Kalol, Gandhinagar
Kalol is a city in Gandhinagar district in the Indian state of Gujarat, located alongside Gujarat State Highway 41 between the cities of Mehsana and Ahmedabad. It is the only city of Gujarat which has 3 overbridges on highways. It ranks 1st among other talukas of Gandhinagar in terms of population and development. It is also referred as Gateway to North India.
Kalol | |
|---|---|
City | |
 | |
| Nickname(s): Gate Way of North Gujarat | |
  Kalol Location in Gujarat, India  Kalol Kalol (India) | |
| Coordinates: 23.246°N 72.496°E | |
| Country |  India |
| State | Gujarat |
| District | Gandhinagar |
| Area | |
| • Total | 25.42 km2 (9.81 sq mi) |
| Area rank | 1st Rank (with compare to other tehsil(taluka) of Gandhinagar) |
| Population (2011) | |
| • Total | 133,737 |
| • Rank | 26th |
| • Density | 5,300/km2 (14,000/sq mi) |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Gujarati, Hindi, English |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
| PIN | 382721 |
| Telephone code | 02764 |
| Vehicle registration | GJ-18 |
| Website | www.kalol.comze.com |
Demographics
As of 2011 India census,[1] Kalol had a population of 133,737 with 69,898 males and 63,839 females; it has 13,719 children aged 0–6 (7,397 male and 6,322 female), 103,561 literates (57,548 male and 46,013 female) 88% literacy in Kalol ,Total Taluka Population was in 2011 is 3,05,489.
Kalol is divided into four major areas :-
- Kalol East
- Kalol Center
- Kalol West
- New Panchvati
East Side is an industrial specific area designed for Sintex Industries (Plastic Industry) and also includes residential area upto some extent. Center Side and West Side, both are residential areas and also are most developed areas of Kalol. Panchvati area is developing area consisting of rich residential facilities and was the most safe area of Kalol to live-in. Malls, Gyms, Temples,Towers etc make Kalol a way more developed City of Gandhinagar district than any other. Shree Sardar Patel Garden is very well known place of Kalol.
Geography
Kalol has an average elevation of 81 metres (266 feet). The city acts like a heart between three major cities of Gujarat i.e. Ahmedabad,Gandhinagar & Mehsana. SH41 Highway passing through Kalol. The city sits on the banks of the Sabarmati River, in North-Central-East Gujarat.
Climate
Kalol has a Monsoon climate with three main seasons: Summer, Monsoon & Winter. The climate is generally Dry and Hot outside monsoon season. The weather is Hot to severely Hot from March to June when the maximum temperature stays in the range of 35 to 49 °C (97 to 115 °F), and the minimum in the range of 12 to 26 °C (66 to 81 °F). Highest temperature of Kalol was 49.8 c in May 2019. It is warm from December to February, the average maximum temperature is around 26 °C (84 °F), the average minimum is 12 °C (57 °F), and the climate is extremely dry. The southwest monsoon brings a humid climate from mid-June to mid-September.[8] The average annual rainfall is around 803.4 mm (31.63 in).
Religion
Hindus are the largest religious community of the city. Other religious communities include Muslims, Christians, Sikhs and Jains. As per census of 2011 Kalol religion is like Hindu :- 81.5% Muslim:- 8.5% Christian:-2.9% Sikh:-3.1% Jain:-1.8% Others:-3.2%
Places of Worship
There are many Mandirs, Mosques & Gurudwaras in Kalol.
Major Hindu Mandirs are situated in city area which includes - Satayanarayan Mandir, Kapileshwar Mahadev Mandir, Ambaji Mandir, Bharat Sevashram Sangha (Hanuman Mandir, Durga Mandir, Ganesh Mandir, Becharaji Mandir) and Gayatri Mandir. The famous Jamiyatpura Hanuman Mandir, is 10 km from Kalol and Tri-Mandir and Adalaj Step Well which is at Adalaj cross road which is also around 10 km from Kalol.
Other religious places like Gurudwara and Derasar are also situated in different areas of Kalol.
Transportation & Connectivity
Kalol lies between three major cities of Gujarat - Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar & Mehsana making it an important city for transportation.
Air
Nearest Domestic & International Airport is Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad is nearly 30 km away from Kalol and provides connectivity with domestic flights to the Metropolitan and other major cities of India. It also provides many International flights from Ahmedabad to across the world.
Rail
Kalol Junction lies on the main railway line connecting Ahmedabad to Jaipur, Marwad, Abu Road, New Delhi, Jodhpur, Bikaner and many other North Indian states. Kalol Railway Station is on the Western Railways - Ahmedabad-Mehsana Line. Main train connections include Ranakpur Express, Ahmedabad-Haridwar Yoga Express, Aravalli Express and Ahmedabad-Patan Passenger, Ahmedabad-Jaipur Passenger, Ahmedabad-Jodhpur Passenger,Ahmedabad-Aburoad Passenger. Kalol Junction is currently under construction of electrification & doubling line.
Road
Major road of Kalol is SH41. It connects to major cities like Ahmedabad, Mehsana, Palanpur, Aburoad. Kalol is connected to Surat, Mumbai, and Navi Mumbai through National Highway 8A. It is connected to Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Udaipur, New Delhi & Chandigarh through the National Highway 8C. Highway also connecting to Mount Abu-Ambaji also passes through the town.
Local Transport
The Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation (GSRTC) buses are available for all major cities of Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation (GSRTC) facility is available at three bus stands in Kalol. 1) City Depot Bus Stand, 2) Ambica Nagar Stand & 3) Work Shop Bus Stand at Kalol , the later one is more convenient to get transportation for anywhere in Gujarat. By the GSRTC Bus Service Kalol is connected very well north gujarat cities like Palanpur, Deesa, Unjha, Siddhpur, Himmatnagar, Patan, Radhanpur & Kadi. CNG auto-rickshaws are available for local transport.
Economy & Industry
The town is an important industrial center with many industries in and near town of Chhatral. Sintex (Plastic Giant) and Bharat Vijay Mill (Cloth Manufacturer) are situated in Kalol. Sintex is the largest manufacturer of plastic tanks in Asia, and performs business all over Europe and America through its foreign acquisitions. Asahi Sangwan Colors Limited leading Pigment Manufacturer of India has its head office at Chhatral besides its another manufacturing plant in Vadodara. Heavy Metal and Tubes Ltd. has 3 manufacturing units at Chhatral Road and a corporate office at Ahmedabad.
India's largest fertilizers company, IFFCO has setup its First Ammonia- Urea Complex in 1974 at Kalol in Gujarat state. It has commissioned on Nov.05, 1974 Kalol was IFFCO's second big production facility and the most efficient. After the recent expansion plan the total output of the facility is going to increase by manifold. In 2014-15 IFFCO's Kalol plant produced 0.360 MTPA of Ammonia and 0.550 of Urea, reaching a new height. IFFCO Kalol achieved lowest yearly energy consumption for both Ammonia and Urea Plants. It has established at Kasturinagar Township near Kalol.
Culture
Major festivals celebrated includes
- Uttarayan, an annual kite-flying day on 14 and 15 January.
- Navaratri: Nine nights - Navratri are celebrated with people performing Garba, the most popular folk dance of Gujarat, at venues across the city.
- Diwali and Gujarati New year: The festival of lights, Deepavali, is celebrated with the lighting of lamps in every house, decorating the floors with rangoli, and the lighting of firecrackers.
- Holi: a festival of colours
- Dussehra and Ravan Dahan (Rama Navami) is celebrated by Sindhi community of Kalol, And it was celebrated on Vakharia School Ground till 2013 but At 2014 it celebrated at Auda Gordan Near by Kapileshwar Mahadev Temple
- Shivaratri celebrated at Kapileshwar Mahadev Temple
- Janmashtami celebrated various temples in Kalol
- Ganesh Chaturthi
- Christmas is celebrated by the Christian Community(Kalol Christian Fellowship - KCF) at St. Xavier's Church, Kalol on 24 and 25 December every year.
- Onam is celebrated by the Kerala Community residing in Kalol in the beginning of the month of Chingam, the first month of the solar Malayalam calendar.
- Durga Puja, A Bengali version of Navaratri, organized by local Bengali community at Bharat Sevashram Sangha. Puja starts from 6th day of Navaratri & ends on Vijaya Dasami (Dashera).
The folk dances of Gujarat, Garba, Raas, and Dandiya have been successful in breaking the confinements of locality, and the festival of Navratri brings together the whole of India. Special dancing competitions and lavish feasts are organized during the holy festival of Navratri. During the prominent festival of Navratri many forms of dances are performed; raas is one of them. Raas is a very energetic and colourful dance in which body language, eye contact, expressions and rhythm play a major part. Two circles formed by men and women revolve clockwise and anticlockwise following the rhythm of the music, while clanging their dandiyas with their respective partners.
References
- "Census of India 2011: GUJURAT District census handbook series 25 Part XIIB p34-35" (PDF). Census Commission of India. Retrieved 12 October 2015.