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Named after its founder
Nawab Kapur Singh, this capital town
of an erstwhile princely state is situated
towards the west of Jalandhar City at
a distance of 19 kms. It is now the
headquarters of the district in Punjab
with the same territory.
Almost two centuries ago, the notorious
Ahmed Shah descended upon India for
the fifth time in his rapacious career.
This incursion resulted in the ousting
of the Mahrattas from the Punjab and
permanently ruined their chance of ruling
northern India. But for the Sikh community,
native to this region, it was a blessing
in disguise, as it enabled them to re-establish
and strengthen their position after
about a generation of historical oblivion,
which had resulted from a decade of
atrocities culminating in the cruel
death of Banda Bairagi.
The Ghallughara of 1762 was a tribulation
yet to come with Ahmed Shah's Sikh invasion.
But after he returned to Kabul and the
Sikhs slew Zain Khan in December 1763,
Sikh independence became an established
fact. Ahmed Shah's subsequent raids
of 1764 and 1767 achieved nothing against
the Sikhs.
The most conspicuous person among the
confederate leaders, certainly the most
resplendent figure in Sikh history after
the ten Gurus, barring the great Maharaja
Ranjit Singh, was Sardar Jassa Singh
Ahluwalia. The story of Kapurthala is
inextricably inter-woven with the life
and struggles of Jassa Singh.
It was he who evicted Ibrahim Khan,
a usurper after the death of Mughal
Governor Adina Beg, from Kapurthala.
Jassa Singh selected Kapurthala as his
capital, although it was only after
his death that the town became the fixed
capital and place of residence of the
Ahluwalia chiefs.
The story of Kapurthala extends back
to more than 900 years ago, Mahmood
Ghaznavi's time. It is said that a certain
Rana Kapur, of the royal Rajpur House
of Jaisalmer, a legendary ancestor of
the Ahluwalia family, founded the town
in that remote age. But it remains the
fact that during 700 years of Muslim
rule, it was not a prominent place.
The limelight of history fell upon it
only with the advent of Jassa Singh.
The most striking building in the town
is a fine Hindu temple called the '
Panch Mandir' built during the reign
of, Sardar Fateh Singh. Several smaller
temples dedicated to different deities
surround the principal dome in the center.
A replica of this only temple of its
kind was exhibited in the pre-partition
Punjab Museum at Lahore.
Famous French architect M. Manteaux
designed unique Moorish Mosque , patterned
after the Qutbya Mosque in Morocco.
It as a large compound paved with the
purest Indian marble. The artists of
the school of Art, Lahore, have decorated
the inner dome.
The Shalimar Garden is a lovely small
garden with a swimming pool and a library
having 'Samadhis' (with excellent filigree
work) of the former Rulers Kapurthala
state.
The Jagatjit Palace now housing the
Sainik School is a remarkable building.Worthy
of note also in the building of the
Randhir College, which institution is
now over a 100 years old.
Reverting to the town itself, where
Red Marble State Gurudwara is an imposing
building, as also are the War Memorial,
the Irwin Jubilee Memorial Hospital,
the Circuit House and the Clock Tower.
Kanjli Wetland:
A few miles from Kapurthala is the rivulet
of Bein, which is surrounded by natural
scenery. Villa Buona Vista, built on
the banks of the 'Bein' is the residence
of the Ex-Maharaja of Kapurthala. Nearby
is the Kanjili Lake, a beautiful home
of migratory birds in the winter. The
place has all the infrastructure for
a memorable fishing and boating holiday
for the tourists.
Sultanpur Lodhi :
Gurudwara Ber sahib here, situated amid
a constellation of other Gurudwaras
is connected with Guru Nanak Devji who
spent the early years of his life in
and around Sultanpur Lodhi. Other historical
buildings here include Mazaar Shah,
Hujra Hajira and a Serai , which is
the oldest building in Sultanpur.
Phagwara:
Phagwara was founded by Shah Jahan in
1804 AD. One of the main markets for
agriculture produce, known for textile
products, has many Ramgarhia educational
institutions. Because of a large number
of Punjabis who have gone abroad from
the area, Phagwara has become a great
trading center and market for cloth
and ethnic clothes.
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