| Sardhana | |
|
|
|
| Coordinates | 29°09′N 77°37′E / 29.15°N 77.62°E |
| Country |  India |
| State | Uttar Pradesh |
| District(s) | Meerut |
| Population | 47,970 (2001[update]) |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+5:30) |
| Area • Elevation |
• 226 m (741 ft) |
Sardhana is a city and a municipal board in Meerut district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Sardhana is a town near Meerut and is located 85 km (53 mi) northeast of New Delhi, and 13 mi from Meerut.
Contents |
History
Being close to Hastinapur, which is also in Meerut district, the capital of Kauravas of Mahabharata, Sardhana is also known for the ancient Mahadev Temple that is believed to be dating from the Mahabharata period, and it was here that the Pandavas prayed before leaving for the Lakshagrah, the notorious palace made of lac by Duryodhana, at the confluence of the Hindon and Krishna rivers (Kali Nadi) at Varnavrat, the present Barnava, and where the prince resided with their mother Kunti. [1]
In the 19th century, Sardhana was the capital of the Begum Samru, born as Farzana Zebunisa in 1751, and considered to be the only Catholic ruler in India. She married in her early teens, a mercenary soldier Walter Reinhardt Sombre of Luxembourg, who was operating in India. Samru is but a mispronunciation of his surname Sombre. On his death in 1778 she succeeded to the command of his mercenary troops, and subsequently converted to Catholicism in 1781, under the name Johanna. [2][3][4]
During her lifetime she donated an immense fortune to charitable and religious uses. She also obtained from the Holy See, the promotion of Father Giulio Cesare, one of the members of the Agra Mission, to the episcopal dignity, and later Pope Gregory XVI wrote to her, and sent her tokens of his paternal approbation [3].[5] The church she built in 1822, became a cathedral for a short time, with its own bishop. The Bishop's Palace has become a girls school. Her original palace has now become a seminary for training priests. The New Palace has become the boys school. In December 1961, Pope John XXIII conferred the dignity of Minor Basilica to the church, now known as 'Basilica of Our Lady of Graces'. This dignity is given rarely and only on churches that are both beautiful and historically famous. [6]
It was also ruled by the Nawab of Sardhana, Syed Amjad Ali Shah, a grandson of Nawab Jan Fishan Khan, chief of the Paghman tribe, who came to India in 1842 after Begum Samru died. Amjad Ali Shah's son, Sirdar Ikbal Ali Shah, was born there. Sirdar Ikbal Ali Shah was the father of the Sufi teacher and writer Idries Shah.
In 1901, it was the headquarter of a tehsil, by the same name, in Meerut district, United Provinces of Agra and Oudh, and had a population of 12, 467. [2]
Demographics
As of 2001[update] India census,[7] Sardhana had a population of 47,970. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Sardhana has an average literacy rate of 48%, lower than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 55%, and female literacy is 40%. In Sardhana, 18% of the population is under 6 years of age.
== sardhana is famous for its cloth industry. ==
References
- ^ Epic Proportion: Sardhana - There’s more to Sardhana than the church.. Econoimic Times, Mar 6, 2008.
- ^ a b The Imperial Gazetteer of India, v. 22, p. 105, Oxford, 1908. Retrieved from here
- ^ a b Sardhana This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica, Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain..
- ^ Sardhana to find a new place on tourism map by Atiq Khan. The Hindu, Aug 31, 2007.
- ^ Catholic Encyclopedia (1913)/Agra wikisource.
- ^ Church that Begum Samru built The Tribune, 11 November 2007.
- ^ "Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional)". Census Commission of India. Archived from the original on 2004-06-16. http://web.archive.org/web/20040616075334/http://www.censusindia.net/results/town.php?stad=A&state5=999. Retrieved 2008-11-01.
External links
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
