thumb|Mural depicting Baba Farid, dated to 1295 by G. B. Singh
Faridkot is a city in the south-western part of the state of Punjab, India. It serves as the headquarters for both the Faridkot district and the Faridkot Division. The division was established in 1995 at Faridkot which includes Faridkot, Bathinda, and Mansa district.
Etymology
The city is named in the honor of Baba Farid, a revered 13th century Sufi saint whose shrine is located in Pakpattan, Pakistan. The town of Faridkot was founded during this century as Mokalhar (also spelt as Mokulhar) by Raja Mokalsi (also spelt as 'Moalsi' 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). Faridkot had a population of 618,008 which constitute about 2% of the total population of Punjab. Males constitute 327,121 of the population and females 290,887.The population density in this district is 424 persons per km<sup>2</sup>. Faridkot has an average literacy rate of 70.6%: male literacy is 75.9%, and female literacy is 64.8%.
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|+ Religious groups in Faridkot City (1881–2011)