This article needs additional citations for verification. (May 2017) |
Batala | |
---|---|
City | |
Coordinates: 31°49′07″N 75°12′10″E / 31.8186°N 75.2028°E | |
Country | India |
State | Punjab |
District | Gurdaspur |
Region | Majha |
Government | |
• Type | Local Self Government |
• Body | Batala Municipal Corporation |
Area (2015) | |
• City | 42 km2 (16 sq mi) |
• Rank | 8th |
Elevation | 249 m (817 ft) |
Population (2015) | |
• City | 211,594 |
• Density | 5,000/km2 (13,000/sq mi) |
• Metro | 617,780 |
Languages | |
• Official | Punjabi |
Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
PIN | 143505 |
Telephone code | 01871[1] |
Vehicle registration | PB-18 |
Distance from Amritsar | 33 kilometres (21 mi) NE (land) |
Distance from Jalandhar | 78 kilometres (48 mi) NE (land) |
Distance from Chandigarh | 203 kilometres (126 mi) NE (land) |
Distance from Delhi | 470 kilometres (290 mi) NE (land) |
Lok Sabha constituency | Gurdaspur (Lok Sabha constituency) |
Punjab Legislative Assembly constituency | Batala Assembly Constituency |
Batala is the eighth largest city in the state of Punjab, India in terms of population after Ludhiana, Amritsar, Jalandhar, Patiala, Bathinda, Mohali and Hoshiarpur. Batala ranks as the second-oldest city after Bathinda. It is a municipal corporation (since 3 March 2019) in Gurdaspur district in the Majha region of the state of Punjab. It is located about 32 km from Gurdaspur, the headquarters of the district. It is also a Police district. Batala holds the status of the most populated town of the district with 31% of the district's total population. It is the biggest industrial town in the district.
Batala is an important place for Sikh devotees. Guru Nanak, the founder of the Sikh religion was married here to Sulakhni, the daughter of Mul Chand Chauna in 1485.[2] Many temples and gurdwaras related to the guru's marriage attract devotees from near and far. Every year celebrations are conducted on the anniversary of Nanak's marriage (Babe Nanak Da Viah) at Gurudwara Kandh Sahib. There is also a historical gurdwara Satkartarian Sahib related to 6th guru of Sikhs, Guru Hargobind.
Batala was once known as the "Iron Bird of Asia" as it produced the highest amount of cast iron, agricultural and mechanical machinery. Batala is still one of the leading cities in Northern India in manufacturing of cast iron and mechanical machinery. It's also an agricultural marketplace and industrial center. Cotton ginning, weaving, sugar refining, and rice milling are some of other industries.