Nadaun
Nadaun is a town and a nagar panchayat in Hamirpur district in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. Earlier, it was in Princely state of Kangra and Raja Jodhbir Chand son of Raja Sansar Chand ruled on Kangra-Nadaun. Presently, Nadaun is a small town in Himachal Pradesh, located on NH 3 and NH 303 in the foothills of the Shivalik range forming the western end of the district Hamirpur. It is 42 km east of Kangra and is situated on the banks of the Beas.
Bulleh Shah mentions Nadaun as City of Innocent. He is said to have written the famous saying about Nadaun "Aaye Nadaun, Jaaye Kaun" (Who comes to Nadaun would never want to go back). In his famous poem "Bulla Ki Janna Mein Kaun", he has a mention of Nadaun as: "Na mein rehnda vich Nadaun".
Battle of Nadaun
The Mughal emperor, Aurangzeb's expeditions in Deccan in the 1690s, had put considerable strain on the Mughal exchequer. As a result, Aurangazeb issued orders to recover annual tributes from the rulers of Shivalik hills, who had been defaulting on the payment. Alif Khan was given the responsibility of recovering dues from Kangra and adjoining principalities.The Raja of Kangra and another chieftain called Raja Dayal yielded to the demands of Alif Khan. However, Raja Bhim Chand of Kahlur (Bilaspur) refused to oblige and formed an alliance with other chieftains opposed to the Mughals. Guru Gobind Singh also decided to support Raja Bhim Chand.
Alif Khan's Mughal army and his aides were defeated at a battle in Nadaun. The date of the battle is given differently by different authors, as 1687, 1689, 1690, 20 March 1691, and 4 April 1691.
After the battle ended, Guru Gobind Singh stayed in Nadaun for eight days, before returning to Anandpur. Later, Maharaja Ranjit Singh built a gurdwara on the spot where the Guru had pitched his tent. The Gurdwara was affiliated to Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee in 1935.
Living in Nadaun
Nadaun town is divided into following areas : New Bus-stand area, Old Bus-stand area (also called Jesri), the main-market area, the old-market area (also called Pattan). The old-market area used to be main center of shopping when the Nadaun Bridge was not present. After the construction of bridge the market shifted to what is currently main-market area. The main-market area is further divided into 2 parts : the upper bazaar which is close to the Bus-Station and the main-bazaar. Main-Bazaar is in the heart of Nadaun town which is the center of business in Nadaun. Pattan area has got a big play-ground which hosts various cultural events like Ramlila and sometimes used for political and election rallies. It is divided into 6 wards.Places to See and Various Pastimes : The place of historical importance to visit is the Old Fort situated on a hill top. The fort is in a dilapidated state but still representative of family of Maharaja Sansar Chand Katoch. A place of religious importance is the old Shiva temple. The popular belief about the Shivalinga in the temple is that it grows every year by a height equal to one grain of rice. Another place of great religious significance for Sikhs is Gurdwara overlooking the river Beas. It was started after visit of Guru Gobind Singh to this place during Battle of Nadaun. Dhyanu Bhagat Samadhi present on the banks of River Beas it is the Samadhi place of great Saint and a Great Devotee of Maa Jwalamukhi. He made Akbar bow down before his belief. Hence Nadaun is considered a town of multiple-religions all living in mutual-harmony. A favorite pastime of people of Nadaun is evening walk to the Nadaun Bridge. There are many restaurants which have come up in this area. This Bridge provides fantastic views of Beas River and of sunset. This bridge separates Hamirpur district from Kangra district. Another interesting pastime is river-cruise in a small wooden boat. One can enjoy this ride the whole day. The boat is still used as a mode of transport. There is a statue of Freedom fighter Inder Pal in the New Bus stand area.
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