Batala
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| Batala | |
| — city — | |
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| Coordinates | 31°49′N 75°12′E / 31.82°N 75.2°ECoordinates: 31°49′N 75°12′E / 31.82°N 75.2°E |
| Country | India |
| State | Punjab |
| District(s) | Gurdaspur |
| Population • Density |
457,780 (2009[update]) • 15,786 /km2 (40,886 /sq mi) |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+05:30) |
| Area |
29 square kilometres (11 sq mi) • 249 metres (817 ft) |
Batala (Punjabi: ਬਟਾਲਾ, Hindi: बटाला) is a municipal council in Gurdaspur district in the state of Punjab, India. It is located about 30 km from Gurdaspur, the headquarters of the district.
Batala is an important place for Sikh devotees. Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of the Sikh religion was married here to Sulakhni, the daughter of Mul Chand Chauna in 1485.[1] Many temples and Gurdwaras related to the Guru's marriage attract devotees from near and far. Every year celebrations are conducted on the anniversary of Guru Nanak's marriage. Also it is an important place for hindus as the most powerful god of hindu culture Lord shiva came here at mandir achleshwar dham with 33 crore devi and devtas to make happy his son kartike who was sad due to his loss of race from his brother and lord shiva's son ganesh.
Batala once called as Iron bird of Asia as it produced highest amount of C.I.Casting, Agricultural and mechanical machinery. Batala is still one of the leading cities in northern India in maufacturing of C.I Casting and agricultural and mechanical machinery. It's an agricultural marketplace and industrial centre. Cotton ginning, weaving, sugar refining, rice milling, and manufacturing are some of other business taking place here.
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[edit] History
The city was founded in the year 1465 CE by Raja Ram Deo, a Bhati Rajput, during the reign of Bahlul Lodi on a piece of land given by Tatar Khan who was the Governor of Lahore. Later, during the Mughal rule, Akbar gave it in jagir to his foster brother, Shamsher Khan. The city grew and developed under him. The whole city was lying within a fort. It had 12 gates as entrance and exit. These gates are still known by their old names e.g. Sheran wala Gate, Khajuri Gate, Bhandari Gate, Ohri Gate, Thathiari Gate, Hathi gate, Phari gate, etc. Some of them still survive and are pleading for their condition. During the Political integration of India, Batala was included in the Punjab state.[2] Other historic Places in Batala are Gurdwaras where Guru Nanak stayed during his lifetime. There are also numerous other gurdwaras of significant importance to Sikhs and therefore attracts thousands of Sikhs from around the globe.
[edit] Landmarks
Located in Gurdaspur district, 38 km from Amritsar on the Kashmir Grand Trunk road. One of the older towns in the province of Lahore in the earlier times, Batala is home to many monuments of religious and historic importance. These monuments are connected with Sikh history and the Mughal period. The city consists of several churches constructed during the British Raj.
The Jal Mahal and the palace of Maharaja Sher Singh were built by the Maharaja (CE 1780-1839). The palace is under the control of the authorities of the local Baring Union Christian College. The administrative offices of the college are housed in it.
Jal Mahal is said to be under the control of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). Jal Mahal (Baradari) and the palace of Maharaja Sher Singh were connected through a tunnel. According to some senior citizens Shamsher Khan Tank of Jal Mahal used to filled with water through the tunnel which was further connected by a long tunnel (canal) to the Beas near Kahnuwan. The remnants of the tunnel can be seen near Baring Christian College.
Maharaja Sher Singh used to hold meetings of his courtiers in Jal Mahal. The water reservoir was built by Shamsher Khan while the beautiful Baradari in the centre of the tank was constructed by Maharaja Sher Singh. It has a square room in the centre of a pavilion with a passage. The entry to the first floor is by a staircase with concave-shaped steps on the north-eastern canal. Jal Mahal has eight doors in the lower part of the building and four in the upper storey. The inner wall contained beautiful art glass carvings and wall paintings. However, major parts of the paintings have been erased or damaged. The roof of the pavilion has also fallen. The Municipal Council had provided a tubewell to fill up the tank till the eighties. All sides of the reservoir were lined with Nanakshahi bricks. However, with the passage of time the brick lining has been destroyed. Nowadays, on one side of the tank is located a vridh ashram owned and managed by the Dainik Prarthana Sabha. There also exists Bhadr Kali Mandir and Shivala. The upper portion of Jal Mahal is in a dilapidated condition and the time is not far when this magnificent structure will pass into oblivion.
Locally known as Hazira, structure is near Baring College and was built by Shamsher Khan. The tomb stands on a raised platform surrounded by a low wall having bastions in the corners. The tomb is an octagonal structure crowned with a low dome. The spandrels of the arches have painted arabesque and geometrical designs. Hazira is now a recreational park and tourist attraction.
The interior wall as well as the exterior of the tomb is richly adorned with paintings depicting floral, geometrical and calligraphic designs. The decoration is intact on the interior but on the exterior only its traces survive. Recently,[when?] the ASI had undertaken repairs. Preservation work has been done on its interior as well as exterior walls. The surroundings of this monuments, too, have been beautified.
The palace of Maharaja Sher Singh reminds one of the love of rich architectural structures by Sikh rulers. This beautiful building with mud plastering was known to be part of Anarkali which was initially built along with Baradari as an imitation of Shalimar Garden of Lahore. The remnants of wall paintings and carvings can seen.
Batala is the home town of Sardar Bhupinder Singh Mann, Ex Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha and National President of Bharti Kisan Union.
[edit] Transport
Batala is an important industrial town famous for the manufacture of machine tools and woolen products. Therefore, it is well connected with the other cities and towns of Punjab by road and railways.
[edit] Road
National Highway 15 connecting Kandla in Gujarat with Pathankot in Punjab passes through Batala and connects it with Pathankot, Amritsar, Bhatinda, Sri Ganganagar, Bikaner, Jaisalmer, Barmer and Kandla.
[edit] Rail
Batala Junction (station code BAT) is on the Amritsar—Pathankot railway line of the Firozpur division of the Northern Railway zone of the Indian Railways. Amritsar Junction Railway Station located about 38 km from the town is the nearest major railway station. Train to Qadian is the another diversion from Batala. Ministry of Railways has accepted in 2010 Budget plan to connect the Batala-Quadian rail link to Jalandhar via Beas Junction. The project would start soon.
[edit] Air
Pathankot Airport in Pathankot, situated 70 km away from Batala is the nearest military airport. Raja Sansi International Airport serving the city of Amritsar is the nearest International airport and is located about 40 km from the town.
[edit] Schools & Colleges
Batala has a good number and mix of Schools and Colleges.
Colleges
Baring Union Christian College
DAV College
Guru Nanak Dev College
Schools
Baring School
DAV School
Guru Nanak School
St. Francis
DAV Centenary public school
[edit] Eminent People
There are many individual people Batala can be proud of. Among these
Shiv Kumar Batalvi - Famous Poet
Dr K N Thomas - Former HOD Physics, and Principal Baring Union Christian College Shiv Kumar Batalvi - Famous Poet
[edit] References
- ^ History of Gurdaspur district
- ^ Batala Town Imperial Gazetteer of India - vol.7 pg.133
[edit] External links
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