Balachaur

Balachaur ਬਲਾਚੌਰ
city
Balachaur Location in Punjab, India
Coordinates: 31°04′00″N 76°19′00″E / 31.0667°N 76.3167°E / 31.0667; 76.3167Coordinates: 31°04′00″N 76°19′00″E / 31.0667°N 76.3167°E / 31.0667; 76.3167
Country	India
State	Punjab
District	Nawanshahr
Population (2001)
• Total	18,106
Languages
• Official	Punjabi
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
Vehicle registration	PB 20

Balachaur ( ਬਲਾਚੌਰ )^[1] is a town in Balachaur Tehsil in the Nawanshahr district of Punjab, India.

History

A Rajput raja Raj Dev along with his family came here to meditate. He was related to the family of the King of Jaipur. He soon named the tehsil after his son, Balraj as Balachaur. Raj Dev died in 1596 and people built his tomb in the tehsil to worship him as Baba Balraj. A committee named as "Balraj Mandir Committee" was created in 1949 and its president was Zaildar Balwant Singh. The current president is Rana Purshotam Singh. In 1539, Sher-Shah-Suri took the blessing of Raj Dev before attacking Humayun.

Lt. Gen. Bikram Singh

Lt-General Bikram Singh, G O C, XV Corps, from Siana near Balachaur, defended Ladakh and Chushul, and died when an Alouette (also called the HAL Cheetah) helicopter of the Indian Army crashed on 22 November 1963 near Poonch city in the 2.5 km radius of the ceasefire. He is considered the bravest and most efficient General of the Indian Army. In memory of this Great Sikh General, a chowk of Jammu city has been dedicated in his name. Known as Bikram Chowk, it is the largest chowk in Jammu City. A statue has been erected in the middle of this chowk by the Sikh Sangat of Jammu. After his death, his native village was renamed Siana Bikram Singh. The helipad at the Headquarters of Northern Command in Udhampur has been named Bikram Helipad.

Brig. Kuldip Singh Chandpuri

A village named Chandpur Rurki in Balachaur is the native village of Kuldip Singh Chandpuri who received Mahavir Chakra. A Hindi film named 'Border' starring Sunny Deol was also made about his contributions in the battle of Longewala. Chandpuri and his company of 120 soldiers defended the post, in spite of considerable odds, against the 2000–3000 strong assault force of the 51st Infantry Brigade, backed by the 22nd Armored Regiment.

Demographics

As of 2001 India census,^[2] Balachaur had a population of 18,106. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Balachaur has an average literacy rate of 68%, higher than the national average of 59.5%, with 56% of the males and 44% of females literate. 12% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Balachaur is an important place for the nearby villages because it is a tehsil. It has Punjab government offices, which serve the local villagers. Earlier, there was no higher education in Balacahur, but there is now a college called Baba Balraj Government College. It is near Bains Charitable Hospital.

Commerce

The main source of income in Balachaur is agriculture, with wheat and maize being the two main crops. Many people work in government or private sectors in neighboring towns and cities, primarily Nawanshahr, Ropar, Ludhiana, and Chandigarh. There is a big market which serves the people of Balachaur and nearby villages. Balachaur also has a big grain market (Anaaj Mandi) where the field produce is sold to wholesalers. The S.V. Cold Drink factory, which was set up in 2003, manufactures Lava Cold Drinks in Sudha Mazra (Balachaur).

Balachaur is a beautiful place surrounded by the foothills of Shivalik on one side and the river Satluj on other. There are no cinemas in Balachaur. There was a single screen movie theater, used to screen the latest Hindi and Punjabi movies, but it closed. The Municipal Council of Balachaur is developing a park near the Municipal office and has also started another park, the Dr. Sadhu Singh Hamdard Memorial Municipal Park.

In recent times, Balachaur has seen growth in terms of shops, markets, internet cafes, liquor stores, hotels, the opening of English medium schools, and more. Despite this, little has changed for Balachaur and its people. There is still no bus depot nor established industry, along with a lack of quality higher education institutes in the area. However, many private educational institutes have opened up, composed primarily of modern schools and engineering colleges in the vicinity of Balachaur.

Transport

Balachaur is well connected by roads to all major cities in Punjab. Balachaur is on the main highway to Jallandhar, located off a highway that goes to Pathankot/Jammu. The nearest railway station is Garhshankar and the nearest airport is Chandigarh. From Balachaur there are buses (both private and public) available for passengers to go to major cities of Punjab as well as Himachal, Haryana, and Delhi. Various other modes of transportation are also available for local travel. Balachaur is a Tehsil, situated almost equidistant from Nawanshahr (20 km), Roopnagar (25 km), Garshankar (25 km), and Nurpur Bedi (24 km). Other big cities near Balachaur are Ludhiana (70 km), Chandigarh (68 km), Hoshiarpur (70 km), Anandpur Sahib (68 km), and Jalandhar (75 km). The national capital, Delhi, is 320 km from Balachaur.

Villages

Sudha Majra Alais Fatehgarh is situated on Chandigarh Jalandhar highways. There is a historical Gurudwara Tahli Shaib built in the memory of Guru Hargobind Singh Ji. It had a population of 1200.

Gahoon (Punjabi-ਗਹੁੰਣ) is named for the people who lived on the bank of the sea called ("ਗਾਹਣਿਅੇ"). According to the 2001 India census, Gahoon legend had a population of 1100, 53% male and 47% female. Gahoon has an average literacy rate of 72.6% with 56% males and 44% females. 15% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Garhi Kanugoan (ਗੜੀ ਕਾਨੂੰਗੋਅਾਂ) is located on Nawanshahr road. There is a historical Shiv Mandir, Gurdwara of Baba Jawahar Singh Ji (Falahi Sahib) Main Gurdwara Sahib, Gurdwara Sahidan Sahib, Patka Sahib, Majar Baba Roshan Shah Wali and this village is located in the centre of 4 main cities, 72 km from Chandigarh, 73 km from Jalandhar, 65 km from Hoshiarpur and 65 km from Ludhiana. 5 facts you don't know about balachaur

References

• District Shahid Bhagat Singh Nagar: Cities and Towns
• Nawanshahr district population statistics
• Balachaur