Jagraon

Jagraon is a city and a municipal council in Ludhiana district in the Indian state of Punjab. Jagraon is more than five centuries old. It has been thought by some that the city's original name was "Jagar aon", meaning 'A place of great flooding', although this flooding has since ceased. It could also be argued that Jagraon actually derives from a source with a suffix -graon being a development of the Sanskrit grama, m., "Village" as found in Hindi gaon, id. Jagraon is located at almost the geographical center of Punjab state, only 16 kilometers from the River Satluj. The population, like much of Punjab, is basically agrarian is dominated by Jatt Sikhs . Jagraon is also headquarters of one of the Police Districts of Punjab.

History and religious significance

Jagraon is an important religious center for Sikhs, Muslims as well as Jains. Gurdwara Nanaksar Sahib is one of the important places of worship for Sikhs. Gurdwara Mehdiana Sahib is known for its unique depiction of scenes from Sikh history, especially those of atrocities committed on Sikhs by various Mugal rulers, in the form of life-sized statues. Muslim places of worship include the famous Khan gah and the mausoleum of Mai Jeena, where a three-day annual fair, called Roshni Mela is held in the third week of February, every year. Before 1947 there was a large muslim presence in this area. [[Image:Nanaksar.jpg|right|300px|thumb| Gurudwara Nanaksar, a gurdwara built as a memorial for of the Saint, Baba Nand Singh

The main Jain temple in jagraon is considered as one of the most holy places for Jains in the region. The huge temple which has a peaceful ambience has lush green gardens attracts thousands of pilgrims from the Jain community all over the world, for the annual Diksha Mahotsav in the third week of March. The old walled city, with its four gates is known locally for its Mughal period architecture. Even the local market within the walled city is known as Anarkali bazaar, after the title of beauty at mughal emperor Akbar's court.

Jagraon was also the home of Lala Lajpat Rai, a well-known figure in the Indian Independence movement, who greatly influenced patriots and great freedom fighters like Shaheed Bhagat Singh. His house still stands in the area, and houses a municipal library.

Geography and connectivity

Jagraon is located at . It has an average elevation of 234 metres (767 ft).

The geographical center of present day Indian state of Punjab lies only around 8 miles north of the city. The tehsil of Jagraon is bound to the north by River Satluj, which separates it from District Jalandhar. To the west lies District Moga, Raikot lies 13 miles to the South and Ludhiana city is 24 miles East

Jagraon is connected by Rail to Ludhiana and Ferozepur. It is located at the junction of National Highways No. 95 and 71. The nearest airports are: Halwara (16 km), Sahnewal (45 km) and Adampur (70 km). The nearest international airports are Guru Ram Das International Airport, Rajasansi (150 km), Wagha Landport (Border with Pakistan) (162 km) and Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi (360 km).

Jagraon has special significance in Jains because a lot of jains visit every year in jagraon due to Samadhi of Sh. "Roop chand Ji Maharaj". Charan Paduka of Sh. Roop Chand ji Maharaj is there in jagraon. Every year Lakh's of jains get together in jagraon to pay their tribute to sri roop chand ji maharaj

Demographics

As of 2001 India census, Jagraon had a population of 60,106. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Jagraon has an average literacy rate of 68%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 71%, and female literacy is 65%. In Jagraon, 11% of the population is under 6 years of age. Besides this, the city has a large seasonal and migrant population which remains unaccounted. During 1947 there was a large Muslim community and thousands of residents were missed place.

Industry and education

The city's major industry, besides agriculture, is rice husking, with more than 100 plants.

Jagraon hosts the second largest animal market in Punjab, the largest being Vallah, near Amritsar(In Punjab). The site for the proposed a green field international airport to be made operational by 2010, is 16 kilometres from the city centre.

There are two main educational institutes in the city, namely, Govt. College of Science Education and Research popularly known as Science College)and Lala Lajpat Rai D.A.V College. Science College attracts students from many different regions of Punjab and nearby states. The college runs B.Sc and M.Sc(in Chemistry and Botany) courses.

The cluster of educational institutions and colleges at Sidhwan, 7 kilometers from Jagraon, (in which the College of Law is the latest addition), is a centre for professional and vocational education for women in the state of punjab.