Ludhiana City : Star City of India

Ludhiana is located on the latitude 30.55° North and longitude 75.54° East in the state of Punjab in northern India. The city stands on the Grand Trunk Road from Delhi to Amritsar.

The Punjabi spirit of enterprise and business savvy is best exemplified by the city of Ludhiana which is renowned the world over for its hosiery goods. It is no exaggeration to say that in Ludhiana every household is a mini hosiery unit and everybody seems to be involved in some way or the other in this lucrative business. From Moscow to Montreal, shopping malls retail both cotton and woollen products from Ludhiana. However, Ludhiana's claim to fame is not its commercial enterprises alone. It is an important pilgrimage center as there are many historic Gurdwaras.

Ludhiana also boasts of many prestigious educational institutions. There are two medical colleges and the famous Punjab Agricultural University modeled on the Land Grant of America.

Ludhiana is a part of the Ludhiana-Moga-Ferozepur-Bhatinda-Malout-Muktsar-Faridkot tourist circuit in Punjab. Ludhiana does not have too many scenic spots to boast of. It can be visited either for bulk hosiery shopping or making it a base for the Rural Olympics held in Killa Raipur nearby. One can also visit the Rural Museum at the Punjab Agricultural University. The War Memorial organizes frequent Sound and Light shows, where one can listen to stories of valour of brave, Indian and Punjabi soldiers.

History

Ludhiana gets its name from the Lodhi Dynasty, which is believed to have founded the city in the year 1480.

During the reign of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, Ludhiana became an important British cantonment. Initially, in 1805, Maharaja Ranjit Singh had occupied Ludhiana. However, in 1809, the British decided to curb his advance eastwards and sent troops to confront him. Ranjit Singh was forced to sign the treaty of 'perpetual friendship' with the British, which confined his activities to the right bank of the Sutlej. British troops were permanently stationed in Ludhiana and the Cis-Sutlej states came under British protection.

Many leaders of the Indian freedom movement came from Ludhiana. Prominent among them were Lala Lajpat Rai, Sardar Kartar Singh Saraba, Baba Santa Singh and Maulana Habibur Rehman.

Best Season, Climate, and Clothing

Ludhiana has very hot summers and very cold winters. The monsoon visits this city around July and extends up to the beginning of September. Winters generally set in around November, when it becomes very cold during the night. But the city produces and exports hosiery and woolen products. If you can stand neither extreme heat nor cold, the best time to visit Ludhiana is from February to mid April. Thus, cotton clothing is apt for summers and woolens are required for winters.

Block-wise No. of Villages & Population (1991)

Sr. No.	Block Name	No. of Villages	Population(1991)
1.	Dehlon	75	112813
2.	Doraha	57	86469
3.	Jagraon	48	121320
4.	Khanna	91	104854
5.	Ludhiana 1	59	109322
6.	Ludhiana 2	178	123847
7.	Machhiwara	136	78121
8.	Pakhowal	51	91805
9.	Samrala	63	73712
10.	SidhwanBet	92	103658
11.	Sudhar	22	59509

How to Reach Ludhiana :

The foremost notion of Ludhiana (Punjab) one gets is that of a city, effervescent with opulence. The land of Ludhiana is a land of exhilarating culture, numerous images of credible emerald green fields and jovial people whose healthy pastoral ways of friendship and bonhomie are very much a part of their tradition.

Along with other cities of Punjab, Ludhiana has also attained remarkable development over the years due to the success of the Green Revolution in the early 70s. That was the reason that for a major period in the second half of the 20th century, Punjab led the other states in India to achieve self-sufficiency in crop production. The other main ground for the prosperity of Ludhiana is that the Punjabi people are very hard working and take life as it comes. Music & dance is in their blood and that is reflected in the Bhangra & Gidha beats that are famous all over the world today.

There are three main seasons i.e. summer, monsoon, and winter. Summer remains in the Ludhiana from Mid April to June and the heat is excruciating at that time. Monsoon touches this city in the month of July and remains in action till September. Most of the rainfall in the Punjab state occurs during this season only. Winter comes in October and remains till March and extreme cold can be experienced during this time.

Ludhiana city is easily accessible through air, road and rail from the other major Indian cities and states.

By Air: The nearest operational airport from Ludhiana is one in the state capital Chandigarh, 100 km away & the another one in the Holy City Amritsar.

By Rail: There are regular trains for New Delhi and Amritsar from Ludhiana Railway Station. (See Railway Time Table)

By Road: Ludhiana is situated on the Amritsar-Delhi Grand Trunk Road. New Delhi, Amritsar, Chandigarh and other major cities in Punjab are well linked with Ludhiana through road. The city lies about 305 km northwest of Delhi and is 100 km away from Chandigarh.