Surendranagar district
Encyclopedia
Surendranagar is an administrative district
District
Districts are a type of administrative division, in some countries managed by a local government. They vary greatly in size, spanning entire regions or counties, several municipalities, or subdivisions of municipalities.-Austria:...

 in the state of Gujarat in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

. It has a population of approximately 1.7 million people. Surendranagar is also known as Zalawad, as the city of Surendranagar was ruled by Zala Rajputs. Surendranagar City
Surendranagar city
Surendranagar is a city and a Municipality. It is also known as gateway to Saurashtra and as Zalawad.Population of Surendranagar City is approximately 400,000 including population of Wadhvan City-....

 (including Wadhwan
Wadhwan
Wadhwan is a city and a municipality in Surendranagar district in the Indian state of Gujarat.-Demographics: India census, Wadhwan had a population of 61,739. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Wadhwan has an average literacy rate of 71%, higher than the national average of...

 City) has about 400,000 inhabitants, and is known as the city of Hi-Tech Bungalows.

Geography

The district occupies an area
Area
Area is a quantity that expresses the extent of a two-dimensional surface or shape in the plane. Area can be understood as the amount of material with a given thickness that would be necessary to fashion a model of the shape, or the amount of paint necessary to cover the surface with a single coat...

 of 10489 square kilometres (4,049.8 sq mi). As of 2001, it had a population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...

 of 1,515,148, of which 26 percent is urban.

Other cities in the district include Dhrangadhra
Dhrangadhra
Dhrangadhra is a city and a municipality in Surendranagar district in the state of Gujarat, India. During the period of the British Raj, the city was the capital of Dhrangadhra state, one of the eight first-class princely states of the Kathiawar Agency in the Bombay Presidency.-History:Dhrangadhra...

, Halvad
Halvad
Halvad is a city and a municipality in Surendranagar district in the Indian state of Gujarat.- Geography :Halvad is located at . It has an average elevation of 46 metres . Halvad sits on bank of Samatsar Pond...

, Wadhwan
Wadhwan
Wadhwan is a city and a municipality in Surendranagar district in the Indian state of Gujarat.-Demographics: India census, Wadhwan had a population of 61,739. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Wadhwan has an average literacy rate of 71%, higher than the national average of...

, Limbdi
Limbdi
Limbdi is a city and a municipality in Surendranagar district in the Indian state of Gujarat.Limbdi has a proud place in women's education. It is home to Lady Wellingdon Girls School, now Municipal school number 3. This school was established in Limbdi on 1 March 1859 when India had hardly any...

, Chuda, Lakhtar, Muli
Muli
Muli may refer to:Places:*Mili Tibetan Autonomous County, or Muli from its Chinese name, of Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan, China*Muli, Gaoqing County , town in Gaoqing County, Shandong, China...

, Sayla
Sayla
Sayla was a Royal province in India and is now part of the Indian State of Gujarat.Sayla was a 575 km² state ruled by the Jhala Rajputs, a clan that came to Saurashtra from Sindh and established their reign at Patdi in the 12th century. After the Islamic invasions, the Jhalas moved their...

, Thangadh
Thangadh
Thangadh is an industrial town and a municipality located southwest of Surendranagar in Surendranagar district in the Indian state of Gujarat. A large number of small-scale Ceramic manufacturing units are located around Thangadh. Thangadh, Wankaner and Morbi form the Ceramic triangle. Chief...

, and Tarnetar
Tarnetar
Tarnetar is a village in the Surendranagar district of the state of Gujarat in India.Nearest airport is Rajkot and international airport is Ahmedabad ....

.
Surendranagar is known as the "entrance gate of the Saurastra region".

Economy

In the past, Surendranagar was used by colonialists as a hill station
Hill station
A hill station is a town located at a higher elevation than the nearby plain or valley. The term was used mostly in colonial Asia , but also in Africa , for towns founded by European colonial rulers as refuges from the summer heat, up where temperatures are cooler...

, as it has a dry environment that was beneficial for some physical as well as mental ailments. Surendranagar's dry air is still believed to be the best place in Gujarat to cure tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...

 patients.

Surendranagar has the second highest rate of development in the state of Gujarat, and is considered to be a strongest candidate for status of Municipal Corporation. It also has the second highest number of educational institutes in ratio of population.

Businesses

Many Small and medium enterprises and industries are present, including confectionery, ceramics
Pottery
Pottery is the material from which the potteryware is made, of which major types include earthenware, stoneware and porcelain. The place where such wares are made is also called a pottery . Pottery also refers to the art or craft of the potter or the manufacture of pottery...

, pharmaceuticals, engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...

 plastics, and salt
Salt
In chemistry, salts are ionic compounds that result from the neutralization reaction of an acid and a base. They are composed of cations and anions so that the product is electrically neutral...

 production. Wadhwan City is a major trade and processing centre for agricultural products, cotton, salt, pharmaceuticals, chemicals and plastics, textile bearings, ceramics, and sanitary ware.

Natural resources

Nearly 25 percent of India's salt
Salt
In chemistry, salts are ionic compounds that result from the neutralization reaction of an acid and a base. They are composed of cations and anions so that the product is electrically neutral...

 supply comes from mining in the Surendranagar area. There are miles of Agar (Salt pan
Dry lake
Dry lakes are ephemeral lakebeds, or a remnant of an endorheic lake. Such flats consist of fine-grained sediments infused with alkali salts. Dry lakes are also referred to as alkali flats, sabkhas, playas or mud flats...

s), specially in the Kharaghoda
Kharaghoda
Kharaghoda is a census town in Surendranagar district in the Indian state of Gujarat.Under the Bombay Presidency of British Raj, Kharaghoda was a part of the then Ahmedabad district, and had the terminus of a branch railway line...

 area.

Textiles

Surendranagar is a hub of cotton and ginning activities in India, with a large number of ginning and pressing units. It is one of the largest producers of quality
Shankar cotton in world. Surendranagar houses the first Cotton Trading Exchange in India.

Surendranagar City is also home to a big textile and clothing market, specialising in sari
Sari
A sari or sareeThe name of the garment in various regional languages include: , , , , , , , , , , , , , is a strip of unstitched cloth, worn by females, ranging from four to nine metres in length that is draped over the body in various styles. It is popular in India, Bangladesh, Nepal,...

s. Large clothing showrooms are located in the city on Jawahar Road and Vithal Press Road.

Demographics

According to the 2011 census
2011 census of India
The 15th Indian National census was conducted in two phases, houselisting and population enumeration. Houselisting phase began on April 1, 2010 and involved collection of information about all buildings...

 Surendranagar district has a population
Demographics of India
The demographics of India are inclusive of the second most populous country in the world, with over 1.21 billion people , more than a sixth of the world's population. Already containing 17.5% of the world's population, India is projected to be the world's most populous country by 2025, surpassing...

 of 1,755,873, roughly equal to the nation of The Gambia
The Gambia
The Republic of The Gambia, commonly referred to as The Gambia, or Gambia , is a country in West Africa. Gambia is the smallest country on mainland Africa, surrounded by Senegal except for a short coastline on the Atlantic Ocean in the west....

 or the US state of Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....

. This gives it a ranking of 274th in India (out of a total of 640
Districts of India
A district is an administrative division of an Indian state or territory. Districts are further subdivided, in some cases into Sub-Divisions, and otherwise directly into tehsils or talukas.District officials include:...

). The district has a population density of 167 PD/sqkm . Its population growth rate
Family planning in India
Family planning in India is based on efforts largely sponsored by the Indian government. In the 1965-2009 period, contraceptive usage has more than tripled and the fertility rate has more than halved , but the national fertility rate is still high enough to cause long-term population growth...

 over the decade 2001-2011 was 15.89 %. Surendranagar has a sex ratio
Sex ratio
Sex ratio is the ratio of males to females in a population. The primary sex ratio is the ratio at the time of conception, secondary sex ratio is the ratio at time of birth, and tertiary sex ratio is the ratio of mature organisms....

 of 929 females
Women in India
The status of women in India has been subject to many great changes over the past few millennia. From equal status with men in ancient times through the low points of the medieval period, to the promotion of equal rights by many reformers, the history of women in India has been eventful...

 for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate
Literacy in India
Literacy in India is key for socio-economic progress, and the Indian literacy rate grew to 74.04% in 2011 from 12% at the end of British rule in 1947. Although this was a greater than sixfold improvement, the level is well below the world average literacy rate of 84%, and India currently has the...

 of 73.19 %.

The majority of the population are Jains
Jainism
Jainism is an Indian religion that prescribes a path of non-violence towards all living beings. Its philosophy and practice emphasize the necessity of self-effort to move the soul towards divine consciousness and liberation. Any soul that has conquered its own inner enemies and achieved the state...

. Other residents include Brahmins, Kshatriya
Kshatriya
*For the Bollywood film of the same name see Kshatriya Kshatriya or Kashtriya, meaning warrior, is one of the four varnas in Hinduism...

, Patels, as well as significant numbers of Bharvad and Rabari
Rabari
Members of the Rabari or Rewari live throughout the Rajasthan, Gujarat, Punjab, Harayana, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh states in India...

.

Culture

Raj-Rajeshwari Temple, on National Highway Number 8 near Limbadi, is a large area of residences, hospitals, and schools. The temple features an exhibition of yoga performed by Rishiji. This temple has temples to three major gods—Brahma
Brahma
Brahma is the Hindu god of creation and one of the Trimurti, the others being Vishnu and Shiva. According to the Brahma Purana, he is the father of Mānu, and from Mānu all human beings are descended. In the Ramayana and the...

, Vishnu
Vishnu
Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....

, and mahesh—inside. It is the only such temple in Gujarat. The temple is noted for its architecture.

The Famous Kund known as "Gangavo" is located in Dedadara Village. It was developed in 11 Century.

Legends

Myth of Bhogaavo
It is said that in old times, a ruler of Junagadh district named Rakhengar saw the queen or princess of Wadhwan and fell in love with her. To win her (literally), he attacked Wadhwan. But the queen/princess escaped from the city towards the river Bhogaavo. In the end, she sacrificed her life by drowning in the Bhogaavo instead of becoming the queen of Junagadh, but before she died she cursed the river so that it would never have water and that it would kill one person every year.

Notable personalities

  • Jhaverchand Meghani
    Jhaverchand Meghani
    Jhaverchand Meghani was noted poet, litterateur, social reformer and freedom fighter from Gujarat.He is well known name in the field of Gujarati literature. He was born in Chotila. Mahatma Gandhi spontaneously gave him the title of Raashtreeya Shaayar...

     (1896–1947) Poet, litterateur, social reformer and freedom fighter. Born in Chotila
    Chotila
    Chotila is a worship place of Hindu religion in Surendranagar district, located near Rajkot, Gujarat.-History:Historically, this area is called 'Panchal'.It is the worship place for Mata Chamunda, which is one of the 64 Avatars of Shakti,others being Bahuchar Mata, Kali Mata, Ambaji Mata etc....

    .
  • Sukhlal Sanghvi
    Sukhlal Sanghvi
    Sukhlal Sanghvi also known as Pandit Sukhlalji was a Jain Scholar and Philosopher. He belonged to the Sthanakvasi sect of Jainism. Pandit Sukhlal lost his eyesight at the age of sixteen on account of small-pox. However, he overcame this handicap and became profoundly versed in Jain logic and rose...

     (1880–1978) Jain scholar and philosopher. Born in Limbdi
    Limbdi
    Limbdi is a city and a municipality in Surendranagar district in the Indian state of Gujarat.Limbdi has a proud place in women's education. It is home to Lady Wellingdon Girls School, now Municipal school number 3. This school was established in Limbdi on 1 March 1859 when India had hardly any...

    .
  • Notable Gujarati comedian Shahabuddin Rathod
    Shahabuddin Rathod
    Shahabuddin Rathod is a well known and highly reputed Gujarati humorist and performing comedian artist.His comical style is highly respected for being quite intelligent, free of vulgarity and cheap humor and for inculcating social values and fostering communal harmony and deeper understanding of ...

     and Jagdish Trivedi hails from this district.
  • Novel writer shree Umashankar Joshi (village: Gujaravadi) was from this district.
  • Dimple Kapadia
    Dimple Kapadia
    Dimple Chunnibhai Kapadia is an Indian film actress. She made her acting debut at the age of 16, playing the title role in Raj Kapoor's teen romance Bobby . In that same year she married Indian actor Rajesh Khanna, and retired from acting. Kapadia returned to films in 1984 after her separation...

    , the famous glamour heroin of Bollywood is from Chotila, Surendrangar

Graduate and Post-Graduate

  • District institute of education and training
  • C. U. Shah College of Engineering and Technology
  • C. U. Shah Medical College
  • C. U. Shah Pharmacy College
  • C. U. Shah College of Commerce, Computer, and Management
  • Government Polytechnic
  • N. M. Shah Art Teachers Training College
  • C. U. Shah Fine Art College
  • C. U. Shah Mahila - Arts, Commerce & Home Science College
  • M. P. Shah Commerce College
  • M. P. Vora College
  • M. P. Shah Arts & Science College
  • Shri Swami Vivekanand College of IT

  • M.M. Shah college of Education
  • Maitree Vidyapith
  • S J Varmora BBA and BCA Mahila college
  • Sanskruti College Of Mgt. & I.T.

Secondary and Higher Secondary

  • R.A.Patel Boys School
  • Shree Gyandeep Highschool Gujaravadi.
  • Smt. Savitaben Himmatlal Golani High School, Leua patidar sankul, Wadhwan city
  • Matrushree Shantaben Devjibhai Shiyaniya Higher Secondery School, Leua patidar sankul, Wadhwan city
  • Shri G. C. Shah Swaminayrayan High School
  • Shri Dajiraj High School (Oldest School in Wadhwan city)
  • Shri M.T.Doshi High School (Wadhwan city)
  • Ultra Vision Academy {Science and Commerce }
  • Shree Sardar Patel Vidyalaya
  • Shree Sardar Patel Kanya Vidyalaya
  • Shree Panchshil Higher Secondary School
  • J. N. V. (Jawaharlal Naheru Vividhlakshi) High school
  • Shri Sheth N.T.M. High School
  • Shri C. P. Oza Sharda Mandir High School
  • Shri D.N.T. High School
  • Shri Savitaben Vadilal Muni. Prathmik Shala, Joravarnagar
  • Sardar Patel Vidyalaya
  • R.P.P. (Rambhaben Purshottamdas Patadia) School for Girls
  • Tirupati Vidyalaya
  • Shri Sava saala, Joravarnagar (has record in Limca Book of World Records)
  • Shri P.G.N.M.S Girls High School
  • Sanskriti School of Thoughts
  • English medium schools
    • Bachpan High School (English Medium) (International School Award Winner)
    • C.U. Shah School (English Medium)
    • Dayamayi Mata School (English Medium)
    • Sunny Sky English Primary School/Sunny Sky Higher Secondary School (Principal - Rashida Ma'am) (English Medium)
    • Aadersh Nivashi School In Wadhavan City


Pre-Primary And Primary Schools

  • Barbie Play House and Nursery
  • Bachpan Pre Primary & Primary School (English
    English language
    English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

    )
  • N. D. Raval Primary & High School (Gujarati
    Gujarati language
    Gujarati is an Indo-Aryan language, and part of the greater Indo-European language family. It is derived from a language called Old Gujarati which is the ancestor language of the modern Gujarati and Rajasthani languages...

    )
  • Trimurti Balmandir
  • Trimurti School
  • Euro Kids International
  • Butterfly Primary School' (Gujarati/English Medium)


See also

  • Gujarat
  • Surendranagar city
    Surendranagar city
    Surendranagar is a city and a Municipality. It is also known as gateway to Saurashtra and as Zalawad.Population of Surendranagar City is approximately 400,000 including population of Wadhvan City-....

  • Surendranagar (Lok Sabha constituency)
    Surendranagar (Lok Sabha constituency)
    Surendranagar Lok Sabha constituency is one of the 26 Lok Sabha constituencies in Gujarat state in western India.-Assembly segments:Presently, Surendranagar Lok Sabha constituency comprises seven Vidhan Sabha segments...

  • Dudhrej

External links

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