Uccha Pind (Sanghol)

At Ludhiana to Chandigarh highway, there is a village which is predating to the Harappan civilization. The village Sanghol is in the territory of Fatehgarh Sahib District and also this place holds a special position on the archaeological atlas of India. Excavations at the site have yielded coins and seals related to Toramana and Mihirakula belonging to central Asia. A Buddhist Stupa was excavated in 1968, and in February 1985 a rich treasure of 117 beautiful carved stone slabs, which includes 69 pillars, 35 crossbars, figures, and figurines, was excavated by the experts of the Directorate of Archaeology, Punjab.

Tourist attractions in the village

Sanghol is famed for the Sanghol Museum. A large of the number of relics dating from the late Harappan civilization (1720 – 1300 BC) to 6th century AD, was found here.  More than 15000 artifacts were collected from this site and the majority of them are displayed in this museum. Sanghol also was known as Uchha Pind, There are some mythical stories about the destruction of this village. The main village sits very high clearly visible from the surrounding towns. It is also linked to the Kissa "Roop Basant" stories as well. Some people from surrounding villages say that its ancient name was Sangla-deep. There are a Buddhist Stupa and Monastery Complex dating back to 1st and 2nd century AD situated on the main road. A few kilometers towards Ludhiana there is a religious place where huge numbers of people come to pay homage and some miles towards Chandigarh city there is the village of Legendary singer Babbu Maan whose Film studio is also in his village Khantmaan Pur.

About Museum Gallery

The present building of the Sanghol Museum was inaugurated on April 10, 1990, as a unit of the Department of Cultural Affairs, Archaeology and Museums of the Government of Punjab. Excavations at Sanghol yielded archaeological treasures of great significance indicating a long history of the cultural heritage of Punjab. These treasures needed to be preserved and displayed at a place for public view and appreciation. With this thought in view, the Sanghol Museum was set up by the Government, not only to preserve Punjab' s Cultural treasures, but also to involve the public in the appreciation of the continuous cultural linkage that the land has maintained from the early ancient times and has witnessed large-scale movements and amalgamation of people and their culture.

A vast treasury of about 15000 antiquities has been collected by the department through various archaeological excavations and explorations at Sanghol. It comprises of antiquities of diverse nature like sculptures, terracottas, pottery, seals, sealings, coins, ivory, carvings, precious stones and other art objects.

The ground floor gallery exhibits the most important items of antiquities other than the stone sculptures. The pride of the Sanghol Museum, the stone sculptures, is displayed in the upper gallery.

The antiquities in the ground floor gallery have been arranged chronologically to highlight the development of socio-cultural and religious facts of the regional manifestations of the heritage of Punjab. Apart from the actual objects, a large number of charts, graphs, photographs, maps, and drawings have been displayed to supplement the viewing of the actual objects. Each of the items is given a label disclosing its identification and chronological placement. The methodology has been as per the latest display techniques followed in museums of the type. At the entry point has been displayed a Master Chart containing a brief history and important details of Sanghol as an archaeological site and of the objects obtained from the place.

The art of Punjab is not usually referred to by scholars as a distinctive regional expression in view of the paucity of sufficient materials, to go by the discovery of Sanghol sculptures together with the huge Buddhistic establishment which has opened up a new dimension. Punjab now can verily claim a distinctive contributory role in the cultural creativity in the visual arts even during the early centuries of the Christian era. The glory of the artistic participation of Punjab in the main-stream of Indian cultural efflorescence is evidenced by the archaeological discoveries of Sanghol.

The Chinese pilgrim Hieun Tsang of the 7th Century AD noticed flourishing Buddhistic establishments at Sanghol. It seems likely that he did see the lingering glory of the artistic achievements of Sanghol, the glimpses of which could still be had by the visitor to the Museum today through the well-preserved specimens of the sculptural art.

The collections on display are only of the selected objects. Scholars and keen lovers of art can have an access to the other art objects preserved in the reserve collection. For this, they will need taking permission of the appropriate authority.

 Some other facts about the village

There are many educational institutes near Sanghol village. The village is almost 40 kilometers away from Chandigarh University and also has big convent schools along with government schools which are equipped with latest educational facilities.

If any visitor is fond of eating roadside food, there is the availability of numerous ferries which provides delicious street food in vegetarian and non-vegetarian eatable items.

Moreover, on the state highway of Sanghol, a huge number of hotels are available. Some are too old and famous all over the Punjab state such as; Mittran da Dhaba, Zimidara Dhaba, Captain Dhaba and Raja Dhaba which gives the chance to taste pure Punjabi delicious food.

Apart from this, currently the village is developing; the lifestyle of locals has also changed. A flyover is also under construction which makes it easy to reach the village quickly from faraway places. A super hit Punjabi movie was also filmed in the village name “Jatt James Bond” starring Gippy Grewal and Zarine Khan.  

The ideal time to visit

The ideal time for visiting the place is from Octobers to March. Summers are extremely hot and temperature rises to 45˚C. There is a heavy rainfall observed in Monsoon season. Therefore, winters should be preferred for visiting here.

How to Reach

Fatehgarh Sahib is well connected through rails, roads and by air as well.

By Air

Fatehgarh Sahib city has no airport. The closest airport is 41 km away in Chandigarh. Chandigarh has a well-connected network of airways from 5 prominent cities of India and most of the domestic airlines reach Chandigarh.

By Train

This city has a well-connected railway network with a railway station running trains from all most of the cities of the country such as Delhi, Una of Himachal Pradesh etc.

By Road

The road network of the city is quite good and connects Fatehgarh Sahib to different cities with great transport facility. The daily bus service can be availed from Delhi, Chandigarh besides the neighboring cities. Taxis may also be hired.

Contributed by - Harneet