Mahalਮਹਲ

Where is Mahal?

Mahal is a village of Garhshankar tehsil in Hoshiarpur district, Punjab, in the Doaba region of the state. The 2011 directory recorded Garhshankar, about 25 kilometres away, as its nearest town. The village falls in the Mahilpur community development block and is served by the Mahal (Baltohian) gram panchayat. In the census record it carries village code 031775, and it covers 195 hectares.

Population and households

The 2011 census counted 569 people in Mahal: 282 men and 287 women, living in 121 households, an average of about 4.7 people per household. Spread over its 195 hectares, the population density works out to about 292 people per square kilometre. The sex ratio was 1018 women for every 1,000 men. Children up to the age of six numbered 54, about 9 per cent of the village. Scheduled Castes made up 269 people, about 47 per cent of the population, and no Scheduled Tribe population was recorded.

Literacy in 2011 stood at 84.47 per cent among residents aged seven and above, with men at 90.23 per cent and women at 78.76 per cent. The census recorded 159 workers, about 28 per cent of the village. Of the 99 main workers, the largest group, 56, were cultivators on their own land, ahead of 42 other workers in trade, transport and services and 1 agricultural labourers. A further 60 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 195 hectares, 95 hectares were net sown area in the 2011 record, and 91 hectares of it were irrigated. Irrigation came mainly from wells and tube-wells (91 hectares). About 27 hectares were under non-agricultural uses such as the village settlement, roads and ponds. Farm power supply was recorded at 12 hours a day. With 57 cultivators and 18 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, so children can study in the village up to Class 5. The village also had an anganwadi centre and an ASHA health worker.

No health facility was recorded inside the village in 2011. Treated tap water was available in the village. It also had 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 roads, and the 2011 directory recorded a private bus service in the village itself. The directory recorded Garhshankar, about 25 kilometres away, as the nearest town, and the nearest railway station was more than ten kilometres away. Garhshankar, the tehsil headquarters, and Hoshiarpur city, the district headquarters, are the practical hubs for administration and onward travel. Neighbouring villages include Mugo Patti, Dandian, Gondian and Badon.

What is the population of Mahal?

The population of Mahal was 569 at the 2011 census, living in 121 households in Garhshankar tehsil of Hoshiarpur district.

What facilities does Mahal have?

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