Batala

Infobox Indian Jurisdiction
native_name = Batala | type = city | latd = 31.82 | longd = 75.2
locator_position = right | state_name = Punjab
district = Gurdaspur
leader_title =
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altitude = 249
population_as_of = 2001
population_total = 126,646| population_density =
area_magnitude= sq. km
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:"For the drum music, see Batala (music).Batala is a city and a municipal council in Gurdaspur district in the state Punjab of northwestern India. Batala, the largest town of Gurdaspur district was founded about the year 1465 AD, during the reign of Behlol Lodhi, by Raja Ram Deo

History

Batala ancient town replete with temples, gurudwaras connected with the marriage of Guru Nanak Dev situated on the Amritsar-Pathankot road. Batala, the largest town of Gurdaspur district was founded about the year 1465 AD, during the reign of Behlol Lodhi, by Raja Ram Deo, a Bhati Rajput, on a piece of land granted to him by Tatar Khan, Governor of Lahore. Akbar gave it in Jagir to Shamsher Khan, his foster brother, who greatly improved and beautified the town and built a magnificent tank, which still exists. Batala was held by Kanheya and Ramgarhia (sikh confederacies). Sher Singh, son of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, built a number of buildings at Batala. After the annexation of the Punjab, Batala was made headquarters of the district (subsequently transferred to Gurdaspur).

The much truncated India's portion of present Punjab is divided into three natural regions; the Majha, the Doaba and the Malwa. Batala lies in the Majha region along with Amritsar, Gurdaspur and Pathonkot .Batala, a town of British India, in the Gurdaspur district of punjab, with a station on the branch of the north-western railway lies 24 KM. from Amritsar with a population of over 2 lakhs. It is an important centre of trade, with manufacturers of spare parts needed for manufacturing machinery works.In this city there are so many cast iron foundry.in this citymetal-flux is very well known unit for production of foundry flux.

From religious aspect, its a Sacred place of Sikhs as the marriage of the First Guru of the Sikhs, Guru Nanak Dev ji was held here and a Gurdwara named, Gurudwara Shri Kandh Sahib, as its remembrance has been constructed here.There are many other famous personalities from Batala, one of which is Shiv Kumar Batalvi, a well-known poet.Another one is Hakeem Abdul Rasheed Batalvi (1914-1999) who was well known physician of Batala, who migrated to Lahore in 1947 and lived there till his death in 1999.Batala is an old town in Gurdaspur district of the Punjab, is sacred to GURU NANAK, who was married here, according to local tradition, on Bhadon sudf7, 1544 Bk/24 September 1487, to Sulakkhani, daughter of Mul Chand, of the village of Pakkhoke, on the River Ravi, but resident at Batala as caretaker of the lands and property owned by an affluent landlord, Ajitta Randhava. Two historical shrines in Batala commemorate the event. A third one is dedicated to Guru Hargobind`s eldest son, Baba Gurditta, who was also married at Batala. GURDWARA DEHRA SAHIB, also known as Viah Asthan Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji, marks the house where Bhai Mul Chand lived and where the nuptials were performed. It is situated along a narrow lane called Gali Dehra Sahib between Tibba Bazar and Bara Bazar. In his later days, Mul Chand shifted back to his native village, Pakkhoke Randhave, and his house in Batala became a holy shrine for the SIKHS. Sri Gur Pratap Sura] GRANTH mentions that Guru Hargobind, at the time of the wedding of his son, Baba Gurditta, visited this house. It continued to be in private possession until taken over by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee in 192122. A civil suit filed by the original occupants ended in the early forties by an agreement, out of court, under which the plaintiff, Mahant Harbans SINGH, surrendered his right of ownership on receipt of appropriate compensation for the property attached to the Gurdwara. The building, constructed by Maharaja Sher Singh (180743), is a 5metre square domed room with a verandah on three sides, and ancillary accommodation around a marblepaved courtyard. This Gurdwara is managed by a local committee under the auspices of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee. It owns about 40 acres of agricultural land and some urban property. The major event of the year is the fair held in AugustSeptember to mark Guru Nanak`s wedding day. A procession taken out from this Gurdwara returns to it after visiting all other prominent gurdwaras of Batala. GURDWARA KANDH SAHIB derives its name from kachchi kandh, i.e. mud wall, which, according to local tradition, stood on this site at the time of Guru Nanak`s marriage. It is said that as the wedding party arrived and stopped a little distance short of Bhai Mul Chand`s house, waiting for formal reception by the host. Guru Nanak sat down close to the wall. An old lady living near by, pointing to the dilapidated state of the wall, told him to move away from the spot lest the crumbling wall should fall on him. Guru Nanak assured her that there was no cause for alarm. for the wall would stay intact for a long time. The wall so consecrated by the Guru became an object of veneration for the devotees who also constructed a memorial platform near it. A symbolic mud wall, neatly plastered, 3 x 5 x 1.5 feet approximately, encased in glass, next to the Guru Granth Sahib at the ground floor, now represents the original wall. The shrine was maintained in a private house by a line of resident priests until it was acquired during the 1950`s by the Seva Committee Gurdwara Kandh Sahib. The foundation of the present building was laid on 17 December 1956. Standing in a marblepaved compound about 2 metres above the street level, it consists of a 10 metre square hall, with a square sanctum in the middle. The room at the second floor level is used for continuous readings of the Guru Granth Sahib. Above it and over the sanctum is a room with a dome covered with white glazed tiles and decorated with a tall goldplated pinnacle and umbrellashaped finial. Arched copings decorate the top room and decorative pinnacled domes surround the central dome, while square domed kiosks at the corners adorn the top. The verandah to the left, as one enters, has wall paintings depicting scenes from the life of Guru Nanak. Guru ka Langar is across the street, opposite the main entrance. The Gurdwara is administered by the Seva Committee Gurdwara Kandh Sahib. Largelyattended congregations take place on every fullmoon day. All major anniversaries on the SIKH calendar are observed, but the most important function of the year is the fair held to mark the marriage anniversary of Guru Nanak on the seventh day of the light half of the lunar month of Bhadon (AugustSeptember) . GURDWARA SATKARTARIAN marks the site where the wedding party of Baba Gurditta is believed to have halted. The shrine is affiliated to the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee and is managed by the local committee of Gurdwara Dehra Sahib. The Gurdwara is a highceilinged hall, with a twostoreyed sanctum in the middle and a gallery at first floor level. Above the sanctum are two storeys of square pavilions topped by a dome. The Guru Granth Sahib is temporarily seated in an old small room near by. 1. Thakar Singh, Giani, Sri Gurduare Darshan. AMRITSAR, 19232. Tara Singh, Sn Gur Tirath Sangrahi. Amritsar, n.d.3. Santokh Singh, Bhai, Sn Gur Pratap Suraj Granth. Amritsar, 1926-374. Vir Singh, Bhai, ed., PuratanJanam Sakhi. Amritsar, 1982

Geography

Batala is located at coord|31.82|N|75.2|E| [ [http://www.fallingrain.com/world/IN/23/Batala.html Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Batala] ] . It has an average elevation of 249 metres (816 feet).And four miles away from Batala, a village Massanian. Massanian was founded by Hazrat Shah Badar Diwan in 904.A.H(1499.A.D).It was dominated by Gilani Sayyids, descendant of Shah Badar Diwan before 1947.Hazrat Shah Badar Diwan has four sons and one daughter.He married with Bibi Murassa,daughter of Daud Bokhari in Mouza Sohal district Gurdaspur. [e-mail]

Demographics

As of 2001 India census [GR|India] , Batala had a population of 126,646. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Batala has an average literacy rate of 72%, higher than the national average of 59.5%; with 55% of the males and 45% of females literate. 11% of the population is under 6 years of age.

References