Jalandhar

The history of Jalandhar District comprises three periods — ancient, medieval and modern.

In ancient time, the district comprised the whole of the Upper Doabas from Ravi River to Sutlej River. The city[4] is named after Jalandhar, a demon king, who is mentioned in the Puranas and Mahabharta. According to another legend, Jalandhar was the capital of the kingdom of lav, son of Rama. According to another version Jalandhar is said to have derived its name from the vernacular term `Jalandhar' means area inside the water, i.e., tract lying between the two rivers Satluj and Beas. Another name was Trigartta which was ruled by the Katoch Dynasty, as it was waters by three rivers, Satluj, Beas and Ravi. 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 Civilization have been found extensively. The archaeological explorations made during recent years have pushed the ancient times of Jalandhar District of Harappa period.

The modern history of Jalandhar District states that Khilafat Movement was started in the district in early 1920 to bring pressure upon British rulers to change their policy towards Turkey. Mahatma Gandhi extended sympathy and support to this movement. Jalandhar District was declared 'Proclaimed Area' under the Seditious Meetings Act. After the independence of the country, however, the district was affected by communal riots and exodus of minority communities from both sides of the border, consequent upon the partition of the country.

City known for SPORTS : Jalandhar the Sports Hub

The oldest city in Punjab and one of the oldest in the country, Jalandhar has seen rapid urbanization and developed into a highly industrialised centre of commercial activity in recent years.

Jalandhar was the capital of Punjab from India's independence (1947) until Chandigarh was built in 1953.

On the Grand Trunk Road, it is a major rail and road junction and is 144 km northwest of the state capital, Chandigarh. The city was known as Jullundur in British India.