Banur
Encyclopedia
Banur is a small town about 25 km from Chandigarh
, the capital of India
n Punjab
, on the Chandigarh-Patiala National Highway, NH 64.
Its history dates back to ancient times, when it was called Pushpawati. This name was derived from the abundance of flowering plants in the region (Pushp means flower in Hindi
, Pushp + wati means a place where flowers are in abundance).
The name "Banur" is from the name of a local deity, Mai Banno. A temple to Mai Banno stands in the town and is revered by all, irrespective of their religion. A legend has it that Mai Banno was a better musician than Tansen
, the great musician in the court of the Mughal
Emperor Akbar. She could cause rains by singing Raga Megh Malhaar, and could light lamps by singing Deepak Raag. It is a legend that once Mata Banno defeated Tansen in music competition.
During Mughal times, it was a sizeable town along with its neighbour Chatt. Banda Singh Bahadur reduced it to ruins on his way to Sirhind. Some people call it a 'theh' or ruin. Its varying topography above the surrounding countryside is a tell tale sign of the tumultuous event. There used to be a sizeable Muslim population before partition. There is a grave of a pir in the town and the fields were dotted with dilapidated structures. The mosque fell during 1990s due to ravages of time and weather.
A historic Gurudwara is situated in the south of the town. In the past, the parts of the town were known by localities (Mohallas). For example- Mohalla Kaura khatrian, Mohalla Mehtian, Mohalla Saini, Jainian etc. Though called a town, Banur had a feel of a village life and in reality, was more like a large village. A medium size market, with about more than 150 shops, provided basic amenities. There were many wells in and around the town which were source of water for the people in the past. Almost all these wells have now been filled up.
The language spoken by natives is the Puadh dialect of Punjabi with sprinkling of Manjhi brought in by West Punjabis after the partition.
The Mahendra Chaudhary Zoological Park
(ChattBir Zoo) at Chatt Village near Banur is a famous tourist attraction.
Banur has many old temples in various mohallas which is a testimony to its rich religious and cultural heritage. Many old temples in the town are, Mai Banno temple, Basanti Devi temple, Gugga Mari, Radha Krishan Mandir also called ladies temple and many Shiv dvalas. A three day mela(Fair) is organised every year at Gugga Mari on Naumi of Shravan month. People offer onions and Wheat at the Mari. A mela is also organised at Shitla Mata temple every year where people offer Chana, Dal and water. Pleople bring their kids to this mela for blessings of shitla mata which keeps the children disease free.
Banur has a very big Gurudwara on Chandigarh Patiala Highway near to Bus Stand. The Gurudwara organizes various religious functions every year.
Banur was also an assembly
constituency of Punjab. It has lost its assembly constituency status after reorganisation.
Chandigarh
Chandigarh is a union territory of India that serves as the capital of two states, Haryana and Punjab. The name Chandigarh translates as "The Fort of Chandi". The name is from an ancient temple called Chandi Mandir, devoted to the Hindu goddess Chandi, in the city...
, the capital of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n Punjab
Punjab (India)
Punjab ) is a state in the northwest of the Republic of India, forming part of the larger Punjab region. The state is bordered by the Indian states of Himachal Pradesh to the east, Haryana to the south and southeast and Rajasthan to the southwest as well as the Pakistani province of Punjab to the...
, on the Chandigarh-Patiala National Highway, NH 64.
Its history dates back to ancient times, when it was called Pushpawati. This name was derived from the abundance of flowering plants in the region (Pushp means flower in Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
, Pushp + wati means a place where flowers are in abundance).
The name "Banur" is from the name of a local deity, Mai Banno. A temple to Mai Banno stands in the town and is revered by all, irrespective of their religion. A legend has it that Mai Banno was a better musician than Tansen
Tansen
Mia Tansen is considered among the greatest composer-musicians in Hindustani classical music. He was an extraordinarily gifted vocalist, known for a large number of compositions, and also an instrumentalist who popularized and improved the rabab .He was among the Navaratnas at the court of the...
, the great musician in the court of the Mughal
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
Emperor Akbar. She could cause rains by singing Raga Megh Malhaar, and could light lamps by singing Deepak Raag. It is a legend that once Mata Banno defeated Tansen in music competition.
During Mughal times, it was a sizeable town along with its neighbour Chatt. Banda Singh Bahadur reduced it to ruins on his way to Sirhind. Some people call it a 'theh' or ruin. Its varying topography above the surrounding countryside is a tell tale sign of the tumultuous event. There used to be a sizeable Muslim population before partition. There is a grave of a pir in the town and the fields were dotted with dilapidated structures. The mosque fell during 1990s due to ravages of time and weather.
A historic Gurudwara is situated in the south of the town. In the past, the parts of the town were known by localities (Mohallas). For example- Mohalla Kaura khatrian, Mohalla Mehtian, Mohalla Saini, Jainian etc. Though called a town, Banur had a feel of a village life and in reality, was more like a large village. A medium size market, with about more than 150 shops, provided basic amenities. There were many wells in and around the town which were source of water for the people in the past. Almost all these wells have now been filled up.
The language spoken by natives is the Puadh dialect of Punjabi with sprinkling of Manjhi brought in by West Punjabis after the partition.
The Mahendra Chaudhary Zoological Park
ChattBir Zoo
Mahendra Chaudhary Zoological Park, or ChattBir Zoo, is a zoological park located near Zirakpur, India that houses hundreds of different mammals, birds and reptiles. One of the major attractions of Chatbir Zoo near Chandigarh is the lion safari. The work on zoo had started long back in the...
(ChattBir Zoo) at Chatt Village near Banur is a famous tourist attraction.
Banur has many old temples in various mohallas which is a testimony to its rich religious and cultural heritage. Many old temples in the town are, Mai Banno temple, Basanti Devi temple, Gugga Mari, Radha Krishan Mandir also called ladies temple and many Shiv dvalas. A three day mela(Fair) is organised every year at Gugga Mari on Naumi of Shravan month. People offer onions and Wheat at the Mari. A mela is also organised at Shitla Mata temple every year where people offer Chana, Dal and water. Pleople bring their kids to this mela for blessings of shitla mata which keeps the children disease free.
Banur has a very big Gurudwara on Chandigarh Patiala Highway near to Bus Stand. The Gurudwara organizes various religious functions every year.
Banur was also an assembly
Legislature
A legislature is a kind of deliberative assembly with the power to pass, amend, and repeal laws. The law created by a legislature is called legislation or statutory law. In addition to enacting laws, legislatures usually have exclusive authority to raise or lower taxes and adopt the budget and...
constituency of Punjab. It has lost its assembly constituency status after reorganisation.
Colleges
- Institute of Hospitality & Management (IHM, Banur)
- Chitkara Institute of Engineering and TechnologyChitkara Institute of Engineering and Technologygovt. engineering school in Chandigarh, Punjab, north India. It was founded by Dr. Ashok Chitkara in 1998 and is approved by the All-India Council of Technical Education and affiliated to Punjab Technical University...
- SVIET ( Swami Vivekanand Insitute of Engg. and Tech.) SVIETSVIETSVIET stands for Swami Vivekanand Institute of Engineering & Technology situated at Ramnagar Jhansla, Banur, Rajpura in India affiliated to PTU run by Shri Raghunath rai charitable trust and is part of SVGOI .The trust is managed by a governing bodyheaded by Shri Ashwani Garg, Chairman of the...
- Gian Sagar medical college and hospital
- Shaheed udham singh college of engineering & technology; banur
- Dr. I.T. Business School, Banur