- For the drum music, see Batala (music)
Batala is a form of samba drum music which originates in Salvador de Bahia in northeastern Brazil.Founded by Brazilian Giba Goncalves, who was from Salvador, Batala is a Brazilian-style percussion band which has its musical and historical roots in Brazil...
.
Batala is a city and a
municipal corporationA municipal corporation is the legal term for a local governing body, including cities, counties, towns, townships, charter townships, villages, and boroughs. Municipal incorporation occurs when such municipalities become self-governing entities under the laws of the state or province in which...
in
Gurdaspur districtGurdaspur district is a district in the state of Punjab, situated in the northwest part of India. Gurdaspur is the district headquarters. It borders Narowal District of Pakistani Punjab, Kathua District of Jammu and Kashmir, the Punjab districts of Amritsar and Hoshiarpur, and Chamba and Kangra...
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 Behlol Lodhi, by Raja Ram Deo
One of the oldest towns in the province of Lahore in mediaeval times, Batala, located 38 km north-west of
AmritsarAmritsar is a city in the northwestern part of India and is the administrative headquarters of Amritsar district in the state of Punjab, India. The 2001 Indian census reported the population of the city to be over 1,500,000, with that of the entire district numbering just over 3,695,077...
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).
- For the drum music, see Batala (music)
Batala is a form of samba drum music which originates in Salvador de Bahia in northeastern Brazil.Founded by Brazilian Giba Goncalves, who was from Salvador, Batala is a Brazilian-style percussion band which has its musical and historical roots in Brazil...
.
Batala is a city and a
municipal corporationA municipal corporation is the legal term for a local governing body, including cities, counties, towns, townships, charter townships, villages, and boroughs. Municipal incorporation occurs when such municipalities become self-governing entities under the laws of the state or province in which...
in
Gurdaspur districtGurdaspur district is a district in the state of Punjab, situated in the northwest part of India. Gurdaspur is the district headquarters. It borders Narowal District of Pakistani Punjab, Kathua District of Jammu and Kashmir, the Punjab districts of Amritsar and Hoshiarpur, and Chamba and Kangra...
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 Behlol Lodhi, by Raja Ram Deo
Landmarks
One of the oldest towns in the province of Lahore in mediaeval times, Batala, located 38 km north-west of
AmritsarAmritsar is a city in the northwestern part of India and is the administrative headquarters of Amritsar district in the state of Punjab, India. The 2001 Indian census reported the population of the city to be over 1,500,000, with that of the entire district numbering just over 3,695,077...
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
SikhSikh is the title and name given to an adherent of Sikhism. The term has its origin in the Sanskrit term , meaning "disciple, learner" or , meaning "instruction"....
history and two with the
MughalThe Mughal Empire was an Islamic and Persianate imperial power of the Indian subcontinent which began in 1526, invaded and ruled most of Hindustan by the late 17th and early 18th centuries, and ended in the mid-19th century...
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.