Masterstrock at 13:59, 15 July 2026

2026-07-15T13:59:21Z

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{{use Indian English|date=July 2025}}
{{use dmy dates|date=July 2026}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name = Koi (Kuntipur)
| other_name = Kuntipur
| native_name = ਕੋਈ (ਕੁੰਤੀਪੁਰ)
| native_name_lang = pa
| settlement_type = Village
| image_skyline =
| image_caption =
| pushpin_map = India Punjab
| pushpin_map_alt = Location of Koi (Kuntipur) in Punjab, India
| pushpin_label_position = right
| coordinates = {{coord|31|48|55.86|N|75|49|59.01|E|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type = Country
| subdivision_name = {{IND}}
| subdivision_type1 = State
| subdivision_name1 = [[Punjab, India|Punjab]]
| subdivision_type2 = District
| subdivision_name2 = [[Hoshiarpur district|Hoshiarpur]]
| subdivision_type3 = Tehsil
| subdivision_name3 = [[Dasuya|Dasuya]]
| elevation_m = 239
| area_total_ha = 902
| population_total = 1,203
| population_as_of = 2011
| population_male =
| population_female =
| demographics_type1 = Literacy
| demographics1_title1 = Rate (2011)
| demographics1_info1 = 79.2%
| blank1_name_sec1 = Scheduled Castes
| blank1_info_sec1 = 6.9% (83)
| postal_code_type = [[Postal Index Number|PIN]]
| postal_code = 144213
| area_code_type = [[Subscriber trunk dialling|STD code]]
| area_code = 01886
| iso_code = IN-PB
| language =
| timezone1 = [[Indian Standard Time|IST]]
| utc_offset1 = +5:30
| website = {{URL|hoshiarpur.nic.in}}
}}

'''Koi''', also known by its traditional name '''Kuntipur''', is a village located in [[Dasuya]] tehsil of [[Hoshiarpur district]] in the state of [[Punjab, India|Punjab]], India.<ref name="census2011">{{Cite web |url=https://www.census2011.co.in/data/village/30952-koi-punjab.html |title=Koi Village Population – Census 2011 |website=Census2011.co.in |access-date=2 June 2025}}</ref> The village sits at an elevation of 239 metres (784 ft) above sea level within the [[Shivalik Hills|Shivalik]] foothills region of northern Punjab. It is governed through a [[gram panchayat]] and falls within the [[Urmar Tanda|Urmar]] assembly constituency, which forms part of the [[Hoshiarpur (Lok Sabha constituency)|Hoshiarpur parliamentary constituency]].

== Etymology ==

The village's historical name, '''Kuntipur''', is linked by local tradition to [[Kunti]], the mother of the [[Pandava]]s in the Sanskrit epic [[Mahabharata]]. According to accounts preserved in the broader Dasuya–Kamahi Devi area, the Pandavas are said to have passed through the Shivalik forests of this region during their thirteenth year of exile (''agyatvas'')—an incognito period—before travelling to the kingdom of Raja Virata, identified with present-day [[Dasuya]].<ref name="kamahidevi">{{Cite web |url=https://kamahidevi.com/ |title=About the Area – Kamahi Devi Temple |publisher=Kamahi Devi Temple, Hoshiarpur |access-date=2 June 2025}}</ref> Local tradition further holds that a banyan tree at Kuntipur marks the location where the Pandavas are said to have concealed their weapons during their period of disguise. The settlement came to be named Kuntipur after the association with Mata Kunti, and over time this contracted into the modern name Koi.<ref name="kamahidevi"/>

These traditions form part of a wider regional layer of Mahabharata-associated folklore. The official website of [[Hoshiarpur district]] notes that "the legends associate several places in the district with Pandavas" and that Dasuya is mentioned in the epic as the seat of Raja Virata, in whose service the Pandavas lived during their exile.<ref name="hoshiarpurhist">{{Cite web |url=https://hoshiarpur.nic.in/history/ |title=History of Hoshiarpur District |publisher=District Hoshiarpur, Government of Punjab, India |access-date=2 June 2025}}</ref> The district tourism page similarly records that Hoshiarpur's history "reaches back to the Mahabharata… with various sites here linked to its valiant heroes, the Pandavas."<ref name="hoshiarpurtourism">{{Cite web |url=https://hoshiarpur.nic.in/tourism/ |title=Tourism – District Hoshiarpur |publisher=District Hoshiarpur, Government of Punjab, India |access-date=2 June 2025}}</ref>

== Geography ==

Koi is situated approximately 45 km from the district headquarters at [[Hoshiarpur]] and 23 km from the sub-district headquarters at [[Dasuya]]. The state capital [[Chandigarh]] is approximately 176 km to the south. The village covers a total geographical area of 902 hectares, and its census village code is 030952.<ref name="census2011"/> The nearest town for major economic activity is Gardhiwala.

Neighbouring villages include Sansarpur (approximately 1 km), Dehrian (2 km), San Chak (2 km), Sangwal (2 km), and Kalowal (2 km). The nearest urban centres are [[Dasuya]] (approximately 23 km), [[Talwara]] (approximately 20 km), [[Urmar Tanda]] (approximately 23 km), and [[Mukerian]] (approximately 26 km).

The village is connected to the regional road network via National Highway 503A and National Highway 3 (India, new numbering)|National Highway 3.

== Demographics ==

According to the [[Census of India|2011 Census of India]], Koi had a total population of 1,203 persons, comprising 608 males and 595 females, giving a [[sex ratio]] of 978 females per 1,000 males.<ref name="census2011"/> The village comprised 259 households.

Children in the age group 0–6 years numbered 135, of whom 48 (35.6%) were girls. The [[scheduled caste]] population stood at 83 persons, constituting approximately 6.9% of the total population. No [[scheduled tribe]] population was recorded at the time of the census.<ref name="census2011"/>

The overall literacy rate was 79.2%, with 953 persons recorded as literate; 469 of these were women. The working population—those engaged in economic activity—constituted approximately 18.5% of the total population.<ref name="census2011"/>

The official and predominant language of the village is [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]].

== Administration ==

Koi functions as its own [[gram panchayat]], as recorded in 2009 panchayat statistics. The gram panchayat is headed by an elected representative known as the [[sarpanch]]. The village falls within the [[Urmar Tanda|Urmar]] assembly constituency of Punjab, which in turn is part of the [[Hoshiarpur (Lok Sabha constituency)|Hoshiarpur parliamentary constituency]]. The [[Postal Index Number|PIN code]] for the village is 144213, with the postal head office at Bhanowal.

== Education ==

The principal educational institution within the village is Government High School Koi (GHS Koi), a government-run secondary school. Higher educational institutions are available in the nearby towns of Dasuya, Gardhiwala, and Hoshiarpur.

== Religious sites ==

[[File:Kuntipur Mata Temple, Koi.jpg|thumb|right|Inside View of Kuntipur Mata Temple, Koi]]
The Kunti Mata Mandir and the Mata Kunti Devi Temple, both situated near the village, are associated with the local tradition linking the area to Mata Kunti of the Mahabharata. A centre of the [[Radha Soami|Radha Soami Satsang Beas]] is located approximately 0.6 km from the village, within the Hoshiarpur–Garhdiwala corridor. The broader region, which lies at the foothills of the Shivaliks, has historically been a site of Hindu temple worship and pilgrimage, a character reflected in the nearby Kamakshi Devi (Kamahi Devi) temple complex in the Dasuya forest division.<ref name="kamahidevi"/>

== Transport ==

The village has no railway station within 10 km. The nearest rail connections are at Dasuya railway station (approximately 16 km) and Tanda Urmar railway station (approximately 25 km). Bus services are accessible at stops along the Dasuya–Kamahi Devi Road, approximately 5–6 km from the village.

The nearest airports are [[Pathankot Airport]] (approximately 53 km), Gaggal Airport near [[Dharamshala]] (approximately 77 km), and [[Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport]] at Amritsar (approximately 106 km).

== See also ==

* [[Hoshiarpur district]]
* [[Dasuya]]
* [[Shivalik Hills]]
* [[Mahabharata]]
* [[Pandava]]

== References ==

{{Reflist}}

== External links ==

* [https://hoshiarpur.nic.in/ Official website – Hoshiarpur District, Government of Punjab]
* [https://www.census2011.co.in/data/village/30952-koi-punjab.html Koi village – Census of India, 2011]
* [https://hoshiarpur.nic.in/history/ History of Hoshiarpur District – Government of Punjab]
* [https://hoshiarpur.nic.in/tourism/ Tourism – District Hoshiarpur, Government of Punjab]

Koi Kuntipur - Revision history

Masterstrock at 13:59, 15 July 2026