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Sirhind-Fatehgarh | |
|---|---|
Town | |
  Sirhind-Fatehgarh Location in Punjab, India Show map of Punjab Sirhind-Fatehgarh Sirhind-Fatehgarh (India) Show map of India | |
| Coordinates:30°37′N76°23′E / 30.617°N 76.383°E /30.617; 76.383 | |
| Country |  India |
| State | Punjab |
| District | Fatehgarh Sahib |
| Population (2013) | |
• Total | 60,852 |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Punjabi |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
| Vehicle registration | PB-23 |
| [1] | |
Sirhind-Fategarh is a town and amunicipal council in theFatehgarh Sahib district in theIndian state ofPunjab.
In the2011 census Sirhind-Fatehgarh had a population of 60852. Males constituted 54% of the population and females 46%. Sirhind-Fatehgarh had an average literacy rate of 90%, higher than the national average of 74%: male literacy is 84%, and female literacy was 80%. 12% of the population was under 6 years of age.
According to popular notion, Sirhind, comes from 'Sar-i hind', meaning the Frontier of Hind, as theMughal emperors saw it as the 'gateway toHindustan'.[1][2]
In his Sanskrit treatise,Brihat Samhita,Varahamihira (505–587) mentions the city as 'Satudar Desh'. Later it was inhabited by a tribe of Sairindhas Aryans, leading to its present name.[3] According toHuan Tsang, the Chinese traveller who visited India during the seventh century, Sirhind was the capital of the district of Shitotulo, or Shatadru (the present day RiverSutlej).[4]
In the 12th century, Sirhind came under the rule of theHindu Chauhan Rajputs ofDelhi.[5] During the rule ofPrithvi Raj Chauhan (1168–1192), theHinduRajput ruler ofDelhi, it became his military outpost. The city was besieged byJasrat Khokhar in 1421. However, he failed to conquer it. In 1431, Jasrat Khokhar allied with Sikander Tohfa, the governor of Lahore, against Afghans of Sirhind. They managed to capture Sirhind, but the Afghans had already left and moved towards the hills, where many of them were massacred by Jasrat Khokhar and Sikander.[6]
It became a provincial capital during theMughal Empire, controlling theLahore–Delhi highway. During the Mughal era, Sirhind was the name forMalwa, the area's capital city. Sirhind was the headquarters of the Mughal administration in Eastern Punjab. Many European travelers describe its splendours, and it developed into a cultural center.[7]
Sirhind was known for dozens of saints, scholars, poets, historians,calligraphers and scribes who lived there. This city is famous to Muslims for Great saint Imām-e-Rabbānī ShaykhAhmad al-Farūqī al-Sirhindī (R.) (1564–1624). He was an Indian Islamic scholar of Arab origin, a Hanafi jurist, and a prominent member of theNaqshbandī Sufi order. Many buildings survive from this period, including Aam Khas Bagh;[8] it is said that in its heyday, the city had 360 mosques, gardens, tombs,caravansarais and wells.
Subhash Parihar, "Medieval Sirhind and its Monuments", Marg (Mumbai), vol. 55, no. 4, June 2004, pp. 42–57.Subhash Parihar, "Historic Mosques of Sirhind". Islamic Studies, 43(3)(2004): 481–510.Subhash Parihar, "Arabic and Persian Inscriptions from Sirhind". Islamic Studies, 38(2)(1999): 255–74.
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