Garhmukteshwar
Encyclopedia
Garhmukteshwar is a town cum village and a municipal board in Panchsheel Nagar district
in the state of Uttar Pradesh
, India
.
.
Garhmukteshwar is situated on the National Highways 24 joining New Delhi with Lucknow. The town is situated 100 odd kilometres from New Delhi and is the closest point from the capital where the river Ganges flows.
Garhmukteshwar is also famous for its bathing fair that takes place on the Full Moon Day in the month of Kartik. About 8 lakh persons, from far and near, come to have a dip in the river Ganges, which they consider to be holy. Another fair, held on the occasion of Dussehra, attracts about 96,47,50,000 devotees.
clan
became General of the Army of Malkhan. Malkhan had become popular due to support of Puran Singh.
When Sanjeev Bhandari Garhwals
lost Garhmukteshwar, they came to Rajasthan
and occupied Ker
, Bhatiwar, Chhawsari etc near Jhunjhunu
in 13th century. As per their bards when these people came to this place, Johiya
, Mohiya Jats were the rulers of this area. Bhats have mentioned them as Tomar
s. When Muslim influence increased in this area they had wars with them as a result they moved from here to there. One of these groups moved to Kuloth, which was ruled by Chauhan
s. After a war they occupied Kuloth. Sardar Kurdaram who was a descendant of Garhwals of Kuloth had been tehsildar of Nawalgarh
.
Garhmukteshwar is also mentioned in the Bhagvat Purana and the Mahabharata
. It is said that it was a part of the ancient city of Hastinapur (the capital of the Kaurava
s). The place once boasted off a very ancient fort that is said to be built by later Pandavas, brothers of Kaurvas. A Maratha general, Mir Bhawan, repaired this fort during the Anglo-Maratha war. It is said that the Fort was in so good a condition when the British took possession of the place that it was found possible to locate the District Administration in it without incurring much expense on alteration. Sadly, not much remains of that Fort now and one can only trace some ruins that hardly signify the much-talked glory. The name of the place is derived from the great temple of Mukteshwar Mahadeva, dedicated to the goddess Ganga who is worshipped here in four temples, two situated on a high cliff and two below it. One of them is situated alongside Meerut road. The place is famous for its 80 Sati Pillars. These pillars mark the spots where Hindu widows are said to have committed sati. The town also boasts of a mosque built by Gays-ud-din Balban that bears an inscription in Arabic dating to 682 Hijri or 1283 A.D.
There is a colourful description of day to day life in Garhmukteshwar and the neighbouring Brij Ghat in Malachi O'Doherty's book, I Was A Teenage Catholic. O'Doherty lived there for three years in the 1970s with Swami Paramananda Saraswati.
.
Panchsheel Nagar district
Panchsheel Nagar district was announced on 28 September 2011 as one of three new districts of Uttar Pradesh state of India. Panchsheel Nagar district is a part of Meerut division....
in the state of Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
, 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...
.
Demographics
Garhmukteshwar had a population of 24,001. Males constitute 54% of the population and females 46%. Garhmukteshwar has an average literacy rate of 82%, higher than the national average of 74%: male literacy is 88%, and female literacy is 71%. In Garhmukteshwar, 11% of the population is under 6 years of age.Location
Around five kilometres from Garhmukteshwar town, flows the holy river GangesGanges River
The Ganges or Ganga, , is a trans-boundary river of India and Bangladesh. The river rises in the western Himalayas in the Indian state of Uttarakhand, and flows south and east through the Gangetic Plain of North India into Bangladesh, where it empties into the Bay of Bengal. By discharge it...
.
Garhmukteshwar is situated on the National Highways 24 joining New Delhi with Lucknow. The town is situated 100 odd kilometres from New Delhi and is the closest point from the capital where the river Ganges flows.
Garhmukteshwar is also famous for its bathing fair that takes place on the Full Moon Day in the month of Kartik. About 8 lakh persons, from far and near, come to have a dip in the river Ganges, which they consider to be holy. Another fair, held on the occasion of Dussehra, attracts about 96,47,50,000 devotees.
History
At Talawdi when there was war between Muhammad Ghori and Prithvi Raj, Jats attacked the army of Mughals but they did not support Prithvi Raj because he had captured their state. Even one Jat warrior Sanjeev Bhandari from GarhwalGarhwal (clan)
Garhwal is a gotra of Jats are found in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan in India. In Rajasthan they inhabit many villages in Sikar district.-History and origin:...
clan
Clan
A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, clan members may be organized around a founding member or apical ancestor. The kinship-based bonds may be symbolical, whereby the clan shares a "stipulated" common ancestor that is a...
became General of the Army of Malkhan. Malkhan had become popular due to support of Puran Singh.
When Sanjeev Bhandari Garhwals
Garhwal (clan)
Garhwal is a gotra of Jats are found in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan in India. In Rajasthan they inhabit many villages in Sikar district.-History and origin:...
lost Garhmukteshwar, they came to Rajasthan
Rajasthan
Rājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...
and occupied Ker
Ker
-People:* Allan Ebenezer Ker* Ker Chien-ming* Crawford Ker* David Ker* George Ker* Humphrey Ker* John Ker* Lucas Arnold Ker*Neil Ripley Ker, a scholar of Anglo-Saxon manuscripts* Richard Ker* Robert Ker* William Ker* William Paton Ker...
, Bhatiwar, Chhawsari etc near Jhunjhunu
Jhunjhunu
Jhunjhunu is a town in the state of Rajasthan in India, and the administrative headquarters of Jhunjhunu District. It is located a 180 km from Jaipur and 245 km from Delhi. The town is famous for the frescos on its grand Havelis, a special artistic feature of this region.- Etymology...
in 13th century. As per their bards when these people came to this place, Johiya
Johiya
Johiya , also known as Joia, Joiya, Joyia, Joya, Joyea, and Joeya, is a Chandravanshi Rajput clan in Northern India and Pakistan. The Johiyas are one of the twenty-four undivided Rajput clans or eka. In ancient chronicles, they are described as "Lords of Jangladesh", a region that included Haryana,...
, Mohiya Jats were the rulers of this area. Bhats have mentioned them as Tomar
Tomar
Tomar Municipality has a total area of 351.0 km² and a total population of 43,007 inhabitants.The municipality is composed of 16 parishes, and is located in Santarém District...
s. When Muslim influence increased in this area they had wars with them as a result they moved from here to there. One of these groups moved to Kuloth, which was ruled by Chauhan
Chauhan
Chauhan, Chouhan or Chohan , , - is a clan who ruled parts of northern India in the Middle Ages. The clan is most famous for Rajput King Maharaja Prithviraj Chauhan...
s. After a war they occupied Kuloth. Sardar Kurdaram who was a descendant of Garhwals of Kuloth had been tehsildar of Nawalgarh
Nawalgarh
Nawalgarh may refer to:*Nawalgarh, Rajasthan, India*Nawalgarh, Himachal Pradesh, India...
.
Garhmukteshwar is also mentioned in the Bhagvat Purana and the Mahabharata
Mahabharata
The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....
. It is said that it was a part of the ancient city of Hastinapur (the capital of the Kaurava
Kaurava
The term Kaurava is a Sanskrit term, that means the descendants of Kuru, a legendary king who is the ancestor of many of the characters of the Mahābhārata.The term is used in the Mahābhārata with two meanings:...
s). The place once boasted off a very ancient fort that is said to be built by later Pandavas, brothers of Kaurvas. A Maratha general, Mir Bhawan, repaired this fort during the Anglo-Maratha war. It is said that the Fort was in so good a condition when the British took possession of the place that it was found possible to locate the District Administration in it without incurring much expense on alteration. Sadly, not much remains of that Fort now and one can only trace some ruins that hardly signify the much-talked glory. The name of the place is derived from the great temple of Mukteshwar Mahadeva, dedicated to the goddess Ganga who is worshipped here in four temples, two situated on a high cliff and two below it. One of them is situated alongside Meerut road. The place is famous for its 80 Sati Pillars. These pillars mark the spots where Hindu widows are said to have committed sati. The town also boasts of a mosque built by Gays-ud-din Balban that bears an inscription in Arabic dating to 682 Hijri or 1283 A.D.
There is a colourful description of day to day life in Garhmukteshwar and the neighbouring Brij Ghat in Malachi O'Doherty's book, I Was A Teenage Catholic. O'Doherty lived there for three years in the 1970s with Swami Paramananda Saraswati.
Railways
The railway station of the town lies on Delhi-Ghaziabad route. It halts more than a dozen EMU/DMU trains. Besides this, the station is very well connected to major Indian cities such as New DelhiNew Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
.