Batala

**Batala** is a city in Punjab, India. It's the eighth largest city in the state and has a rich history. Batala is an important place for Sikhs because Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, got married here in 1485. Many temples and gurdwaras related to Guru Nanak's marriage attract visitors. Every year, people celebrate the anniversary of Guru Nanak's marriage at Gurudwara Kandh Sahib. Batala is also home to other historical gurdwaras, including Satkartarian Sahib, which is related to Guru Hargobind, the sixth Sikh guru.

## History

Batala was founded in 1465 by Abhay Pratap Bal, a ruler from Kapurthala. At that time, the city was under the control of Sultan Bahlul Lodi. Later, during the Mughal Empire, Akbar gave the city to his foster brother, Shamsher Khan. In the 16th century, Batala was a famous city in the Punjab region, just like Lahore and Jalandhar. The city was surrounded by a fort with 12 gates, which still exist today, although some are in need of repair.

In 1785, After defeating Jai Singh Kanhaiya, Jassa Singh Ramgarhia made Batala his capital.

## Demographics

According to the 2011 census, Batala had a population of 158,404 people. This included 83,536 men and 74,868 women. About 85.28% of the people in Batala could read and write.

The table below shows the population of different religious groups in Batala city and their gender ratio, based on the 2011 census.

|Religion|Total|Female|Male|Gender ratio|
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|Hindu|88,825|41,750|47,075|886|
|Sikh|59,996|28,406|31,590|899|
|Christian|6,897|3,289|3,608|911|
|Muslim|383|169|214|789|
|Jain|114|56|58|965|
|Buddhist|30|14|16|875|
|Other religions|34|14|20|700|
|Not stated|2,342|1,268|1,074|1180|
|Total|1,58,621|74,966|83,655|896|

## Infobox (settlement)

- **name**: Batala
- **native name lang**: Punjabi
- **settlement type**: City
- **image alt**: Batala Map
- **image caption**: Gurudwara Kandh Sahib, Kali Mata Mandir, Haqiqat Rai temple, Batala railway station entry
- **pushpin map**: India Punjab#India#Asia
- **pushpin label position**: right
- **pushpin map caption**: Location in Punjab, India
- **subdivision type**: Country
- **subdivision type1**: States and territories of India, State
- **subdivision name1**: Punjab, India, Punjab
- **subdivision type2**: List of districts of India, District
- **subdivision name2**: Gurdaspur district, Gurdaspur
- **subdivision type3**: Region
- **subdivision name3**: Majha
- **established date**: 1465
- **government type**: Local self-government in India, Local Self Government
- **governing body**: Batala Municipal Corporation
- **unit pref**: Metric
- **area footnotes**: (2015)
- **area rank**: 8th
- **area total km2**: 42
- **elevation m**: 249
- **population total**: 211594
- **population as of**: 2015
- **population metro**: 617780
- **population density km2**: auto
- **demographics type1**: Languages
- **demographics1 title1**: Official
- **demographics1 info1**: Punjabi language, Punjabi
- **timezone1**: Indian Standard Time, IST
- **utc offset1**: +5:30
- **postal code type**: Postal Index Number, PIN
- **postal code**: 143505
- **area code type**: Telephone code
- **area code**: 01871
- **registration plate**: PB-18
- **blank1 name sec1**: Distance from Amritsar
- **blank1 info sec1**: NE (National highways of India, land)
- **blank2 name sec1**: Distance from Jalandhar
- **blank2 info sec1**: NE (National highways of India, land)
- **blank3 name sec1**: Distance from Chandigarh
- **blank3 info sec1**: NE (National highways of India, land)
- **blank4 name sec1**: Distance from Delhi
- **blank4 info sec1**: NE (National highways of India, land)
- **blank5 name sec1**: Lok Sabha#Punjab, Lok Sabha constituency
- **blank5 info sec1**: Gurdaspur (Lok Sabha constituency)
- **blank6 name sec1**: Punjab Legislative Assembly constituency
- **blank6 info sec1**: Batala Assembly Constituency