Jalandhar District

The district headquarters is the city of Jalandhar.

Jalandhar district
District of Punjab
Serai Nurmahal
Location in Punjab
Country	India
State	Punjab
Region	Doaba
Named for	Area inside the water
Headquarters	Jalandhar
Government
• Administrator of District	Sh. Ghanshyam Thori
Area
• Total	2,632 km2 (1,016 sq mi)
Population  (2017)[‡]
• Total	4,193,590
• Density	1,600/km2 (4,100/sq mi)
Languages
• Official	Punjabi
Time zone	UTC+5:30 (IST)
Literacy	91.4%
Website	jalandhar.nic.in

Before the Partition of India, Jalandhar was also the headquarters of the Jalandhar Division, with constituent districts Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, Ludhiana, Ferozepur and Kangra. The entire Jalandhar Division was awarded to India when Punjab was partitioned.

Classical

Jalandhar was the site of the Katoch Rajput kingdom of Jalandhara, also known as Trigartta. The date of its founding is unclear, but its presence is observed by the Chinese pilgrim Xuanzang in the seventh century, and Kalhana records the defeat of Prithvi Chandra Raja of Trigartta by Sankara Varmma of Kashmir towards the end of the ninth century.

Medieval

Jalandhar became part of the Persianate Ghaznavid Empire during the reign of Ibrahim Shah sometime between 1058 and 1098, and by 1240, it was a fief of the Delhi Sultanate. In 1298, an army led by Ulugh Khan and Zafar Khan defeated in battle, and forced the retreat of invading Mongols of the Chagatai Khanate.

The sack and plunder of Delhi by Timur in 1398 gravely weakened the Delhi Sultanate and ushered in a period of lawlessness in the country. In 1416, the governor of Jalandhar, Malik Tughan assassinated the governor of Sirhind, and later rebelled against Khizr Khan, before being defeated. In the following years Jasrath Khokhar led a series of raids across Jalandhar as he challenged the authority of the Sultan. In 1441, Jalandhar came under the authority of Bahlol Lodi who was appointed governor of Lahore province. Lodi made peace with Jasrath, rebelled and in 1450 became sovereign of Delhi.

Early modern

Mughal

When Babur invaded northern India in 1524 he granted the jagir of Jalandhar to Daulat Khan Lodi at whose instigation he had come. The following year Lodi revolted and was defeated by Babur. In 1540, Babur's son Humayun was expelled by Sher Shah Suri and Jalandhar became part of the Sur Empire. On Humayun's return in 1555, Jalandhar was occupied by his general Bairam Khan and later Akbar. Whilst Akbar had moved east to fight Hemu, Sikandar Suri defeated Khizr Khan, governor of Lahore, at Chamiari in the north of the district. On Akbar's return to Jalandhar, Mughal hegemony was re-established.

With the regaining of Humayun lot of Muslim tribes such as Baloch, Syed and Arain (the descendants of Arab invaders accompanied with Muhammad Bin Qasim were settled in Sindh and Balochistan fetch up in Jalandhar Doaba region.

During Akbar's reign, the city of Jalandhar became one of his mint cities. In 1594, the town of Kartarpur was founded by Guru Arjan on land granted by Akbar. The reigns of Jahangir and Shah Jahan saw significant improvements to the region's infrastructure, and many villages were founded. The town of Phillaur dates from this period, when it was selected for one of the serais on the Delhi to Lahore road, whilst the town of Nurmahal was re-established by Jahangir's consort Nur Jahan, who is believed to have been raised there. Mughal administrative authority in Jalandhar lasted into the reign of Muhammad Shah, evidenced by the significant number of land grants in the district issued by the Emperor.

Durrani

Nader Shah's invasion of India, culminating in the sack of Delhi in 1739, effectively ended Mughal imperial power. During his fourth invasion, Nurmahal was plundered and its inhabitants slaughtered. In 1756, Adina Beg, Arain (descendants of Arab invaders accompanied with Muhammad Bin Qasim via Sindh later in 15th century) settled in Jalandhar, assisted militarily by Jassa Singh Ramgarhia, defeated Sarbuland Khan, the Afghan general and captured Jalandhar. In 1758, the Mahrattas, at the instigation of Adina Beg, invaded the Punjab, defeating the Afghans, and installing Adina Beg as governor of the entire province. Adina Beg died in 1759, and in 1761 the Afghans returned, taking control of the Punjab, and driving out the Mahrattas.

Sikh

The death of Adina Beg coincided with the start of increasing Sikh influence in Jalandhar, with many sardars dating the acquisition of their estates from 1759. The Dallewalia Misl, one of twelve Sikh Misls that came to dominate the Punjab during this period originated in the southern extremities of the district. In 1766 the Faizullapuria Misl of Khushal Singh captured the town of Jalandhar and thereafter entrenched their power in the district.

In 1811, Ranjit Singh despatched Dewan Mokham Chand to annex Faizullapuria dominions in Jalandhar. By August that year, Budh Singh, son of Khushal Singh, had fled and Jalandhar came under the control of Lahore and part of the Sikh Empire. The petty sardars of the district were gradually ousted from their estates, and were replaced by the direct management of the Sikh governors.

Modern

British

During both the First Anglo-Sikh War and Second Anglo-Sikh War no significant battle took place in Jalandhar. Following the British victory in 1846, Jalandhar was ceded to the East India Company becoming part of the Trans Sutlej States.

When the Indian Rebellion of 1857 began, Jalandhar was strategically important as a main line of communication between the Punjab and Delhi. Incidents of mutiny originated in Jalandhar and Phillaur cantonments, however they were suppressed by the 8th Foot who in turn were strengthened by troops provided by Randhir Singh of Kapurthala, John Nicholson's moveable column and the Tiwana horse under Sher Muhammad Khan.

In 1858, Jalandhar became part of the British Raj and in 1863 became administratively part of Punjab province.

The first case of the plague in the Punjab was reported in the village of Khatkar Kalan in 1897.

Partition

In early 1947, communal tensions heightened in Jalandhar and across the Punjab. In March riots occurred in the district following speeches made by Congress and Sikh leaders at Lahore. In June 1947, the Indian Independence Act 1947 stipulated the partition of the Punjab, and on 17 August the Radcliffe Line was announced, placing Jalandhar in the new Dominion of India. As Jalandhar had a Muslim plurality at the time (45.23 per cent per the 1941 census) it led to significant demographic change in the district, with the Muslim population becoming refugees in Pakistan, and an influx of Hindus and Sikhs arriving having abandoned their homes in the new Pakistan.

The district is divided into five tehsils:

• Jalandhar-I, Jalandhar-II, Nakodar, Phillaur, and Shahkot

In addition there are a further five sub-tehsils:

• Adampur, Bhogpur, Goraya, Kartarpur, and Nurmahal

Jalandhar Lok Sabha constituency is one of the 13 Lok Sabha constituencies in Punjab.

There are also nine Punjab Vidhan Sabha constituencies located in the district:

• Adampur, Jalandhar Cantt, Jalandhar Central, Jalandhar North, Jalandhar West, Kartarpur, Nakodar, Phillaur, and Shahkot

MLA

According to the 2011 census Jalandhar district has a population of 4,193,590, roughly equal to the nation of Latvia or the US state of New Mexico. This gives it a ranking of 208th in India (out of a total of 640). The district has a population density of 831 inhabitants per square kilometre (2,150/sq mi) . Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 11.16%. Jalandhar has a sex ratio of 913 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 91.4%. Scheduled Castes made up 38.95% of the population.

Gender

The table below shows the sex ratio of Jalandhar district through decades.

The table below shows the child sex ratio of children below the age of 6 years in the rural and urban areas of Jalandhar district.

Religion

Hinduism is the majority religion. In rural areas, Sikhs and Hindus are roughly equal proportions, but in urban areas, Hindus are predominant.

Religion in Jalandhar District

Religious group	2011
	Pop.	%
Hinduism	1,394,329	63.56%
Sikhism	718,363	32.75%
Islam	30,233	1.38%
Christianity	26,016	1.19%
Others	24,649	1.12%
Total Population	2,193,590	100%

Religious groups in Jalandhar District (British Punjab province era)

Religious group	1901		1911		1921		1931		1941
	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%
Islam	421,011	45.88%	357,051	44.52%	366,586	44.57%	419,556	44.46%	509,804	45.23%
Hinduism	368,051	40.11%	265,378	33.09%	244,995	29.79%	268,822	28.49%	311,010	27.59%
Sikhism	125,817	13.71%	176,227	21.98%	206,130	25.06%	249,571	26.45%	298,741	26.5%
Christianity	1,713	0.19%	2,404	0.3%	4,088	0.5%	4,323	0.46%	6,233	0.55%
Jainism	969	0.11%	842	0.1%	736	0.09%	1,379	0.15%	1,395	0.12%
Zoroastrianism	24	0%	18	0%	9	0%	70	0.01%	7	0%
Judaism	2	0%	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%
Buddhism	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%
Others	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%	0	0%
Total population	917587	100%	801,920	100%	822,544	100%	943,721	100%	1,127,190	100%
Note: British Punjab province era district borders are not an exact match in the present-day due to various bifurcations to district borders — which since created new districts — throughout the historic Punjab Province region during the post-independence era that have taken into account population increases.

The table below shows the population of different religions in absolute numbers in the urban and rural areas of Jalandhar district.

Language

At the time of the 2011 census, 88.15% of the population spoke Punjabi and 9.83% Hindi as their first language. Hindi is predominantly spoken in urban areas.

The table below shows the data from the district nutrition profile of children below the age of 5 years, in Jalandhar, as of year 2020.

The table below shows the district nutrition profile of Jalandhar of women between the ages of 15 to 49 years, as of year 2020.

Jalandhar has a major sports items manufacturing industry. It produces around 90% of all sports items produced in Punjab.

• Hoon Balakram, a mathematician, civil servant and Bombay High Court judge
• Prakash Chandra Sood, a nuclear physicist and professor and receiver of Padam Shri
• Harminder Dua, an Indian-British medical doctor and prominent researcher in the field of ophthalmology, known for discovery of a previously unknown layer of the human cornea now called Dua's layer
• Guru Prakash Dutta, a cell biologist and immunologist, known for his contributions to experimental protozoology and immunology
• Satya Paul Agarwal, an neurosurgeon, academician, public health administrator, secretary general of the Indian Red Cross Society and recipient of Padam Bhushan award
• Satinder Singh, a 400-meter hurdle athlete
• Fauja Singh, a British marathon runner
• Davinder Singh Kang, a javelin throw athlete
• Diljit Dosanjh, a singer and actor
• Achal Kumar Jyoti, a retired IAS officer who served as 21st Chief Election Commissioner of India from 6 July 2017 to 23 January 2018
• Dilbagh Singh, the head of the Indian Air Force from 1981 to 1984, as Chief of the Air Staff
• Ramesh Chander IFS - Former Ambassador of India to Belarus
• Malkiat Singh (IPS) - Former DGP and Chairman UPPSC
• Iqbal Preet Singh Sahota - Former DGP Punjab Police