As of 2011 it is the third most populous district of Punjab (out of 22), after Ludhiana and Amritsar.[2]Batala, with 31% of the district's population, is its largest city.
History
Coin of Dharaghosha, king of the Audumbaras, in the Indo-Greek style, from Gurdaspur district, c. 100 BCE.[3] Obv: Standing figure, probably of Vishvamitra, Kharoshthi legend, around: Mahadevasa Dharaghoshasa/Odumbarisa "Great Lord King Dharaghosha/Prince of Audumabara", across: Viçvamitra "Vishvamitra". Rev: Trident battle-axe, tree with railing, Brahmi legend identical in content to the obverse.[3]
Medieval period
This area was used as a base by Banda Singh Bahadur to raid the area up to Lahore. The Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah conducted an expedition against him in 1711, but with only temporary effect. Banda Singh Bahadur fought his last battle against Mughals at Gurdas Nangal and was captured.[4][5]
On 17 May 1746, the Chhota Ghallughara (smaller Sikh genocide) took place. Approximately 10,000 to 15,000 Sikhs were killed in battle on a single day in Kahnuwan, near Gurdaspur. Under the Lahore governorship of Yahiya Khan, Lakhpat Rai (revenue minister) and Shah Navaz Khan were directed to avenge the killing of Lakhpat Rai's brother, Jaspat Rai. An official decree to exterminate Sikhs was issued.[citation needed]
In about 1633 CE, during the rule of Shah Jahan, the Badshahi canal was constructed for carrying waters to the Shalimar Gardens at Lahore. Maharaja Ranjit Singh constructed Hansali canal to carry waters to the tank of the Golden Temple.[6]
British Raj
Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur, which commemorates the first Sikh commune founded by Guru Nanak on the right bank of Ravi, went to Pakistan in the Partition of India
The district of Gurdaspur came into being in April 1846 after the annexation of Punjab by the British.[7] During British Rule the district of Gurdaspur was a subdivision of Lahore Division, the district itself was administratively subdivided into four tehsils: Gurdaspur, Batala, Shakargarh and Pathankot. During the India's first war of independence, on 12 July 1857, battle of Trimmu Ghat was fought between the forces of British and Indian rebel sepoys on the left bank of Ravi.[8]Trimmu Ghat was about 9 miles west of Gurdaspur city in the district. Most of the Indian rebel sepoys were killed in the battle.[9]
According to the 1881 census the population of the district was 823,695 this had risen by over 100,000 to 943,922 in the 1891 census. However, the 1901 census recorded a fall in population – 940,334, this was largely due to emigration – some 44,000 settlers settling in Chenab colony. According to the 1901 census there were 463,371 Muslims (49%), 380,636 Hindus (over 40%) and 91,756 (10%) Sikhs. Mirza Ghulam Ahmad who founded the Ahmadiyya movement had followers here.[10]
During the partition of India in 1947 the future of Gurdaspur was highly contested. According to the 1941 census, the population of this district had a narrow 51.14% Muslim majority. Radcliffe Award of the boundary gave only the Shakargarh tehsil of the district to Pakistan, and the rest to India. The Muslim population of the eastern tehsils migrated to Pakistan as refugees, and the Hindus and Sikhs of Shakargarh migrated to Gurdaspur after crossing the Ravi Bridge. They settled and spread in the Gurdaspur district. According to the 1951 census, there were around 2,97,581 displaced persons who had settled in the district, who formed about 34.96% of the district population.[11] Of the total displaced persons 1,59,716 were males and 1,37,865 females. The origin of most of them were pakistani districts of Sialkot (1,93,182), Shakargarh (43,203), Lyallpur (17,783) and Shekhupura (8,826).[12]
Modern India
New tehsil of Dera Baba Nanak was created in 1995 and Dhar Kalan in 1996.[13] On 27 July 2011 a part of district was carved out to form a new Pathankot district, which was earlier part of Gurdaspur. The Pathankot district comprises two sub-divisions of Pathankot and Dharkalan along with two sub-tehsils namely Narot Jaimal Singh and Bamial.
Geography
Location
The Gurdaspur district is in the north of Punjab state. It falls in the Jalandhar division and is sandwiched between rivers Ravi and Beas. The district lies between north-latitude 31°36' and 32°34' and east longitude 74°56' and 75°24' and shares common boundaries with Pathankot district in the north, Beas River in the north-east, Hoshiarpur district in the south-east, Kapurthala district in the south, Amritsar district in the south-west and Pakistan in the north-west. It is a border district of Punjab and lies along India-Pakistan border.
According to the 2011 census Gurdaspur district has a population of 2,298,323,[2] roughly equal to the nation of Latvia[15] or the US state of New Mexico.[16] This gives it a ranking of 196th in India (out of a total of 640).[2] The district has a population density of 649 inhabitants per square kilometre (1,680/sq mi).[2] Its population growth rate over the decade 2001–2011 was 9.3%.[2] Gurdaspur has a sex ratio of 895 females for every 1000 males,[2] and a literacy rate of 79.95%.[2]
After the separation of the Pathankot tehsil into a separate district in 2011, the residual district has a population of 1,621,725 of which 1,260,572 were rural and 361,153 were urban. Scheduled Castes have a population of 373,544 (23.03%) of the population. Punjabi is the predominant language, spoken by 98.27% of the population.[17]
Gender
The table below shows the sex ratio of Gurdaspur through the years, according to various census years.[18]
Note:- The figure for 2011 does not include the data of the areas that currently form Pathankot district, which were separated from Gurdaspur on that year, to form a new district.
Decadal sex ratio of Gurdaspur district by census years[19]
Year
(Census)
Sex Ratio
2011
907
2001
890
1991
903
1981
907
1971
890
1961
869
1951
846
1941
843
1931
809
1921
794
1911
774
1901
853
The table below shows the child sex ratio of children below the age of 6 years in the rural and urban areas of Gurdaspur district. Note:- The data till year 2001 also includes the data from the areas currently in the Pathankot district.
Child sex ratio of children below the age of 6 years in Gurdaspur district[20]
Year
Urban
Rural
2011
828
818
2001
762
797
Rural and Urban
The table below shows the percentage of rural population through the decades.[21]
Note:- The separation of the areas in the current Pathankot district in 2011, may have significantly changed the numbers and figures for that year.
Percentage of rural population in Gurdaspur district by years[22]
Year
Percentage
2011
77.73%
2001
74.56%
1991
78.02%
1981
78.31%
1971
79.7%
The table below gives the absolute number of rural and urban population through the years.[23][24]
Note:- The separation of the areas in the current Pathankot district in 2011, may have significantly changed the numbers and figures for that year.
Rural and Urban population of Gurdaspur in absolute numbers by years[25][26]
Sikhism is the largest religion in the residual district with 950,016 (58.58%), while Hinduism is the second-largest with 476,095 (29.36%). Christians are the third-largest community with 169,295 (10.44%), the highest share of Christians in the state, and Muslims 13,350 (0.82%).[27] Before Partition, undivided Gurdaspur district had a slight Muslim majority with a large Hindu minority and smaller Sikh and Christian populations. The area which now forms the current district had a Muslim majority and a large Sikh minority, with smaller Hindu and Christian populations.
Religion in Gurdaspur District (2011 district borders)[a]
The table below shows the population of different religions in absolute numbers in the urban and rural areas of Gurdaspur district.[30]
Note:- The separation of the areas in the current Pathankot district in 2011, may have significantly changed the numbers and figures for that year.
Absolute numbers of different religious groups in Gurdaspur district[30]
Religion
Urban (2011)
Rural (2011)
Urban (2001)
Rural (2001)
Urban (1991)
Rural (1991)
Hindu
4,78,989
5,95,343
3,79,724
6,16,522
2,51,831
4,76,531
Sikh
1,40,536
8,62,338
1,28,697
8,06,266
66,020
6,09,380
Christian
26,151
1,50,436
21,668
1,27,315
8,713
90,924
Muslim
8,292
5,351
4,329
807
1,540
164
Other religions
5,351
11,512
807
2,246
164
510
Historical
Populations of Muslim and Non-Muslims in Gurdaspur District, based on Census Data. In the 1881 Census, Non-Muslims were in majority, at 52.49%. While the Non-Muslims had a slight majority, the proportion of the Muslim population increased in the following decades. By the 1930s, Muslims were the majority population in the District.[31]
Religion in Gurdaspur District (1941 district borders)[28]: 42
As of 2018, the number of registerd doctors in the Gurdaspur district were 1,642 and registered nurses were 6,118.[32][33]Which means the average population served per doctor for that year was 1,058.[34]
The table given below shows the population served per doctor in Gurdaspur district, by years.[35]
Population served per doctor in Gurdaspur district by years[36]
Year
Population
Year
Population
2018
1,058
2000
2,490
2012
1,671
1999
2,382
2010
1,845
1998
2,377
2008
2,091
1997
2,441
2007
2,108
1996
2,536
2006
1,973
1995
2,558
2005
2,228
1994
2,598
2004
2,408
1993
3,019
2003
2,478
1992
2,043
2002
2,452
1991
2,806
2001
2,547
1990
2,986
The table below shows the data from the district nutrition profile of children below the age of 5 years, in Gurdaspur, as of year 2020.
District nutrition profile of children under 5 years of age in Gurdaspur, year 2020
[37]
Indicators
Number of children (<5 years)
Percent (2020)
Stunted
43,739
25%
Wasted
16,481
9%
Severely wasted
7,883
5%
Underweight
26,648
15%
Overweight/obesity
11,353
7%
Anemia
1,09,852
70%
Total children
1,74,398
The table below shows the district nutrition profile of Gurdaspur of women between the ages of 15 to 49 years, as of year 2020.
District nutritional profile of Gurdaspur of women of 15-49 years, in 2020[38]
Admiral Sureesh Mehta, 19th Chief of the Indian Navy (31 October 2006 until 31 August 2009) and the first service chief in the Indian armed forces to be born after Indian Independence
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