Qadian

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Qadian is a small town in Gurdaspur, north-east of Amritsar, situated 18 km east of Batala city in Punjab, India. From Gurdaspur take Kahnuwan-Kot-Todarmal for about 26 km to reach Qadian.

Qadian is perhaps best known as the birthplace of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad and of the Ahmadiyya Muslim movement he founded.

Qadian was established in 1530 CE and Mirza Hadi Baig was the first Qazi (city Magistrate) of this area. On his name the town was known as Qazi. Mirza Hadi Baig was a religious scholar dedicated to Islam. Therefore he named the new town 'Islam Pur Qazi'. With the passage of time, it changed to 'QaziMaji' and then later to just 'Qadi' and eventually came to be known as Qadian.

It was in 1834 CE during the rule of Maharaja Ranjit Singh that the estate consisting of Qadian and five adjoining villages were given to Mirza Ghulam Murtaza Ahmad, father of the Promised Messiah, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad.

At that time, Qadian had no significance in the area at all with population of a few hundred people and only a sandy track pitted with pot holes connected the town with Batala. People were totally ignorant and uneducated. There was total lack of urban amenities and facilities.

A remote and unknown village 'Qadian' emerged as centre of religious learning in 1891, when Mirza Ghulam Ahmad proclaimed himself and established the Ahmadiyya Movement in islam.