Batala

History

Batala was founded in 1465 by Abhay Pratap Bal of the Bhati Rajputs of Kapurthala, under the suzerainty of Sultan Bahlul Lodi. During the Mughal Empire, Emperor Akbar granted the city as a jagir to his foster brother, Shamsher Khan. In the 16th century, Batala was one of the prominent cities in the Punjab region, comparable in importance to cities such as Lahore and Jalandhar. It predates Amritsar by over a century. Historically, Batala was a fortified city with 12 gates, many of which are still known by their original names, including Sheran Wala Gate, Khajuri Gate, Bhandari Gate, Ohri Gate, Thathiari Gate, Hathi Gate, Pahari Gate, Mori Gate, Kapoori Gate, and Achli Gate. Some of these structures still exist today, though they are in varying states of preservation. Batala is home to several gurdwaras, including those associated with Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism. These sites are of great religious importance and attract thousands of Sikh pilgrims annually. Under British India, Batala served as the headquarters of a tehsil in the Gurdaspur District of the Punjab Province. The allocation of this district during the partition of India in 1947 was highly contested due to its nearly equal population of Muslims and non-Muslims. Initially, the Viceroy Lord Wavell assigned the three eastern tehsils—Gurdaspur, Batala, and Pathankot—to India, and the western tehsil, Shakargarh, to Pakistan. The entire district of Gurdaspur was depicted as part of Pakistan in the 'notional partition line' of the Indian Independence Act 1947, and the matter was referred to the Punjab Boundary Commission. Ultimately, the final partition line confirmed Wavell's division, placing Batala within Indian territory. For a brief period from 14 to 17 August 1947, Batala was considered part of…