GURDASPUR, Punjab

Main Attraction: MAHAKALESHWAR TEMPLE AT KALANAUR

Kalanaur is known for lord Shiva’s rest place. Since time immemorial, a big Shivratri fair is held every year in the Mahakaleshwar temple on Shivratri day when a large number of devotees gather here to celebrate the festival of Shivratri. It is the only temple of Shiva in India in which Shivlingam is in horizontal position. This Shivlingam is in Mahakaleshwar temple at Kalanaur.

Brief History

Little is known about the ancient history of Gurdaspur district except a few antiquities like the rock-temples at Mukheshwar on the Ravi, some eight kilometers above Shahpur Kandi. These are said to date back to the times of Pandavas. Stories are told of Arjun and Draupadi visited the place. A long cleft in the rock, a little way up the river is known as Arjun Canal. Later the tribe called Udumbaras lived in the Kangra valley along Pathankot, where their coins have been found. They were the descendants of Malavas, who played a leading part in the history of Punjab. Cunningham identified the Udumbaras with some other tribes mentioned in the Puranas and inhabiting the neighbouring areas of Kangra, Kulu and habitations on the River Ravi.

Gurdaspur, along with its neighbouring districts was the scene of the exploits of Alexander who had come as far as the River Beas in his grand desire to quest and conquer. The last Camp of Alexander before repatriation is said to have been on the bank of the River Beas. But all traces of the twelve altars of hewn stone, which he is supposed to have left on the spot, have unfortunately been lost inadvertently.

From the latter half of the tenth century up to 1019 AD, the district was included in the Shahi Kingdom of the Punjab under Jaypal. Anandpal (also known as Anangpal (1001-1012 AD) and Trilochanpal (1012-1019 AD) which once extended from the Indus to Lamghan, inherited by Bhimpal. Entire Shahi Kingdom became part of an important event i.e. visit of the great canal constructor Firozshah Tughlaq (1351-1388 AD) to Kalanaur in 1353 on a hunting excursion. Here he had a splendid palace built on the bank of the Saraswati. Kalanaur was the most important town in the district during the period of Delhi emperors. It was the chief place in the neighbourhood from the fourteenth to the sixteenth century.

As all over the country, the achievement of Independence on August 15, 1947 was celebrated in the district with great enthusiasm. But it was marred by the communal riots and the exodus of minority communities from both sides of the border. Consequent upon the partition of the country, hitherto part of the Gurdaspur district, Shakargarh tahsil was transferred to Pakistan and the refugees from there moved to the Indian side of the border to settle in Gurdaspur district or elsewhere as suited them. The local people collaborated with the govt. to render all possible help to the uprooted people till they were settled.