Jandiala Guru

History

Jandiala Guru is named after Jand, the son of the founder. The municipality was created in 1867 during the colonial period of British rule and formed part of Amritsar Tehsil. The town was situated on the route of the North-Western Railway. The population according to the 1901 census was 7,750, and the revenue of the town in 1903-4 was Rs. 8,400, mainly from octroi taxes.

At the turn of the 21st century the population was estimated at 100,000. Large communities are Ghangas (Jatts), Majhbi Sikh SC, Jains (mainly jewelers, grain Merchants, and businessmen), Malhotras (Khatri), Kamboj & Thatheras (utensil makers), and Christians. Large concentration of these skillful artisans make Jandiala Guru the hub for jewelry and utensils for the surrounding areas.

Previously, it was surrounded by a mud wall and had seven gates. Some of these gates or their outside remains can still be seen.

The town has religious diversity. A number of popular and well visited religious places for Sikhs, Hindus, Jains and Muslims exist in and around the town. A historical Gurudwara of Baba Hundal (Baba Hundal Tap Asthan) is well known and well visited religious place.

A crafts colony of Thatheras was established during the reign of Maharaja Ranjit Singh the great 19th Century Sikh Monarch, who encouraged skilled metal crafters from Kashmir to settle here.

In 2014, the traditional brass and copper craft of utensil making among the Thatheras of Jandiala Guru got enlisted on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO. After the listing, the Deputy Commissioner of Amritsar launched Project Virasat to revive this craft.

Demographics

The table below shows the population of different religious groups in Jandiala Guru city and their gender ratio, as of 2011 census.

Politics

The city is part of the Jandiala Assembly Constituency.

References

References

1. "Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional)". Census Commission of India.
2. "Jandiāla Gurū – Imperial Gazetteer of India, v. 14, p. 55". Dsal.uchicago.edu.
3. "Location of Jandiala Guru – Falling Rain Genomics". Fallingrain.com.
4. "City of Seven Gates". Tribune India.
5. "Traditional brass and copper craft of utensil making from Punjab gets inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, UNESCO, 2014.".
6. "UNESCO - Traditional brass and copper craft of utensil making among the Thatheras of Jandiala Guru, Punjab, India".
7. Rana, Yudhvir. (June 24, 2018). "Jandiala utensils: Age-old craft of thatheras to get new life".
8. https://censusindia.gov.in/nada/index.php/catalog/11389, India - C-01: Population by religious community, Punjab - 2011, Jandiala (M Cl)