Firozpur, (pronunciation: [fɪroːzpʊr]) also known as Ferozepur,[4] is a city on the banks of the Sutlej River in Firozpur District, Punjab, India. After the partition of India in 1947, it became a border town on the India–Pakistan border with memorials to soldiers who died fighting for India.[5]

Firozpur
City
Clockwise from top:
Saragarhi Memorial in Firozpur, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Stadium, The Barki Memorial
Firozpur is located in Punjab
Firozpur
Firozpur
Location in Punjab, India
Firozpur is located in India
Firozpur
Firozpur
Firozpur (India)
Firozpur is located in Asia
Firozpur
Firozpur
Firozpur (Asia)
Coordinates: 30°55′00″N 74°36′00″E / 30.9166°N 74.6°E / 30.9166; 74.6
Country India
StatePunjab
DistrictFirozpur
Founded byFiroz Shah Tughluq
Named forFiroz Shah Tughluq
Government
 • Member of ParliamentSukhbir Singh Badal (SAD)
 • Member of the Legislative Assembly (Urban)Ranbir Singh Bhullar(AAP)
 • Member of the Legislative Assembly (Rural)Rajnish Dahiya (AAP)[1]
Elevation
182 m (597 ft)
Population
 (2011)[2]
 • Total110,313
 • Density380/km2 (1,000/sq mi)
Demonym(s)Firozpuri, Firozpuria
Languages
 • OfficialPunjabi[3]
Time zoneUTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN
152001
UNLOCODE
IN FIR
Area code91-1632
Vehicle registrationPB-05
Literacy70.7%
Lok Sabha constituencyFirozpur
Vidhan Sabha constituencyFirozpur city
Planning agencyPUDA
Major HighwaysNH95 SH15 SH 20
ClimateBSh (Köppen)
Avg. summer temperature29.7 °C (85.5 °F)
Avg. winter temperature16.9 °C (62.4 °F)
Precipitation731.6 millimetres (28.80 in)
Websiteferozepur.nic.in

History

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Painting of Sultan Firuz Shah Tughlaq. Kept in the collection of the Raza Library Rampur.

The city of Firozpur was founded by Firuz Shah Tughlaq, a ruler of the Tughluq dynasty, who reigned over the Sultanate of Delhi from 1351 to 1388.[6] It is located on the banks of the Sutlej River on the India–Pakistan border. The nearby Firozpur Cantonment is a major cantonment of the country.

 
Battle of Ferozeshah - charge of the Bengal Light Cavalry, The Pictorial Times, 1846

British rule was first established in 1835, when, on the failure of heirs to the Sikh family who possessed it, a small escheat to the British government was formed, and the district was gradually formed around this nucleus. The strategic importance of Ferozepur (as it was spelled under the British) was at this time very great, and in 1839 it was the outpost of British India in the direction of the Sikh power. It accordingly became the scene of operations during the First Anglo-Sikh War, in which the Sikhs crossed the Sutlej in December 1845, but were defeated and withdrew into their own territory, and peace was concluded with the Treaty of Lahore. Later, throughout the Indian Mutiny Ferozepur remained in the hands of the English.[7]

The Saragarhi Memorial Gurudwara commemorates 21 Sikh soldiers of the 36th Sikh Regiment who died in the Battle of Saragarhi, defending the Saragarhi Fort against an overwhelming enemy force of 10,000 Pathan tribesmen on 12 September 1897.[8][9][10] All of the 21 soldiers were awarded the Indian Order of Merit posthumously.[8][9]

The Barki Memorial, built in 1969, is a memorial to the soldiers of the 7 Infantry Division who died in a battle in 1965 which led to India taking the town of Barki, 15 miles south-east of Lahore.[11]

Geography

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Ferozepur is located on bank of Sutlej River.[12]

Climate

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Climate data for Firozpur
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 19
(66)
21
(69)
26
(78)
34
(94)
38
(101)
39
(103)
34
(94)
33
(91)
33
(92)
32
(89)
26
(79)
21
(69)
30
(85)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 7
(44)
8
(47)
13
(55)
18
(65)
23
(73)
26
(79)
26
(79)
24
(76)
23
(74)
17
(63)
11
(52)
7
(45)
17
(63)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 20
(0.80)
38
(1.50)
30
(1.20)
20
(0.80)
20
(0.80)
61
(2.40)
229
(9.00)
188
(7.40)
86
(3.40)
5.1
(0.20)
13
(0.50)
20
(0.80)
730.1
(28.8)
Source: [13]

Demographics

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Religion in Firozpur City[14]
Religion Percent
Hinduism
70.47%
Sikhism
26.25%
Christianity
2.35%
Islam
0.31%
Others
0.61%

As of the 2011 Indian Census, Firozpur had a total population of 110,313, of which 58,451 (53%) were male and 51,862 (47%) were female. 10.6% of the population was six years old or younger. The total number of literate people in Firozpur was 78,040, which constituted 70.7% of the population, with male literacy of 73.3% and female literacy of 67.9%. The effective literacy rate (population of 7 years and above) was 79.1%, of which the male literacy rate was 82.3% and female literacy rate was 75.6%. The Scheduled Caste population was 27,395. Firozpur had 22,263 households in 2011.[2]

Religion

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According to the 2011 census, out of a total population of 110,313 in Firozpur city, Hinduism is followed by 77,743 (70.5%) people and Sikhism by 28,961 (26.3%). Minorities religions include Christianity, Islam, Jainism, and Buddhism.[14]

Religious groups in Firozpur City (1881−2011)[a]
Religious
group
1881[16][17]: 520  1891[18]: 68  1901[19]: 44  1911[20]: 20  1921[21]: 23  1931[22]: 26  1941[15]: 32  2011
Pop. % Pop. % Pop. % Pop. % Pop. % Pop. % Pop. % Pop. %
Hinduism   19,004 48.03% 23,047 45.69% 21,304 43.18% 21,542 42.38% 24,525 45.12% 28,253[b] 43.71% 34,543[b] 41.87% 77,743 70.47%
Islam   17,609 44.5% 22,018 43.65% 24,314 49.28% 23,409 46.05% 24,456 45% 28,464 44.04% 38,390 46.53% 342 0.31%
Sikhism   1,207 3.05% 3,387 6.72% 1,635 3.31% 2,951 5.8% 3,025 5.57% 4,439 6.87% 6,457 7.83% 28,961 26.25%
Jainism   72 0.18% 407 0.81% 301 0.61% 479 0.94% 476 0.88% 511 0.79% 630 0.76% 148 0.13%
Christianity   1,561 3.09% 1,753 3.55% 2,439 4.8% 1,855 3.41% 2,942 4.55% 1,533 1.86% 2,591 2.35%
Zoroastrianism   15 0.03% 4 0.01% 16 0.03% 14 0.03% 24 0.04%
Buddhism   0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 1 0% 43 0.04%
Others 1,678 4.24% 2 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 949 1.15% 485 0.44%
Total population 39,570 100% 50,437 100% 49,341 100% 50,836 100% 54,351 100% 64,634 100% 82,502 100% 110,313 100%

Media

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Firozpur has an All India Radio Relay station known as Akashvani Firozpur. It broadcasts on 100.1 MHz frequency.

Notable people

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Notes

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  1. ^ 1881-1941: Data for the entirety of the town of Firozpur, which included Firozpur Municipality and Firozpur Cantonment.[15]: 32 
  2. ^ a b 1931-1941: Including Ad-Dharmis
  1. ^ "Assembly elections 2017: Only 6 women legislators make entry into Punjab Assembly". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
  2. ^ a b "Census of India: Firozpur". censusindia.gov.in. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  3. ^ "52nd Report of the Commissioner for Linguistic Minorities in India" (PDF). Nclm.nic.in. Ministry of Minority Affairs. p. 32. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 May 2017. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  4. ^ "District Ferozepur, Government of Punjab, India". Retrieved 7 August 2022.
  5. ^ "Firozpur". Info Punjab. Retrieved 14 October 2006.
  6. ^ Sen, Sailendra (2013). A Textbook of Medieval Indian History. Primus Books. p. 98. ISBN 978-9-38060-734-4.
  7. ^   One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domainChisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Ferozepur". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 10 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 281.
  8. ^ a b Kamal, Neel (11 September 2022). "125 years of Battle of Saragarhi: Tale of Sikh grit is heard from Punjab to United Kingdom". The Times of India. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
  9. ^ a b Panag, H. S. (28 March 2019). "What Akshay Kumar's Kesari won't tell you: The real military account of Battle of Saragarhi". ThePrint. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
  10. ^ "Saragarih Memorial - Welcome to the official website of District Ferozepur, Punjab, India". Ferozepur.nic.in. Archived from the original on 18 January 2018. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
  11. ^ "The Barki Memorial - Welcome to the official website of District Ferozepur, Punjab, India". Ferozepur.nic.in. Archived from the original on 10 February 2018. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
  12. ^ "Firozpur Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Voting date, results, candidates, main parties and schedule". Money Control. 28 May 2024. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
  13. ^ "Average Weather for Firozpur - Temperature and Precipitation". The Weather Channel. Retrieved 25 February 2008.
  14. ^ a b "C-1 Population By Religious Community - Firozpur City". census.gov.in. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
  15. ^ a b "CENSUS OF INDIA, 1941 VOLUME VI PUNJAB". Retrieved 17 January 2023.
  16. ^ "Census of India, 1881 Report on the Census of the Panjáb Taken on the 17th of February 1881, vol. I." 1881. JSTOR saoa.crl.25057656. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  17. ^ "Census of India, 1881 Report on the Census of the Panjáb Taken on the 17th of February 1881, vol. II". 1881. JSTOR saoa.crl.25057657. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  18. ^ "CENSUS OF INDIA, 1891 GENERAL TABLES BRITISH PROVINCES AND FEUDATORY STATES VOL I". Retrieved 17 January 2023.
  19. ^ "CENSUS OF INDIA, 1901 VOLUME I-A INDIA PART II-TABLES". Retrieved 17 January 2023.
  20. ^ "CENSUS OF INDIA, 1911 VOLUME XIV PUNJAB PART II TABLES". Retrieved 17 January 2023.
  21. ^ "CENSUS OF INDIA, 1921 VOLUME XV PUNJAB AND DELHI PART II TABLES". Retrieved 17 January 2023.
  22. ^ "CENSUS OF INDIA, 1931 VOLUME XVII PUNJAB PART II TABLES". Retrieved 17 January 2023.
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