Rahon
Encyclopedia
Rahon is a city and a municipal council
in the Nawanshahr district
of the India
n state
of Punjab
.
, the district headquarters. It is also connected by road with Nawashahr (8 KM), Jadla (12 KM), Ludhiana (51 KM), and Phillaur
(37 KM), Machhiwara
(18 km). Its population was 12,046 in 2001. It is a Class-III municipality.
s, who were driven out by the Mahton Rajputs, who in their turn succumbed to the Ghorewaha
Rajputs, whose conquest of the country is put down as having occurred in the time of Muhammad Ghori (d. 1206 AD).
Their Ruler Raja Rajpal, renamed the town ‘Rahon’, after a certain lady called ‘Raho’. In support of this derivation may be quoted the opinion entertained by some that, it is unlucky to speak of this town by its proper name, in the morning, when fasting. Till breakfast it is called ‘Zanana shahr’, or ‘Women town”. In the time of Ibrahim Lodhi
(1517-1526 AD), the town is reported to have a population of 145000 and was a flourishing trading center on the route to Tibet
and Central Asian Countries. The art of shoe making attained a high degree of skill and a pair prepared by one Mian Khaki Shah of Rahon is said to be still lying in the museum
at Lahore
(Pakistan
).
Towards the beginning of the Mughal period, the town was occupied by the Ghorewaha
Raja
of Machhiwara
, Rana Udho. He actively assisted Akbar (1556-1605 AD). During his fight for the Delhi throne and defeated and captured the rebellious Bairam Khan
. As a reward, the Raja
allowed to retain the jagir
of Rahon. In Akbar’s time, Rahon was the capital of the Dardhak Mahal
and gave its name to one of the two tarafs into which the Mahal
was divided. In Aurangzeb
’s reign (1658-1707 AD) a brick fort was built here. The Rajputs of Rahon were Chaudhris and men of much influence during the Muhammadan rule.After the Raja of Rahon converted to Islam, he was beheaded and territories seized by the Rana of Jadla who belonged to the same clan.
In 1710 AD, Rahon fort was conquered by Banda Bahadur, while on his way to Jalandhar, from Shams Khan, the local Mughal governor. Later, it fell back into the hands of Mughals. In 1759 AD, Rahon was seized by Dhallewali Confederacy Sikhs led by Tara Singh Gheba, and remained in their possession till Tara Singh's death, when it was added to Maharaja Ranjit Singh
’s dominions but domination of Pandits continued in local administration. Pandit Sardars ran the administration for centuries. After the collapse of the Sikh Empire, the descendants of the Rana of Rahon came to prominence again and the Rana
of Rahon, Chaudhry Abdul Rehman Khan
of Rahon was a member of the Legislative Assembly
of Punjab from the Unionist Party
before Indian Independence.
Until independence in 1947 the Rana of Rahon and the Rajrana of Jadla controlled most of the estates, while the Muslim Rana of Rahon fled to Pakistan first moving to
Sahiwal
and later settled in Rehamnabad Khanqa Dogran. After Partition; Pandit Buta Ram Qasir Jagirdar continued to serve as Municipal Councilor and local leader of Rahon for next two and half decades after independence.
It is evidently a very old town and, from its commanding situation on an eminence overlooking the low valley
of the Satluj, must have been a place of importance. Rahon’s importance was primarily due to its location on the ancient trade route to Tibet
and Central Asia and it began to fall in importance as soon as a new route through Kabul was opened during the Mughal
times. Its proximity to big marsh made it a victim of periodic out breaks of malaria in an epidemic form. Consequently, its population has greatly declined. It was said to be 69000 when the British took over the place after the First Anglo Sikh War in 1846 and it was 6607 in 1971. After the division of the country in 1947 the Muslim
population of Rahon had to go to Pakistan
and the Hindu
and Sikh
population that came from Pakistan
started living here.The Muslim
population of Rahon got settlemen primarily in a village called Rahwali near Gujranwala city and Sanatsinghwala in Faislabad. It was also the hometown of Yash Chopra, Owner of yash raj films in his early years.
Chaudhary Wali Muhammad (Gujjar), a well-known Muslim lawyer, was born in Rahon in 1911. He was a close friend of Choudhary Rahmat Ali
; an active Muslim nationalist.
(1627-1658 AD). Another holy place in the town is Suraj Kund which is said to have been
built by one Bawa Aughar during the period of Pathan rule. There is also a tomb
, built during the rule of the Tughluq dynasty, which is said to contain the ashes of a saint
.there is very famous piligrimate of baba ram ratan ji.it is 'chaten samadh'.
, Rahon had a population of 12,046. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Rahon has an average literacy rate of 81%, higher than the national average of 65.38%: male literacy is 88%, and female literacy is 75%. In Rahon, 11% of the population is under 6 years of age.
A large amount of rice is processed in numerous rice mills in and around Rahon.
Municipal council
A municipal council is the local government of a municipality. Specifically the term can refer to the institutions of various countries that can be translated by this term...
in the Nawanshahr district
Nawanshahr District
* http://wikimapia.org/#lat=31.1185556&lon=76.1433434&z=13&l=0&m=a&v=2...
of the 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...
n state
States and territories of India
India is a federal union of states comprising twenty-eight states and seven union territories. The states and territories are further subdivided into districts and so on.-List of states and territories:...
of Punjab
Punjab (India)
Punjab ) is a state in the northwest of the Republic of India, forming part of the larger Punjab region. The state is bordered by the Indian states of Himachal Pradesh to the east, Haryana to the south and southeast and Rajasthan to the southwest as well as the Pakistani province of Punjab to the...
.
Geography
Rahon is located at 31.05°N 76.12°E. It has an average elevation of 250 metres (820 feet).Situated on the Jullundur City Jaijon Doaba line of the Northern Railway, Rahon is 7 KM from Nawashahr, the tahsil/subdivision headquarters, and 65 KM from JalandharJalandhar
Jalandhar is a city in Jalandhar District in the state of Punjab, India. It is located 144 km northwest of the state capital, Chandigarh...
, the district headquarters. It is also connected by road with Nawashahr (8 KM), Jadla (12 KM), Ludhiana (51 KM), and Phillaur
Phillaur
Phillaur is a town and a municipal council in Jalandhar district in the Indian state of Punjab.- Overview :Phillaur is the railway junction on the border line of Ludhiana and Jalandhar Cantonment. It was a junction for Lohian and Ferozepur. In pre-partition days, it was the main timber market of...
(37 KM), Machhiwara
Machhiwara
Machhiwara is a village and a nagar panchayat in the Ludhiana district of the Indian state of Punjab. Machhiwara is famous for Gurudwara Sri Charan Kanwal Sahib named after the Guru's feet that are compared to the lotus flower...
(18 km). Its population was 12,046 in 2001. It is a Class-III municipality.
History
It is said to have been founded about 2000 years ago by Raja Raghab, who called it Raghupur, by which name it continued to be called in correspondence by the Pandits of the place till early in the present century. After that it came into the possession of GujarGujjar
The Gurjar are an ethnic group in India, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Alternative spellings include Gurjara, Gujar, Gurjjara and Gūrjara. The spelling Gurjara or Gurjar is preferable to the rest....
s, who were driven out by the Mahton Rajputs, who in their turn succumbed to the Ghorewaha
Ghorewaha
Ghorewaha are a sub-clan of Rajputs in India and Pakistan who are descendants of Raja Hawaha , who became recognized for his equestrian prowess, hence the name "Ghorewaha" or "expert equestrian"....
Rajputs, whose conquest of the country is put down as having occurred in the time of Muhammad Ghori (d. 1206 AD).
Their Ruler Raja Rajpal, renamed the town ‘Rahon’, after a certain lady called ‘Raho’. In support of this derivation may be quoted the opinion entertained by some that, it is unlucky to speak of this town by its proper name, in the morning, when fasting. Till breakfast it is called ‘Zanana shahr’, or ‘Women town”. In the time of Ibrahim Lodhi
Ibrahim Lodhi
Ibrahim Lodi was one of the ruler of the Lodi dynasty who became the last Sultan of the Delhi Sultanate in India. He was an Afghan who ruled over much of northern India from 1517 to 1526, when he was defeated by Babur's army.Lodi attained the throne upon the death of his father, Sikandar Lodi,...
(1517-1526 AD), the town is reported to have a population of 145000 and was a flourishing trading center on the route to Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
and Central Asian Countries. The art of shoe making attained a high degree of skill and a pair prepared by one Mian Khaki Shah of Rahon is said to be still lying in the museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
at Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
(Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
).
Towards the beginning of the Mughal period, the town was occupied by the Ghorewaha
Ghorewaha
Ghorewaha are a sub-clan of Rajputs in India and Pakistan who are descendants of Raja Hawaha , who became recognized for his equestrian prowess, hence the name "Ghorewaha" or "expert equestrian"....
Raja
Raja
Raja is an Indian term for a monarch, or princely ruler of the Kshatriya varna...
of Machhiwara
Machhiwara
Machhiwara is a village and a nagar panchayat in the Ludhiana district of the Indian state of Punjab. Machhiwara is famous for Gurudwara Sri Charan Kanwal Sahib named after the Guru's feet that are compared to the lotus flower...
, Rana Udho. He actively assisted Akbar (1556-1605 AD). During his fight for the Delhi throne and defeated and captured the rebellious Bairam Khan
Bairam Khan
Bairam Khan also Bayram Khan was a important military commander, general of the Mughal army, a powerful statesman and regent at the court of the Mughal emperors Humayun and Akbar.-Background:...
. As a reward, the Raja
Raja
Raja is an Indian term for a monarch, or princely ruler of the Kshatriya varna...
allowed to retain the jagir
Jagir
In historic India, a jagir was a small territory granted by the ruler to an army chieftain in fairly short terms usually of three years but not extending beyond his lifetime, in recognition of his military service...
of Rahon. In Akbar’s time, Rahon was the capital of the Dardhak Mahal
Mahal
-Geography:* Mahal, India, a small town in Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh, India* Malé, the capital of Maldives* Mahalle, Turkish language country subdivision or neighbourhood term* Mahalla, an Arabic language country subdivision or neighbourhood term...
and gave its name to one of the two tarafs into which the Mahal
Mahal
-Geography:* Mahal, India, a small town in Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh, India* Malé, the capital of Maldives* Mahalle, Turkish language country subdivision or neighbourhood term* Mahalla, an Arabic language country subdivision or neighbourhood term...
was divided. In Aurangzeb
Aurangzeb
Abul Muzaffar Muhy-ud-Din Muhammad Aurangzeb Alamgir , more commonly known as Aurangzeb or by his chosen imperial title Alamgir , was the sixth Mughal Emperor of India, whose reign lasted from 1658 until his death in 1707.Badshah Aurangzeb, having ruled most of the Indian subcontinent for nearly...
’s reign (1658-1707 AD) a brick fort was built here. The Rajputs of Rahon were Chaudhris and men of much influence during the Muhammadan rule.After the Raja of Rahon converted to Islam, he was beheaded and territories seized by the Rana of Jadla who belonged to the same clan.
In 1710 AD, Rahon fort was conquered by Banda Bahadur, while on his way to Jalandhar, from Shams Khan, the local Mughal governor. Later, it fell back into the hands of Mughals. In 1759 AD, Rahon was seized by Dhallewali Confederacy Sikhs led by Tara Singh Gheba, and remained in their possession till Tara Singh's death, when it was added to Maharaja Ranjit Singh
Ranjit Singh
Maharaja Ranjit Singh Ji was the first Maharaja of the Sikh Empire.-Early life:...
’s dominions but domination of Pandits continued in local administration. Pandit Sardars ran the administration for centuries. After the collapse of the Sikh Empire, the descendants of the Rana of Rahon came to prominence again and the Rana
Rana (title)
Rana is a Princely title of Royalty in Sanskrit. Rana is used by the Jats and Rajput of South Asia. The name is usually interpreted to mean "Prince".Compound titles Rana Sahib, Rana Bahadur, and Maharana.-Royal title in India:...
of Rahon, Chaudhry Abdul Rehman Khan
Chaudhry Abdul Rehman Khan
Chaudhary Muhammad Abdul Rehman Khan was the Rana of Rahon Jagir and Member of the Punjab Legislative Assembly from the Unionist Party. -Biography:...
of Rahon was a member of the Legislative Assembly
Legislative Assembly
Legislative Assembly is the name given in some countries to either a legislature, or to one of its branch.The name is used by a number of member-states of the Commonwealth of Nations, as well as a number of Latin American countries....
of Punjab from the Unionist Party
Unionist Party
-United Kingdom:In the United Kingdom the term "unionist' may indicate support for either;* the 1707 Act of Union between Scotland and England or,* the 1800 Act of Union between Ireland and Great Britain....
before Indian Independence.
Until independence in 1947 the Rana of Rahon and the Rajrana of Jadla controlled most of the estates, while the Muslim Rana of Rahon fled to Pakistan first moving to
Sahiwal
Sahiwal
Sahiwal is a city in Punjab, Pakistan. It is the administrative centre of Sahiwal District and Sahiwal Division. Sahiwal is approximately 180 km from the major city Lahore and is the city between Lahore and Multan...
and later settled in Rehamnabad Khanqa Dogran. After Partition; Pandit Buta Ram Qasir Jagirdar continued to serve as Municipal Councilor and local leader of Rahon for next two and half decades after independence.
It is evidently a very old town and, from its commanding situation on an eminence overlooking the low valley
Valley
In geology, a valley or dale is a depression with predominant extent in one direction. A very deep river valley may be called a canyon or gorge.The terms U-shaped and V-shaped are descriptive terms of geography to characterize the form of valleys...
of the Satluj, must have been a place of importance. Rahon’s importance was primarily due to its location on the ancient trade route to Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
and Central Asia and it began to fall in importance as soon as a new route through Kabul was opened during the Mughal
Mughal era
The Mughal era is a historic period of the Mughal Empire in South Asia . It ran from the early 15th century to a point in the early 18th century when the Mughal Emperors' power had dwindled...
times. Its proximity to big marsh made it a victim of periodic out breaks of malaria in an epidemic form. Consequently, its population has greatly declined. It was said to be 69000 when the British took over the place after the First Anglo Sikh War in 1846 and it was 6607 in 1971. After the division of the country in 1947 the Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
population of Rahon had to go to Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
and the Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
and Sikh
Sikh
A Sikh is a follower of Sikhism. It primarily originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term शिष्य , meaning "disciple, student" or शिक्ष , meaning "instruction"...
population that came from Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
started living here.The Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
population of Rahon got settlemen primarily in a village called Rahwali near Gujranwala city and Sanatsinghwala in Faislabad. It was also the hometown of Yash Chopra, Owner of yash raj films in his early years.
Chaudhary Wali Muhammad (Gujjar), a well-known Muslim lawyer, was born in Rahon in 1911. He was a close friend of Choudhary Rahmat Ali
Choudhary Rahmat Ali
Choudhry Rahmat Ali was a Pakistani Muslim nationalist who was one of the earliest proponents of the creation of the state of Pakistan. He is credited with creating the name "Pakistan" for a separate Muslim homeland in South Asia and is generally known as the founder of the movement for its...
; an active Muslim nationalist.
Places of interest
There are several places of historical interest in Rahon. There is the Panch Tirthian tank which was got excavated by Rana Udho as a place of pilgrimate for his five sons who could not proceed on pilgrimage due to the illness of his father. The samadh of Rana Udho also exists at Rahon. There is another tank, called Ramsar, adjoining the samadhs of Tara Singh Gheba and his brave widow which was constructed by their son Jhanda Singh. There is also an old serai, said to have been built in the reign of Shah JahanShah Jahan
Shah Jahan Shah Jahan (also spelled Shah Jehan, Shahjehan, , Persian: شاه جهان) (January 5, 1592 – January 22, 1666) Shah Jahan (also spelled Shah Jehan, Shahjehan, , Persian: شاه جهان) (January 5, 1592 – January 22, 1666) (Full title: His Imperial Majesty Al-Sultan al-'Azam wal Khaqan...
(1627-1658 AD). Another holy place in the town is Suraj Kund which is said to have been
built by one Bawa Aughar during the period of Pathan rule. There is also a tomb
Tomb
A tomb is a repository for the remains of the dead. It is generally any structurally enclosed interment space or burial chamber, of varying sizes...
, built during the rule of the Tughluq dynasty, which is said to contain the ashes of a saint
Saint
A saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...
.there is very famous piligrimate of baba ram ratan ji.it is 'chaten samadh'.
Demographics
In the 2001 Indian censusCensus
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...
, Rahon had a population of 12,046. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Rahon has an average literacy rate of 81%, higher than the national average of 65.38%: male literacy is 88%, and female literacy is 75%. In Rahon, 11% of the population is under 6 years of age.
Industry
Rahon is a booming industrial town with a large amount of textile, rice mills and other industries in the city, and its juridiction area (approx 32 Km²) including all nearby towns and villages. The most famous industry in Rahon is Rhythm Textiles, part of the Saluja group which produces thread for many clothing brands like Octave, Spykar and Koutons.A large amount of rice is processed in numerous rice mills in and around Rahon.