along
GT Road in Dakhini near Jalandhar,
(Sher Shah Suri period)|171x171px The history of Jalandhar District comprises three periods — ancient, medieval and modern.
Ancient The city may be named after
Jalandhara, a
Nath Guru who was from here.. It may also be named after
Jalandhara, a son of
Shiva mentioned in the
Shiva Purana. The city was founded by Devasya Verma as mentioned in the
Vedas. Other possibilities include that it was the capital of the kingdom of
Lava, a son of
Rama, or that the name derives from the vernacular term
Jalandhar, meaning area inside the water, i.e., tract lying between the two rivers
Satluj and
Beas. The whole of Punjab and the area of present Jalandhar District was part of the
Indus Valley Civilization.
Harappa and
Mohenjo-daro are the sites where remains of the
Indus Valley civilisation have been found extensively. The archaeological explorations made during recent years have pushed the ancient times of Jalandhar District of the
Harappa period. Jalandhar was known as
Prasthala during the
Vedic period and it was the capital of the
Trigarta Kingdom.
Medieval Jalandhar and the
Doaba may have been conquered around 1070 by the
Ghaznavids during the reign of
Ibrahim of Ghazni. The city was conquered by Raja
Jasrat in 1431. It later formed part of the province of
Lahore during the
Delhi Sultanate and
Mughal Empire. The 18th century saw upheaval in Jalandhar amidst an anarchy caused by the disintegration of the Mughals and power struggles involving
Persians,
Afghans and
Sikhs. It was captured by the
Faizullahpuria Misl in 1766, and in 1811
Maharaja Ranjit Singh incorporated it within the
Sikh Empire. In 1849, following the annexation of the Punjab by the
East India Company, the city of Jalandhar, written in English as Jullundur by company officials, became the headquarters of the division and
District of the same name. In 1858, company rule in India ended and the city became part of the
British Raj. In the mid to late 19th century, the Punjab administration regarded Jullundur as too densely populated and farmed to capacity. This led to the district being a chief recruitment area for settlers to colonise the newly irrigated
Punjab Canal Colonies, in western Punjab.
Modern The
Khilafat Movement started in the district in the early 1920s to bring pressure on the government to change their policy towards
Turkey.
Mahatma Gandhi extended sympathy and support to this movement, however in response, the District was declared a 'Proclaimed Area' under the
Seditious Meetings Act. In 1924, Pakistani general and military dictator
Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq was born in the city. Prior to the
partition of India, Muslims were in plurality in Jalandhar district. According to the 1941 census,
Muslims made up 45.2% of the population, compared to
Hindus and
Sikhs being 27.6% and 26.5% respectively. Within a period of 10 years, from 1941 to 1951, the
Muslim population in Jalandhar district reduced from 45.2% to 0.2%. == Geography ==