Bathinda is a city and municipal corporation in Punjab, India. The city is the administrative headquarters of Bathinda district. It is located in northwestern India in the Malwa Region, 227 km (141 mi) west of the capital city of Chandigarh and is the fifth largest city of Punjab. It is the second cleanest city in Punjab after Mohali.[1]
a iconical Qila Mubarak which was built by King Kanishka in 2nd century CE and is the location where the first Empress of India Razia Sultana was held captive[5]
Bhatinda was changed to Bathinda to conform to the phonetical expression as locally pronounced.[6] According to Henry George Raverty, Bathinda was known as Tabar-i-Hind (Labb-ut-Twarikh) or Tabarhindh, which roughly translates as ‘Gateway to India’. The earliest mention of Tabar-i-Hind occurs in the Jami-Ul-Hakayat written about 607 Hijri or 1211 AD.[7]
In 1004, Mahmud of Ghazni besieged and captured the local fort, which was located on the route from the northwest into the rich Ganges valley. In 1190, Muhammad of Ghor attacked and occupied the fort of Bathinda. Prithviraj Chauhan, the ruler of this region, managed to recover possession of the fort thirteen months later in 1191 after the First Battle of Tarain. However, Prithviraj Chauhan was killed in the Second Battle of Tarain and the fort of Bathinda once again came under the control of Muhammad Ghori.
In the 3rd century, Rao Bhatti is credited with establishing the modern town of Bathinda in the Lakhi jungle area.[8] In 14th century, present region of bathinda was ruled by Bhati and Bhanot rulers of that time. 1488, Bathinda was conquered by Rao Bika, son of Jodha of Mandore (founder of Jodhpur) and became part of Bikaner princely state.[9] Bathinda was an important fort in the area from Delhi to Lahore during the time of the Delhi Sultanate.
In circa 1754, the town was conquered by Maharaja Ala Singh, the Maharaja of Patiala and since then it followed the history of erstwhile princely state of Patiala. With the dawn of independence and merger of Patiala and East Punjab States into a division called Patiala and East Punjab States Union (PEPSU), Bathinda became a full-fledged district with headquarters at Bathinda city.[6]
As per provisional reports of Census India, population of Bathinda city in 2011 is 285,813; male and female are 151,782 and 134,031 respectively. The sex ratio of Bathinda city is 868 females per 1000 males. The number of literate people in Bathinda city are 211,318 of which 118,888 are males while 92,430 are females, average literacy rate is 82.84 per cent of which male and female literacy is 87.86 and 77.16 per cent respectively. Total children (ages 0 to 6) in Bathinda city are 30,713: 16,472 boys and 14,241 girls. Child sex ratio of girls is 865 per 1000 boys.[10]
Religion
Hinduism is the majority religion in Bathinda city with 62.61% people following the faith. Sikhism is the second most popular religion in the city which is followed by 35.04% of the people. Minorities are Muslims, Christians, Buddhists and Jains. Sikhs count for 70.89% of the population in Bathinda District on a whole in spite of not being a majority in the city.[11]
Bathinda's climate corresponds to semi-arid with high variation between summer and winter temperatures. Average annual rainfall is relatively low, in a range of 20 cm to 40 cm.[14]
In recent times, Summer temperatures of 49 °C (120 °F)[15] and winter temperatures of 1 °C (about 33 °F)[16] were not unknown in Bathinda, lowest being -1.4 °C (29.48 °F) in the winter of 2013[17]
There has been increasing incidence of various types of cancer in and around Bathinda. It is attributed to the presence of polluting industries and the indiscriminate use of modern pesticides and other toxic materials in farming. A 2007 epidemiological study found that the surface waters of Bathinda are contaminated with arsenic, cadmium, chromium, selenium and mercury primarily due to the discharge of untreated waste water from surrounding industries. Unscientific farming practices, that emerged after the introduction of Green Revolution, are also alleged to be a reason for growing incidence of not just cancer but also, high rates of spontaneous abortions, reproductive ailments, genetic deformities, anaemia, diarrhoea, vomiting, fluorosis and a host of skin ailments including rashes and boils. Many young couples are also reported to be migrating out to save their children from adverse effects. Hence the government has completely banned the use of ground water in the city for drinking purposes.[18]
In the cleanliness survey, conducted by the Union Ministry of Urban Development, Bathinda scored an all-India rank of 79 and number 1 rank in Punjab.[19]
Government and politics
Bhatinda city is governed by Municipal Corporation Bhatinda. The administrative wing is headed by Municipal Commissioner Bikramjit Singh Shergill,[20] while the elected wing is headed by Mayor.
^"National Highways of India"(PDF). National Highway Authority of India. Wayback Machine. Archived from the original(PDF) on 27 January 2018. Retrieved 27 January 2018.
