| Sri Ganganagar | |
| Settlement Type: | City |
| Pushpin Map: | India Rajasthan#India |
| Pushpin Label Position: | right |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in Rajasthan, India |
| Coordinates: | 29.92°N 73.88°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: |  India |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Type2: | District |
| Subdivision Name1: | Rajasthan |
| Subdivision Name2: | Sri Ganganagar |
| Established Date: | 1943 |
| Founder: | Maharaja Ganga Singh |
| Government Type: | State Government |
| Governing Body: | Government of India |
| Unit Pref: | Metric |
| Area Total Km2: | 225 |
| Elevation M: | 178 |
| Population Total: | 237780 |
| Population As Of: | 2011 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Demographics Type1: | Languages |
| Demographics1 Title1: | Official |
| Demographics1 Info1: | Hindi[1] |
| Demographics1 Title2: | Additional official |
| Demographics1 Info2: | English |
| Timezone1: | IST |
| Utc Offset1: | +5:30 |
| Postal Code Type: | PIN |
| Postal Code: | 335001 |
| Area Code: | 0154 / +91-154 |
| Area Code Type: | Telephone code |
| Iso Code: | RJ-IN |
| Registration Plate: | RJ-13 |
| Blank1 Name Sec1: | Sex ratio |
| Blank1 Info Sec1: | 947♂/♀ |
| Website: | sriganganagar.rajasthan.gov.in |
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.[2] The city is also known as the "Food Basket of Rajasthan".
Sri Ganganagar was established by Maharaja Ganga Singh. It was part of Bikaner princely state.[3] 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 143km (89miles) 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. Another part was split off to form Anupgarh district in 2023.
Sri Ganganagar District is between latitudes 28.4 and 30.6 and longitudes 72.2 and 75.3[4] 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 west by Anupgarh 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.
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:
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.[5]
Majority of the population is Hindu, followed by Sikh and Muslim.
Hindi and English serve as official languages of the city. Punjabi, Hindi, Rajasthani and Bagri are the most commonly spoken languages.[6] [7]
Desert land was converted to a green town by the efforts of Maharaja Ganga Singh, who brought the Ganga Canal. It carries the excess waters of Punjab and Himachal Pradesh to the region, making Ganganagar a district known as the "food basket of Rajasthan".[10]
The economy of the city is based on agriculture; its main crops are wheat, mustard and cotton. Other crops are guar, bajra, sugar cane and grams. In recent years, farmers are diverting towards horticulture. Kinnow (a citrus family fruit or a hybrid citrus fruit) is a popular horticultural product; other fruits of the citrus family are also grown. The city also have the largest carrot market of Rajasthan.
Industries in Sri Ganganagar District are based on agriculture. Major industries are cotton ginning and pressing factories, mustard oil mills, wheat flour mills, Rajasthan State Ganganagar Sugar Mills[11] (known for its Royal Heritage Liqueurs),[12] [13] 20 top renowned industries are Vikas WSP (P) Limited, T.C. Fresh Kinnow Waxing, Kanda Edible Oil Unit, Ruchi Soya Industries etc. It has cotton spinning and textile factories such as JCT Mills (now closed). Most of the factories are in and around Sri Ganganagar City.
Bagri culture dominates the district, while Punjabi culture has influence in some areas.The embroidered odhni (mostly red) is a symbol of Bagri women. Kurto (a long shirt), Ghaghro/Ghagariyo (long frock-type clothes), Borlo/Boryo (a head ornament), and Odhni/Odhaniyo are the traditional dress of Bagri women, though the younger generation has adopted Salwar Kameez or western clothing.
The purdah (or veil) is mainly in vogue among Bagri women. Men mainly wear a pant-shirt, kurta-payjama and dhoti.
Traditional and Pop Punjabi music and Rajasthani devotional music is popular. Bollywood songs are listened to with the same enthusiasm as in other northern Indian regions.
The landscape of Sri Ganganagar is dotted with temples and religious places. The famous temples in Sri Ganganagar include
Sri Ganganagar is well connected with road and is linked directly to Delhi, Jaipur, Ludhiana, Chandigarh, Sikar, Karnal, Haridwar, Bathinda, Ambala, Jodhpur and many other cities. National Highway 62 passes through Sri Ganganagar. Auto rickshaws and cycle rickshaws are majorly used for local transport in Sri Ganganagar.
Sri Ganganagar Junction railway station is a main railway station in Sri Ganganagar District. The city is directly connected to Delhi, Jaipur, Kota, Bikaner, Haridwar, Hanumangarh, Jodhpur, Ambala, Sikar, Bathinda, Firozpur, Fazilka, Howrah, Trivandrum, Nanded, Ahmedabad, Pune, Roorkee, Kanpur, Bangalore and some other cities via train.
Lalgarh Airport is a main airport in Sri Ganganagar District.