Pokhran 641170 222053253 2008-06-27T09:51:39Z Andrew Maiman 86851 [[WP:UNDO|Undid]] revision 222052868 by [[Special:Contributions/59.95.177.214|59.95.177.214]] ([[User talk:59.95.177.214|talk]]) rv spam and bad pasting. :''This article is about the town. For the nuclear tests carried out by India in 1998, see [[Pokhran-II]].'' <!-- See [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Indian cities]] for details -->{{Infobox Indian Jurisdiction | native_name = Pokhran | type = city | latd = 26.92 | longd = 71.92| locator_position = right | state_name = Rajasthan | district = [[Jaisalmer district|Jaisalmer]] | leader_title = | leader_name = | altitude = 233| population_as_of = 2001 | population_total = 19,186| population_density = | area_magnitude= sq. km | area_total = | area_telephone = | postal_code = | vehicle_code_range = | sex_ratio = | unlocode = | website = | footnotes = | }} '''Pokhran''' (also spelled '''Pokaran''') is a city and a [[municipality]] located in [[Jaisalmer district]] in the [[States and territories of India|Indian state]] of [[Rajasthan]]. It is a remote location in the [[Thar Desert]] region and served as the test site for India's first underground [[nuclear weapon]] [[detonate|detonation]]. ==Geography== Pokhran is located at {{coor d|26.92|N|71.92|E|}}.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.fallingrain.com/world/IN/24/Pokaran.html |title = Falling Rain Genomics, Inc. - Map and weather data for Pokhran }}</ref> It has an average elevation of 233&nbsp;[[metre]]s (764&nbsp;[[foot (unit of length)|feet]]). Surrounded by rocky, sandy and five salt ranges, ''Pokaran'' means “the place of five mirages”. It is en route both from Jodhpur to Jaislamer and Bikaner to Jaislamer. ==Demographics== [[As of 2001]] India [[census]]<ref>{{GR|India}}</ref>, Pokhran had a population of 19,186. Males constitute 55% of the population and females 45%. Pokhran has an average literacy rate of 56%, lower than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 68%, and female literacy is 41%. In Pokhran, 19% of the population is under 6 years of age. ==Landmarks== Fort Pokaran, the 14th century citadel also known as “Balagarh”, stands amidst the Thar Desert. This monument is the premier fort of the chief of the [[Champawats]], the clan of [[Rathores]] of the state of [[Marwar]]-[[Jodhpur]]. The famous, touristic city and fort of [[Jaisalmer]] is a couple of hours away by road. ==Nuclear test site== Pokhran shot into international limelight on [[September 7]], [[1972]] when the then [[Indian Prime Minister]] [[Indira Gandhi]] gave authorization to the scientists at the [[Bhabha Atomic Research Centre]] (BARC), [[Trombay]] to detonate an indigenously designed nuclear device. Throughout its development, the device was formally called the "Peaceful Nuclear Explosive", but it was usually referred to as the [[Smiling Buddha]]. The head of the development team was [[Raja Ramanna]]. Other key members were [[P.K. Iyengar]], [[Rajagopala Chidambaram]], and [[Nagapattinam Sambasiva Venkatesan]]. The project employed no more than 75 scientists and engineers from 1967-1974. Keeping it small served to aid in the preservation of secrecy, according to the researcher Jeffrey Richelson.[1] The device used a high explosive implosion system, developed at the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)'s [[Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory]] (TBRL), [[Chandigarh]], based on the American design from [[World War II]]. But the Indian design was simpler and less sophisticated than the American system. The 6 kg of plutonium came from the CIRUS reactor at BARC, Trombay, Mumbai (then Bombay). The neutron initiator was a Polonium-Beryllium type (again like those used in early U.S. bombs of the Fat Man type) code-named "Flower." The complete core was assembled in Trombay before transportation to the test site. The fully assembled device had a hexagonal cross section, 1.25 m in diameter and weighed 1400 kg. The device was detonated at 8.05 a.m. in a shaft 107 m under the army Pokhran test range in the Thar Desert (or Great Indian Desert), Rajasthan. Coodinates of the crater are [show location on an interactive map] 27°05′42″N 71°45′11″E / 27.095, 71.753. Officially the yield was reported at 12 kt, though outside estimates of the yield vary from 2 kt to 20 kt. Pokhran is the test site for India's nuclear program. The [[Atomic Energy Commission of India]] detonated its first [[underground nuclear testing|underground nuclear weapon]] there on [[May 18]], [[1974]]. The Indian government, however, declared that it was not going to make nuclear weapons even though it had acquired the capacity to do so. It claimed that the Pokhran explosion was an effort to harness atomic energy for peaceful purposes and to make India self-reliant in nuclear technology, but subsequently, India conducted five nuclear tests on [[May 11]] and [[May 13]], [[1998]]. Since then, India has declared a moratorium on the testing. ==See also== *[[Bhaniyana]] ==References== {{reflist}} {{Nuclear power in India}} [[Category:Cities and towns in Rajasthan]] [[Category:Nuclear test sites]] [[Category:Nuclear technology in India]] [[Category:Energy in India]] [[bn:পোকরান]] [[fr:Pokharan]] [[bpy:পোকরান]] [[mr:पोखरण]] [[ja:ポカラン]] [[te:పోఖ్రాన్]] [[vi:Pokaran]]