Wadhwan
Encyclopedia
Wadhwan is a city and a municipality
in Surendranagar district
in the India
n state
of Gujarat.
, Wadhwan had a population of 61,739. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Wadhwan has an average literacy rate of 71%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 78%, and female literacy is 63%. In Wadhwan, 12% of the population is under 6 years of age. From 1489 Till 1947, the recurring Prime Ministers (Diwan) of Wadhwan State were always from the Rawal
family whose decendents live there till date.
of the same name. It was formerly known as Wardhmanpuri, the name given after jain tirthankar bhagwan Vardhman (i.e. Lord Mahavir) It was ruled by the Jhala
Rajputs, who also ruled neighboring princely states of Limbdi, Lakhtar, Sayla, Chuda, and Wankaner. Till 1947, Wadhwan's recurring Prime Ministers came from the aristocratic Rawal
family who were given the title Rao Bahadur. It enjoyed a 9 Gun Salute and at the time of independence, the privy purse amount decided by the government was Rs. 1,42,000/-
A mythological woman named Ranak Devi is reputed to have cursed the river to never have water even when it rained. She was a Sati
, and so it is believed that there is no water because of the curse.
There is a vave (a step well structure / pit in the ground with steps leading to underground water) that is believed to take away newlyweds and so elders advise new generations to keep their distance from it.
There is a high wall (Fort) around most of the old town but now the town has grown and it extends beyond the older wall.
There is a large community of Khatris [a community of people involved in coloring clothes] in the city these days. The business of bandhani
[a type of colouring and designing clothes] is one of the major businesses in the city.
Poet Dalpatram Dahyabhai Kavi (1820-25/03/1899) hailed from this city. His son Nanalal Kavi was also a great poet.
There are a number of educational institutions being established in the city.
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
in Surendranagar district
Surendranagar district
Surendranagar is an administrative district in the state of Gujarat in India. It has a population of approximately 1.7 million people. Surendranagar is also known as Zalawad, as the city of Surendranagar was ruled by Zala Rajputs...
in 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 Gujarat.
Demographics
India 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...
, Wadhwan had a population of 61,739. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Wadhwan has an average literacy rate of 71%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 78%, and female literacy is 63%. In Wadhwan, 12% of the population is under 6 years of age. From 1489 Till 1947, the recurring Prime Ministers (Diwan) of Wadhwan State were always from the Rawal
Rawal
The Rawal is Rajput clan . Rawal is also a last name for in state of Gujarat, India-History and origin:Bappa Rawal's, a legendary figure in Rajput history, warlike temperament commended him to the attention of Maan Mori, a local chieftain who belonged to the Parmara clan of Rajputs; Maan Mori is...
family whose decendents live there till date.
History
It was also the centre of an Indian Princely statePrincely state
A Princely State was a nominally sovereign entitity of British rule in India that was not directly governed by the British, but rather by an Indian ruler under a form of indirect rule such as suzerainty or paramountcy.-British relationship with the Princely States:India under the British Raj ...
of the same name. It was formerly known as Wardhmanpuri, the name given after jain tirthankar bhagwan Vardhman (i.e. Lord Mahavir) It was ruled by the Jhala
Jhala
Jhala is a term in Hindustani classical music which denotes the fast-paced conclusions of classical compositions. It is often characterized by the overwhelming of the melodic component by the rhythmic component. This is sometimes effected by the rapid striking together of the chikari between notes....
Rajputs, who also ruled neighboring princely states of Limbdi, Lakhtar, Sayla, Chuda, and Wankaner. Till 1947, Wadhwan's recurring Prime Ministers came from the aristocratic Rawal
Rawal
The Rawal is Rajput clan . Rawal is also a last name for in state of Gujarat, India-History and origin:Bappa Rawal's, a legendary figure in Rajput history, warlike temperament commended him to the attention of Maan Mori, a local chieftain who belonged to the Parmara clan of Rajputs; Maan Mori is...
family who were given the title Rao Bahadur. It enjoyed a 9 Gun Salute and at the time of independence, the privy purse amount decided by the government was Rs. 1,42,000/-
A mythological woman named Ranak Devi is reputed to have cursed the river to never have water even when it rained. She was a Sati
Dakshayani
Dākshāyani or Satī is a Hindu Goddess of marital felicity and longevity. She is worshipped particularly by Hindu women to seek the long life of their husbands...
, and so it is believed that there is no water because of the curse.
There is a vave (a step well structure / pit in the ground with steps leading to underground water) that is believed to take away newlyweds and so elders advise new generations to keep their distance from it.
There is a high wall (Fort) around most of the old town but now the town has grown and it extends beyond the older wall.
There is a large community of Khatris [a community of people involved in coloring clothes] in the city these days. The business of bandhani
Bandhani work
Bandhani is a type of tie-dye practiced mainly in the states of Rajasthan and Gujarat, India. The term bandhani is derived from the Sanskrit word banda .Bandhani is also known as Bandhej or Tie Dye or Bandhni or Bandana, etc...
[a type of colouring and designing clothes] is one of the major businesses in the city.
Poet Dalpatram Dahyabhai Kavi (1820-25/03/1899) hailed from this city. His son Nanalal Kavi was also a great poet.
There are a number of educational institutions being established in the city.