Mahal kalanਮਹਿਲ ਕਲਾਂ

Where is Mahal kalan?

Mahal kalan is a village of Barnala tehsil in Barnala district, Punjab, in the Malwa region of the state. The 2011 directory recorded Barnala, about 25 kilometres away, as its nearest town. The village falls in the Mehal Kalan community development block and is served by the Mahal Kalan gram panchayat. In the census record it carries village code 040026, and it covers 2,568 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 7,761 people in Mahal kalan: 4,219 men and 3,542 women, living in 1,502 households, an average of about 5.2 people per household. Spread over its 2,568 hectares, the population density works out to about 302 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 840 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 810, about 10 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 2,415 people, about 31 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 70.72 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 74.51 per cent and women at 66.14 per cent. The census recorded 2,463 workers, about 32 per cent of the village. Of the 2,085 main workers, the largest group, 978, were other workers in trade, transport and services, ahead of 742 cultivators on their own land and 308 agricultural labourers. A further 378 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Mahal kalan's land. Of the village's 2,568 hectares, 2,242 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and every sown hectare was irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from canals (1,045 hectares) and wells and tube-wells (1,197 hectares). About 326 hectares were under non-agricultural uses such as the village settlement, roads and ponds. Farm power supply was recorded at 8 hours a day. With 749 cultivators and 441 agricultural labourers in the census, most farm work in the village is done by landholding families themselves.

Schools and facilities

For village facilities, the Census 2011 Village Directory is the fullest record available. Education in the village runs through one government primary school, one government middle school, one government secondary school and one government senior secondary school, so children can study in the village up to Class 12. The village also had an anganwadi centre.

No health facility was recorded inside the village in 2011. Treated tap water was available in the village. The village had its own post office. It also had a PDS ration shop, mobile phone coverage and an internet common service centre. Banking was available in the village itself, with a commercial bank branch, a cooperative bank branch and an ATM. Domestic electricity supply was recorded at 12 hours a day.

Getting there

Mahal kalan is reached by pucca, all-weather roads, and the 2011 directory recorded a private bus service in the village itself. The directory recorded Barnala, about 25 kilometres away, as the nearest town, and the nearest railway station was more than ten kilometres away. Barnala, the tehsil headquarters, and Barnala town, the district headquarters, are the practical hubs for administration and onward travel. Neighbouring villages include Sahore, Dhaner, Khiali and Kalal Majra.

What is the population of Mahal kalan?

The population of Mahal kalan was 7,761 at the 2011 census, living in 1,502 households in Barnala tehsil of Barnala district.

What facilities does Mahal kalan have?

According to the Census 2011 Village Directory, Mahal kalan has government schools from primary to senior secondary school level, an anganwadi centre and a post office.