Samana is a town and a

municipal council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, borough cou ...

, nearby Patiala City in Patiala district in the

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

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 ...

. Before Independence, Samana was a part of Patiala Kingdom (PEPSU). Now it is a part of Patiala District of Punjab (India). There's nearest town is Ghagga and Patran. Before independence, Ghagga also part of Patiala kingdom. There is Patiala historical mansion.

Geography

It has an average elevation of 240

metre The metre (or meter in US spelling; symbol: m) is the base unit of length in the International System of Units (SI). Since 2019, the metre has been defined as the length of the path travelled by light in vacuum during a time interval of of ...

s (787 feet) with Latitude 30.1583 and Longitude 76.1931. It is located on State Highway(SH-10) between Patiala to Ghagga to Patran to Moonak. The distance between Patiala and Samana is 26 km (kilometers) or 16.3 miles.

History

Samana was named after the wife of Imam Muhammad at-Taqi, respected by both Sunnis and

Shias Shia Islam is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political successor (caliph) and as the spiritual leader of the Muslim community (imam). However, his right is understood to ...

, by their five sons (namely

Imam Imam (; , '; : , ') is an Islamic leadership position. For Sunni Islam, Sunni Muslims, Imam is most commonly used as the title of a prayer leader of a mosque. In this context, imams may lead Salah, Islamic prayers, serve as community leaders, ...

Mash'had Ali who moved from

Mashhad Mashhad ( ; ), historically also known as Mashad, Meshhed, or Meshed in English, is the List of Iranian cities by population, second-most-populous city in Iran, located in the relatively remote north-east of the country about from Tehran. ...

to the present day Samana because of political tensions with the then

Abbasid Caliphate The Abbasid Caliphate or Abbasid Empire (; ) was the third caliphate to succeed the Islamic prophet Muhammad. It was founded by a dynasty descended from Muhammad's uncle, Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib (566–653 CE), from whom the dynasty takes ...

Caliph A caliphate ( ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with Khalifa, the title of caliph (; , ), a person considered a political–religious successor to the Islamic prophet Muhammad and a leader of ...

Al-Ma'mun Abū al-ʿAbbās Abd Allāh ibn Hārūn al-Maʾmūn (; 14 September 786 – 9 August 833), better known by his regnal name al-Ma'mun (), was the seventh Abbasid caliph, who reigned from 813 until his death in 833. His leadership was marked by t ...

after Al-Ma'mun poisoned and killed their father Imam Ali al-Ridha. After they got settled in the area, they named the place after their mother; Later, Mash'had Ali died there and his shrine is also located there and many

Muslims Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

go there to participate in the annual Symposium held in the premises of the Shrine. Later the history is traced to the days of Raja Jaipal who ruled over, among others, the territories of

Bathinda Bathinda is a city and municipal corporation in Punjab, India. The city is the administrative headquarters of Bathinda district. It is located in northwestern India in the Malwa Region, west of the capital city of Chandigarh and is the fifth ...

and Samana. It was included within the territory of Shahab-ud-Din Muhammad Gauri after the conquest of Ajmer and Delhi and was entrusted to Qutb ud-Din Aibak in 1192, along with the territories of Ghuram and Sunam. Samana is listed in the

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 ...

as a

pargana Pargana or parganah, also spelt pergunnah, equivalent to Mohallah as a subunit of Subah (Suba), was a type of former administrative division in the Indian subcontinent during the time of the Delhi Sultanate, Mughal and British Colonial empire ...

under 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 ...

, producing a revenue of 12,822,270

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, aqua ...

s for the imperial treasury and supplying a force of 2000 infantry and 700 cavalry. While Samana is said to be a place of saints and scholars during the Mughal days, it was notorious also for its professional executioners, who served at Delhi and Sirhind. ''"Sayyad Jala-ud-Din"'', who was ordered to execute

Sikh guru The Sikh gurus (Punjabi language, Punjabi: ਸਿੱਖ ਗੁਰੂ; Hindi: सिख गुरु) are the spiritual masters of Sikhism, who established the religion over the course of about two and a half centuries, beginning in 1469. The year ...

Guru Teg Bahadur ji at Delhi in 1675 was from Samana. Baig brothers, who were ordered to execute the younger sons of Guru Gobind Singh ji, 6 years old Sahibzada Fateh Singh and 9 years old Sahibzada Zorawar Singh, also belonged to Samana. This town was therefore one of the first places to have been sacked by the

Sikh 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 ''Si ...

rebel

Banda Singh Bahadur Banda Singh Bahadur, born Lachman Dev (27 October 1670 – 9 June 1716), was a Sikh warrior and a Jathedar, general of the Khalsa Fauj, Khalsa Army. At age 15, he left home to become an Sannyasa, ascetic, and was given the name Madho Das Baira ...

. He had to give up Samana towards the end of 1710 AD when it was retaken by the

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

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'' ...

retook it once again in 1742 AD under the leadership of

Maharaja Maharaja (also spelled Maharajah or Maharaj; ; feminine: Maharani) is a royal title in Indian subcontinent, Indian subcontinent of Sanskrit origin. In modern India and Medieval India, medieval northern India, the title was equivalent to a pri ...

Ala Singh, the founder

of the

Patiala State Patiala State was a kingdom and princely state in Presidencies and provinces of British India, British India, and one of the Phulkian States, that Instrument of Accession, acceded to the Dominion of India, Union of India upon Indian independence ...

, and was recognized as a part of his territories by

Ahmad Shah Durrani Ahmad Shāh Durrānī (; ; – 4 June 1772), also known as Ahmad Shāh Abdālī (), was the first ruler and founder of the Durrani Empire. He is often regarded as the founder of modern Afghanistan. Throughout his reign, Ahmad Shah fought ov ...

Demographics

As per 2011 India

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

, population statistics of Samana city:
Total Population: 54,072
Male Population: 28,309 (52.35%)
Female Population: 25,763 (47.65%)
Female Sex Ratio: 910
Literacy Rate: 85.85 %
Male Literacy Rate: 90.69 %
Female Literacy Rate: 78.58%

Samana Constituency

Samana is one of the 117 legislative constituencies of Punjab. Its constituency no. is 116. List of MLAs of Samana Constituency * 1957: Harchand Singh (INC) * 1962: Chaudhary Bhajan Lal (INC) * 1967: Chaudhary Bhajan Lal (INC) * 1969: Pritam Singh (SAD) * 1972: Gurdev Singh (SAD) * 1977: Gurdev Singh (SAD) * 1980: Sant Ram Singla (INC) * 1985: Hardial Singh Rajla (SAD) * 1992: Captain Amarinder Singh (SAD) * 1997: Jagtar Singh Rajla (SAD) * 2002: Surjit Singh Rakhra (SAD) * 2007: Brahm Mohindra (INC) * 2012: Surjit Singh Rakhra (SAD) * 2017: Rajinder Singh (INC) * 2022: Chetan Singh Jauramajra (AAP)

Places to visit

Panchmukhi Mandir: Panchmukhi Mandir is one of the earliest temples of Samana. It is a large temple devoted to Lord Shiva. Every year, a grand festival is celebrated in this temple on the occasion of Mahashivaratri, starts with a grand shobha yatra on previous day. Mata Naina Devi Mandir is also there inside the temple complex. Gurudwara Thada Sahib: Thada Sahib is a Historical Gurudwara. Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji came to this place when he was on the way to Delhi. Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji came here to the place of Sai Anayat Ali. Adjoining was the area of a cruel Muslim, who had thrown cow bones in the well when Guru Sahib's Sikh went there for water. After that Guru Sahib got a well dug there. Gurudwara Garhi Sahib: Nawab Bhikhan Shah, a Muslim who owned a nearby Garhi (fort), was a great follower of Guru Tegh Bahadur. When Guru ji visited Samana, he requested him to accompany him back to his garhi which was safer for Guru ji as Mughal spies and soldiers were looking to arrest Guru ji . Upon request from Bhikhan Shah, Guru ji visited his Garhi and since then this place is famous as Gurudwara Garhi Sahib in memoir of Guru Tegh Bahadur ji. This gurudwara is situated at the bank of Ghagar river. Bir Gurdialpura Wildlife Sanctuary: Bir Gurdialpura Wildlife Sanctuary is about 15 km from Samana. It was one of the important hunting reserves of the erstwhile rulers of Patiala state. It was declared a protected forest and then as a sanctuary under the Fauna of Patiala Act. The sanctuary has a good ecological value and habitat for number of wild animals. Panj Peer Mazar: It is a major pilgrimage centre for

Shia Muslims Shia Islam is the second-largest Islamic schools and branches, branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad in Islam, Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political Succession to Muhammad, successor (caliph) and as the spiritual le ...

. Sayyid Mash'had Ali, who was son of 8th

Shia Shia Islam is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political successor (caliph) and as the spiritual leader of the Muslim community (imam). However, his right is understood ...

Ali al-Ridha was buried here about 1200 years ago and the town of Samana also takes its name from his mother. According to scholars of Muslim history, the discovery of the mazar is very significant as there is no mazar of any

South Asia South Asia is the southern Subregion#Asia, subregion of Asia that is defined in both geographical and Ethnicity, ethnic-Culture, cultural terms. South Asia, with a population of 2.04 billion, contains a quarter (25%) of the world's populatio ...

. New Aggarwal Gaushaala: It is one of largest Gaushaalas in Punjab. It is built on the banks of Bhakra, on Samana-Patiala road. It covers 12 acres area. People visit here on the daily basis and offers charity and help. Pingla Ashram: It is a charitable center and home for mentally retarded, handicapped and elderly helpless people. It was started by Hari Chand. It is being operated by the blessings of respected Hari Chand and handling by committee of reputed people of Samana. It is managed by Sh. Inderjit Dawar for more than a period of 51 years as a successor of Hari chand without accepting any serving fees of his duty. It is run by the donations from generous people of local town, adjacent villages and abroad. Maisar Mandir: A famous Maisar Mandir, dedicated to goddess Durga is located on the border of Samana and Shadipur (Haryana). Every year, a grand fair is organized here on the occasion of Navaratri. Shri Sai Baba Mandir: It is located at the distance of 3 km from Samana. Shri Durga Mata Mandir: It is a newly renovated temple located inside Aggarwal Dharamshala. Shri Aggarwal Dharamshala & Devi Talab Mandir Jamia Masjid: This

mosque A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Salah, Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were si ...

was built during British era and was a place of worship for the

community. However, the mosque went out of use after

Partition of India The partition of India in 1947 was the division of British India into two independent dominion states, the Dominion of India, Union of India and Dominion of Pakistan. The Union of India is today the Republic of India, and the Dominion of Paki ...

due to the

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

community leaving for

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

Colleges

* Adarsh Nursing College * Dr Johri Degree College * Nancy college of Education. * Public College, Samana * SASM College of Law * Aggarsain Women college * Aadarsh degree college

Schools

* Acharya Devinder Muni Jain Model High School, Shehajpura Road, Samana * Aggarsain International public school Samana * * * Akal Academy School, Fatehgarh Channa * Budha Dal Public School, Samana * D.A.V Public School, Samana * D.A.V Public school, Badshahpur * D.A.V Public school, Kakrala. * D.A.V Public school, Kularan. * Dayanand Model High School, Samana * Holy heart public school, Samana * Mind Glow Academy, Samana * Model public Sr. Sec. school Samana * Premier public school Samana * Public Sr. Sec School Samana * S.D. Model High School, Samana * St. Lawrence Sr. Sec. School, Samana * Shivalik multipurpose public school * SRS Vidyapeeth Patiala Road Samana * The Winners Academy, Samana * Baba Banda Singh Bahadur Public Sr. Sec. School, Fatehpur

Gallery

File:Panchmukhi Mandir.jpg, Panchmukhi Mandir

References

External links

Samana - An unsung city in Punjab
{{Patiala district Cities and towns in Patiala district