Hoshiarpur District

Hoshiarpur, one of the oldest districts of Punjab, is located in the North-east part of the Punjab state and shares common boundaries with Gurdaspur district in the north-west, Jalandhar district and Kapurthala district in south-west, Kangra district and Una district of Himachal Pradesh in the north-east. Hoshiarpur district comprises 4 sub-divisions, 10 community development blocks, 9 urban local bodies and 1417 villages. The district has an area of 3365 km². and a population of 1,586,625 persons as per census 2011.

Hoshiarpur district
District
Graveyard in Todarpur
Location in Punjab
Coordinates: 31°35′N 75°59′E / 31.583°N 75.983°E / 31.583; 75.983
Country	India
State	Punjab
Region	Doaba
Headquarters	Hoshiarpur
Government
• MP	Som Parkash(BJP)
• MLA	Pandit Bharma Shankar Jimpa(AAP)
• Mayor	Surinder Shinda (AAP)
• Deputy commissioner	Komal Mittal
Area
• Total	3,365 km2 (1,299 sq mi)
Population  (2011)[‡]
• Total	1,586,625
• Density	470/km2 (1,200/sq mi)
• Sex Ration	961
Languages
• Official	Punjabi
Time zone	UTC+5:30 (IST)
Literacy	85.40%
Website	hoshiarpur.nic.in

Hoshiarpur, along with the districts of Nawanshehar, Kapurthala and parts of Jalandhar, represents one of the cultural regions of Punjab called Doaba or the Bist Doab - the tract of land between two rivers, namely Beas and Sutlej. The area, along with the Shivalik foothills on the right side of Chandigarh-Pathankot road in Hoshiarpur, is sub mountainous. This part of the district is also known as Kandi area. The two rivers, Sutlej and Beas along with two other seasonal streams, provide drainage to the region. Besides these, the Kandi region is full of seasonal streams.

Hoshiarpur district falls into two nearly equal portions of hill and plain country. Its eastern face consists of the westward slope of the Solar Singhi Hills; parallel with that ridge, a line of lower heights belonging to the Siwalik Range traverses the district from south to north, while between the two chains stretches a valley of uneven width, known as the Jaswan Dun. Its upper portion is crossed by the Sohan torrent, while the Sutlej sweeps into its lower end through a break in the hills, and flows in a southerly direction until it turns the flank of the central range, and debouches westwards upon the plains. This western plain consists of alluvial formation, with a general westerly slope owing to the deposit of silt from the mountain torrents in the sub-montane tract. The Beas has a fringe of lowland, open to moderate but not excessive inundations, and considered very fertile. A considerable area is covered by government woodlands, under the care of the forest department. Rice is largely grown, in the marshy flats along the banks of the Beas. The district, owing to its proximity to the hills, possesses a comparatively cool and humid climate. Cotton fabrics are manufactured, and sugar, rice, other grains and indigo are among the exports.

Hoshiarpur is also known as a City of Saints. There are many deras in this district. Several religious fairs are held, at Anandpur Sahib, Dasuya, Mukerian and Chintpurni, all of which attract an enormous concourse of people.

The District Govt. College was once a campus for Punjab University, and it was predominantly inhabited by Gujjar and Saini, Dogras of Jammu-Punjab Region during the reign of the Sikh Empire.

The area of present Hoshiarpur District was also part of Indus Valley Civilization. Recent excavations at various sites in the district have revealed that the entire area near the Shivalik foothills was selected for habitation not only by the early Paleolithic man but also by those in the protohistoric and historic periods. The legends associate several places in the district with Pandavas. Dasuya is mentioned in epic of Mahabharata as the seat of Raja Virata in whose services the Pandavas remained for thirteen years during their exile. Bham, about 11 km west of Mahilpur, is said to be the place where the Pandavas passed their exile. Lasara, about 19 km north of Jaijon, also contains a stone temple stated to date back to the time of Pandavas. According to the Chinese pilgrim, Hieun Tsang, the area of Hoshiarpur was dominated by a tribe of Chandrabansi Rajputs, who maintained an independent existence for centuries before the Muhammadan conquest.

The country around Hoshiarpur formed part of the old kingdom of Katoch in Jalandhar. The state was eventually broken up, and the present district was divided between the, rajas of Datarpur and Jaswan. They retained undisturbed possession of their territories until 1759, when the rising Sikh chieftains commenced a series of encroachments upon the hill tracts. In 1815 Maharaja Ranjit Singh, forced the ruler of Jaswan to resign his territories in exchange for an estate on feudal tenure; three years later the raja of Datarpur met with similar treatment. By the close of the year 1818 the whole country from the Sutlej to the Beas had come under the government of Lahore, and after the First Anglo-Sikh War in 1846 passed to the British government. The deposed rajas of Datarpur and Jaswan received cash pensions from the new rulers, but expressed bitter disappointment at not being restored to their former sovereign position. Accordingly, the outbreak of the Second Anglo-Sikh War, in 1848 found the disaffected chieftains ready for rebellion. They organized a revolt, but the two rajas and the other ringleaders were captured, and their estates confiscated. Hoshiarpur is an ancient centre of Hindu epics and culture itself. In Bajwara (4 km east on Una Road from the present city) ruins of an ancient culture can still be found. Mythologically, Teh Dasuya of this district is estimated to be King Virat's kingdom where Pandavas spent their one-year exile.

 

Bhrigu Samhita

Hoshiarpur is also popular for old astrological facts where it is said to be that old documents where past, present and future birth of every person is written in detail, are safely kept at this place. Many people visit Hoshiarpur to find out about their past, present and future in every birth they have or had taken in the past.

Significant cities

Among the numerous ancient cultural centers in Hoshiarpur was town Jaijon. Said to be Founded by Jaijjat rishi around 11th century at the Shivalik foothills, Jaijon was a flourishing trade centre. It was also known as a centre for oriental studies. Noted scholars and exponents of Sanskrit, Astrology, Ayurveda and music visited this place for meeting. Music composers Pandit Husan Lal and Bhagat Ram and noted Pakistani poet Tufail Hoshiarpuri belonged to the same place. Jaijon also have a small old railway station from the British era.

Ayurveda scholar Pandit Govind Ram Vatsyayan and Sanskrit laureate Acharya Vishwanath belonged to Jaijon.

Mahilpur is an ancient village on the feet of Shivalik which was visited by Chinese Hiuen Tsang who wrote this village as Sri Mahipalpur in his notes.

According to the 2011 census Hoshiarpur district has a population of 1,586,625, roughly equal to the nation of Gabon or the US state of Idaho. This gives it a ranking of 310th in India (out of a total of 640). The district has a population density of 683 inhabitants per square kilometre (1,770/sq mi). Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 17.95%. Hoshiarpur has a sex ratio of 961 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 85.40%. Scheduled Castes made up 35.14% of the population.

The Hoshiarpur district has one of the highest Scheduled Caste population (34%) population in Punjab. The Hoshiarpur-I and Hoshiarpur-II have 48 percent Scheduled Castes population. In Mahilpur block the proportion of Scheduled Castes population is 44 percent and in Bhunga block it is 41 percent while in the remaining blocks the proportion of Scheduled Castes population is less than 40 percent.

Gender

The table below shows the sex ratio of Hoshiarpur district through decades.

The table below shows the child sex ratio of children below the age of 6 years in the rural and urban areas of Hoshiarpur district.

Religion

Religion in Hoshiarpur District

Religious group	2011
	Pop.	%
Hinduism	1,000,743	63.07%
Sikhism	538,208	33.92%
Islam	23,089	1.46%
Christianity	14,968	0.94%
Others	9,617	0.61%
Total Population	1,586,625	100%

The table below shows the population of different religions in absolute numbers in the urban and rural areas of Jalandhar district.

Religious groups in Hoshiarpur District (British Punjab province era)

Religious group	1901		1911		1921		1931		1941
	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%
Hinduism	603,710	60.99%	498,642	54.28%	500,339	53.95%	526,182	50.98%	584,080	49.91%
Islam	312,958	31.62%	281,805	30.68%	289,298	31.19%	328,078	31.78%	380,759	32.53%
Sikhism	71,126	7.19%	134,146	14.6%	132,958	14.34%	173,147	16.77%	198,194	16.93%
Jainism	1,173	0.12%	998	0.11%	1,079	0.12%	1,016	0.1%	1,125	0.1%
Christianity	813	0.08%	2,978	0.32%	3,745	0.4%	3,764	0.36%	6,165	0.53%
Judaism	2	0%	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%
Zoroastrianism	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%
Buddhism	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%
Others	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%
Total population	989,782	100%	918,569	100%	927,419	100%	1,032,187	100%	1,170,323	100%
Note: British Punjab province era district borders are not an exact match in the present-day due to various bifurcations to district borders — which since created new districts — throughout the historic Punjab Province region during the post-independence era that have taken into account population increases.

Religion in the Tehsils of Hoshiarpur District (1941)

Tehsil	Hinduism		Islam		Sikhism		Christianity		Jainism		Others		Total
	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%
Hoshiarpur Tehsil	113,680	35.11%	145,985	45.09%	62,517	19.31%	953	0.29%	510	0.16%	95	0.03%	323,740	100%
Dasuya Tehsil	95,572	34.98%	132,105	48.35%	40,509	14.83%	4,729	1.73%	328	0.12%	3	0%	273,246	100%
Garh Shankar Tehsil	150,991	52.15%	67,584	23.34%	70,310	24.28%	363	0.13%	284	0.1%	7	0%	289,539	100%
Una Tehsil	223,837	78.87%	35,085	12.36%	24,858	8.76%	15	0.01%	3	0%	0	0%	283,798	100%
Note1: British Punjab province era tehsil borders are not an exact match in the present-day due to various bifurcations to tehsil borders — which since created new tehsils — throughout the historic Punjab Province region during the post-independence era that have taken into account population increases. Note2: Tehsil religious breakdown figures for Christianity only includes local Christians, labeled as "Indian Christians" on census. Does not include Anglo-Indian Christians or British Christians, who were classified under "Other" category.

Language

At the time of the 2011 census, 93.74% of the population spoke Punjabi and 5.27% Hindi as their first language.

The table below shows the data from the district nutrition profile of children below the age of 5 years, in Hoshiarpur, as of year 2020.

The table below shows the district nutrition profile of Hoshiarpur of women between the ages of 15 to 49 years, as of year 2020.

In 2006 the Ministry of Panchayati Raj named Hoshiarpur one of the country's 250 most backward districts (out of a total of 640). It is the only district in Punjab currently receiving funds from the Backward regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGF).

Politics

District administration

• The Deputy Commissioner, an officer belonging to the Indian Administrative Service, is in-charge of the General Administration in the district, and is assisted by a number of officers belonging to Punjab Civil Service and other Punjab state services.
• The Senior Superintendent of Police, an officer belonging to the Indian Police Service, is responsible for maintaining law & order in the district, assisted by the officers of the Punjab Police Service and other Punjab police officials.
• The Divisional Forest Officer, an officer belonging to the Indian Forest Service, is responsible for the management of the forests, environment and wildlife in the district and is assisted by the officers of the Punjab Forest Service and other Punjab forest officials and Punjab wildlife officials.
• Sectoral development is looked after by the district head/officer of each development department such as PWD, Health, Education, Agriculture, Animal husbandry, etc. These officers are from various Punjab state services.

Sub-Divisions

The District of Hoshiarpur comprises four sub-divisions, ten development blocks, eight municipal councils and one notified area committee, as listed below:

Administrative Divisions

• Hoshiarpur
• Dasuya
• Mukerian
• Garhshankar

Development Blocks

• Hoshiarpur-I
• Hoshiarpur-II
• Bhunga
• Tanda
• Dasuya
• Mukerian
• Talwara
• Hajipur
• Garhshankar

 

Municipal Corporation

• Hoshiarpur

Municipal Councils

• Garhdiwala
• Hariana
• Tanda
• Mahilpur
• Garhshankar
• Dasuya'
• Mukerian
• Sham Chaurasi
• Talwara

Notified Area Committee

• Mahilpur
• Hoshiarpur
• Shamchurasi Kadiana

Villages

• Saido Patti

Science

• Piara Singh Gill, a nuclear physicist and a pioneer in cosmic ray nuclear physics

Business

• Lakshman Das Mittal, owner and chairman of the Sonalika Group

Sports

• Intikhab Alam cricket player
• Harmilan Bains, a track and field athlete and medalist in Asian games 2022
• Deepak Thakur, a hockey player and receiver of Arjun Award

Politics

• Jagjit Singh Chohan founder of Khalsa Raj Party
• Santosh Chowdhary ex-MP Congress
• Rana Mohammad Hanif Khan Federal Minister of Finance, Pakistan (22 October 1974 – 28 March 1977) was born in Garhshankar, District Hoshiarpur^{[circular reference]}
• Avinash Rai Khanna a Bharatiya Janata Party leader
• Jai Krishan of Garhshankar Deputy Speaker in current Punjab Legislative Assembly
• Kewal Krishan of Mukerian(10 October 1923 – 30 June 2008) Speaker of the Punjab Legislative Assembly (Vidhan Sabha), Minister of Finance in the Punjab Government 1980–83
• Mayawati incontested M.P. election from Hoshiarpur 1989 Indian general election
• Mangu Ram Mugowalia, prominent Ghadar Party leader and Freedom Fighter
• Harnam Singh Saini, an Indian revolutionary
• Harjit Singh Sajjan, Minister of National Defence for the Government of Canada
• Vijay Sampla, (Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment) MP from Hoshiarpur is actually from Jalandhar city. (born at Sofi Village, Jalandhar district).
• Zail Singh was elected from Hoshiarpur in 1980, became Union Home Minister and later the President of India in 1982.
• Ambika Soni M.P. belongs to bajwara in Hoshiarpur.

Arts and entertainment

 

 

• Monica Bedi a Punjabi actress is from village Chabbewal
• Jaz Dhami, UK based Punjabi singer belongs to Hoshiarpur
• Kulwinder Dhillon singer from Mahilpur
• Harbanse Singh Doman belongs to Hoshiarpur
• Nachhatar Gill Punjabi singer born in Vill. Akalgarh, near Garhshankar, Dist. Hoshiarpur
• Habib Jalib Pakistani revolutionary poet and left wing politician born in a village near Hoshiarpur
• Hard Kaur Indian rapper
• Amanat Ali Khan Pakistani classic and ghazal singer was born in Hoshiarpur
• Gauri Khan (born Gauri Chhibber) belongs to Hoshiarpur and raised up in Delhi.^{[citation needed]}
• Simran Kaur Mundi a Punjabi film actress is from village Mundian Jattan
• Satinder Sartaaj Punjabi singer born in Bajrawar village, Hoshiarpur District
• Amar Singh Shaunki Dhadi singer
• D. P. Singh a science populariser and environmental activist of Punjab
• Ganda Singh a Punjabi historian
• Mickey Singh, US based Punjabi Urban singer belongs to Hoshiarpur
• Sahib Singh one of the Panj Pyare
• Upasana Singh actress in Bollywood and comedian in TV was born in Tanda
• Yo Yo Honey Singh Punjabi Rapper from Delhi was born in Hoshiarpur.
• Manmohan Waris, Punjabi folk singer belongs to Halluwal (near Mahilpur) District Hoshiarpur

Sportspersons

• Mohammad Nissar, once India's fastest bowler and remains one of the fastest in the world

Military

• Fazal Din VC, of 7th Battalion 10th Baluch Regiment, British Indian Army, during the Burma Campaign was ran through the chest by a Japanese samurai officer's sword reaching through to his back and proceeded to take the sword out of himself and kill the Japanese officer with it
• Tufail Mohammad, of the Punjab Regiment, War Hero of the 1958 Indo-East Pakistan skirmish recipient of Nishan-e-Haider

Other

• Ravi Singh, a British-Indian humanitarian and founder and CEO Khalsa Aid