Ambala

Collectively referred to as the "Twin Cities", the area hosts a major presence of both the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force within the cantonment limits. Located 200 kilometres (124 mi) north of New Delhi, India's capital, and has been designated as a counter-magnet city for the National Capital Region (NCR) to serve as an alternative centre of regional growth. Ambala acts as a drainage divide separating the Ganges river network from the Indus river network and is surrounded by the Ghaggar and Tangri rivers to the north and south, respectively. Due to its strategic geographic position, the Ambala district is a regional transit hub for tourism. The city is situated south of Chandigarh, north of Kurukshetra, southwest of Shimla, north of New Delhi and southeast of Amritsar.

• Name — Ambala • Type — City • Subdivision Type — Country • Subdivision Name — India • Subdivision Type1 — State • Subdivision Type2 — District • Subdivision Name1 — Haryana • Subdivision Name2 — Ambala • Established Title — Established • Established Date — 14th century CE • Founder — Amba Rajput • Named For — Amba Rajput, Bhawani Amba (Goddess) • Government Type — Municipal corporation • Governing Body — Ambala Municipal Corporation • Leader Title — Mayor • Leader Name — Akshita Saini • Leader Party — BJP • Leader Title2 — Lok Sabha MP • Leader Name2 — Varun Chaudhary (INC) • Leader Title3 — MLA • Leader Name3 — Nirmal Singh (INC) Anil Vij (BJP) • Leader Title4 — Municipal Commissioner • Leader Name4 — Sachin Gupta (IAS) • Unit Pref — Metric • Elevation M — 264 • Population Total — 207,934 (UA) • Population As Of — 2011 • Population Density Km2 — auto • Population Demonym — Ambalvi • Demographics Type1 — Languages • Demographics1 Title1 — Official • Demographics1 Info1 — Hindi • Demographics1 Title2 — Additional official • Demographics1 Info2 — English, Punjabi • Demographics1 Title3 — Regional • Demographics1 Info3 — * Puadhi • Haryanvi (Ambalvi) • Time Zone1 — IST • Utc Offset1 — +5:30 • Postal Code Type — PIN • Postal Code — 1330xx,1340xx • Area Code — 0171 • Area Code Type — Telephone code • Iso Code — IN-HR • Registration Plate — HR 01 (city), HR 04 (Naraingarh), HR 54 (Barara), HR 85 (Ambala Cantonment), HR37 (commercial) • Website — https: ambala.gov.in • Illustration — Kos Minar near Ambala along Grand Trunk Road in Haryana

The town is said to derive its name from Amba Rajput, who supposedly founded it during the 14th century CE. According to another version, it is named after the goddess "Bhawani Amba," whose temple still exists in Ambala city. The English spelling Umballa has sometimes been used; this spelling was used by Rudyard Kipling in his 1901 novel Kim.

Archaeological surveyor C.J. Rodgers found Indo-Parthian Kingdom coins as well as coins of Hunas, Mihirakula, and Toramana, which indicated that after the disintegration of the Mauryan empire, the area was taken over by Indo-Parthians and later incorporated into the domain of the Hunas.

In 1709, the Battle of Ambala was fought, and the Sikhs captured Ambala from the Mughals. It was under the rule of Gill Jats from 1748 to 1825. It was also the capital of Nishanwalia Misl. For some time, it had been under the rule of Jawahir Singh of Mustafabad, a descendant of Desu Singh Randhawa.

• Illustration — The Grand Trunk Road, at Ambala Cantonment, during the British Raj

Ambala Army Cantonment was established in 1843 after the British were forced to leave its Karnal Cantonment following the malaria epidemic of 1841–42, as there were no known effective means to control malaria epidemics in those days. The cantonment houses the '2 Corps', one of the three Strike Corps of the Indian Army.

Ambala Air Force Base is one of the oldest and largest airbases that were inherited from the British by the Indian Air Force. It was from this airbase that Spitfires and Harvards flown by Instructors of the Advanced Flying Training School took part in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947–1948. Subsequently, Ambala was the front line airfield for many years. This base was home to various aircraft that were inducted into the Indian Air Force like Harvards, Vampires, Ouragans, Hunters, Liberators, Spitfire, Canberra, and MiG-21. The airbase was briefly attacked in 1965 by B-57 bombers of the Pakistan Air Force. Today, the Airbase houses the '7 Wing', with 2 squadrons of Jaguars and 1 squadron of Dassault Rafale.

Ambala Cantonment is the location of the historic European Cemetery. It is 200 km north of Delhi and 55 km southwest of Chandigarh.

Science Aryabhatta Vigyan Kendra a sub-regional science centre and museum on 5 acres costing Rs 40 crore, is located adjacent to the 1857 War Memorial. It houses multiple exhibits across 4 floors with 3D auditorium & planetarium, space science gallery with Indian space technology and satellites, digital adventure gallery for modern science and technology, agricultural technology, popular science, astronomical observatory with telescope for evening sky watching.

Ambala was given the status of a district in 1847, formed by the merging of the jagir estates of independent chieftains whose territories had lapsed or had been confiscated by the British Indian Government. In its 160 years of existence as a district, Ambala has witnessed many changes in its boundaries. Previously, it extended across tehsils of Ambala, Chandigarh, Jagadhri, Pipli, Kharar, Ropar, and Nalagarh. Kalka-cum-Kurari State, Pinjore, Mani Majra, Kasauli, and Sanawar were also merged later into the district at different times.

In November 1949, Mahatma Gandhi's alleged assassin Nathuram Godse was hanged at Ambala Central Jail along with Narayan Apte, a co-conspirator.

Ambala has a humid subtropical climate (Koppen: Cwa), with a monsoon season that is considerably wetter, hotter, and more humid than the mild, dry winter.

As of 2011 India census, Ambala, UA had a population of 207,934, consisting of 112,840 males and 95,094 females, a ratio of 843. There were 20,687 children ages 0–6, and Ambala had an average literacy rate of 89.31%, with 91.76% of males and 86.41% of females literate. Religious groups in Ambala City (1868−2011) • Religious group — 1868 — 1881 — 1891 — 1901 — 1911 — 1921 — 1931 — 1941 — 2011 • Pop. Population — % percentage — Pop. Population — % percentage — Pop. Population — % percentage — Pop. Population — % percentage — Pop. Population — % percentage — Pop. Population — % percentage — Pop. Population — % percentage — Pop. Population — % percentage — Pop. Population — % percentage • Hinduism — 27,008 — 34,522 — 40,339 — 39,601 — 38,192 — 37,765 — 39,945 — 50,679 — 159,912 • Islam — 19,570 — 27,115 — 30,523 — 32,149 — 31,641 — 31,448 — 38,089 — 47,881 — 2,431 • Christianity — 1,362 — 4,899 — 3,610 — 5,918 — 2,373 — 3,138 — 1,054 — 739 • Sikhism — 1,235 — 1,867 — 2,407 — 2,168 — 3,392 — 3,622 — 4,143 — 4,926 — 28,471 • Jainism — 410 — 1,119 — 1,096 — 957 — 1,083 — 1,269 — 1,814 — 2,816 • Zoroastrianism — 6 — 14 — 31 — 30 — 2 • Buddhism — 0 — 0 — 0 — 5 — 5 — 55 • Judaism — 0 — N/A — N/A — 0 — 0 — 1 • Others — 1,521 — 3,549 — 1 — 0 — 0 — 0 — 0 — 1,008 — 729 • Total population — 50,696 — 67,463 — 79,294 — 78,638 — 80,131 — 76,326 — 86,592 — 107,383 — 195,153

The Cloth Market is considered to be the largest textile market in this region. The market is known for catering to wedding-related shopping. The most commonly bought items are sarees and silk clothing.

Ambala is connected to all of the other major cities of north India. It is a big interchange for various commuters for all neighbouring states. National Highway NH 44, popularly known as GT road and earlier known as NH 1, passes through Ambala and connects it to the national capital (Delhi), Panipat, Ludhiana, and Amritsar. NH 152 connects Ambala to the state capital, Chandigarh, and Kaithal. Apart from the Interstate service, Ambala also houses one of the oldest local bus services in Haryana, which is run by both Haryana roadways and private companies. Other means of local transportation include auto rickshaws and cycle rickshaws.

Bus service is the major means of public transport in this district. The Ambala depot came into being on 1 August 1950. The office of the General Manager is situated on the premises of the depot workshop at Ambala City. Ambala depot has a sub-depot at Naraingarh. Presently, Haryana Roadways, Ambala has 200 buses, which carry about 34.88 lakh passengers daily and cover a distance of about 19000 km daily. Out of these, the total distance covered on interstate routes is and are operated within Haryana every day. The new bus stand at Ambala Cantt was inaugurated on 12 July 1999, and the total land of the bus stand is acre. Bus stands in this district exist at Ambala City, Naraingarh, and Barara as well. A sub-depot level workshop has also been provided at Naraingarh. 'Yatri Niwas' exists on the campus of the Ambala Cantt bus stand for the convenience of commuters who wish to stay for the night. Besides the Haryana Roadways buses, the government has issued permits to private operators on local routes. Presently, 60 buses are plying in Ambala district. The bus stand is very near to Ambala Cantt Jn. (railway station). Most of the buses plying on GT road (NH1) stop in front of the railway station.

Ambala is a divisional headquarters of the Northern Railway Zone and is an important railway junction. Ambala Cantt station is among the top 100 booking stations in India. Several railway stations serve the city: • Ambala Cantt [UMB] – Major junction on the Delhi–Kalka, Moradabad–Ambala, Ambala–Attari, Ambala–Bathinda and Ambala–Una Himachal lines. • Ambala City [UBC] – Station on the Ambala–Attari line. • Barara [RAA] – Station on the Ambala–Saharanpur line. • Dhulkot [DKT] – Station on the Delhi–Kalka line. • Dukheri [DOKY] – Station on the Ambala–Saharanpur line. • Kesri [KES] – Station on the Ambala–Saharanpur line. • Mohri [MOY] – Station on the Delhi–Kalka line. • Tandwal [TDW] – Station on the Ambala–Saharanpur line. The Ambala Cantonment railway station was founded on the junction of the Delhi-Kalka and Ludhiana-Saharanpur lines. The historic Delhi-Panipat-Ambala-Kalka railway line dates back to 1889, while the Ludhiana-Saharanpur line was built in 1870. Situated north of Delhi, this town is well connected by the rail and road network. Ambala Cantt railway station is the main station of the city and well-connected with the major cities of India. Kalka-Shimla Railway, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site, also comes under Ambala division. Ambala Cantonment railway station serves maximum Shatabdi Express after New Delhi. Ambala railway station was mentioned in the famous story 'The Woman on Platform 8' by Ruskin Bond, although in reality, there is no platform 8 in Ambala Cantt.

Air transport in Ambala is presently served by Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport located about 45 km north of the city, which is the nearest major airport to the city and provides domestic and limited international connectivity. Ambala Domestic Airport has also been developed at Ambala Cantonment through a civil enclave at the Ambala Air Force Station under the Government of India's UDAN regional connectivity scheme. The airport infrastructure and terminal building have been completed and the airport is awaiting inauguration and commencement of commercial flight operations.

Ambala has a large number of schools and colleges. Notable colleges are as follows: • Convent of Jesus and Mary, Ambala • D.A.V. College (Lahore), Ambala City • E-Max School of Engineering and Applied Research • Government Polytechnic College, Ambala • Maharishi Markandeshwar University, Mullana • Maharishi Markandeshwar University, Sadopur • Philadelphia Hospital & School of Nursing, Ambala • Sanatan Dharma College (S.D. College)

• Illustration — A 1990 Soviet postage stamp of Kim Philby, a British MI6 officer and double agent for the Soviet Union, born in Ambala, British India. • Illustration — Sushma Swaraj • Zohrabai Ambalewali • Hansraj Behl • Urvashi Butalia • Simi Chahal • Juhi Chawla • Parineeti Chopra • Swadesh Deepak • Navneet Kaur Dhillon • Sanjeev Kapoor • Manpreet Kaur • Nasir Kazmi • Sucheta Kripalani • Shalabh Kumar • Selja Kumari • Talib Dehlavi • Kim Philby • Ash K. Prakash • Om Puri • Saghar Siddiqui • Sanjiv Sam Gambhir • Sushma Swaraj • Zeba