Fatehgarh Sahib district General information
Fatehgarh Sahib district is one of the twenty districts in the state of Punjab in North-West India, with its headquarters in the city of Fatehgarh Sahib.
History
The historic and pious District of Fatehgarh Sahib came into existence with effect from 13th April, 1992 , Baisakhi Day deriving its name from Sahibzada Fateh Singh, the youngest son of Guru Gobind Singh.
It is bounded by Ludhiana and Ropar in the North, Patiala in the South, parts of Ropar and Patiala in the East and parts of Ludhiana and Sangrur in the West. It is situated between 30 degree-38' North 16 degree-27' East and is 50 Kms. towards the west of Chandigarh , the capital of Punjab .
The economy of the district depends mainly on agriculture and allied activities.
The main towns are Sirhind, Bassi Pathana, Amloh, Khamano & Mandi Gobindgarh. The last is also known as the 'Steel Town of India' having a good number of steel rolling mills. Besides, numerous industrial units are engaged in the manufacturing of sewing machine parts, centrifugal pumps, bus/truck body building and mining machinery.
There are different views about the origin and development of Sirhind. Its first reference appears in the `PRASHARTANTARA' which is mainly a compilation of prophecies. `VARAHA MIHIRA' has made a reference to Sirhind in his book `BRIHAT SAMHITA' which is based on `Prashartantara'. Sirhind was known as `SATUDAR DESH' and was inhabbited by Sairindhas Aryans. In latter period it became an important border town of Pal Kindgdom. According to another manuscript, Sirhind was the Eastern Frontier of Kingdom of Brahmin dynasty of Kabul. In the Eleventh Century, Mehmood of Ghazni invaded India and the hold of Hindu Kings ended in 1193 A.D. Then Sultan Aram Shah ruled here. Nasir-ud-din Qubacha conquered Sirhind in 1210 A.D. But Illutmish won back this territory. Sher Khan, nephew of Balban, built a fort here. After Ibrahim Lodhi's defeat in battle of Panipat in 1526 A.D., the town came under Mughal Empire.
The tenth Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh fought against the atrocities of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, due to which he bore the wrath of the Dynasty. The youngest Sahibzadas of Guru Ji namely Sahibzada Zorawar Singh & Sahibzada Fateh Singh alongwith their grandmother Mata Gujriji were done to death in this very town. The present Gurudwara Fategarh Sahib has been constructed in their holy memory. TheDistrict Administrative Complex is in close vicinity of the Gurudwara Sahib.
Population and Area
The District comprises of 454 Revenue Estates (villages), including five towns of Amloh, Gobindgarh, Khamano, Sirhind and Khera. The total area of the District is 1,18,219 hectares out of which 1,15,511 hectares area. As per 2001 census, the population of the district is 5,30,9,657 out of which 1,51,569 is urban and 3,88,569 is rural 3,51,446 persons of the District are literate i.e.71% of the district is literate.
Tourist Place
Aam Khas Bagh
The Aam Khas Bagh was built for the public and also for exclusive use of the Emperor Shah Jahan. The Royal couple used to stay here while going to and coming back from Lahore. There were adequate number of palaces for the comfortable stay of the Mughal Emperors. A close scrutiny of the remnants of the palaces clearly indicate that there was a perfect system of air-conditioning in the palaces and the monument is called 'SARAD KHANA'.
The other monuments include 'SHEESH MAHAL' (DAULAT-KHANA-E-KHAS), HAMAM and the Tank where unique methods of heating water were adopted.
At present , a Tourist Complex known as 'MAULASARI' is being run in the Aam Khas Bagh. A beautiful garden and the Nursery is also being maintained.
During the famous Jorh Mel at Fatehgarh Sahib, the light and sound programme regarding the history of Sirhind and the martyrdom of younger sons of Guru Gobind Singh is shown to the visitors at night in the Aam Khas Bagh.
Sanghol
This is an ancient site of Harappan culture and is being maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India. A tourist complex is also coming up shortly. This site is located on Ludhiana-Chandigarh Road and is in Khamano block of the District.
The present building of the Sanghol Museum was inaugurated on April 10, 1990 as a unit of the Department of Cultural Affairs, Archaeology and Museums of the Government of Punjab.Excavations at Sanghol yielded archaeological treasures of great significance indicating a long history of the cultural heritage of Punjab. These treasures needed to be preserved and displayed at a place for public view and appreciation. With this end in view, the Sanghol Museum was set up by the Government, not only to preserve Punjab' s Cultural treasures, but also to involve the public in the appreciation of the continuous cultural linkage that the land has maintained from the early ancient times and has witnessed large scale movements and amalgamation of people and their culture.
A vast treasury of about 15000 antiquities has been collected by the department through various archaeological excavations and explorations at Sanghol. It comprises of antiquities of diverse nature like sculptures, terrocottas, pottery, seals, sealings, coins, ivory, carvings, precious stones and other art objects.
The ground floor gallery exhibits the most important items of antiquities other than the stone sculptures. The pride of the Sanghol Museum, the stone sculptures, are displayed in the upper gallery.
The antiquities in the ground floor gallery have been arranged chronologically to highlight the development of socio-cultural and religious facts of the regional manifestations of the heritage of Punjab. Apart from the actual objects, a large number of charts, graphs, photographs, maps, and drawings have been displayed to supplement the viewing of the actual objects. Each of the items is given a label disclosing its identification and chronological placement. The methodology has been as per the latest display techniques followed in museums of the type. At the entry point has been displayed a Master Chart containing a brief history and important details of Sanghol as an archaeological site and of the objects obtained from the place.
The first few showcases preserve specimens of pottery discovered from Sanghol, datable from the Harappan (Bara) culture period (C.2000- B.C. 1200) on the basis of radio-carbon test, through the historical periods of the Mauryas, Sungas, Guptas and Muslim culture. The pottery specimens show diverse workmanship, technique and visual designing envisaged through the use of materials, texture and forms often of primitive and old dispensations.
Next to pottery, the showcases display seals, sealings, coins and moulds. These are made of baked and unbaked clay, copper, lead, ivory and stone. Occasionally, they bear inscriptions in Brahmi or Kharosthi scripts of the first and second century A.D. disclosing some names like Dhama, Haridatta etc. A distinctive exhibit displayed is a carved relic casket bearing the Kharosthi inscription of Ist century BC/AD. An interesting seal on display contains the name of the Huna King of fifth century AD this possibly is an evidence of the role that he might have played in the destruction of the Buddhistic establishments at Sanghol, the ruins of which have been discovered in the form of a Stupa and monastic establishment. The exhibits also include beads, terracotta toys, bangles, steatite, metal, glass and ivory objects.
The last show-case in the ground floor gallery contains some sandstone representations of various divinities of Brahmanical and non-Brahmanical pantheons. A stucco head of the Buddha, datable to the fourth century AD. is placed in front of the staircase leading to the upper gallery. This demarcates the phase of antiquities of the ground floor, and serves as a prelude to the treasures displayed upstairs.
In the first floor gallery are displayed the mottled red sandstone sculptures discovered from Sanghol. They verily constitute the glory of the site. These include figures and motifs carved on pillars, railings, coping stones and crossbars of the stupa enclosure discovered at Sanghol.
The most important themes represented are the woman and tree vignittes, mother and child motifs, as also some narrative depictions. There are various permutations and combinations of lotiform designs, rossetes, chaitya window designs and various other vegetal and floral patterns. The motif of the lady holding tree branches is a popular theme noticed here. This is technically known as the Shalabhanjika, meaning the lady breaking the branches of the Sale tree as the metaphor of her fertility potential. Many representations depict voluptuous ladies either holding wine flasks or expressing intoxicated mood. These are the Surasundaris, the divine damsels with bewitching beauty. A lady holding a parrot is depicted to express her sentiments of love for the beloved who has been away. There are some narrative scenes of mythological content not yet properly identified. One sculpture represents a woman being carried by an old man on his shoulder. In another exhibit, a woman is squeezing water from her hair after bath. A duck is shown trying to swallow the drops of water mistaking them for pearls. Other examples depict sundry women- one playing on an instrument resembling the harmonica, another drinking soma -rasa from an elongated vessel, while the third is pressing her breast. A freeze, perhaps, depicts a Buddhist Jataka tale or a narrative concerned with some foreigners.
The sculptures represent the Kushana style of the art of Mathura of the 2nd -3rd Century AD. The historical linkage between the Mathura School and Buddhist site of Sanghol has not yet been established. However, these sculptures, doubtlessly, are evidence of a high degree of artistic excellence that flourished in this part of India during the early part of the Christian Century. These sculptures have now been acclaimed as superb examples of sculptural expression, and they have been on view at the Festival of India Celebrations in America and other parts of the world.
The art of Punjab is not usually referred to by scholars as a distinctive regional expression in view of the paucity of sufficient materials to go by. The discovery of Sanghol sculptures together with the huge Buddhistic establishment has opened up a new dimension. Punjab now can verily claim a distinctive contributory role in the cultural creativity in the visual arts even during the early centuries of the Christian era. The glory of the artistic participation of Punjab in the main -stream of Indian cultural efflorescence is evidenced by the archaeological discoveries of Sanghol.
The Chinese pilgrim Hieun Tsang of the 7th Century AD noticed flourishing Buddhist establishments at Sanghol. It seems likely that he did see the lingering glory of the artistic achievements of Sanghol, the glimpses of which could still be had by the visitor to the Museum today through the well preserved specimens of the sculptural art.
The collection on display are only of the selected objects. Scholars and keen lovers of art can have an access to the other art objects preserved in the reserve collection. For this they will need to take permission of the appropriate authority.
Floating Resturant Sirhind
Floating Restaurant constructed over the Sirhind Canal is an important tourist spot run by ThePunjab Tourism Development Corporation. It is at a distance of 5 KM. from Sirhind on the Sher Shah Suri Marg (GT Road). It attracts a large number of tourists, especially during summer. There is also a provision for overnight stay. It has eight (8) suites. It is a unique type of Restaurant in whole of the Punjab. Built in the middle of the canal, it presents a picturesque view to the visitors.
The Channel on which the floating restaurant is built supplies water to the states of Haryana and Rajasthan. This channel always carries 8000 cusecs of water and the giant vessels on which this restaurant rests are made in such a way that they can withstand this pressure. In the peak season, the water reaches 10,000 cusecs but that raises the water level by 6to 8 inches only and thus the structure does not come under any undue pressure.
Ustad Di Mazar
It is said that this tomb was raised as a memorial to the great architect and builder Ustad Syad Khan. The tomb of Ustad is situated at a distance of about two and a half kilometers from the Rauza Sharif. It has a pucca approach road. .
Shahgird Di Mazar
At a distance of one furlong from the tomb of Ustad, there is another beautiful tomb. This is the tomb of Khawaja Khan the 'Shagird' (Assistant ) of Ustad Syad Khan. He too had attained great proficiency as a builder. Besides the architectural difference between the two tombs, this tomb once bore beautiful paintings most of which have now been lost. However, the surviving paintings reveal the high quality of art of painting during the medieval period. Known as the "Talanian Maqbaras" these tombs represent the typical muslim style of architecture and infact, resemble Humayun's tomb in Delhi, in out look.