Gobindgarh
|
Mandi Gobindgarh Steel Town |
|
|---|---|
| Town | |
| Nickname(s): Mandi | |
 Mandi Gobindgarh
Mandi Gobindgarh
|
|
| Coordinates: 30°25′N 76°11′E / 30.41°N 76.18°ECoordinates: 30°25′N 76°11′E / 30.41°N 76.18°E | |
| Country |
 India
|
| State | Punjab |
| District | Fatehgarh Sahib |
| Population (2011) | |
| • Total | 73,130 |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+5:30) |
| PIN | 147301 |
| Telephone code | 01765 |
| Vehicle registration | PB 23 |
| Sex ratio | 878/1000 ♂/♀ |
Mandi Gobindgarh is a town and a municipal committee in Fatehgarh Sahib district in the Indian state of Punjab. It is sometimes referred to Steel Town or in other words "Loha Mandi" ("Iron Market"), due to the large number of steel factories present in the town.
Local tradition (authenticated by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) which holds that the sixth Sikh Guru Shri Guru Hargobind Sahib stayed for 40 days during 1646 along the bank of lake Barhi Dhab. He was accompanied by his followers and warriors. A skirmish occurred between Guru Sahib`s men and a contingent of Mughal forces. In the clash, the weapons of Guru Sahib's men were damaged. His men pleaded before him that they could not continue to fight as there was no steel available in the area to repair their weapons. Guru Sahib replied: "Someday this place will be a large steel-producing center in the country, where you say, no steel is available for repair of your weapons". (To commemorate Guru Sahib's influence, a Gurdwara in the holy memory of him is situated near the railway station). Following this, the place known as 'Barhi Dhab' then became known as Gobindgarh after the name of Guru Hargobind ji.
At the start of the 20th century, the industrialization of the city began. The Maharaja Hira Singh of Nabha, in whose territory Gobindgarh then lay, ordered some industrial units to be built in 1902.
This was followed by Maharaja Partap Singh who took specific measures for the industrial development of the town. Gobindgarh was declared a free trade zone for steel in 1928, and its growth as a center for steel began. The land was made available to local blacksmiths at nominal rates in early 1940. This move led to the establishment of a number of workshops on both sides of the G.T.Road at Gobindgarh.
Mandi Gobindgarh was originally a walled town with four gates. One was near Modi Mills, another was near Munilal Om Prakash, the third near the present main post office and the fourth near Krishna Mandir. All these gates used to be closed by sunset until 1950 when the gates were demolished.
As of 2001[update] India census, Gobindgarh had a population of 55,416. Males constitute 56% of the population and females 44%. Gobindgarh has an average literacy rate of 69%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 72%, and female literacy is 67%. In Gobindgarh, 12% of the population is under 6 years of age.
...
Wikipedia