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Suraj
Kund Mandir (History) |
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The history of Sunam goes back to the Vedic period,
when its name was Surajpur. The Saraswati River is
believed to have flowed by it.The modern town was
built within the walls of an old fort into which its
inhabitants were driven to take refuge.
It is divided into two parts, one in the citadel of
the fort and the other on the lowland around it.
Though now of little importance, Sunam has played a
significant part in the history of the Punjab after
the Muhammadan invasion; Al-Baruni mentions it as a famous place
in his book 'Kitab-ul-Hind', 1050 AD. 'Sunam' in Sanskrit
means auspicious name, but some say that it was named
after Sona, a Gujari, who guided Muhammad of Ghor to
conquer the fort of Bathinda and Asked him to give Sunam
as her reward. Others accept a derivation from Sunam,
which in Aravic means the hump of a camel. When Qutb-un-Din
Aibak saw that the place had this shape he named it Sunam,
but this etymology is untenable, as the town is said to
have assumed its present shape only after Taimur�s
invasion (AD 1398). Sunam was held by Hindu Rajas till
conquered by Muhammad of Ghor. |
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Sultan Shams-ud-Din Altmash gave it to his page Sher Khan
in Jagir. Ghais-ud-Din balban gave it to Timar Khan, with
Samana, (now in Patiala District), on the death of his
cousin Sher Khan, and subsequently conferred it on his own
son Bughra Khan. Under Muhammad Shah Tughlaq, its
dependent tribe revolted. Firoz Shah brought a canal
through Sirhind and Mansurpur to the town in 1360, and in
1398 Taimur attacked it. It is an ancient site, and by
digging 40 of 50 feet deep, statues, big bricks and bones
are found. In the time of Akbar, it was a Pargana of
Sirhind. During Muslim rule, Sunam was a centre of
politics like Samana and Sirhind (now in Patiala
District).
Baba Ala Singh, the founder of the erstwhile Patiala
State, had won this town from Muslim rulers. Akbar�s
courtier Abul Fazal has recorded in his Ain-i-Akbar ri
that Emperor Akbar often came to Sunam on hunting
expeditions.
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