Jagraon is a city and a municipal council in Ludhiana district in the Indian state of Punjab. Jagraon is more than five centuries old. It has been thought by some that the city's original name was "Jagar aon", meaning 'A place of great flooding', although this flooding has since ceased. It could also be argued that Jagraon actually derives from a source with a suffix -graon being a development of the Sanskrit grama, m., "Village" as found in Hindi gaon, id. Jagraon is located at almost the geographical center of Punjab state, only 16 kilometers from the River Satluj. Jagraon is also headquarters of one of the Police Districts of Punjab.
Historical Significance:
The town was named after a Rajput Jirga or council, who were charged with the growth of the town and were probably known as the Rai’s representatives. About 3 kilometres north of Jagraon on the West of the Sidhwan Road is situated a mound of some dimensions. It is called Solah and marks the site of an old village. It was here in 1802 that young Rai Alias met his death in the hunting field. Under the Ranis, who succeeded him, Ahmed Gujjar, the thanedar or the local representative tried to assert his independence. He was, however, expelled with the help of the ruler of Patiala. In 1806 – 8 Maharaja Ranjit Singh deprived the Ranis of their possessions. The country around Jagraon passed into the hands of the Ahluwalia (Kapurthala) chief. Under him the town became the headquarters of the Ilaqa or territory. The mud fort of the Rais was improved. The town of Jagraon passed into British possession with the rest of the Cis-Satluj territory after the first Anglo-sikh War, 1846, when the fort was demolished.
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