Baba Ala Singh (1691–1765), a Sikh chieftain from the village Rampura Phul in Bathinda District of Punjab, with his army of young brave men migrated to Barnala where Baba Ala Singh in 1763 set up his new state. Later Baba Ala Singh moved to a small village of Lehal where he built a new city on the village, naming it as Patiala. He laid the foundations of a steady and stable state known as the Phulkian Dynasty south of Sirhind. In and around Patiala District he founded many villages within his territory, and reconstructed many historical Gurdwaras relating to Sikh religion.
It was since Baba Ala Singh's time that Patiala District came into being as before the area was under the Sirhind Government. Baba Ala Singh made Sirhind, Tohana, Mansa, Bathinda, Sangrur and Barnala, Fatehabad District part of Patiala State.
In 1809, Patiala State came under British protection during the reign of Maharaja Sahib Singh (1773–1813) of Phulkian Dynasty, as he feared that Maharaja Ranjit Singh of Lahore would cross the Sutlej river and take the district and state so the Patiala rulers got the British to protect them from further invasion from 1809 to 1947 Patiala remained under British Protection. In 1948 Patiala Princely State was abolished by the Indian government.
Patiala having a population of 1,895,686 is the 4th most populated district of Punjab after Ludhiana, Amritsar, and Jalandhar as per the 2011 census.[citation needed]
Geography
This district contains many small hill ranges that are part of the Shivalik Hills.
Patiala is fast emerging as an important industrial growth center on the industrial map of the state. Besides traditional goods, high quality and sophisticated items are now produced including small cutting tools, power cables, Vanaspati ghee, bicycles, and agriculture implements including harvester combines and threshers, milk products, and pesticides. The industrial units are scattered all over the district mainly at Rajpura, Patiala, Samana, and Nabha. There are large and medium industrial units located at Rajpura producing Vanaspati ghee, power cables, bicycles, and bicycle components and at Dera Bassi producing spun-yarn and alcohol. Among the small scale industry in the district are those producing agriculture implements, rice shellers, cutting tools, electrical goods, and bakeries. There are industrial focal points at Patiala, Rajpura, Nabha, and Dera Bassi and two industrial estates at Rajpura, Patiala.
According to the 2011 census, Patiala district has a population of 1,895,686,[4] roughly equal to the nation of Slovenia[5] or the US state of Mississippi.[6] This gives it a ranking of 248th in India (out of a total of 640).[4] The district has a population density of 596 inhabitants per square kilometre (1,540/sq mi).[4] Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 19.4%.[4] Patiala has a sex ratio of 888 females for every 1000 males,[4] and a literacy rate of 76.3%. Scheduled Castes made up 24.55% of the population.[4]
Gender
The table below shows the sex ratio of Patiala district through decades.
Note: British Punjab province era district borders are not an exact match in the present-day due to various bifurcations to district borders — which since created new districts — throughout the historic Punjab Province region during the post-independence era that have taken into account population increases.
The table below shows the population of different religions in absolute numbers in the urban and rural areas of Patiala district.
Absolute numbers of different religious groups in Patiala district[16]
At the time of the 2011 census, 89.61% of the population spoke Punjabi, 7.79% Hindi and 1.24% Saraiki as their first language.[17]
Health
The table below shows the data from the district nutrition profile of children below the age of 5 years, in Patiala, as of year 2020.
District nutrition profile of children under 5 years of age in Patiala, year 2020
[18]
Indicators
Number of children (<5 years)
Percent (2020)
Percent (2016)
Stunted
29,979
20%
18%
Wasted
14,650
10%
12%
Severely wasted
2,611
2%
5%
Underweight
24,977
17%
14%
Overweight/obesity
634
0.4%
6%
Anemia
101,704
77%
49%
Total children
147,534
The table below shows the district nutrition profile of Patiala of women between the ages of 15 to 49 years, as of year 2020.
District nutritional profile of Patiala of women of 15-49 years, in 2020[19]
Indicators
Number of women (15-49 years)
Percent (2020)
Percent (2016)
Underweight (BMI <18.5 kg/m^2)
86,269
14%
10%
Overweight/obesity
264,038
43%
35%
Hypertension
176,353
29%
18%
Diabetes
113,959
19%
NA
Anemia (non-preg)
400,579
65%
41%
Anemia (preg)
21,607
72%
37%
Total women (preg)
30,156
Total women
615,329
The table below shows the current use of family planning methods by currently married women between the age of 15 and 49 years, in Patiala district.
Family planning methods used by women between the ages of 15 and 49 years, in Patiala district[20]
Method
Total (2015–16)
Urban (2015–16)
Rural (2015–16)
Female sterilization
34.5%
31.0%
37.3%
Male sterilization
0.4%
0.6%
0.2%
IUD/PPIUD
5.9%
3.9%
7.6%
Pill
5.2%
6.7%
3.9%
Condom
22.4%
26.9%
18.6%
Any modern method
68.5%
69.1%
67.9%
Any method
79.1%
79.4%
78.9%
Total unmet need
3.7%
4.3%
3.1%
Unmet need for spacing
2.1%
3.1%
1.2%
The table below shows the number of road accidents and people affected in Patiala district by year.
Road accidents and people affected in Patiala district by year[21]
Year
Accidents
Killed
Injured
Vehicles Involved
2022
648
412
437
984
2021
643
430
484
727
2020
512
339
380
774
2019
610
354
467
819
Topography
Most of the area is plains in the form of agricultural land. The river Ghaghar remains dry during most part of the year. However, during the rainy season, it often causes flooding in the adjoining villages, which results in damage to the crops, livestock, and human lives. Other subsidiary rivers are Tangri Nadi, Patiala-Wali-Nadi, Sirhind Choe, and the Jhambowali Choe.
Apart from the natural water lines, the Bhakra Main Line canal, the Nawana Branch, and the Ghaghar Link are the most important. These canals are the backbone of the irrigation system of the district.
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