Baba Bakala | |
|---|---|
town | |
  Baba Bakala Location in Punjab, India Show map of Punjab Baba Bakala Baba Bakala (India) Show map of India | |
| Coordinates:31°33′18″N75°15′56″E / 31.55500°N 75.26556°E /31.55500; 75.26556 | |
| Country |  India |
| State | Punjab |
| Region | Punjab |
| District | Amritsar |
| Tehsil | Baba Bakala |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 8,946 |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Punjabi (Gurmukhi) |
| • Regional | Punjabi |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
| PIN | 143201[1] |
| Vehicle registration | PB-17 |
| Amritsar city | Amritsar |
| Vidhan Sabha constituency | 25 |
Baba Bakala is a historical town andtehsil in theAmritsar district inPunjab, India.[2] It is known as the location ofGurdwara Baba Bakala Sahib.
Baba Bakala Sahib is closely associated with the ninth guru of theSikhs,Guru Tegh Bahadur. The guru is said to have meditated here for 26 years, 9 months and 13 days. There is aGurdwara at the site commemorating this.[3]
Baba Bakala Sahib was originally known as Bakkan-Wala (meaning 'Town of the Deer' in Persian) however over time this was shortened to Bakala. The town was originally a mound, where deer were found grazing.
Before passing away in Delhi, the guru at the time,Guru Har Krishan uttered "Baba Bakale" which the Sikhs at the time interpreted as meaning that the guru's successor was to be found at the town of Bakala, close toAmritsar. Once the nextguru was found, the phrase"Baba Bakale" evolved into the official name of the town, Baba Bakala sahib.[citation needed]
Baba Bakala is located at31°33′18″N75°15′56″E / 31.55500°N 75.26556°E /31.55500; 75.26556, onBatala Road, nearAmritsar,Punjab, India. The town is located only 43 km (26.7 miles) away from theGolden Temple in the city of Amritsar,[3] 46.5 km (28.9 miles) northwest ofJalandhar and 193 km (120.5 miles) northwest of the state's capital ofChandigarh.
According to the2011 census of India, the population of Baba Bakala is 8946. There are 1,834 households, 4,697 males and 4,249 females.Thus the corresponding sex ratio is 905 women per 1000 men.[4]
Sikhism is the most prominent religion of the town. Other minorities includesHinduism andJainism. Bhullar Jatts and Shukla Pandits were the original inhabitants of the town when it was founded as a village. There were few Muslim households, who migrated elsewhere during the1947 Partition of India.
The table below shows the population of different religious groups in Baba Bakala town, as of 2011 census.
| Religion | Total | Female | Male |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sikh | 8,232 | 3,921 | 4,311 |
| Hindu | 649 | 298 | 351 |
| Christian | 25 | 11 | 14 |
| Muslim | 8 | 3 | 5 |
| Not stated | 32 | 16 | 16 |
| Total | 8,946 | 4,249 | 4,697 |
The city is part of theBaba Bakala Assembly Constituency.