Ludhiana, Punjab

Garanthi
Originally uploaded by Komal Soin.

The city was established in 1481 by Lodhi Dynasty. Meer Hota was the name of this place which was changed to Lodina by the Lodhis. It was finally changed to Ludhiana, now a sprawling city and a fast growing industrial center.

Ludhiana is the most populous city in Punjab with a majority of the people of Sikh faith. The population of Ludhiana is over 2 million people. This city is also called the "Manchester of India" because of a very large hosiery sector.

Amritsar (Golden Temple), Punjab

Nihang Soldier at Golden Temple, Amritsar
Originally uploaded by Captain Suresh.

The land of Golden Temple and dominated by the history of the Sikhs. It is also known for the Amritsar massacre by the British. Amritsar became the most important city during the time of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.

Firozpur, Punjab

The city was founded by Firoz Shah Tughluq (1351-1388), sultan of Delhi. Firozpur has a population of about 80,000 people and is located near the Sutlej River and the Pakistani border.

Beas, Punjab

Beas is the headquarter of the Radha Soami spiritual movement. Millions of people travel to this city every year to attend the Satsang (discourses) at the Dera Baba.

Beas is located along the banks of Beas River, in the district of Amritsar, Punjab. It is situated between the cities of Amritsar and Jalandhar. Beas is only 20 km from Kapurthala.

Faridkot, Punjab

Railway crossing
Originally uploaded by Angad.

Faridkot was named after the Sufi Saint Baba Sheik Farid Shakargang, whose verses are mentioned in Guru Granth Sahib, the holy book of Sikh religion. Earlier, the city was called Mokalpur.

Fatehgarh Sahib, Punjab

Gurudwara Fatehgarh Sahib
Originally uploaded by mindipabla.

Fatehgarh Sahib district is one of the nineteen districts in the state of Punjab in North-West India. Its major city is Mandi Gobindgarh - the steel town of India.

Jalandhar, Punjab

28Feb2006 Jalandhar Sangat Durbar Kahan Dhesian
Originally uploaded by gopal1035.

Jalandhar is known as the sports city of India. It is probably the biggest sports goods manufacturer in the country. Jalandhur is the industrial capital of the state of Punjab. Twelve of India's greatest hockey players have come from a single village, Sansarpur, in Jalandhar district.

The Gurudwara at Kartarpur (16 km from Jalandhar city) was built by the fifth sikh guru, Arjun Dev in 1656.

Patiala, Punjab

iday
Originally uploaded by lensmansachar.

Formerly the capital of the premier princely State of British India, Patiala is an important cultural city of the State of Punjab. Because of the active patronage of the erstwhile rulers of Patiala, a well established style of Hindustani music called the "Patiala Gharana" came into existence and has continued to hold its own till today. The most well known exponent is Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan who achieved world wide fame and brought glory to the Patiala Gharana.

Baba Ala Singh carved out an independent principality from a petty Zamindari of 30 villages. Under his successors, it expanded into a large state. In the middle of the eighteenth century, Baba Ala Singh, unlike many of his contemporaries, displayed tremendous shrewdness in dealing with the Mughals, Afghans and Marathas and successfully established a state which he had started building up from its nucleus Barnala.

In 1763 Baba Ala Singh laid the foundation of the Patiala Fort known as Qila Mubarak, around which the present city of Patiala developed. After the Third Battle of Panipat in 1761 in which the Marathas were defeated, the writ of the Afghans prevailed throughout Punjab. It is at this stage that the rulers of Patiala began to acquire ensigns of royalty. Ahmad Shah Abdali bestowed upon Ala Singh furm and banner, and the title of Maharaja of Patiala.

Ajmer, Rajasthan, India

Praying, Ajmer
Originally uploaded by entseng.

Ajmer was founded by Raja Ajay Pal Chauhan. The city is best known for the Dargah (tomb) of the famous Sufi Saint, Moinuddin Chisti. The city has a population of over half a million people.