Kapurthala

Kapurthala is a district in the State of Punjab in India. The district is located between between north latitude 31° 07' and 31° 22' and east longitude 75° 36' and 75° 55'. It is bounded in the north by Hoshiarpur, Gurdaspur, and Amritsar districts, in the west by the Beas River and Amritsar district, and in south by the Sutlej River, Jalandhar district, and Hoshiarpur district.

The district derives its name from its headquarter town of the same name.

Area of the district is 1633 Sq. Km. Population as per census 2001 was 754521.

There are 4 subdivisions, 4 tehsils, 15 development blocks, 691 villages (72 are uninhabited), and 535 gram panchayats.

History

Princely state of Kapurthala is said to have been founded in the early part of the 11th Century, in the time of Sultan Mahmud Ghazni by Rana Kapur, the mythical ancestor of the Ahluwalia Family, and a cadet of the Royal House of Jaisalmer.

Enlightenment of Guru Nanak sahib in the year 1499 is probably the most significant incident of the history of Kapurthala, while bathing in the Bein rivulet, in the little town of Sultanpur Lodhi. It is after receiving this grace that he sowed the seeds of Sikh faith from here. Guru Nanak sahib spent 14 years of his life in this town, meditated under the Ber tree (which still exists) and journeyed from here to various parts of the world spreading the message of oneness.

After the death of Nawab Adina Beg, the Mughal Governor of the Jalandhar Doab, in the middle of the 18th Century, Rai Ibrahim Khan, a petty Rajput chieftain of some local influence, established himself in an independent position in Kapurthala.

He was dispossessed in 1780 by Baba Jassa Singh, the recorded founder of the Ahluwalia Misal or Clan, and the ancestor who founded the Ruling Dynasty of Kapurthala. Sardar Fateh Singh Ahluwalia, (1784 - 1836) the Ahluwalia Chief, was a contemporary and equal of Sardar Ranjit Singh as the Maharaja was known before his ascendancy to the throne of the Sikh Kingdom in 1801. Both these historical figures were co-signatories to the Treaty of Amritsar in 1806, when the Sikh Chiefs entered into a treaty with the East India Company, to halt the burgeoning Marhatta influence.

Politics

Vidhan Sabha (Legislative Assembly) constituencies and their areas after delimitation order of 2008

26 Bholath Vidhan Sabha Constituency - Bholath Tehsil; KCs Dhilwan, Ramidi; PC Jati Ke of Fathu Dhinga KC & Dhilwan (NP) of Kapurthala Tehsil.

27 Kapurthala Vidhan Sabha Constituency - KCs Kapurthala, Baler Khanpur; PCs Nawan Pind, Ghug, Khukhrain, Saidowal of Khalu KC; PCs Thigli, Nidhoki, Sidhwan Dona, Kaso Chahhal, Bhano Langa of Hussainpur KC & Kapurthala (MCl) of Kapurthala Tehsil.

28 Sultanpur Lodhi Vidhan Sabha Constituency - Sultanpur Lodhi Tehsil; PCs Khera Dona, Karahal Nao Abad, Isharwal, Saido Bhulana, Shahpur Dogra of Hussainpur KC; PCs Khalu, Khiran Wali, Sandhar Jagir, Parvej Nagar, Bhawanipur, Dhudianwala, Dabulian of Khalu KC; PCs Fathu Dhinga, Buh, Desal, Khera Bet, Tarkhanawali, Saiflabad, Surakhpur, Ucha & Mehmadwal of Fathu Dhinga KC of Kapurthala Tehsil.

29 Phagwara Vidhan Sabha Constituency (SC) - KCs Phagwara, Ranipur, Rihana Jattan & Phagwara (MCI+OG) of Phagwara Tehsil.

Places of interest
Jagatjit Palace, Mazar of Mir Nasir Ahmed, Shahi Samadhs, Moorish Mosque, Panch Mandir, State Gurudwara, The Jubilee Hall, Villa Buona Vista, Kanjli Wetland, Maharaja's Durbar Hall, Ghanta Ghar, Kapurthala, Gurudwara Ber Sahib, Jagatjit Club, Kapurthala War Memorial, Buggey Khana, Elysee Palace