajasthan, near the international border of India and Pakistan. It is the administrative headquarters of Sri Ganganagar district. It is named after Maharaja Shri Ganga Singh Bahadur, Maharaja of Bikaner. The city is also known as the "Food Basket of Rajasthan".
History
Sri Ganganagar was established by Maharaja Ganga Singh. It was part of Bikaner state. Sri Ganganagar is one of the first well-planned modern cities of India, it is said to be influenced by the town planning of Paris. It is divided into residential blocks and a commercial area which includes a Dhan Mandi (agricultural marketplace).
It is at the point where the Sutlej waters enter Rajasthan, and where it entered the erstwhile Bikaner State. It is said by the that this area first came under the jurisdiction of Bahawalpur state. But due to the large open area, the area was unguarded, and Hindu Mal (a companion of Maharaja Ganga Singh) took advantage of this opportunity and moved the posts along the boundary. He started his journey to change posts from Suratgarh in the south, and went until what is now Hindumalkot in the north. He informed the Maharaja about his successful invasion of the area when he reached the northern part and thereafter died, giving name to the city Hindumalkot.
In 1899–1900, the Bikaner State was affected by a severe famine. To resolve this issue, Maharaja Ganga Singh obtained the services of AWE Standley, an engineer, who demonstrated the feasibility of the western area of the Bikaner State being irrigated by the waters of the Sutlej. The plan of the Sutlej Valley Project was drawn by the chief engineer of Punjab, RG Kennedy, according to which the vast area of erstwhile Bikaner State could be brought under irrigation. However, the project was delayed due to objections by the state of Bahawalpur.
With the intervention of the Viceroy of India, Lord Curzon in 1906, a Tripartite Conference was held and an agreement was reached on 4 September 1920. The foundation stone of the Canal Head Works at Ferozepur was laid on 5 December 1925 and the work completed in 1927 by constructing of lined canal. The opening ceremony was performed on 26 October 1927 by Lord Irwin, then Viceroy of India.
The plan for the city of Sri Ganganagar was drawn at this time. Irrigated parts of Bikaner State were brought under Sri Ganganagar district. Part of the district was later split off to form Hanumangarh district in 1994.
Geography
Location and area
Sri Ganganagar District is between latitudes 28.4 and 30.6 and longitudes 72.2 and 75.3 The total area of Sri Ganganagar is . It is surrounded on the east by Hanumangarh district, (formerly part of Sri Ganganagar district) on the south by Bikaner District, on the west by Bahawalnagar district of the Pakistani Punjab, and on the north by Fazilka district of Indian Punjab.
Topography
Indira Gandhi Canal, the largest canal in India, is located in Sri Ganganagar district.
Although Sri Ganganagar district lies in the Thar Desert, irrigation via the Indira Gandhi and Ganga Canals has changed the flora and fauna. The district can be classified into five geographical regions:
The region irrigated by the Ganga Canal and the Bhakra canal tributaries: the northern region, which is 3/4 of the district, resembles the fertile plains of Punjab. Some areas, like the area between the towns of Raisinghnagar and Vijaynagar, have desert-like conditions. Area irrigated by the Suratgarh branch of the Indira Gandhi canal Area irrigated by Anupgarh branch of Indira Gandhi canal: It comprises Anupgarh and Gharsana tehsils. It is the southernmost region of the district, much of which has been converted into plains, but some sand dunes remain. The Naali belt: This is a narrow basin of the Ghaggar River, the only major river of the district. It is a seasonal river which flows only in the rainy season. It enters the district near Suratgarh and flows in areas of Jaitsar, Vijaynagar and Anoopgarh, then crosses the Indo-Pakistan border. The Villages in the area are named after the aanal/water distributary passing nearby. Example Village-Chak 5 BB, This is the thirteenth village on the BB Canal, Chak 4'E', is the fourth village on the E Canal/Distributary.
Climate
Demographics
According to the 2011 census Sri Ganganagar city and outgrowths had a population of 237,780. Ganganagar had a sex ratio of 859 females for every 1000 males. Males constitute 53.8% of the population and females 46.2%. Ganganagar had an effective literacy rate of 74.25%: male literacy is 88.03%, and female literacy is 76.23%. In Ganganagar, 19.6% of the population is under 6 years of age.