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Bathinda( state of north-western India . It was in the jungles of Bathinda that Guru Gobind Singh Ji is reputed to have once challenged and fought the mighty Mughal forces. Bathinda also had a prominent role in the nation's struggle of freedom against the British Rule and the autocratic administration of princely rulers. A prominent landmark is Qila Mubarak Fort . Bathinda is undergoing rapid industralisation: among recently developed features are a modern Thermal Power Plant , Fertilizer factories, and a large Oil Refinery . Bathinda is one of the biggest food grain and cotton markets in Northern India , and the area around Bathinda has become a large grape growing area. Bathinda is also a leading Railway Junction and the administrative headquarters of Bathinda District . The American International firm Pepsi processes horticultural products grown in Bathinda. HISTORY Prehistoric Bathinda Birth of modern Bathinda It is believed that Rao Bhatti established the modern town of Bathinda in the Lakhi Jungle area in the third century, and it was captured from him by the Brars. Bala Rao Bhatti inhabited the city in 965, naming it Bhatinda after his caste name. The city also remained the capital of Raja Jaipal. In 1004, Mahmud Of Ghazni besieged the local fort, which was located on the route from the northwest into the rich Ganges valley. In 1189, Muhammad Ghori attacked and occupied the fort of Bathinda. Prithvi Raj Chauhan , the ruler of this region, managed to recover possession of the fort thirteen months later in 1191 after a fierce battle. Razia Sultan , the first female ruler of India, was imprisoned at Bathinda in April, 1240. She was released in August of that year through the efforts of Altunia, the local governor. Both Altunia and Razia married but were killed by robbers near Kaithal on October 13 . The Sidhu -Brars were thrown out of Bathinda during the Lodhi 's rule, but were restored to the area by Babur . A few years later, Roop Chand, a staunch Sikh , came onto the scene of Punjab history. Phul, the second son of Roop Chand, started the practice of '' Langar '' (community kitchen) for the people in the Lakhi Jungle area and built a fort around 1654. The story of Bhai Roop Chand ji On the day of her marriage to Raja Sada’s son Sidhu on 16th ''Jyesth'' 1670, Bibi Surti of ''Vada Ghar'' (near ''Daroli'') had the chance to meet Guru Hargobind . Her father, Bhai Aqal, was a disciple of Guru Ramdas ji and Guru Arjan Dev Ji . The Guru gave her his blessings and professed that she would give birth to a boy who would be honoured by the public and the kings as a Sikh . As professed, a boy was born on 3-Baisakh and was named “Roop chand” by Guru Arjan Dev himself. Father Sidhu and son Roop Chand were superintending the harvesting of the crop. It was a very hot day. They had a goat skin bottle hanging from a branch in the shade of the neighbouring tree. Moved by devotion, they dedicated the water as offering to the Guru and refrained from drinking it. Though they were exhausted by the heat, neither gave in to their thirst. Legend has it that the omnipresent Guru Har Gobind was aware of the distress which both suffered on account of their deep devotion to him. Thus the Guru travelled 32 miles on horseback despite the hot day to meet both men and drink his fill of water while sharing with his devoted disciples. The sixth Guru laid the foundation of Village Bhai Roopa on the 16th Baisakh, 1687 ''Bikrmi'' (AD 1630) naming it after Bhai Roop Chand. In August 1631, Guru Har Gobind Sahib Ji with 3000 warriors again visited Bhai Roopa and stayed there for three months. The Guru, in recognition of devotion, honoured Roop Chand with the title of “Bhai” (own brother) and put him in charge of the spiritual welfare of the new Malwa and the country south of Sutlej . With his own hands, the Guru put Bhai Roop Chand on the ''masand'' and put on his forehead the ''tilak'', saffron mark of leadership of the area, and gave ''karchha'' (a long spoon) asking him to run '' Langar '' to feed the poor and the needy. This ''karchha'' is still kept with veneration. Ala Singh, son of Rama, another Sikh, attacked Bathinda when it was in possession of Sardar Jodh Singh Saboke and conquered a large area around the city. Ala Singh, who died in August 1765 at Patiala , was succeeded by Amar Singh , his grandson. In 1770, Amar Singh sent a large force to capture the fort of Bathinda from Sukhchen Singh Sabo. The fort was reacquired in 1771. Raja Amar Singh died in 1781 at the age of 35. After the death of Amar Singh, Raja Sahib Singh, who was six, was made the Chief of Patiala ; however, the affairs of the state were managed by Diwan Nanun Mal. Raja Sahib Singh died on March 26 1813 and was succeeded by his son Karam Singh. During the First Anglo-Sikh War of 1845–46, Maharaja Karam Singh of Patiala fought on the side of the British . He died during the war, but his son and successor Maharaja Narinder Singh also helped the British government. Narinder Singh was succeeded by Rajinder Singh, Bhupinder Singh, and finally, in 1938, Yadavindera Singh. With the formation of the Patiala And East Punjab States Union (PEPSU) on May 5 , 1948 , Bathinda District came into existence on August 20 1948 . Its headquarters was originally at Faridkot , but relocated to Bathinda in 1953. After 1953, many changes were made to Bathinda District's geographical boundaries. Muktsar and Mansa districts were separated from Bathinda. Qila Mubarak See Also: Qila Mubarak The 1900 year old fort in Bathinda is a Historical National Monument. A brief history: , June 2003; ''(photo: G. S. Bhalla)'']] GEOGRAPHY AND CLIMATE Bathinda is also famous for having one of the biggest military chhaunis (cantonments) in Asia. Rampura Phul , Goniana , Mansa , Talwandi Sabo , Bhucho Mandi , Nathana , Tungwali are all small towns near Bathinda. Bathinda is about 1-2 hours distance from Sangrur , Dhuri , Kotkapura , Faridkot . Ludhiana and Patiala are about 3 hours from Bathinda. Chandigarh is about 4 hours from Bathinda. There are direct trains that run from Delhi to Bathinda via Patiala , Ambala , {Link without Title} and Rohtak , Jind route. The journey takes approximately six hours. Areas worth visiting are The Mall, Dhobi Bazar,Mega Mart(under construction),Rose Garden, Model Town , Fort At Bathinda , known as ' Qila Mubarak ', Gurudwara Shri Hazi Rattan, the three Lakes near the Thermal Plant , and others. Summer temperatures can be as high as 50°C (122°F), and winter temperatures as low as 0°C (32°F). The weather is generally dry, but is very humid from mid-May to the end of August. Rainfall is primarily from the south-west due to Monsoon weather, and is concentrated in the period July to mid-September. ECONOMY Bathinda is the largest Oil Refinery , which is currently under construction, and a National Fertilizers Plant. Major developments are planned & announced starting from 2007 till 2010.As part of a massive development programme to make Bathinda a model city of Punjab, the government will set up a special economic zone (SEZ) for textile, flying school, cricket stadium and academy, domestic airport and an air-conditioned bus stand within three years. The cricket stadium and academy would be set up by the BCCI on 25 acres. {Link without Title} Bathinda has a thermal power plant named as Guru Nanak Dev Thermal Plant(GNDTP) after the first Sikh guru. It is located near the rose garden within in the interiors of Bathinda. There is another 230MW power plant located 18 km away in Lehra Mohabbat. Bathinda is also one of the biggest railways junction in Asia. Real estate in Bathinda is more expensive just like it is in the rest of Punjab and India in general. International players like Zoom Developers are very keen on developing properties in Bhatinda. The group has recently acquired 12.5 Acres of primely located land in Bhatinda and will be developing 600 state of art residential units along with a Shopping Mall cum Multiplex. The group is also keen on developing a 5 Star hotel in the city. All major national and regional banks operate in Bathinda. These include:
GOVERNMENT Bathinda has a ' Municipal Corporation ' setup of administration. DEMOGRAPHICS As of the 2001 , India Census , Bathinda had a population of 217,389. Males constitute 54% of the population and females, 46%. Bathinda has an average Literacy Rate of 70% (57% male and 43% female), higher than the national average of 59.5%; 11% of the population is under 6 years of age. EDUCATION Government Rajindra College is located in the heart of the city. The college offers Graduate courses in Science , Commerce , and Humanities . Bathinda also has Punjab Technical University, an engineering college called Giani Zail Singh College Of Engineering & Technology Bathinda, and Bathinda Engineering College . Saint Joseph's Convent School, Saint Xavier's Senior Secondary School and MSD Senior Secondary Public School are located in Bathinda. Bathinda is home to Government Rajindra College, GZSCET (an autonomous engineering college), a private Medical College called the Adesh Institute of Medical Research; and Baba Shiri Chand Ji Government College in Sardargarh (Bathinda). Punjab Technical University is located in Model Town, Phase-1, Bathinda . REFERENCES EXTERNAL LINKS
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