Sri Machhiwara Sahib is one of the developing cities in the Ludhiana district of the

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising a ...

. Machhiwara is famous for Gurudwara Sri Charan Kanwal Sahib associated with Guru Gobind Singh ji and named after the Guru's feet that are compared to the lotus flower. And It is also famous for Religious Hindu Sri Shivala Bramchari Temple associated with the

Pandava The Pandavas (Sanskrit: पाण्डव, IAST: Pāṇḍava) refers to the five legendary brothers— Yudhishthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva—who are the central characters of the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. They are acknowledge ...

s of '' Dvapara Yuga'' (time of Lord

Krishna Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is one ...

) . The Ghorewaha were given the title of Mian by Emperor Jehangir. During Emperor Akbar’s time, the Ghorewaha Raja was Rana Udho II, The Raja of Machiwara, Rana Udho actively assisted Emperor Akbar in his fight for the Delhi Throne, he captured the rebellious Bairam Khan and subsequently the Raja was allowed to retain the Jagir of Rahon worth 750 villages. The division of the Ghorewaha country took place after Rana Udho’s death when all the Branches were Hindu, including that of the famed Rai Rup Chand. The principal Jagirs were taken, Rahon by the Tikka and Jadla by Bhoj Singh, who returned from Jaipur.

History

Machhiwara name came from ''machhi'' (fish) + ''wara'' (ground). Satluj River runs 13 km away from Machhiwara.

Battle of Machhiwara (15 May 1555) between Humayun and Afghans

When

Humayun Nasir-ud-Din Muhammad ( fa, ) (; 6 March 1508 – 27 January 1556), better known by his regnal name, Humāyūn; (), was the second emperor of the Mughal Empire, who ruled over territory in what is now Eastern Afghanistan, Pakistan, Northe ...

was struggling to regain his power on India, Humayun captured Lahore in February 1555. Another detachment of his forces captured Dipalpur. Next, the Mughal army occupied Jalandhar and their advanced division proceeded towards Sirhind.

Sikandar Shah Suri Sikandar Shah Suri (died 1559) was the sixth ruler of the Sur dynasty, a late medieval Pashtun dynasty of northern India. He became the sultan of Delhi after overthrowing Ibrahim Shah Suri. Early life Sikandar Shah Suri's actual name was Ahm ...

sent a force of 30,000 horses with Naseeb Khan and Tatar Khan, but they were defeated by the

Mughal Army The Army of the Mughal Empire was the force by which the Mughal emperors established their empire in the 15th century and expanded it to its greatest extent at the beginning of the 18th century. Although its origins, like the Mughals themselves, ...

in a Battle at Machhiwara.

Guru Gobind Singh and Machhiwara

When

Mughal Emperor The Mughal emperors ( fa, , Pādishāhān) were the supreme heads of state of the Mughal Empire on the Indian subcontinent, mainly corresponding to the modern countries of India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. The Mughal rulers styled t ...

Aurangzeb's army attacked the fortress of

Chamkaur Sahib Chamkaur Sahib is a Sub Divisional town in the district of Rupnagar in the Indian State of Punjab. It is famous for the First Battle of Chamkaur (1702) and the Second Battle of Chamkaur (1704) fought between the Mughals and Guru Gobind Singh ...

, Guru Gobind Singh successfully resisted their onslaught and fled into the forests of Machhiwara. The Mughal forces got wind of his whereabouts. Guru Gobind Singh was saved by two of his Muslim

Pashtun Pashtuns (, , ; ps, پښتانه, ), also known as Pakhtuns or Pathans, are an Iranian ethnic group who are native to the geographic region of Pashtunistan in the present-day countries of Afghanistan and Pakistan. They were historically re ...

devotees who disguised him as their Muslim

prophet In religion, a prophet or prophetess is an individual who is regarded as being in contact with a divine being and is said to speak on behalf of that being, serving as an intermediary with humanity by delivering messages or teachings from the s ...

. The place where Guru Gobind Singh rested is where the Gurudwara stands today. There are four

gurudwaras A gurdwara (sometimes written as gurudwara) (Gurmukhi: ਗੁਰਦੁਆਰਾ ''guradu'ārā'', meaning "Door to the Guru") is a place of assembly and worship for Sikhs. Sikhs also refer to gurdwaras as ''Gurdwara Sahib''. People from all faiths ...

(Sikh temples) in Machhiwara. When Guru Gobind Singh was in Machhiwara, he wrote "Mitar pyare nu haal murida da akhda" (Say hello to my dear friend) in the forest of Machhiwara. Machhiwara is a famous destination for Sikh pilgrims. On 13 April every year there is a festival of

Vaisakhi Vaisakhi ( Punjabi: ), also pronounced Baisakhi, marks the first day of the month of Vaisakh and is traditionally celebrated annually on 13 April and sometimes 14 April as a celebration of spring harvest primarily in Northern India. Further, o ...

. Another Sikh religious festival of Sabha is held on 21–23 December every year.

Geography

Machhiwara is at . It has an average elevation of 262

metre The metre (British spelling) or meter (American spelling; see spelling differences) (from the French unit , from the Greek noun , "measure"), symbol m, is the primary unit of length in the International System of Units (SI), though its prefi ...

s (859

feet The foot ( : feet) is an anatomical structure found in many vertebrates. It is the terminal portion of a limb which bears weight and allows locomotion. In many animals with feet, the foot is a separate organ at the terminal part of the leg made ...

). Machhiwara is 38 km northeast of Ludhiana city and 69 km west of the capital city of Chandigarh. It lies only 9 km from Samrala, which is on the Ludhiana Chandigarh highway.

Demographics

India

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

, Machhiwara had a population of 24,916. Males constitute 13,102 of the population and females 11,814. The major

Jat The Jat people ((), ()) are a traditionally agricultural community in Northern India and Pakistan. Originally pastoralists in the lower Indus river-valley of Sindh, Jats migrated north into the Punjab region in late medieval times, and su ...

clan in the town is

Dhaliwal Dhaliwal may refer to; Villages in Punjab, India *Dhaliwal, Nakodar, Jalandhar district * Dhaliwal Bet, Kapurthala district * Dhaliwal Dona, Kapurthala district * Mand Dhaliwal, Kapurthala district Other uses *Dhaliwal (surname) Dhaliwal is a c ...

Rathore The Rathore is a Rajput clan found in Northern India. Subclans Jodhana, Vadhel, Jaitawat, Kumpawat, Champawat, Meratiya, Udawat, Karamsot etc. are the branches or subclans of Rathore Rajputs. Coverage This article discusses the "Kanauji ...

and Waraich. Machhiwara has male literacy is around 77.54% while female 70.56 %

References

{{Ludhiana district Cities and towns in Ludhiana district