Kalanaur (Punjab)

Infobox Indian Jurisdiction
native_name = Kalanaur | type = city | latd = 32.02 | longd = 75.15
locator_position = right | state_name = Punjab
district = Gurdaspur
leader_title =
leader_name =
altitude = 243
population_as_of = 2001
population_total = 12,915| population_density =
area_magnitude= sq. km
area_total =
area_telephone =
postal_code =
vehicle_code_range =
sex_ratio =
unlocode =
website =
footnotes =

Kalanaur is a town and a nagar panchayat in Gurdaspur district in the Indian state of Punjab.

Demographics

As per the 2001 census of India [GR|India] , Kalanaur has a population of 12,915. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Those under 6 years of age constitute 13% of the population. The average literacy rate is 65%, which is higher than the national average of 59.5%. Male literacy is at 69%, and female literacy at 61%. Kalanaur houses a women's college.

Geography

Kalanaur is located at coord|32.02|N|75.15|E| [ [http://www.fallingrain.com/world/IN/23/Kalanaur.html Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Kalanaur] ] . It has an average elevation of 243 metres (797 feet). The town is situated about 25 km to the west of Gurdaspur city, on the banks of the Kiran, a minor rivulet that merges into the Ravi river.

History

According to Imperial Gazetteer of India, Kalanaur was founded by two Muslim brothers named Kala and Noor. According to the historian Mohammad Latif, the town was founded by the Noor tribe of Rajputs who probably migrated from South India. It is also possible that the town took its name from the Kaleshwar temple, consecrated to Shiva, which stands within a local fort.

The history is incomplete if without authentication. Kalanaur existed much before 13th. century. It is probably late 7th or early 8th. century that Raja Nakay Rao established its rule over the territory. Later, the Raja of Kalanaur Raja Saheb Rao Sena was one of the 150 Rajas who had participated in both the battles of 1191 & 1192 at Tarain (Thanessar)alongside Prithviraj Chauhan against Mohammad Ghour. He adopted religion of Islam after the defeat and Prithviraj Chauhan was captured and killed by Mohammad Ghour under captivity. They migrated to the hills near Peer Panchaal after becoming muslims as other Rajput broke relations with this family. To elaborate further:

Emperor Janamejaya (Sanskrit: जनमेजय) was the son of Maharaja Parikshit and great-grandson of Arjuna the valiant warrior hero of the Mahabharata epic. He took up the Kuru throne following the death of father. His significance comes as the listener of the first narration of the Mahabharata, narrated by Vaishampayana, student of Vyasa.

Emperor Janamejaya's younger brother, Prince Kakshasena established a separate independent kingdom at Indraprastha, which later rose to become a dominant force in its own right. [1]

With the passage of time, the Bactrian and Scythian invasions of Northern India, Emperor Janamejaya’s youngest brother Raja Nakay Rao established a kingdom at Kalanaur in Northern Punjab establishing the first capital of the his Dynasty. Modern day political boundaries today locates Kalanaur City in the district of Rohtak in Haryana, India. The very name Jarral was named after their apical ancestor, Raja Jir Rao, a Rajput direct descendant of Emperor Janamejaya and the Pandavas of the Mahabharata. Meaning by this Rajput Dynasty started calling itself Jarral Rajput somewhere in the 8th century.

During the 14th-16th centuries, Kalanaur was a major urban centre and several historical events are associated with the town. Firuz Shah Tughluq (1352–88) built a beautiful palace on the banks of the Kiran rivulet. During the reign of Sayyad Mubarak Shah (1421–35), Kalanaur was ruled by the Khokhar tribe. In 1556, the Mughal emperor Akbar was enthroned in a garden near the Kalanaur. The place where he was coronated can be visited even today, as can a mosque that was built during the his reign.

During a period of anarchy in latter half of the 18th century, the Kanhaiya Misl, a militia under Sardar Haqeeqat Singh Kanhaiya, occupied Kalanaur. His son Jaimal Singh extended his territory up to Fatehgarh Churian and shifted his residence there. Jaimal Singh’s daughter Chand Kaur was married to Kharak Singh, eldest son and heir of Ranjit Singh, in 1812. Later, when the area was annexed by Ranjit Singh, he granted it to Kharak Singh. It was later granted in fief to one Diwan Dina Nath, and was finally annexed into British India after the death of Dina Nath in 1857.

Culture

Kalanaur was at one time a centre of art, trade and cottage industry. A local saying has it that "a person who has not seen Lahore should see Kalanaur."

The town houses a famous temple of Lord Shiva. The Shivalingam enshrined in the temple is in horizontal form and binded with the ground, with the sanctum sanctorum above it. An annual three-day fair coinciding with the Shivaratri festival is held in the vicinity of the temple. Free kitchens are organised and thousands of devotees come to pay obeisance to the lord. The Gurudwara Banda Bahadur, built on the site of a well excavated by order of Banda Bahadur, is another landmark of the town. thear is also a temple of lord shiva

References

External links

* [http://gurdaspur.nic.in/html/profile.htm#history History]