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Saharanpur Encyclopedia Britannica

SAHARANPUR, principal town and administrative headquarters of the above district, is situated in 29° 58' 15' N. lat. and 77° 35' 15" E. long., on a small stream (the Damaula Nadi) in an open level country. Its height above the sea is over 900 feet. The town possesses a fine botanic garden, where early experiments were made in tea and cinchona culture. Amongst its buildings are an old Rohilla fort, used as a court-house, and a handsome Mohammedan mosque. A considerable trade is carried on in grain, sugar, molasses, and country cloth. The population in 1881 was 59,194 (31,506 males and 27,688 females).

9th ed. Encyclopædia Britannica, vol. 21, p. 152
[107 words — estimated reading time: 1 minute]

SahÁranpur Encyclopedia Britannica

SAHÁRANPUR, or Seharunpoor, a British district of India, in the Meerut division of the lieutenant-governorship of the North-Western Provinces. It lies between 29° 35' and 30° 21' N. lat., and between 77° 9' and 78° 15' E. long., and is bounded on the N. by the Siwálik Hills, separating it from the district of Dehra Dún, on the S. by the district of Muzaffarnagar, on the E. by the Ganges, and on the W. by the Jumna. Saháranpur forms the most northerly portion of the Doáb, or alluvial tableland, which stretches between the valleys of the Ganges and the Jumna. The Siwálik Hills rise precipitously on its northern frontier; at their base stretches a wild submontane tract, with much forest and jungle. Cultivation generally in this part is backward, the surface of the country being broken by wild and magnificent ravines. South of this tract, flanked on the east and west by broad alluvial plains, lies the Doáb, with fertile soil and good natural water-supply. This portion of the country is divided into parallel tracts by numerous streams from the Siwáliks, while the Eastern Jumna and the Ganges Canals, which traverse the district from north to south and issue from its north-west and north-east corners, cover the district with a network of irrigation channels. The only large rivers are the Ganges, which enters Saháranpur 180 miles from its source, by a well-marked gorge formed in the rock at Hardwár; and the Jumna, which debouches into the plain about 123 miles from its source, at a place called Khára. The district has abundant means of communication: the Sind, Punjab, and Delhi Railway traverses it for a distance of 42 miles, with stations at Deoband, Saháranpur, and Sarsáwa; and it has numerous roads, both metalled and unmetalled. The climate of Saháranpur is ...

By the census of 1881 the population of Saháranpur numbered 979,544 (530,427 males and 449,117 females). By religion there were 653,272 Hindus, 317,535 Mohammedans, and 1793 Christians. Five towns had populations exceeding 10,000 each, namely, Sahár-anpur (q.v.), Hardwár Union (28,106), Deoband (22,116), Rurki (12,818), and Gangoh (12,089). Rurki (Roorkee) is a town of considerable importance, situated in 29° 52' 25" N. lat. and 77° 55' 40" E. long. It is the headquarters of the Ganges Canal workshops and iron-foundry, with the Thomason Civil Engineering College, for the instruction of natives and others in practical engineering; it contains also an excellent meteorological observatory. Hardwar municipality, which lies 39 miles north-east of Saháranpur town, on the right bank of the Ganges, is the most frequented of all Hindu places of pilgrimage, and is largely used for the bathing festivals. Every twelfth year, when Jupiter is in Aquarius, a great fair or kumbh-mela is held, which attracts an immense number of people; as many as 3,000,000 attended in 1882.

Of a total area of 2221 square miles 1256 are cultivated and 331 are cultivable waste. Cereals form the principal products. The chief spring crops are wheat, barley, pulses, and oil-seeds, and the staples of the rain crops arc rice, joar, bajra, and vegetables; the cultivation of cotton and indigo is also carried on, the latter in much greater quantities since the introduction of canal irrigation has rendered its out-turn less precarious than formerly. The commercial importance of the district depends mostly on its raw materials. It manufactures broad-cloth, jewellery, and sweetmeats; among the articles produced at the Rurki workshops are steam-engines, pumps, printing presses, lathes, and mathematical instruments. The gross revenue of Saharanpur in 1883-84 amounted to £172,960, of which the land-tax contributed £118,067.

During the later years of the Mogul empire Saharanpur was the scene of much strife and suffering on account of the perpetual raids of the Sikhs, but in 1785 the district under Ghulam Kádir enjoyed comparative tranquillity. On his death the country fell into the hands of the Mahrattas, but it was for a time occupied by the adventurer George Thomas, until his death in 1802. It was afterwards overrun by Sikhs and Mahrattas, remaining practically in the hands of the former until their final defeat in November 1804, when it passed under British rule. Several disturbances subsequently took place among the native chiefs; but from 1824 to 1857 nothing occurred to disturb the peace of the district. The mutiny in this part was soon quelled.

9th ed. Encyclopædia Britannica, vol. 21, p. 151
[807 words — estimated reading time: 5 minutes]