| Batala | |
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| Coordinates | 31°49′N 75°12′E / 31.82°N 75.2°E |
| Country |  India |
| State | Punjab |
| District(s) | Gurdaspur |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+5:30) |
| Area • Elevation |
• 249 m (817 ft) |
- For the drum music, see Batala (music).
Batala is a city and a municipal corporation in Gurdaspur district in the state Punjab of northwestern India. Batala, the largest city of Gurdaspur district was founded about the year 1465 CE, during the reign of Bahlul Lodi, by Raja Ram Deo. Batala is also home to Baring Union Christian College, one of the major colleges of the area. Batala was also once famous for its numerous industries on and around the outskirts of the town.
Landmarks
One of the oldest towns in the province of Lahore in mediaeval times, Batala, located 38 km north-east of Amritsar on the Pathankot road, is home to 14 monuments of religious and historic importance.
Of these, five are mosques, two temples and two gurdwaras (rebuilt recently, preserving the old portions of the building). Three monuments are connected with Sikh history and two with the Mughal period.
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. Now a days, 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.
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, 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.
Places in Batala
Some famous schools in Batala include St. Francis School, Baring School (connected to Baring College), Woodstock Public School, D.A.V Centenary, R.D Khosla, etc. Batala is divided in the form of colonies (residential communities), the most famous ones being Urban Estate, Ujjagar Nagar and Dharampura.
References
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