July 18, 2012

Batala Railway Junction


         Batala is a town of historic and religious importance. It is located in Gurdaspur district of Punjab state.  It is situated just about 38 km away from the city of Amritsar and is just about 33 km away from Gurdaspur, the main city of Gurdaspur district. The town of Batala is served with a major railway junction which falls on Amritsar- Pathankot rail line. Batala Railway Junction belongs to Northern Railway, Firozpur Cant.
           Batala is a prominent pilgrimage place for Sikhs. It happens to be the same place where Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikh religion, was married to Salukhni in 1485. The town houses several temples and Gurdwaras which are related with the marriage of Guru Nanak Dev and are visited by thousands of devotees throughout the year. Every year the town Batala celebrates anniversary of Guru Nanak’s marriage with great religious fervor. The place also holds great religious significance for Hindus. Alchaleshwar Dham is major Hindu pilgrimage site in Batala.
          Batala also hosts several historic monuments which serve as key attractions of the town. Palace of Maharaja Sher Singh is one of them. Built during 1780-1839, the palace is famous for its architectural style.  Jal Mahal Palace is another historic structure in Batala. It is under the control of archeological survey of India. Jal Mahal and Palace of Maharaja were once connected by a tunnel. Hazira located near Baring College was a monumental structure built by Shamsher Khan. It now hosts a recreational park frequented by a number of tourist.
            Batala was once known as iron bird of Asia as it was a major producer of C I Casting, agriculture and mechanical machinery. It is still a major manufacture of C I Casting, agricultural and mechanical machinery. Weaving, Cotton ginning, sugar refining, rice milling are other business activities of Batala.
Batala Junction Railway Station is well connected by several trains to other parts of India. Besides, National Highway no 15 (NH-15) connecting Amritsar to Pathankot runs through the town of Batala. Raja Sansi Airport of Amritsar (38 km) serves as the closest airport to Batala.                

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