Hodal
Encyclopedia
Hodal is a city
City
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...

 and a municipal committee in Palwal district
Palwal district
Palwal district is the 21st district of Haryana state in northern India. Palwal city is the headquarters of this district.The city is situated at a distance of 60 km from Delhi on the Delhi-Mathura highway. The latitude of the town is 28° 40' N and longitude is 76° 59' E...

 in the Haryana
Haryana
Haryana is a state in India. Historically, it has been a part of the Kuru region in North India. The name Haryana is found mentioned in the 12th century AD by the apabhramsha writer Vibudh Shridhar . It is bordered by Punjab and Himachal Pradesh to the north, and by Rajasthan to the west and south...

 state of 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...

. Hodal is near the Kaman, Rajasthan, at the border 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...

 on National Highway 2 (India)
National Highway 2 (India)
National Highway 2 , commonly referred as Delhi-Kolkata Road is a busy Indian National Highway that runs through the states of Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, and West Bengal. It constitute a major portion of historical Grand Trunk Road along with NH 91 and NH 1 in India...

.
It is a Haryana Legislative Assembly
Haryana Legislative Assembly
The Haryana Vidhan Sabha or the Haryana Legislative Assembly is the unicameral state legislature of Haryana state in northern India. The seat of the Vidhan Sabha is at Chandigarh, the capital of the state. The Vidhan Sabha comprises 90 Members of Legislative Assembly, directly elected from...

 constituency segment, within the Faridabad
Faridabad (Lok Sabha constituency)
Faridabad Lok Sabha constituency is one of the 10 Lok Sabha constituencies in Haryana state in northern India.-Assembly segments:At present, Faridabad Lok Sabha constituency comprises nine Vidhan Sabha constituencies...

 Lok Sabha
Lok Sabha
The Lok Sabha or House of the People is the lower house of the Parliament of India. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by direct election under universal adult suffrage. As of 2009, there have been fifteen Lok Sabhas elected by the people of India...

 constituency.

Geography

Hodal is located at 27.9°N 77.37°E. It has an average elevation of 190 metres (623 feet). Hodal is situated at a distance of 88 kilometres (55 mi) from Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...

 and 105 kilometres (65 mi) from Agra
Agra
Agra a.k.a. Akbarabad is a city on the banks of the river Yamuna in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, India, west of state capital, Lucknow and south from national capital New Delhi. With a population of 1,686,976 , it is one of the most populous cities in Uttar Pradesh and the 19th most...

 on highway NH-2.

Demographics

As of the 2001 India census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

, Hodal had a population of 98,306. Males constituted 53% of the population and females 47%. Hodal has an average literacy rate of 57%, lower than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 67%, and female literacy is 46%. In Hodal, 18% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Local attractions

Chameli Van is another attraction, being a sacred place with an ancient monkey temple dedicated to Lord Hanuman
Hanuman
Hanuman , is a Hindu deity, who is an ardent devotee of Rama, a central character in the Indian epic Ramayana and one of the dearest devotees of lord Rama. A general among the vanaras, an ape-like race of forest-dwellers, Hanuman is an incarnation of the divine and a disciple of Lord Rama in the...

 (Lord of the Monkeys), where devotees throng in large numbers from nearby areas, particularly on Tuesdays (Mangal-var). Visitors bring large offerings of bananas, chanas (roasted grams) etc. for hundreds of monkeys who stay around the temple in a large area dominated by 'Pelu' bushes (Salvadora oleoides). The area is accessed from Hodal Railway Station.

It is also a good hot-spot for birding, with the Ujjina drain nearby, and having varied habitats like ponds, agricultural fields, canal, shrubby areas, etc. Large numbers of migratory birds also come here from far-off places, such as Siberia, Northern & Central Asia, etc. More than 125 species of birds have been recorded here by Sh. J.M. Garg, a birder from Hodal

The area is also known for the place of Sadhus. There is a good temple of Tygi Baba Mandir. It is situated near the "Dabchick" on highway NH-2. The elders say that there is lord 'Hanuman Ji' who is living in soul in this temple. The mehant of this temple is Baba Uddho Das Maharaj. This temple is famous for the fest of 'Guru Purnima
Guru Purnima
Guru Purnima is a festival traditionally celebrated by Hindus and Buddhists.On this day, disciples offer puja or pay respect to their Guru . It falls on the day of full moon, Purnima, in the month of Ashadh of the Shaka Samvat, Indian national calendar and Hindu calendar...

'. There is a big langar
Langar
Langar is the term used in the Sikh religion or in Punjab in general for common kitchen/canteen where food is served in a Gurdwara to all the visitors for free. At the langar, only vegetarian food is served, to ensure that all people, regardless of their dietary restrictions, can eat as equals...

 for this temple, where a long-distance saint comes for this fest.

Another attraction in Hodal is Dabchick (a landscaped area, named after a bird called "Dabchick" as shown in the picture. There is a restaurant, motel accommodation, and other attractions, located along highway NH-2. This is a place of dreams where a large number of tourists come every day. There is a beautiful lake.

Another tourist attraction in Hodal is Bagichi, at about 0.50 km (0.3 mile) from Hodal: on Gorota road, after crossing the railway fatak. This is also a memorable place. Every Saturday people go for parikrama to this place. This Bagichi is on the land of Tihab Patti Hodal. So this is also called 'Tihab Bagichi'.

There is also an old temple in Hodal, known as Panduvan.

Fifty years ago, Hodal was like a big, self-sufficient village with a bazaar
Bazaar
A bazaar , Cypriot Greek: pantopoula) is a permanent merchandising area, marketplace, or street of shops where goods and services are exchanged or sold. The term is sometimes also used to refer to the "network of merchants, bankers and craftsmen" who work that area...

 run entirely by local baniyas. At that time, there were nearly 200 families of Mahajans. Most of them settled here after the British took over the territory and ensured peace and stability. They had migrated to Hodal from far-off places, and built their shops-turned-residences in the mandi and old bazaar area, now within the old town. Hodal is in a developing stage. Many private banks, hospitals, schools, real estate ventures, etc. are looking to open their offices in Hodal. One department store
Department store
A department store is a retail establishment which satisfies a wide range of the consumer's personal and residential durable goods product needs; and at the same time offering the consumer a choice of multiple merchandise lines, at variable price points, in all product categories...

 from SRS has opened in Hodal near Rest House. Kishan Singh Hospital & Medical Research Centre opened in Hodal, near Dabchick on the Delhi-Agra Highway.

Area hospitals:
  • Kishan Singh Hospital & Medical Research Centre (of KSH LTD.) is an ISO 9001:2008 & ISO 14000:2004 Certified 100-bed hospital, located near Dabchick on NH-2. KSHRC is the largest healthcare provider in and around Hodal. On 5 September 2010, Chaudhary Laxmi Narayan (Minister of Industrial education, U.P. Govt.) inaugurated the dialysis unit and echo with color doppler. KSH LTD. shortly opened a nursing college, Kishan Singh Nursing Institute, at Hodal.
  • Goyal Nursing Home (near Old Anaj Mandi).
  • Bansal Nursing Home (on NH-2, near Bypass Chock Hodal).


Banks in Hodal:
  • State Bank of Patiala (Old GT Road Hodal).
  • Punjab National Bank (in front of Aggarwal DharamShala).
  • Syndicate Bank (Old GT Road Hodal).
  • Canera Bank (Hasanpur Road).
  • State Bank of India (Hasanpur Road).
  • HDFC Bank (Hasanpur Chock).


Saraswati Senior Secondary School, located near Sati Sarover, is the largest education provider in Hodal. Classes are both in English medium as well as Hindi medium. Saraswati Senior Secondary School is managed by Saraswati Educational society.

Satti Sarovar is a famous sarovar of Hodal. According to this sarovar, this is in the remembrance of a sati
Sati
Sati may refer to:*An alternative name for Hindu goddess Dakshayani, Shiva's first wife*Sati , an ancient Indian tradition of the immolation of a widow on her husband's funeral pyre, now illegal*Mindfulness...

 (who came to die with her husband), and from that day made as a festival, part of the Hindu calendar. On this day, the women and even girls prayed for this kind of soul and this kind of bravery (meaning sattitava). It is also a famous temple of Hodal.

External links

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