Rajpura
Rajpura is a city and a municipal council in Patiala district in the Indian state of Punjab, India, situated along the border of the Indian state of Haryana. It is located 26 KM from Patiala city, towards East from district headquarter. It is a Tehsil headquarter, here the Mini-Secretariat is an administrative building that houses various government offices, including those related to the judiciary. The Rajpura Mini-Secretariat serves as an important hub for various government functions, including services for the sub-tehsil Ghanaur, providing residents with essential services without the need to travel to the district headquarter. Rajpura is the largest tehsil of the district.
Geography
Rajpura is located at. It has an average elevation of 259 metres.Rajpura is situated nearly 38 km south west of Chandigarh, the capital city of Punjab. Besides being an important industrial town of Punjab, it also has historical importance.
Rajpura is surrounded by a number of major cities like Patiala, Ambala and Ludhiana. Rajpura acts as middle point between Amritsar and Delhi on National Highway 44 as these cities are 225 km away from Rajpura in opposite directions.
Demographics
In the 2011 India census, Rajpura Municipal Council had a population of 391,011 including 206,801 males and 184,210 females giving a Sex Ratio of 891. There were 457,82 children aged 0–6 i.e. 10.7% of the total population. There was a literacy rate of 86.42% much higher than the state average of 75.84%.History
The name of Rajpura appears in the history as Emperor Sher Shah Suri. his name when translated means "The Lion King", and founder of the Suri dynasty built a "Sarai" in Rajpura for his army whenever he passed through Rajpura. This Sarai was built during the Suri Dynasty, between 1540 and 1545. The Sarai expanded rapidly from the 19th century and is briefly the first largest Administrative Sub-division in Patiala district. This Sarai houses the officers of Sub-Divisional Magistrate.Municipal Council
As the city continued to prosper during the 19th century, Rajpura became a tehsil includes 252 villages under its municipal limits and is the largest tehsil of the district. Rajpura has north India's only orphanage center "SOS".Divisions
Traditionally, Rajpura city can be divided into three divisions:- The Old Rajpura is the historical part of the Rajpura city, with narrow lanes, traditional houses, and a rich cultural heritage.
- The Focal Point is the industrial area of the Rajpura city, with a number of factories and manufacturing units.
- The Rajpura township is the modern, developed part of the Rajpura city, with well-planned residential areas and commercial centers.The township was developed post independence to rehabilitate the people who migrated from Pakistan province of Bahawalpur. In 1951, Rajpura’s population had risen dramatically, courtesy the Bahawalpuris.
Constituency
Rajpura is constituency No. 111 of Punjab Legislative Assembly. It comes under the Patiala (Lok Sabha constituency). As per the voter list of 2019, there are 173947 electorates and 189 polling stations. The term of the Legislative assembly is five years.Economy
Rajpura located southwest of Chandigarh, is blend of agriculture and industry services.Agriculture
Agriculture has traditionally been the backbone of rajpura economy, Primary crops wheat and rice. Along with dairy farming. A substantial portion of the population is involved in farming and sales of related materials.Industry
Rajpura is an industrial town. There are number of large-scale industries like Hindustan Unilever HUL. and a large number of small-scale industries. In small-scale industries, Rajpura is a hub of steel works and machines industry.Power Plant
Nabha Power Limited, which runs a 1400 MW supercritical thermal power plant at Rajpura, owned and operated by Larsen & Toubro.Warehousing and logistics hub
Rajpura has been known for its quality furniture and several well-known brands have their manufacturing plants located here. Being one of the largest industrial hubs of Punjab, Rajpura is crucial location from supply chain and logistics perspective. Rajpura is gradually emerging as a warehousing and logistics hub of Punjab.Education
Notable schools, colleges, universities and institutes in Rajpura include:Colleges
- Aryans College of Law
- Chitkara University, Punjab
- Swami Vivekanand Institute of Engineering & Technology
Places of interest
Temple
The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and is located in Nalas village. Here the self-born Lingam of Lord Shiv is present, which is why it is called Swayambhu. Since the 15th century, the temple has been home to Sadhu's. There is also a 65 ft-tall sculpture of Lord Shiva at the entrance of the temple and the height of the temple is above 100 ft. Every year, it is decorated beautifully for the Maha Shivaratri Festival.St. Thomas Catholic Church, Rajpura
St. Thomas Catholic Church is a Roman Catholic parish located in Rajpura, Patiala district, Punjab. It falls under the Diocese of Simla–Chandigarh and serves as one of the primary Christian worship centres in the city. The church is dedicated to St. Thomas, whose feast is celebrated annually on 3 July.Transport
Road
Rajpura is situated at the junction of National Highway No. 1 which runs from New Delhi to Attari in Punjab and National Highway 64 which runs from Chandigarh to Dabwali, making Rajpura a good distribution centre. Rajpura is regarded as 'Gateway of Punjab' as all road and rail transport needs to touch Rajpura for the routes going to other major cities of Punjab as well as Jammu & Kashmir.Intercity bus travel is provided by PEPSU Road Transport Corporation, Chandigarh Transport Undertaking and Haryana Roadways.