Bathinda is a city and

municipal corporation Municipal corporation is the legal term for a local governing body, including (but not necessarily limited to) cities, counties, towns, townships, charter townships, villages, and boroughs. The term can also be used to describe municipally o ...

Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...

, India. The city is the administrative headquarters of

Bathinda district Bathinda district is in Malwa region of Punjab, India. The district encompasses an area of 3,385 square kilometers. By area, Bathinda district is the second-largest in Punjab, after Ludhiana district. It is bounded by Faridkot district and ...

. It is located in northwestern India in the

Malwa Malwa () is a historical region, historical list of regions in India, region of west-central India occupying a plateau of volcanic origin. Geologically, the Malwa Plateau generally refers to the volcanic plateau, volcanic upland north of the ...

Region, west of the capital city of

Chandigarh Chandigarh is a city and union territory in northern India, serving as the shared capital of the states of Punjab and Haryana. Situated near the foothills of the Shivalik range of Himalayas, it borders Haryana to the east and Punjab in the ...

and is the fifth largest city of

. It is the second cleanest city in Punjab after

Mohali Mohali, officially Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar or Ajitgarh, is a planned city in the Mohali district in Punjab, India, Punjab, India, which is an administrative and a commercial hub lying south-west of Chandigarh. It is the headquarters of the M ...

. Bathinda is home to the Maharaja Ranjit Singh Punjab Technical University, Central University of Punjab and AIIMS Bathinda. The city is also home to two modern thermal power plants, Guru Nanak Dev Thermal Plant and Guru Hargobind Thermal Plant at Lehra Mohabbat. Also located in the city is a

fertiliser A fertilizer or fertiliser is any material of natural or synthetic origin that is applied to soil or to plant tissues to supply plant nutrition, plant nutrients. Fertilizers may be distinct from Liming (soil), liming materials or other non- ...

plant, two cement plants (

Ambuja Cements Ambuja Cements Limited, formerly known as Gujarat Ambuja Cement Limited (GACL), is an Indian cement producing company, which markets cement and clinker for both domestic and export markets. History The company had entered into a strategic part ...

and UltraTech Cement Limited), a large army cantonment, an air force station, a zoo, and a historic

Qila Mubarak Qila Mubarak may refer to two distinctive historical sites associated with Sikh and Indo-Islamic architectural heritage. These forts were primarily established by the rulers of the Phulkian dynasty during accession of Ala Singh, a heraldic leagu ...

fort.

History

Bhatinda was changed to Bathinda to conform to the phonetical expression as locally pronounced. According to

Henry George Raverty Henry George Raverty (31 May 1825 – 20 October 1906) was a Cornish officer and linguist in the British Indian Army. Life Raverty was born in Falmouth, Cornwall. He served from 1843 to 1864, rising to the rank of Major in the 3rd Bombay Nativ ...

, Bathinda was known as ''Tabar-i-Hind'' (Labb-ut-Twarikh) or ''Tabarhindh'', which roughly translates as ‘Gateway to India’. The earliest mention of Tabar-i-Hind occurs in the ''Jami-Ul-Hakayat'' written about 607 Hijri or 1211 AD. In 1004,

Mahmud of Ghazni Abu al-Qasim Mahmud ibn Sabuktigin (; 2 November 971 – 30 April 1030), usually known as Mahmud of Ghazni or Mahmud Ghaznavi (), was Sultan of the Ghaznavid Empire, ruling from 998 to 1030. During his reign and in medieval sources, he is usuall ...

besieged and captured the local fort, which was located on the route from the northwest into the rich

Ganges The Ganges ( ; in India: Ganga, ; in Bangladesh: Padma, ). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international which goes through India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China." is a trans-boundary rive ...

valley. In 1190,

Muhammad of Ghor Mu'izz al-Din Muhammad ibn Sam (; 15 March 1206), also known as Muhammad of Ghor or Muhammad Ghori, was a ruler from the Ghurid dynasty based in the Ghor province, Ghor region of what is today central Afghanistan who ruled from 1173 to 1206. Mu ...

attacked and occupied the fort of Bathinda.

Prithviraj Chauhan Prithviraja III (IAST: Pṛthvī-rāja; 22 May 1166 – February 1192), popularly known as Prithviraj Chauhan or Rai Pithora, was a king from the Chahamanas of Shakambhari, Chauhan (Chahamana) dynasty who ruled the territory of Sapadalaksha, w ...

, the ruler of this region, managed to recover possession of the fort thirteen months later in 1191 after the

First Battle of Tarain The First Battle of Tarain, also spelt as the First Battle of Taraori, was fought on 14 January 1191 between the invading Ghurid army led by Muhammad of Ghor and the Rajput Confederacy led by Prithviraj Chauhan, near Tarain (modern Taraori ...

. However, Prithviraj Chauhan was killed in the

Second Battle of Tarain The Second Battle of Tarain was fought in 1192 between the Ghurid forces of Muhammad Ghuri and the Rajput Confederacy of Prithviraj Chauhan. It took place near Tarain (modern Taraori), which is , north of Delhi. The battle ended in a deci ...

and the fort of Bathinda once again came under the control of Muhammad Ghori. In the 3rd century, Rao Bhatti is credited with establishing the modern town of Bathinda in the Lakhi jungle area. In 14th century, present region of bathinda was ruled by

Bhati Bhati (also romanised as Bhattī) is a Rajput clan. The Bhati clan historically ruled over several cities in present-day India and Pakistan with their final capital and kingdom being Jaisalmer, India. History The Bhatis of Jaisalmer bel ...

and Bhanot rulers of that time.

1488 __NOTOC__ Year 1488 ( MCDLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. Events January–December * January 8 – The Royal Netherlands Navy is formed, by the decree of Maximillian of Austria. * February 3 ...

, Bathinda was conquered by

Rao Bika Rao Bika (5 August 1438 – 17 June 1504), was a scion of the Rathore clan of Rajputs and the founder of the city of Bikaner and Bikaner State in present-day state of Rajasthan in India. He was the fifth son of Rao Jodha, founder of the city ...

, son of

Jodha of Mandore Rao Jodha Rathore (28 March 1416 – 6 April 1489) was the 15th Rajput chief of Rathore clan who ruled the Kingdom of Marwar in the present-day state of Rajasthan. He was the eldest son of Rao Ranmal (Rao Ridmal). He is known for his illustrio ...

(founder of

Jodhpur Jodhpur () is the second-largest city of the north-western Indian state of Rajasthan, after its capital Jaipur. As of 2023, the city has a population of 1.83 million. It serves as the administrative headquarters of the Jodhpur district and ...

) and became part of

Bikaner Bikaner () is a city in the northwest of the States and territories of India, state of Rajasthan, India. It is located northwest of the state capital, Jaipur. It is the administrative headquarters of Bikaner District and Bikaner division. Fo ...

princely state. Bathinda was an important fort in the area from

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...

Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...

during the time of the

Delhi Sultanate The Delhi Sultanate or the Sultanate of Delhi was a Medieval India, late medieval empire primarily based in Delhi that stretched over large parts of the Indian subcontinent for more than three centuries.

. As per

Ain-i-Akbari The ''Ain-i-Akbari'' (), or the "Administration of Akbar", is a 16th-century detailed document regarding the administration of the Mughal Empire under Emperor Akbar, written by his court historian, Abu'l Fazl, in the Persian language. It forms ...

, Bathinda was included in the '' sarkar'' of

Sirhind Sirhind is a Twin cities, twin city of Fatehgarh Sahib in Punjab, India, Punjab, India. It is hosts the municipal council of Fatehgarh Sahib district. Demographics In the 2011 census of India, 2011 census Sirhind-Fatehgarh had a population of ...

in the

Subah A ''Subah'' is a term for a province or state in several South Asian languages. It was introduced by the Mughal Empire to refer to its subdivisions or provinces; and was also adopted by other polities of the Indian subcontinent. The word is derive ...

. In 1634, a battle named Battle of Lahira (at Lahira in Bathinda) was fought between

Guru Hargobind Guru Hargobind (Gurmukhi: ਗੁਰੂ ਹਰਿਗੋਬਿੰਦ, pronunciation: l 19 June 1595 – 28 February 1644) was the sixth of ten Gurus of the Sikh religion. He had become Guru at the young age of eleven, after the execution of his ...

and

Mughals The Mughal Empire was an early modern empire in South Asia. At its peak, the empire stretched from the outer fringes of the Indus River Basin in the west, northern Afghanistan in the northwest, and Kashmir in the north, to the highlands of pre ...

. The town had become an important trade and commercial centre under

Mughal Mughal or Moghul may refer to: Related to the Mughal Empire * Mughal Empire of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries * Mughal dynasty * Mughal emperors * Mughal people, a social group of Central and South Asia * Mughal architecture * Mug ...

rule and the

Mughal Emperors The emperors of the Mughal Empire, who were all members of the Timurid dynasty ( House of Babur), ruled the empire from its inception on 21 April 1526 to its dissolution on 21 September 1857. They were supreme monarchs of the Mughal Empire i ...

such as

Akbar Akbar (Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar, – ), popularly known as Akbar the Great, was the third Mughal emperor, who reigned from 1556 to 1605. Akbar succeeded his father, Humayun, under a regent, Bairam Khan, who helped the young emperor expa ...

and

Aurangzeb Alamgir I (Muhi al-Din Muhammad; 3 November 1618 – 3 March 1707), commonly known by the title Aurangzeb, also called Aurangzeb the Conqueror, was the sixth Mughal emperors, Mughal emperor, reigning from 1658 until his death in 1707, becomi ...

undertook many projects to enhance the fort of Bathinda. In circa 1754, the town was conquered by Maharaja Ala Singh, the Maharaja of Patiala and since then it followed the history of erstwhile princely state of

Patiala Patiala () is a city in southeastern Punjab, India, Punjab, northwestern India. It is the fourth largest city in the state and is the administrative capital of Patiala district. Patiala is located around the ''Qila Mubarak, Patiala, Qila Mubar ...

. With the dawn of independence and merger of Patiala and East Punjab States into a division called

Patiala and East Punjab States Union The Patiala and East Punjab States Union (PEPSU) was a States and union territories of India, state of India, uniting eight princely states between 1948 and 1956. The capital and principal city was Patiala. The state covered an area of 26,208 ...

(PEPSU), Bathinda became a full-fledged district with headquarters at Bathinda city.

Demographics

Population

As per provisional reports of Census India, population of Bathinda city in 2011 is 285,813; male and female are 151,782 and 134,031 respectively. The sex ratio of Bathinda city is 868 females per 1000 males. The number of literate people in Bathinda city are 211,318 of which 118,888 are males while 92,430 are females, average literacy rate is 82.84 per cent of which male and female literacy is 87.86 and 77.16 per cent respectively. Total children (ages 0 to 6) in Bathinda city are 30,713: 16,472 boys and 14,241 girls. Child sex ratio of girls is 865 per 1000 boys.

Religion

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Hypernymy and hyponymy, umbrella term for a range of Indian religions, Indian List of religions and spiritual traditions#Indian religions, religious and spiritual traditions (Sampradaya, ''sampradaya''s) that are unified ...

is the majority religion in Bathinda city with 62.61% people following the faith.

Sikhism Sikhism is an Indian religion and Indian philosophy, philosophy that originated in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent around the end of the 15th century CE. It is one of the most recently founded major religious groups, major religio ...

is the second most popular religion in the city which is followed by 35.04% of the people. Minorities are Muslims, Christians, Buddhists and Jains.

Sikhs Sikhs (singular Sikh: or ; , ) are an ethnoreligious group who adhere to Sikhism, a religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term ''Sikh'' ...

count for 70.89% of the population in

Bathinda District Bathinda district is in Malwa region of Punjab, India. The district encompasses an area of 3,385 square kilometers. By area, Bathinda district is the second-largest in Punjab, after Ludhiana district. It is bounded by Faridkot district and ...

on a whole in spite of not being a majority in the city.

Geography and climate

Bathinda is in the northwestern region of India and is a part of the Indo-Gangetic alluvial plains. The exact cartographic co-ordinates of Bathinda are . It has an average elevation of 201 metres (660 ft). Bathinda's climate corresponds to semi-arid with high variation between summer and winter temperatures. Average annual rainfall is relatively low, in a range of 20 cm to 40 cm. In recent times, Summer temperatures of 49 °C (120 °F) and winter temperatures of 1 °C (about 33 °F) were not unknown in Bathinda, lowest being -1.4 °C (29.48 °F) in the winter of 2013

Suburbs

* Bhucho Mandi 15 km *

Goniana Goniana is a Suburban town in Bathinda District in the Indian state of Punjab. It is located about 12 km from Bathinda City on National Highway 54 (NH 54) It is also known as ‘’’Goniana Mandi’’’. Demographics Goniana Mandi ...

14 km * Maur Mandi 69 km *

Rampura Phul Rampura Phul is a city in the Bathinda district in the Indian state of Punjab. Phul Town serves as a Tehsil for villages in nearby area. History Phul Village was founded in 1627 AD by Phul, the ancestor of the Phulkian family. His descendants ...

30 km * Talwandi Sabo 69 km * Raman 42 km *

Sangat, India Sangat is a Suburb town of Bathinda City and a municipal council in Bathinda district in the Indian state of Punjab. Sangat Mandi is situated away from Bathinda District headquarter in south. Sangat is Small commercial hub of area. Demographics ...

69 km

Environmental issues

There has been increasing incidence of various types of cancer in and around Bathinda. It is attributed to the presence of polluting industries and the indiscriminate use of modern pesticides and other toxic materials in farming. A 2007 epidemiological study found that the surface waters of Bathinda are contaminated with

arsenic Arsenic is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol As and atomic number 33. It is a metalloid and one of the pnictogens, and therefore shares many properties with its group 15 neighbors phosphorus and antimony. Arsenic is not ...

cadmium Cadmium is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol Cd and atomic number 48. This soft, silvery-white metal is chemically similar to the two other stable metals in group 12 element, group 12, zinc and mercury (element), mercury. Like z ...

chromium Chromium is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Cr and atomic number 24. It is the first element in Group 6 element, group 6. It is a steely-grey, Luster (mineralogy), lustrous, hard, and brittle transition metal. Chromium ...

selenium Selenium is a chemical element; it has symbol (chemistry), symbol Se and atomic number 34. It has various physical appearances, including a brick-red powder, a vitreous black solid, and a grey metallic-looking form. It seldom occurs in this elem ...

and mercury primarily due to the discharge of untreated waste water from surrounding industries. Unscientific farming practices, that emerged after the introduction of

Green Revolution The Green Revolution, or the Third Agricultural Revolution, was a period during which technology transfer initiatives resulted in a significant increase in crop yields. These changes in agriculture initially emerged in Developed country , devel ...

, are also alleged to be a reason for growing incidence of not just cancer but also, high rates of spontaneous abortions, reproductive ailments, genetic deformities,

anaemia Anemia (also spelt anaemia in British English) is a blood disorder in which the blood has a reduced ability to carry oxygen. This can be due to a lower than normal number of red blood cells, a reduction in the amount of hemoglobin availab ...

diarrhoea Diarrhea (American English), also spelled diarrhoea or diarrhœa (British English), is the condition of having at least three loose, liquid, or watery bowel movements in a day. It often lasts for a few days and can result in dehydration d ...

, vomiting, fluorosis and a host of skin ailments including rashes and boils. Many young couples are also reported to be migrating out to save their children from adverse effects. Hence the government has completely banned the use of ground water in the city for drinking purposes. In the cleanliness survey, conducted by the Union Ministry of Urban Development, Bathinda scored an all-India rank of 79 and number 1 rank in Punjab.

Government and politics

Bhatinda city is governed by Municipal Corporation Bhatinda. The administrative wing is headed by Municipal Commissioner Bikramjit Singh Shergill, while the elected wing is headed by Mayor.

Transportation

Bhatinda Railway Station has connectivity to most of the major cities in India. Four national highways: NH 7 ( Fazilka -

Badrinath Badrinath is a town and nagar panchayat in Chamoli district in the state of Uttarakhand, India. It is a Hindu holy place, and is one of the four sites in India's Char Dham pilgrimage. It is also part of India's Chota Char Dham pilgrimage c ...

National Highway), NH 54 (Kenchiyan,

Hanumangarh Hanumangarh is a city and municipal council in the Indian state of Rajasthan, situated on the banks of the river Ghaggar also identified as ancient Sarasvati river, located about 400 km from Delhi. It is the administrative headquarter o ...

Pathankot Pathankot () is a city and the district headquarters of the Pathankot district in Punjab, India. Pathankot is the sixth most populous city of Punjab, after Ludhiana, Amritsar, Jalandhar, Patiala and Bathinda. Its local government is a municipal ...

National Highway), NH 148B (Bathinda to Kotputli) and NH 754 (Bathinda to Jalalabad, Fazilka) pass through/near the city.

Education

College education

Colleges within Bathinda include: *

Adesh University Adesh University (AU) is private university in Bathinda, Punjab, India. The university was established in 2012 under Adesh University Act, 2012 (Punjab Act 6 of 2012). The campus is spread out on 100-acre land. Associated colleges * Adesh I ...

* Adesh Institute of Medical Sciences and Research * Akal University, Talwandi Sabo * Bathinda College of Law * Central university of Punjab * Government Rajindra College, Bathinda * Guru Kashi University * Institute of Hotel Management, Catering Technology and Applied Nutrition, Bathinda

Notable people

* Manny Aulakh, Canadian international cricketer * Sunny and Inder Bawra, composer duo * Parduman Singh Brar, shotputter, Asiad gold medallist *

Balwant Gargi Balwant Gargi (4 December 1916 – 21 April 2003) was an Indian Punjabi language dramatist, theatre director, novelist, short story writer, and academic. Early life On 4 December 1916, in Canal House in Sehna, Barnala (Punjab (India), Punj ...

, writer and dramatist * Baba Ratan Hindi, who claimed to be the first Indian Muslim *

Amrit Maan Amrit Maan is an Indian singer, songwriter and actor associated with Punjabi film and music. He rose to fame after the release of his debut, ''Desi Da Drum'' in 2015 and "Bambiha Bole" in 2020. He is also known for his debut film Channa Mereya. ...

, actor, singer and lyricist *

Kuldeep Manak Kuldeep Manak, also spelled as Kuldip Manak (born Latif Mohammed Khan; 15 November 1951 – 30 November 2011), was an Indian singer best known for singing a rare genre of Punjabi music, ''kali'', also known by its plural form ''kalian'' or kal ...

, singer *

Harbhajan Mann Harbhajan Singh Mann (born 31 December 1965) is an Indian-Canadian singer, actor and film producer associated with Punjabi music and cinema. His movies include ''Jee Aayan Nu (2002)'', '' Asa Nu Maan Watna Da (2004)'', ''Heer Ranjha (2009)'' a ...

, actor and singer * Mayank Markande, cricketer *

Mehar Mittal Mehar Mittal (born ''Mehar Chand''; 24 October 1934 – 22 October 2016)Mehreen Pirzada Mehreen Kaur Pirzada (born 5 November 1995) is an Indian actress and model who predominantly appears in Telugu, Tamil, Hindi and Punjabi films. Pirzada made her acting debut in 2016 with the Telugu film '' Krishna Gaadi Veera Prema Gaadha''. ...

, actress * Riaz ur Rehman Saghar, Pakistani poet and lyricist * Janmeja Singh Sekhon, politician * Avneet Sidhu, Commonwealth games gold-winning shooter *

Balkar Sidhu Balkar Singh Sidhu (born 10 October 1971) is an Indian politician and Punjabi singer. He is the Member of legislative assembly from the Rampura Phul Assembly constituency and a member of the Aam Aadmi Party. Early life and career Balkar Sid ...

, singer * Kul Sidhu, theatre artist and actress * Gurdial Singh, novelist * Gurpreet Singh, artist

References

External links

Official website of Bathinda district
{{Punjab (Indian state), state=collapsed