Ropar

Ropar, also spelled Rupar, also called Rupnagar, town, eastern Punjab state, northwestern India. The town lies on the Sutlej River near the head of the great Sirhind Canal, about 20 miles (32 km) northwest of Chandigarh.

The Ropar area has been inhabited for millennia, and the present-day town is the site of a centre of the ancient Indus civilization. Ropar is on a branch rail line that roughly follows the Sutlej northward into Himachal Pradesh state. It is a marketplace for agricultural products and has small weaving and iron products industries. It is also known for the manufacture of locks. There is a branch campus of the Indian Institute of Technology in the town, and a thermal power-generating station is nearby. Pop. (2001) 49,159; (2011) 56,038.