Nawanshahr

Nawanshahr was founded by migrants from Rahon, a city located near the Sutlej River, which puts it at risk of flooding. They named it Nawanshahar (meaning "New City"). Nawanshahr has been the stronghold of the Ghorewaha Sikhs was allied to King Akbar via kinship ties.

Dewan Banna Mal Misr (Gautam) was born into the Gautam Brahmin family of Nawanshahr. Dewan Banna Mal was a manager with the full sovereign powers of His Highness Maharaja Sir Randhir Singh Bahadur of Kapurthala's Estates in Oudh and served as Chief Minister of Kapurthala State. In 1862, Dewan Banna Mal built the Shivala Banna Mal temple near the Municipal Committee office in Nawanshahr. He also built the tall and huge structure Haveli Banna Mal Di Haveli in Vaidan Mohalla in Nawanshahr. His son, Dewan Acchru Mal served as Revenue Minister of Kapurthala State at the time of Maharaja Kharak Singh and Maharaja Jagatjit Singh of Kapurthala. His son Dewan Ambika Prasad Misr (Gautam) studied at the London School of Economics and became the Accountant General of Kapurthala State.

The city was later developed and constructed by Lala Parmanand Bhuchar (Sareen) who was the first major scale building thekedar. Lala Paramanand was given a mould of large brick design by Queen Elizabeth in the presence of Maharaja Patiala in his courtroom, as a token of gratitude, to settle brick factories (Batha) in the city. Lala Paramanand first planned the construction of Mandi (now known as old Dana Mandi) in around 1920 which even has his name "PN" on bricks and his name on the Foundation Stone at old Dana Mandi Gate. He resided in Lalliyan Mohalla (Lalleyan da Mohalla) situated in the centre of the city. The mohalla has a haveli there along with a common haveli which was the residence of 100 families, a historical landmark in that mohalla made with Nanakshahi bricks.

Nawanshahr became a district in 1995 during the S. Harcharan Brar government, with the strong efforts of the late S. Dilbag Singh, former Cabinet Minister, and the then MLA of Nawanshahr. People of this district are economically sound.[1] Large numbers of families from the district have settled abroad. Consequently, huge remittance is received back in India which contributes to the district's economic development and prosperity. The prosperity of the Doaba area has grown considerably due to high land prices in the area, which is higher than that of most other districts in the state except for Ludhiana and Chandigarh. The economy of Nawanshahr is also improving due to the currency coming from overseas Punjabi people. Nawanshahr also has a railroad connecting it with Jalandhar, Rahon, and Jaijon.

On 27 September 2008 at Khatkar Kalan, 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) from Nawanshahr, the Punjab government announced that a district in the state would be named after freedom fighter Bhagat Singh. The announcement was made by Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to mark Bhagat Singh's 101st birth anniversary. As a result, Nawanshahr district was renamed Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar.[2]

There have been many families who played a big role in the development of Nawanshahr in the past. In the late 1800s and the early 1900s, the Behki family (formerly known as Abroll) left Nawanshahr in search of a better future.

The total area of Nawanshahr is 1,258 square kilometres.[3]

Nawashahr Bus Stand

According to the 2001 census,[3][4] Nawanshahr had a population of 587,468. This consisted of 306,902 males and 280,566 females, which meant there were 913 females for every 1000 males. The average literacy rate of Nawanshahr is 75% (male literacy is 79% and female literacy is 71%), surpassing the national average of 59.5%. In Nawanshahr, 11% of the population is under 6 years of age. The population density (per km²) is 439 people. Between the 1991 census and the 2001 census, there was a 10.43% increase in population. Nawanshahr constituency is one of the 117 seats of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha and its constituency number is 47. Angad Saini, who is a member of Congress, won the last assembly election and is the current MLA of Nawanshahr.

The scheduled caste population is 45.58%.[5]

This region has abundant health facilities. A high number of private clinics and nursing homes are available and some claim to have the latest medical equipment.[1] There is an adequate number of Government Hospitals, Dispensaries, and Primary Health Centers in this area. Some hospitals in Nawanshahr have a capacity of 64 beds and are equipped with the latest medical tools. Banga and Balachaur Hospitals have a capacity of 30 beds each. Also, Mukandpur, Urapar, Sujjon, Saroya, and Muzzaffarpur provide all kinds of health services. For every village in the district, health services are available. Veterinary hospitals can be found in Nawanshahr, Rahon, Saroya, and Balachaur.

• Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Indian freedom fighter
• Madan Puri, Hindi and Punjabi actor
• Jazzy B, Indian-Canadian singer
• Surinder Shinda, singer
• Amrish Puri, actor
• Yash Chopra, Bollywood producer
• Sukh-E Musical Doctorz, singer-songwriter and producer
• Roshan Prince, singer
• Ashwani Joshi , environmentalist & social crusader
• Diljit Dosanjh, singer, actor, and television presenter
• Ved Parkash Mehan, co-founder of Sanatan Dharam Sabha in Nawanshahr
• Sulekh Chand Angra, co-founder of Sanatan Dharam Sabha in Nawanshahr
• Karori Mal Dham, co-founder of Sanatan Dharam Sabha in Nawanshahr

• Hansron
• Hussain Chak

• Intro About Nawanshahr