ਮਜੀਠਾਮਜੀਠਾ

Majitha is a historic town in Amritsar district of Punjab, about 16 kilometres north-east of Amritsar city. Founded as Madho-Jetha by a Gill-clan Jat named Madho, it gave its name to the Majithia sardars, one of the most powerful families of the Sikh Empire.

ਇਤਿਹਾਸ

The town was founded by Madho, a Jat of the Gill clan. Because he was the eldest son of his father, the settlement was named Madho-Jetha, since jetha means eldest or firstborn in Punjabi. Over time Madho-Jetha was shortened to Majitha, and Madho is remembered as the ancestor of the Majithia family.

Under Maharaja Ranjit Singh, men of the Majithia family rose to high office in the Sikh Empire. Desa Singh Majithia (1768-1832) became a general and statesman of the empire, and his eldest son Lehna Singh Majithia, who died in 1854, succeeded him in the family's estates and honours. Amar Singh Majithia governed the Hazara region from 1820 until his death in 1822. The Majithias were among the most prominent families in the Sikh court, serving as administrators and military commanders.

After the British annexation of Punjab in 1849, the family kept its standing and moved into education and politics. Sir Sundar Singh Majithia (1872-1941), born at Majitha on 17 February 1872, helped found the Chief Khalsa Diwan in 1902, became the first president of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee in November 1920, and served as revenue minister in the Punjab government. He was also one of the founders of the Punjab and Sind Bank at Amritsar in 1908.

Majitha is today a municipal council in Amritsar district. The town gives its name to the Majitha Assembly Constituency of the Punjab Legislative Assembly, a seat the Majithia family has contested in modern politics.

Where is Majitha?

Majitha stands about 16 kilometres north-east of Amritsar city, in the wheat and paddy country of the Majha region. It is connected with Amritsar by both train and road. The town's PIN code is 143601, vehicles carry the PB-81 registration mark, and its coordinates are 31.76°N, 74.95°E.

The Majithia family

The Majithia family belongs to the Shergill clan of Jat Sikhs and took its surname from this town. The family is traditionally divided into three branches, and several of its members held high positions under Sikh rule and afterwards. Ranjodh Singh Majithia died in 1872, and Dyal Singh Majithia (1848-1898) belonged to the family's Dayal Singh branch.

The family's name reached far beyond Punjab through its later members. Umrao Singh Sher-Gil (1870-1954), an aristocrat and scholar of Sanskrit and Persian, was the father of the painter Amrita Sher-Gil. Wing Commander Surjit Singh Majithia (1912-1995), the son of Sundar Singh, was an air force officer, diplomat and member of Parliament from Tarn Taran, and served as a deputy minister in Jawaharlal Nehru's government. In recent politics Bikram Singh Majithia has served as a cabinet minister in the Punjab government, and his sister Harsimrat Kaur Badal as a Union minister.

Geography and people

Majitha covers 6.27 square kilometres, with a population density of 2,313 people per square kilometre. The 2011 census counted 14,503 residents, up from 12,992 in 2001 and 10,713 in 1991. Punjabi is the official language of the town.

The 2011 religious break-up was 10,172 Sikhs, 3,907 Hindus, 344 Christians and 55 Muslims, with small Buddhist and Jain communities. Agriculture and the town's market employ most of the working residents.

Places of interest

The town's landmarks are tied to its sardars. Old havelis built by the Majithia family still stand in Majitha, some of them now dilapidated. The town's gurdwaras serve its largely Sikh population, and the grain market at the centre of town anchors daily commercial life.

Notable people

Sir Sundar Singh Majithia is the town's most famous son. Born at Majitha on 17 February 1872, he joined the Singh Sabha movement as a young man and worked for the founding of Khalsa College, Amritsar, serving as secretary of its council from 1902 to 1912 and president from 1920 until his death. He founded the Chief Khalsa Diwan in October 1902, led the Sikh deputation that met the Viceroy in July 1931 with a charter of 17 demands, and as revenue minister helped secure the lifting of the ban on Sikhs carrying a full-sized kirpan. He died at Lahore on 12 April 1941 and was cremated at Amritsar.

Others of the family linked to Majitha include Desa Singh Majithia, Lehna Singh Majithia, Amar Singh Majithia, Dyal Singh Majithia, Umrao Singh Sher-Gil and Surjit Singh Majithia.

Getting there

The nearest big city is Amritsar, about 16 kilometres to the south-west, reachable by train and by road. The nearest airport is Sri Guru Ram Das Ji International Airport at Amritsar. Nearby towns on the Kosh include Ajnala to the north-west and Attari to the west, both also linked to the region's Sikh-era history.