Fatehgarh Churian
Fatehgarh Churian is a city located in Punjab, India. It is a municipal council of the Gurdaspur district. The city lays 15 kilometres from the Pakistani border. It is located 485 kilometres to the north of New Delhi, India. [1]
Fatehgarh Churian | |
|---|---|
city | |
| Nickname(s): F.G.C | |
| Country |  |
| State | Punjab |
| District | Gurdaspur |
| Population (2011) | |
| • Total | 13,070 |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Punjabi |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
Demographics
As of 2011, the total population of Fatehgarh Churian was 13,070, with 6,881 males and 6,189 females.[2] Of these people, 42.10% are Hindu, 41.10% are Sikh, 16.6% are Christian and 0.20% are of other religion. The population of children aged 0-6 is 1,351, which is 10.34% of the town's total population. The literacy rate of Fatehgarh Churian is 85.46%, which is higher than the state average which is 75.84%. The male literacy rate is 89.09% while the female literacy rate is 81.46%.
History
Prior to the 18th century, Fatehgarh Churian was a Bandesha Muslim Jut Clan dominated area. During the 18th century, the Kanhaiya Misl, was founded by Jai Singh Sandhu from village Kanha and his cousin brother Baghel Singh Kanhaiya from village Julka both a few kilometers from Lahore. To expand their territory under the flag of Khalsa they first established themselves in Sohian, a village near Amritsar and then Baghel Singh and his son Haqiqat Singh established a village called Sangatpuraura, a village 7 km (4.3 miles) from Fatehgarh Churian. Jai Singh further established his headquarters at Batala. In 1760, Haqiqat Singh Kanhaiya included Fatehgarh Churian into his territory and built a fort there. The area was earlier known as Churianvala but after his win, he named the area as Fatehgarh but because the area was called as churianvala the area slowly became known as Fatehgarh Churian. Fatehgarh Churian became the headquarters of Haqiqat Singh. Haqiqat Singh Sandhu further united Kotli Soorat Malhi, Kalanur, Taragarh, Narot Jaimal Singh and many villages under his territory. Fatehgarh Churian became the capaital of his kingdom and became very prosperous under his policies. To form an alliance with the Phulkian Misl, Haqiqat Singh married his son Jaimal Singh Kanhaiya to Sahib Kaur, daughter of Raja Amar Singh of Patiala. In 1782, Haqiqat Singh Sandhu died and the control was passed down to his son Jaimal Singh Sandhu. Jaimal Singh also included some parts of Amritsar under his territory and named them Katra Jaimal Singh and Katra Kanhaiya which are still known by these names today.
Kharak Singh, son of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, was married to Chand Kaur, daughter of Sardar Jaimal Singh Kanhaiya in this town. Sardar Jaimal Singh Kanhaiya built an attractive temple called Panj Mandir with a Pucca tank, which still stands.[3] The 180-year-old temple carries the legacy of Punjab in the form of unique frescoes adorning monuments that, due to the neglect of the authorities, is losing its former glory. After the visit of two-member ASI teams in 2011 and sanction of ₹3 crores for restoration, it is still waiting for action.[4]. 10 acres of land were donated to Panj Mandir by Jaimal Singh Kanhaiya Sandhu during the marriage of his daughter Chand Kaur to Kharak Singh. The marriage was celebrated throughout Punjab and Fatehgarh Churian became the center of attraction. The marriage is well documented in Sikh history. For the convenience of Maharaja Ranjit Singh's guests, Jaimal Singh Kanhaiya built a huge pond for them and built a 12 darhi. Later on, his son Chanda Singh Kanhaiya on the request of his purohit built a temple near this pond and 12 darhi today known as Talab Wala Mandir.
Gagranwala Mandir which is the most popular temple in Fatehgarh Churian was also constructed by Chanda Singh Kanhaiya on his own land for the local hindu population. The temple is famous for its Golden Gaggars donated by Chanda Singh Kanhaiya. After Second Sikh Anglo war most of the estates of Chanda Singh Kanhaiya were captured by British because Chanda Singh Kanhaiya didnot consider the rule of British as just. The family of Kanhaiyas is still present in Fatehgarh Churian and are known well.
After Fatehgarh Churian was included in the British territory, Diwans of Kanhaiya misl sided with the british and took alot of possession of the property under kanhaiyas. The relationship of Kanhaiyas with the Diwans broke after the diwans promised their allegiance to the British Crown. Diwan Dilbag Rai among the diwans was made honorary magistrate of Fatehgarh Churian by the british.
Before 1947, the town had a majority Muslim population that included Shias and Sunnis. The Sunni and Shia Muslims were roughly in equal numbers. After the partition of India, several Hindu and Sikh migrants from newly formed Pakistan settled here. . Mohinder Singh Kanhaiya and his brothers provided safe passage to muslims to go to newly formed Pakistan. The kindness of Mohinder Singh Kanhaiya spread to muslims of nearby areas and alot of them travelled to Fatehgarh Churian and were sheltered in the old fort and were later hepled by the sardars to reach Pakistan safely. There was not a single incident of violence around Fatehgarh Churian during partition. The refugees from Pakistan were helped by Mohinder Singh Kanhaiya to setup their homes and much land was donated by him to the poor people. Some mosques were converted to Gurudwaras after partition.
Description
Fatehgarh Churian is situated on the boundary between Gurdaspur and Amritsar districts; it is the last village in Gurdaspur district and is closer to Amritsar than to Gurdaspur. It is well-connected to other towns by the road network and is surrounded by Amritsar (26 km (16 mi)), Batala (25 km (16 mi)), Ajnala (21 km (13 mi)), and Dera Baba Nanak (19 km (12 mi)). It is on the railway line between Amritsar and Dera Baba Nanak.
Fatehgarh Churian is divided into thirteen different wards. The demographics of the area are roughly 40% Hindu, 35% Sikh, and 25% Christian.
Notable places
Religious places in Fatehgarh Churian are Gagranwala Mandir, Tahli Sahib Gurudwara, Panj Mandir, Githi Das Mandir, Talab Wala Mandir, Gurudwara Takhia Wala, and many churches. St. Francis Convent School is one of the biggest institutions this town has for quality education. In addition to these, Puran Shah's Haveli is another landmark of the town.
Most of the religious days are celebrated by the people of town collectively as a community. Many local clubs and religious societies also help in the celebrations. Organizing Sant Samelans, gatherings of seers and saints, and Shoba Yatras are now traditions of the town. It has a few historic sanctums nearby, such as Dhianpur Dhaam, Ramdass, and Chola Sahib. The River Ravi is also close by.
References
- "Google Maps |}Google". maps.google.com. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
- "Fatehgarh Churian Municipal Council City Population Census 2011-2019 | Punjab". www.census2011.co.in. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
- Talwar, Rashmi (25 August 2013). "Magnificent 180-year-old Panj Mandir screams for help". www.tribuneindia.com. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
- Jaiswar, PK (25 May 2015). "Gurdaspur temple's frescoes ruined, its takeover caught in red-tape". tribuneindia.com. Retrieved 3 June 2019.