Jandiala Guru

Jandiala Guru (जंडियाला गुरू), the city of Seven Gates, is a town in the Amritsar district of India.

Founder

• Randhir Singh Saran founded the village of Jhandiala in 1580 in the Punjab and his descendants are called Randhawa.
• Jandiala Guru in Amritsar was founded by Jats and it was named after Jand, the son of the founder. Jandiala Guru is populated with Ghangas Sikh Jats and was founded by Ghangas gotra Jats.

Location

It is 16 Kilometers South of Amritsar. It is located on the Grand Trunk Road at 31° 33' 41N 75°1'36E and has an altitude of 229m (754ft). The municipality was created in 1867 during the colonial period of British rule and formed part of Amritsar Tahsil. The town was situated on the route of the North-Western Railway. The population according to the 1901 census was 7,750, the income 1903-4 was Rs. 8,400 mainly from octroi.

Jat Gotras

• Ghangas Sikh Jats
• Randhawa

History

Ram Swarup Joon writes about Saran, Randhawa, Kajla: The Saran gotra is a branch of Bhatti gotra and the Saran Jats are associated with the royal dynasty of Jaisalmer. Their capital was in Bikaner State, which was later occupied by the Rathors. The Sarans live in this area even today.

In the history of this gotra there have been two famous men named Kajal Singh and his son Randhir Singh Saran. Kajal Singh is the forefather of the Kajala gotra of the Jats who mostly live in Bikaner and Haryana.

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History of the Jats, End of Page-99

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Randhir Singh Saran founded the village of Jhandiala in 1580 in the Punjab and his descendants are called Randhawa. His grandson Targha adopted the Sikh religion and while serving as Jathedar in Patiala misl ruled over Targha Pargana.

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H.A. Rose writes that The Ghanghas in this District appear to have no jathera but make offerings, which are taken by Sikhs, to the samadh of Akal Das, their ancestor, at Jandiala in Amritsar, where an annual fair is held.

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As per the District Gazetteer, Jandiala Guru was founded by Jats and it was named after Jand, the son of the founder. Previously, it was surrounded by a mud wall and had seven gates. In 1767, Jandiala Guru was invaded by Charat Singh, the grandfather of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, to punish the Niranjania Guru, who had submitted to Ahmad Shah Abdali, and hence had incurred the displeasure of the people.

There is a gurdwara in the memory of Baba Handal. Another gurdwara has been raised at the place where Baba Handal was born. Baba Handal belonged to a Jat family. While grazing cattle at green spaces of Jandiala Guru, he used to get spiritual lessons from a Nath Jogi living in a temple situated near the present Gurdwara of Baba Handal.

The sudden disappearance of the Nath Jogis from that place one day made Handal extremely distressed. He went to Amritsar and started meditation on the edge of the tank of the Harmandar Sahib. His parents beseeched Guru Arjun Dev to persuade Handal to return home. However, at the Guru's insistence, Handal promised to return home after 12 years. All through this period, Handal remained engaged in meditation and finally met the Nath Jogi.

Thereafter, Handal founded the Niranjania sect. It stands for the oneness of God. This sect has composed its own ardas in the memory of Baba Handal. A gurdwara and a tank have been built at Nathan da Dera, where Handal had received spiritual lessons from the Nath Jogi.

References

• http://groups.yahoo.com/group/JatHistory/message/5158
• http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/20051006/aplus.htm
• http://www.jattworld.com/portal/modules/newbb_plus/print.php?forum=3&topic_id=6065

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References

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