Talhan
Encyclopedia
Talhan is a village in Jalandhar
District, near the Jalandhar Cantonment
, in Punjab
, India.
caste }}.. Talhan hosts the annual Baba Shaheed Nihal Singh Ji Jor Mela which is a big attraction in Jalandhar. Neighbouring villages include Parasrampur
, Kotli Than Singh, Bhakriana, Semmi, Salempur Masanda
, Dhanowali, Dakoha
, Dhilwan and Puranpur.
in Hoshiarpur
.
Other people of Talhan believe the ancestry of the Bains families lies in the village Baria also near Mahilpur
. It is interesting to note that both Bahowal and Baria are near Mahilpur
and have families with the Bains surname. It is said that the main heartland of the Bains people is Mahilpur
and its surrounding villages.
Numerous other families live in Talhan including those with the surname Randhawa
, Bal
, Chahal
,Jassi, Sangha
, Bhogal
.
However, the majority of the population is from the Chamar
caste}}..
Baba Niahal Singh belonged to the neighbouring village of Dakoha. Baba Nihal Singh Ji made pulleys for drinking water wells. He served the people by installing the pulleys at the base of the well. Local people believe that as Baba Ji was divine, no matter which water well Baba Ji installed a pulley, the water wells never dried up and the water remained sweet.
On one occasion, Baba Ji met with a fatal accident, whilst installing a pulley. As a result, Baba Ji became a martyr whilst serving the people.
The people of Talhan constructed a shrine (Samadh) in Talhan. The shrine was looked after Baba Ji's associate, Harnam Singh. After Harnam Singh's death, the followers cremated him next to Baba Ji's Samadhi.
The two shrines have now become a grand Gurudwara. An annual Mela is held to mark the death anniversary ("Barsi") of Baba Ji. This Mela is a grand event in Jalandhar.There are sports events like Kabbadi, volleyball and tug-of-war. Gatka displays are held.
The Gurudwara runs a fully modernised charitable hospital
and has recently acquired a Doppler Scan Machine for colour scans.
The village also has shops, a bank
, Jathera, a Secondary School
, a Mosque
, temple
s, a Post Office
and other Gurdwara's located in various parts of the village.
s and Hindu
s. The village also has one Muslim
family whose Iqbal Bibi is the sole caretaker of the "mazaar" (dargah
) of Pir Baba Fateh Shah Qadir. The "mazaar" is located in the north-west of Talhan and is about a kilometre from Gurdwara Shaheed Baba Nihal Singh Ji. The "mazaar" includes three graves, a “tomb” and a small structure which is used by Iqbal Bibi and her family. The village participates in the annual urs
or Mela where Qawwali
's and folk singers perform.
In June 2003, Talhan hit the headlines in when a forceful assertion of the majority dalit community of Chamar
s took on members of the Jat community; they wanted a share on the governing committee of the Shaheed Baba Nihal Singh Ji Gurdwara. Though the Chamar community form more than 60 percent of Talhan's 3,000-strong population, they were denied a share in the committee.
As a result of a protracted dispute between the villagers, members of the dalit and other communities engage in running all aspects of the village administration ..
Jalandhar
Jalandhar is a city in Jalandhar District in the state of Punjab, India. It is located 144 km northwest of the state capital, Chandigarh...
District, near the Jalandhar Cantonment
Jalandhar Cantonment
Jalandhar Cantonment is a cantonment town in Jalandhar District in the Indian state of Punjab.It is one of the oldest cantonments in India, the construction of which was started in 1848 after the first Anglo-Sikh War, when the British settled in Northern India...
, in Punjab
Punjab (India)
Punjab ) is a state in the northwest of the Republic of India, forming part of the larger Punjab region. The state is bordered by the Indian states of Himachal Pradesh to the east, Haryana to the south and southeast and Rajasthan to the southwest as well as the Pakistani province of Punjab to the...
, India.
Demographics
According to the 2001 Census, Talhan has a population of 2,946 people.The village has 369 acres (1.5 km²). 60% of the population is from the scheduled caste and are mainly from the ChamarChamar
Chamar |tanner]]"; from the Sanskrit Charmakara) is a prominent occupational caste in India, Pakistan and Nepal. Chamar is a Dalit sub-caste mainly found in the northern states, such as Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Delhi and in Nepal at least north to the Himalayas...
caste }}.. Talhan hosts the annual Baba Shaheed Nihal Singh Ji Jor Mela which is a big attraction in Jalandhar. Neighbouring villages include Parasrampur
Parasrampur
Parasrampur is a village in Jalandhar District, in Punjab, India.-Demographics:According to the 2001 Census, Parasrampur has a population of 1,747 people.The village has . Parasrampur hosts the annual Shaheed Banda Singh Bahadur Ji Jor Mela which is a big attraction in Jalandhar...
, Kotli Than Singh, Bhakriana, Semmi, Salempur Masanda
Salempur Masanda
Salempur Masanda is a village in Jalandhar District, near the Jalandhar Cantonment, in Punjab, India.-Demographics:According to the 2001 Census, Salempur Masanda has a population of 1,488 people. The village is in size...
, Dhanowali, Dakoha
Dakoha
Dakoha is a village in the Jalandhar Cantonment of the state of Punjab, northwest India.- Dakoha Saadat :Prior to Partition in 1947, Dakoha had a large population of Saadat Shia Muslims who claimed descent from Ali ibn Abi Talib and Fatimah bint-e-Muhammad. The Sadaat community lived near the Rama...
, Dhilwan and Puranpur.
History
Some of the local people believe the village is named after Baba Tula who was originally from the village Bahowal near MahilpurMahilpur
Mahilpur is a town and a Nagar Panchayat in Hoshiarpur district in the Indian state Punjab. It is situated on Hoshiarpur Chandigarh Road from Hoshiarpur. It is famous for the game of football in the region.-Demographics:...
in Hoshiarpur
Hoshiarpur
Hoshiarpur is a city and a municipal council in Hoshiarpur district in the Indian state of Punjab. It was founded, according to tradition, during the early part of the fourth century. In 1809 it was occupied by the forces of Maharaja Karanvir Singh and was united into the greater state of Punjab....
.
Other people of Talhan believe the ancestry of the Bains families lies in the village Baria also near Mahilpur
Mahilpur
Mahilpur is a town and a Nagar Panchayat in Hoshiarpur district in the Indian state Punjab. It is situated on Hoshiarpur Chandigarh Road from Hoshiarpur. It is famous for the game of football in the region.-Demographics:...
. It is interesting to note that both Bahowal and Baria are near Mahilpur
Mahilpur
Mahilpur is a town and a Nagar Panchayat in Hoshiarpur district in the Indian state Punjab. It is situated on Hoshiarpur Chandigarh Road from Hoshiarpur. It is famous for the game of football in the region.-Demographics:...
and have families with the Bains surname. It is said that the main heartland of the Bains people is Mahilpur
Mahilpur
Mahilpur is a town and a Nagar Panchayat in Hoshiarpur district in the Indian state Punjab. It is situated on Hoshiarpur Chandigarh Road from Hoshiarpur. It is famous for the game of football in the region.-Demographics:...
and its surrounding villages.
Numerous other families live in Talhan including those with the surname Randhawa
Randhawa
The Randhawas are jatt clans.Randhawa , is one of the many last names of Jat/Jatt warrior clans that played an important historical role in South Asian history.-History:...
, Bal
Bal
The Bal surname, of differing origins, is common among several communities.-History and origin:Bals are descendents of Indo-Aryan tribes. According to the Mahabharata they are the descendents of Bhagat Prahlada's grandson Raja Bali .-Distribution in India:*Several people belonging to this Jat...
, Chahal
Chahal
The Chahal, also Cháhal and Cháhiland Chál, are one of the largest tribes of Jat people in the Punjab region. The tribe is mostly located in Patiala, but many live in Ambala, Amritsar, Ludhiana, Gurdaspur, and as far as Gujranwala and Sialkot.Many Chahals have moved around the world, particularly...
,Jassi, Sangha
Sangha
Sangha is a word in Pali or Sanskrit that can be translated roughly as "association" or "assembly," "company" or "community" with common goal, vision or purpose...
, Bhogal
Bhogal
Bhogal is a famous and ancient Surname / tribe of khatri/rajput clan originating from Punjab in northern India.Bhogal is a well-known prestigious surname amongst Sikh Ramgarhia tribe...
.
However, the majority of the population is from the Chamar
Chamar
Chamar |tanner]]"; from the Sanskrit Charmakara) is a prominent occupational caste in India, Pakistan and Nepal. Chamar is a Dalit sub-caste mainly found in the northern states, such as Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Delhi and in Nepal at least north to the Himalayas...
caste}}..
Baba Shaheed Nihal Singh Ji
Talhan is famous for its Shaheedi Jor Mela which is held annually in the memory of Shaheed Baba Nihal Singh Ji. The 58th Jor Mela was held on 20-06-09 & 21-06-09.Baba Niahal Singh belonged to the neighbouring village of Dakoha. Baba Nihal Singh Ji made pulleys for drinking water wells. He served the people by installing the pulleys at the base of the well. Local people believe that as Baba Ji was divine, no matter which water well Baba Ji installed a pulley, the water wells never dried up and the water remained sweet.
On one occasion, Baba Ji met with a fatal accident, whilst installing a pulley. As a result, Baba Ji became a martyr whilst serving the people.
The people of Talhan constructed a shrine (Samadh) in Talhan. The shrine was looked after Baba Ji's associate, Harnam Singh. After Harnam Singh's death, the followers cremated him next to Baba Ji's Samadhi.
The two shrines have now become a grand Gurudwara. An annual Mela is held to mark the death anniversary ("Barsi") of Baba Ji. This Mela is a grand event in Jalandhar.There are sports events like Kabbadi, volleyball and tug-of-war. Gatka displays are held.
The Gurudwara runs a fully modernised charitable hospital
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
and has recently acquired a Doppler Scan Machine for colour scans.
The village also has shops, a bank
Bank
A bank is a financial institution that serves as a financial intermediary. The term "bank" may refer to one of several related types of entities:...
, Jathera, a Secondary School
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
, a Mosque
Mosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
, temple
Temple
A temple is a structure reserved for religious or spiritual activities, such as prayer and sacrifice, or analogous rites. A templum constituted a sacred precinct as defined by a priest, or augur. It has the same root as the word "template," a plan in preparation of the building that was marked out...
s, a Post Office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
and other Gurdwara's located in various parts of the village.
Religion
Talhan has a mixed population of SikhSikh
A Sikh is a follower of Sikhism. It primarily originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term शिष्य , meaning "disciple, student" or शिक्ष , meaning "instruction"...
s and Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
s. The village also has one Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
family whose Iqbal Bibi is the sole caretaker of the "mazaar" (dargah
Dargah
A Dargah is a Sufi shrine built over the grave of a revered religious figure, often a Sufi saint. Local Muslims visit the shrine known as . Dargahs are often associated with Sufi meeting rooms and hostels, known as khanqah...
) of Pir Baba Fateh Shah Qadir. The "mazaar" is located in the north-west of Talhan and is about a kilometre from Gurdwara Shaheed Baba Nihal Singh Ji. The "mazaar" includes three graves, a “tomb” and a small structure which is used by Iqbal Bibi and her family. The village participates in the annual urs
Urs
Urs is the death anniversary of a Sufi saint in South Asia, usually held at the saint's dargah . South Asian Sufis being mainly Chishtiyya, refer to their saints as lovers and God as beloved...
or Mela where Qawwali
Qawwali
Qawwali is a form of Sufi devotional music popular in South Asia, particularly in the Punjab and Sindh regions of Pakistan, Hyderabad, Delhi, and other parts of northern India...
's and folk singers perform.
Talhan Caste Conflict
The Talhan conflict is a very important event in the assertion of dalit rights in Punjab.In June 2003, Talhan hit the headlines in when a forceful assertion of the majority dalit community of Chamar
Chamar
Chamar |tanner]]"; from the Sanskrit Charmakara) is a prominent occupational caste in India, Pakistan and Nepal. Chamar is a Dalit sub-caste mainly found in the northern states, such as Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Delhi and in Nepal at least north to the Himalayas...
s took on members of the Jat community; they wanted a share on the governing committee of the Shaheed Baba Nihal Singh Ji Gurdwara. Though the Chamar community form more than 60 percent of Talhan's 3,000-strong population, they were denied a share in the committee.
As a result of a protracted dispute between the villagers, members of the dalit and other communities engage in running all aspects of the village administration ..