JALANDHAR, Punjab

Main Attraction: DEVI TALAB MANDIR

Devi Talab Mandir is located about one km. from the railway station in Jalandhar. The old Devi Talab has been renovated and in its centre, a new temple has been built. Recently a model of Amarnath Yatra has been built in the premises. An old temple of goddess Kali also stands by the side of the Devi Talab. The Mandir is famous for the 'Hariballabh Sangeet Sammelan' held every year in December at its precincts for the past 125 years. Famous classical music exponents - both instrumental and vocal come together and perform at this gathering.

Brief History

Legendary and mythological

The district of undoubted antiquity, and finds mention in the Puranas and Mahabharata. According to Padma Purana the territory takes its name from the great demon king Jalandhara, the son of the Gangas. Jalandhara was a prodigy of nature. When he was grown up, Sukra, the Preceptor of the demons appeared before Ocean and requested him to withdraw from Jambudwipa, the sacred abode of holy persons, and to leave sufficient land unwashed by his waters for Jalandhara. The Ocean acceded to the request and withdrew for about 300-Zojanas. 

This mythological story embodies a tradition of a time when, as geologists affirm, the sea stretched in a long arm up the Jalandhara Doab to the neighbourhood of the Hoshiarpur. According to another legend Jalandhar was the capital of the kingdom of Lava, the son of Rama before he founded Lahore. According to still another account based upon Mahabharata, the kingdom of Jalandhara was founded by a Rajput King Susarma Chandra of Multan who had fought in the great battle of Mahabharata on the side of Kauravas and had thereafter retired with his followers to the Jalandhar Doab. This kingdom was also called Trigartta, as it was watered by three river Satluj, Beas and Ravi.

Hindu period

The earliest history of Jalandhar occurs in the reign of Kanishka, the Kushan king of northern India in whose time a council of Buddhist teachers was held near Jalandhar about 100 A.D. to collect and arrange the sacred writings of Buddhism and to bring about reconciliation between its various sects. In the 7th century when the famous Chinese traveller and pilgrim Huen Tsiang visited India in the reign of Harsha Vardhana, the kingdom of Jalandhara or Trigartta was under Raja Utito (whom Cunningham identifies with the Rajput Raja Attar Chandra). 

It was said to extend 167 miles from east to west and 133 miles from north to south, thus including the hill states of Chamba, Mandi and Suket, and Satadru or Sirhind in the plains. Raja Utito was a tributary of Harsha Vardhana. The Rajput Rajas appear to have continued to rule over the country right up to the 12th century, interrupted sometime or the other by their skirmishes with the rulers of Kashmir. Generally their capital was Jalandhar and Kangra formed an important stronghold.

Muslim period

The Rajput Rajas lost Jalandhar to a Turkish chief, Ibrahim Shah of Ghazni sometime between 1179 to 1188 A.D. The territory was a fief of the Delhi Kingdom in the reign of Muizz-ud-Din Behram Shah (1240-1242). Thence forward the plains portion of the territory remained under the Muslim rule and the hills portion, called Kangra, continued under the rule of the former Rajput Rajas. Alla-ud-Din Khilji sacked the fort of Kangra and desecrated the temple. Then came the sack of Delhi by Timor (1398) as a result of which the ruling house of Tughlak fell. 

The Sayyads succeeded and remained in power from 1414 to 1450. But the country remained in a disturbed condition and many insurrections appeared, those of Malik Tughan and the Khokhar chief, Jasrat Khan, being conspicuous. The rebellious chiefs aimed at the Governors at Jalandhar and Sirhind who represented the Sultanate at Delhi and whenever the imperial forces marched against them and they found them stronger they would withdraw, but only to reappear with the going a way of the imperial forces. The Sultanate was further weakened by the Mughal attacks from the north-west and finally in 1450, Behlol Lodhi, the Governor of Sirhind seized power at Delhi and became the first Lodhi Sultan. The matters did not improve under the Lodhis. 

The Afghan nobles who were the mainstay of the empire were disloyal and rebellious and would take every opportunity to grab more and more power from the Sultanate. In the meantime the Mangols or Mughals had been attacking and plundering the north- west part of the country. Babar had risen to power and was casting a varicious eyes on the empire of Delhi. He got a golden opportunity when the rebellious Afghan Chiefs invited him to attack hoping that, after plundering, he would return leaving them supreme in the territory ruled over by the Delhi Sultan. Babar attacked and defeated Ibrahim Lodhi in the first battle of Panipat in 1526, But he did not oblige the inviting chiefs, particularly the Afghan Governor of Punjab, and instead of going back he settled down at Delhi and became the founder of the Mughal Empire

In 1540 Babar’s son, Humayun, was defeated and expelled from India by the Turko-Afghan Chief, Sher Shah Suri, and it was only after the latter’s death that he could return India in 1555. Sher Shah Suri’s son Sikander Sur was defeated at Sirhind but he retreated to the hills and Humayun had to send his son Akbar along with Bairam Khan in pursuit of him. Akbar took up his residence at Jalandhar but in the meantime Humayun died and it was only after defeating Hemu in the second battle of Panipat in 1556 that Akbar could return to deal with Sikander Sur, whom he ultimately defeated. 

Then came the fall of Bairam Khan in 1560 from the position of his power over Akbar and he intended to withdraw and proceed to Mecca. But he changed his mind in the way and collected troops and prepared to attack Jalandhar. He was, however, defeated at Gunachaur north-west of Rahon and he finally surrendered to Akbar at the fort of Talwara on the Beas. During Akbar’s reign, copper coins were minted at Jalandhar and his capable minister, Todar Mal, made a settlement of land revenue in Jalandhar Doab.

During Jehangir’s reign (1605-27) Jalandhar Doab received special attention because of Nur Jehan’s attachment with Nurmahal. She had been brought up there and among other things, she got a big Sarai built there in which, it is said, she halted whenever she passed between Delhi and Lahore. Guru Arjan Dev founded Kartarpur in 1588 on the site given by Jehangir to Guru Arjun Dev’s father, Guru Ramdas. In Shah Jahan’s reign (1627-58). The highway between Delhi and Lahore was laid out and one of the sites where a sarai on the road was constructed, developed as Phillaur.

The Sarai at Dakhin, some of the bastes of Jalandhar and Phagwara which was originally called Shah Jehanpur came into existence during those days. During the rest of the 17th century, Jalandhar remained firmly attached to the Delhi empire. With the death of Aurangzeb in 1707, the Mughal Empire began to totter, but Nadar Shah’s invasion in 1739 gave it the greatest jolt. Enemies of empire rose from all sides and among them were the Sikhs from the Punjab.

Sikh period

Having mature his plans, Guru Gobind Singh commenced open opposition to the imperial power near about 1695 and for ten years was engaged in war fare with varying degrees of success with the Governors of Lahore and Sirhind in the vicinity of the Jalandhar Doab. Ultimately he was defeated in 1705. His two younger sons were bricked alive and put to death at Sirhind by the Governor of that place, Wazir Khan. Guru Gobind Singh left for Deccan where he was killed by an Afghan fanatic in 1708 on the banks of Godawari, but he had inspire Banda Bairagi to continue the struggle against the Mughal tyranny. 

Banda Bairagi proceeded to Punjab, defeated Wazir Khan, sacked Sirhind and put to death the slayers of Guru Gobind Singh’s sons. He marched through Jalandhar Doab showing no quarter to the religious persecutors. The imperial forces, however, pursued him and ultimately he was defeated, captured and tortured to death in 1716. This silenced the Sikhs for a while but as soon as Nadar Shah appeared on the scene and put Nurmahal to ransom, they took up arms again but were defeated in 1743 by Adina Beg, the Mughal Governor of Jalandhar Doab.

In 1747, Ahmed Shah Abdali invaded Punjab, but was defeated near Sirhind by the Mughal forces under Mir Mannu who had also the support of the Sikhs and Adina Beg. Mir Mannu became Governor of Punjab and ruled from 1748 to 1752, retaining Adina Beg as his deputy in the Jalandhar Doab. Ahmed Shah invaded Punjab for the second time in 1748 and for the third time in 1752. A great damage, however, came from his fourth invasion in 1755. He plundered Nurmahal and slaughtered its inhabitants. He plundered Delhi and retired, leaving his son, Prince Taimur, as Governor of Punjab. 

On his way back, he pillaged and burnt Kartarpur but the Sikhs took the revenge in 1757 when, under Guru Barbhag Singh, they ransacked Jalandhar and punished the Afghans living in the bastis there. Adina Beg who had in the meantime retired to the hills, invited the Maratthas against the Afghan. The Maratthas came, expelled the Afghans and made Adina Beg Governor of Province in 1758. This infuriated Ahmed Shah and he invaded for the fifth time in 1761 and defeated the Maratthas in the third battle of Panipat. He returned to Kabul leaving Buland Khan as Governor of Lahore and Zain Khan as Governor of Sirhind.

The Sikhs had also in the meantime mustered strength and attacked Zain Khan. Ahmed Shah appeared again and defeated the Sikhs in 1762 at Barnala in the battle known as Ghallughara, meaning the great destruction. No sooner had Ahmed Shah returned to Kabul, the Sikhs attacked Zain Khan, defeated and slew him near Sirhind in 1763. This established Sikh supremacy which was not disturbed though Ahmed Shah made another few attempts.

Thus began the era of Sikh confederacies (misls). Brought into existence principally by the religious persecution of the Mughals, the Sikh misls were feudal in character. The leaders of the Confederacies had under them minor chiefs, who in turn had their subordinates, till the common soldiers were reached. The greater chiefs divided their lands among their subordinate chiefs and these again assigned villages to their dependents for their support. 

These misls were twelve in number (1) the Nikais, (2) the Nishanias, (3) the Kanhaias, (4) the Sukarchakias, (5) the Shahids, (6) the Bhangis, (7) the Phulkians, (8) the Ahluwalias, (9) the Ramgarhias, (10) the Faizullapurias, (11) the Krora Singhias, and (12) the Dalawalas. The Nikais and Nishanias had no connection with the Jalandhar Doab. The Kanhaias for some time held a large tract in the upper part of the Doab. The Sukarchakias, ultimately is the person of Ranjit Singh, became master of the whole Doab, but till then the scene of their history lay mostly outside it. The connection of the Shahid and Bhangi misls with Jalandhar was also not much.

Similarly the Phulkians were also not directly concerned with the Doab except that they had created marital relations with some of the Sardars there. The remaining 5 misls had large possessions in the Doab. The possessions of the Ahulwalias mostly lay outside the Jalandhar District. Jassa Singh Ramgarhia had taken service with Adina Beg in 1752, though he deserted him a little later. On his (Adina Beg) death, he took possession of a considerable tract in the north-west of the Doab in which he was helped by the mutual wranglings of the other misls. It was on the death of his son, Jodh Singh, in 1816 that his possessions were taken over by Ranjit Singh as a consequence of family quarrels.

Consequent to the death of Adina Beg, Jalandhar proper passed on to the Faizullapurias under the leadership of Khushal Singh. Khushal Singh’s son, Budh Singh built the fort at Jalandhar but he was driven out of his possession to the south of the Sutluj by Diwan Mohkam Chand in 1811 whom Ranjit Singh had deputised to take over the whole Doab. The Kalsia branch of the Krora Singhias were in strength near about Talwan in the south –west of Phillaur Tahsil under Baghel Singh. The later got a fort built at Talwan, but on his death, the consequent family quarrels enabled Ranjit Singh to take over his possessions in 1809-10. 

The Dalawala Confederacy was founded in the extreme south- west of Jalandhar near the confluence of Beas and Sutluj rivers by Tara Singh Gheba. It was the strongest amongst the misls and, among other possessions, had all the three southern Tahsils of the District under its control. Tara Singh extended his dominion far and wide even beyond Sutluj; it included Rahon where he took up his residence. Tara Singh Gheba accompanied Ranjit Singh in the latter’s exploits across Sutluj in latter’s 1807, but he died in the way and Ranjit Singh lost on time in taking hold of his possessions, despite heroic resistance offered by his wife Ratten Kaur, in which she perished.

British period

Even before Ranjit Singh had succeeded in absorbing the various misls in the domain, the British had appeared on the scene and in 1809 a treaty was concluded between Ranjit Singh and the British whereby the cis-Sutluj Sikh States passed on to the protection of the East India Company and Ranjit Singh agreed to confine his dominion to the north of Sutluj. Though Ranjit Singh broke the power of the great chiefs, he did not proceed to extremes against their feudal subordinates. They were mostly left in possession of a considerable portion of their estates, in return for a proportionate number of men for the Army and in some cases personal service. The rest of the country was either given on a similar tenure other followers of the Sikh Government or were held by Nazims (Governors)for the ruler.

The Jalandhar Doab had a chain of Nazims during the reign of Ranjit Singh, the first and the most important being his Commander-in-chief, Diwan Mohkam Chand. Ranjit Singh died in1839. Confusion and disorder followed his death. In 1845, the Khalsa Army crossed the Sutluj and thus started the First Sikh War. The Jalandhar Doab was not the scene of any remarkable military event. The Army of Ranjodh Singh Majithia marched through the Doab was joined by the troops of Nihal Singh Ahluwalia of Kapurthala. It crossed the Sutluj at Phillaur on 17th January, 1846 and after a temporary success at Badowal was defeated at Aliwal by the British forces led by Sir Henry Smith. 

The Sikhs retreated to Phillaur and then dispersed, pursued by Brigadier Wheeler who occupied the fort at Phillaur. The main body of the English Army marched to Sabraon where the Khalsa Army was finally defeated and thus the first Sikh War was ended. The British annexed the Jalandhar Doab and formed it into a commissionership. They built cantonments at Jalandhar, Phillaur, Nakodar and Kartarpur, only one of which at Jalandhar continues to this day, the remaining three having been abandoned a little later. The British authority set about getting the various Sikh forts in the region demolished. This was highly distasteful to some of the Sikh Chiefs and the Second Sikh War broke out in 1848-49 Again the Jalandhar District was not the scene of any military operations. The Khalsa Army was finally defeated at Gujarat and the whole of the remain under the Sikh Darbar of Lahore was annexed by the British. The latter soon established law and order and till the Mutiny nothing of importance occurred in Jalandhar District.

The first War of Independence and after.

During the first war of Independence (Mutiny so called) the District was of importance because one of the main lines of communication between Punjab and Delhi passed through it, and was commanded, where it crossed the Sutluj by the Phillaur fort. All the native troops stationed in Jalandhar mutinied, with the exception of the Artillery. Though the forces of the Raja of Kapurthala kept peace in the town and there was also a small European garrison present, there was not much resistance to the main body of the mutineers setting out for Delhi. At Phillaur, they were joined by the native infantry. At Ludhiana, they found plenty of guns and powder in the fort. They succeeded in reaching Delhi. In the District, however, the situation remained under control thanks to the Kapurthala troops and other levies which the authorities were able to raise with the help of the loyal elements. After the fall of Delhi, the country was disarmed and matters did not take long to settle down.

After the Mutiny, nothing of important has occurred in the District. In 1858-59, the portion of the Grand Trunk Road between Sutluj and Beas, passing through Phillaur, Phagwara and Jalandhar was realigned and metalled. A decade later, the railway line between Beas, Jalandhar and Phillaur was opened. The Doab was linked with the rest of the Punjab by great railway bridges over the Beas, and the Sutluj as also over the Bein. Except for minor adjustments here and there the boundaries of the District continued to remain the same as they were when it was first constituted. The district shared with the rest of country, the benefits of settled regime and administration. It also took its due share in the various phases of the national struggle which finally brought the county its political emancipation from foreign rule in 1947.