Preamble
While interacting with a few fellow MouthShutians, I had asked them to drop in whenever they passed through or passed by Jalandhar. Today I realised that what fool I was. Hey don’t get me wrong. Inviting you people over was not wrong, but not telling you how to get here and what to expect in Jalandhar was wrong. How could I hope to attract the attention of MouthShutians all over the world to a place they have not heard of. Ok I agree some of you might have heard of Jalandhar, but do you know what is so special about jalandhar? No? No wonder in the six months of my stay with MouthShut, I have not got a single query from anyone. This got me started on a review on the city of my current residence. I hope after reading this review, I will at least get a few enquiries for further information on various aspects, so here I go.
Location
Jalandhar is in the heart of Punjab on the main railway line from Delhi to Jammu at a distance of approx 380 km from Delhi and 130 km fromChandigarh. The National Highway 1 A passes through Jalandhar enroute to Jammu.
Brief history of Jalandhar
There are various stories about the origin of the name Jalandhar. According to one story, Jalandhar was a demon king, who finds a mention in the Puranas and Mahabharta. According to another legend, Jalandhar was the capital of the kingdom of lav, son of Rama. According to yet another version Jalandhar is said to have derived its name from the vernacular term `Jalandhar’ which means the area inside water. Jalandhar lies between the rivers Satluj and Beas. The area between these two rivers is also called the Doaba region. Certain evidence excavations unearthed in recent years link Jalandhar to the Indus Valley Civilisation. Rare and unique archaeological objects have been found in certain parts of Jalandhar. From all these stories, one thing is evident, that Jalandhar is an ancient city which has seen a lot of history being created from the days of the Ramayana or even earlier. A lot of action was seen here during the Moughal period and the British Raj.
The People
The people of Jalandhar as of Punjab have an enterprising spirit. They are rustic, brave, courageous, hard working, spirited and full of a zest for life. They are industrious and can do any type of work as long as it gives them an opportunity to improve their lot. By dint of hard work and this ability to progress, they have achieved a lot. Their adventurous spirit can not be curbed and they have ventured out all over the world in quest of fresh experiences. Today there are thousands of immigrants from this region to the West. In fact every family in Jalandhar can boast of a family member either working in the US, Canada or Europe or aspiring to go there. The lure of the West has changed the living standards of the people tremendously. The people are fond of their foreign connections. You can come across palatial houses with names displayed such as Surjit Singh Englandian or Balbir Singh Canadian. or Amrik Singh German. The people have no inhibitions. The rustic has got modernized and the bhangra culture has given way to rap culture. However, at heart they are still traditional and follow the old customs despite the outward show.
The Sports City
Jalandhar is often described as the sports city of India, not only because of the flourishing sports goods industry, but also because it has produced great sports personalities. The sports goods industry had its roots in Sialkot, Pakistan. During partition in 1947, many skilled Hindu craftsmen migrated across the border into Punjab, settling in Jalandhar, where the Indian sports goods industry is now based. Sports goods are exported to USA, Germany, United Kingdom, France and Australia. Major items that are exported are inflatable balls, hockey sticks and balls, cricket bats and balls, boxing equipment, fishing equipment, indoor games like carrom and chess boards and different kinds of protective equipment. Being a labour intensive industry it provides employment to the weaker sections of society and also employs a large number of women. Amongst the prominent sports personalities, who hasn’t heard of Harbhajan Singh one of the mainstay of Indian crickets bowling attack today. Sansarpur, a small village in Jalandhar was the hub of Hockey players in 60’s and 70’s. It has produced 12 great Olympians of Indian Hockey of the stature of Ajit Pal Singh, Surjit Singh, Pargat Singh. There are two Padmashree and 17 Arjuna awardees from Jalandhar in the field of Basketball, boxing, football, kabaddi, hockey, weight lifting and Wrestling.
Historical Monuments
Jalandhar boasts of many historical monuments. Prominent among them are:
• the mausoleum of Imam Nasir,
• the fort at Phillaur which once served as Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s line of defence against the British,
• a Shiv Mandir which dates back to the Lodhi era is situated near Gur Mandi, and is reputed to have been built by a Nawab of Sultanpur Lodhi
• the Gurudwara at Kartarpur. The Gurudwara at Kartarpur (16 km from Jalandhar town) was built by the Fifth Sikh Guru, Guru Arjun Devji in 1656 A.D.
• St Mary’s Cathedral (Jalandhar Cantt) The rare cathedral initiated by representatives of His Holiness, the Pope is the only one of its kind in the East. Its cosmo-cultural design is a tribute to the Punjabi tradition.
• A Mughal Serai got constructed by Nurjehan, famous queen of Jehangir at Nurmahal known as Serai Nurmahal is worthseeing.
• A commemorative ’memorial Museum’ on the 50th martyrdom anniversary of Shaheed-e-Azam S. Bhagat Singh was constructed at his birthplace in Khatkar Kalan.
• Nakodar is known for two beautiful 17th century Tombs. One of these protected monuments is known as the tomb of ’Ustad’, the teacher.
Other Important Landmarks
Jalandhar is famous for Leather Goods, Hand Tools, Oldest Military Cantonment, Punjab Armed Police and BSF Headquarters and of course beautiful Dulhan’s (brides) too. This city has twelve kots and twelve gates. Jalandhar is the biggest printing centre of Northern India and most of the newspapers, magazines in Hindi, Punjabi and Urdu are published here. The well known newspapers are Hind Samachar, Punjab Kesri, Jag Bani, Partap & Veer Partap, Ajit, Akali Patrika, Nawan Zamana and Milap. Many publications for school and college books are located in Jalandhar.
Conclusion
Now I am sure I have given you a little idea of what is in store for you in case you decide to visit Jalandhar. I hope some of you venture out and delight me.