Mahalਮਹਲ

Where is Mahal?

Mahal is a village of Kalanaur tehsil in Gurdaspur district, Punjab, in the Majha region of the state. The 2011 directory recorded Dhariwal, about 13 kilometres away, as its nearest town. The village falls in the Kalanour community development block and has its own gram panchayat. In the census record it carries village code 028024, and it covers 91 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 669 people in Mahal: 332 men and 337 women, living in 137 households, an average of about 4.9 people per household. Spread over its 91 hectares, the population density works out to about 735 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 1015 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 113, about 17 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 37 people, about 6 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 60.07 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 69.23 per cent and women at 51.24 per cent. The census recorded 179 workers, about 27 per cent of the village. Of the 178 main workers, the largest group, 111, were agricultural labourers, ahead of 49 cultivators on their own land and 18 other workers in trade, transport and services. A further 1 people were marginal workers, employed for only part of the year.

Land and farming

Farming covers most of Mahal's land. Of the village's 91 hectares, 81 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and every sown hectare was irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from wells and tube-wells (81 hectares). About 10 hectares were under non-agricultural uses such as the village settlement, roads and ponds. Farm power supply was recorded at 8 hours a day. The census recorded 50 cultivators and 111 agricultural labourers, so farming supports many labouring families as well as landholders.

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 and one government middle school, so children can study in the village up to Class 8. The village also had an anganwadi centre and an ASHA health worker.

No health facility was recorded inside the village in 2011. Drinking water came from untreated tap water supplies. It also had a PDS ration shop and mobile phone coverage. It had no bank branch or ATM in the 2011 record; the nearest bank was within five kilometres. Domestic electricity supply was recorded at 12 hours a day.

Getting there

Mahal is reached by pucca, all-weather roads, and the 2011 directory recorded a private bus service in the village itself. The directory recorded Dhariwal, about 13 kilometres away, as the nearest town, and the nearest railway station was more than ten kilometres away. Kalanaur, the tehsil headquarters, and Gurdaspur town, the district headquarters, are the practical hubs for administration and onward travel. Neighbouring villages include Talwandi Raja Dina Nath, Bakhshiwala, Manj and Sangatpur.

What is the population of Mahal?

The population of Mahal was 669 at the 2011 census, living in 137 households in Kalanaur tehsil of Gurdaspur district.

What facilities does Mahal have?

According to the Census 2011 Village Directory, Mahal has government schools from primary to middle school level and an anganwadi centre. It had no bank branch inside the village in that record.