Early history Raja Mokalsi Manj, a Bhatti Rajput chief from Rajasthan, established the town of Mokalhar in around 1200, which later became Faridkot after a visit to the locality by
Baba Farid, possibly after an incident where Farid was briefly detained and then released by Raja Mokalsi's soldiers. The historic fort of
Quila Mubarak has existed since the times of
Baba Farid. Faridkot remained the capital during the reign of Mokalsi's son Jairsi and Wairsi. An alternative theory is that the settlement of Faridkot was established by Bhallan of the Burai clan of the Jats during the reign of Akbar in the 16th century. The foundation of the modern city as a princely state was laid in 1763 by Hamir Singh. Sometime in 1803–1808, the city was briefly under the rule of Maharaja
Ranjit Singh till 1809. It was restored to the reigning Brar family through British intervention via the
Treaty of Amritsar (1809). Some other historical buildings in the city are the Civil Secretariat, Darbar Gunj, Raj Mahal, Shahi Samadhan, Panchvati, Thakur Dwara, Gurudwara Godri Sahib, and Tilla Baba Farid. The last two rulers of the state came to the throne when they were minors, therefore affairs of the state were vested in a Council of Regency (1906–16) and Council of Administration (1918–34) until the monarch came of age. The arid region's economy relied mainly on rainwater to support is limited agriculture and the state's income was small compared to others. The economic fortunes of the region improved when the British constructed an irrigation system in 1885 by creating a branch of the
Sirhind Canal that was fed by the Sutlej River.
Post-independence After the merger between Faridkot State with
Patiala & East Punjab States Union (PEPSU) in 1948, the city went into decline as it no longer was a capital of a princely-state but now an administrative headquarter of a subordinate unit. After the death of Raja Harinder Singh, his properties came to be managed by the Maharawal Khewaji Trust.
Creation of district During the tenure of Giani Zail Singh, Faridkot was carved out as a separate district on 7 August 1972 out of the areas of erstwhile Bathinda District (Faridkot Tehsil) and Ferozepur District (Moga and Muktsar Tehsils), becoming the 12th district of the state. Further, in November 1995 the Faridkot District was trifurcated when two of its sub divisions viz.
Muktsar and
Moga were given the status of independent districts under the leadership of CM Harcharan Singh Brar of
Muktsar. On 26 January 1996, Faridkot became the fourth revenue division of Punjab. ==Government body==