Malerkotla - WikiHQ

Malerkotla is a city and the district headquarters of Malerkotla district in the Indian state of Punjab. It served as the seat of the eponymous princely state during the British Raj. The state acceded to the union of India in 1947 and was merged with other nearby princely states to form the Patiala and East Punjab States Union (PEPSU).

When PEPSU was reorganised in 1956, the territories of the erstwhile state of Malerkotla became part of Punjab. It is situated on the Sangrur-Ludhiana State Highway (no. 11) and lies on the secondary Ludhiana-Delhi railway line. It is about from Ludhiana and from Sangrur.

In 2021, the city and some adjoining areas were carved out of Sangrur district to form the Malerkotla district.

History

Malerkotla, a Muslim majority state, was established in 1454 by Sheikh Sadruddin-i-Jahan from Afghanistan, and was ruled by his Sherwani descendants. The State of Malerkotla was established in 1600 A.D. During the 1947 riots when Punjab was experiencing heavy communal violence, the State of Malerkotla remained relatively peaceful.

During the partition of India, there were no riots or bloodshed in any part of Maler Kotla State. The last Nawab, Iftikhar Ali Khan of Malerkotla, maintained calmness and harmony during the turbulent period. He remained in India and died in the year 1982. His tomb is located in Shahi graveyard situated at Sirhandi gate, Maler Kotla. Many also attribute this peace to the presence of the shrine of Baba Haidar Sheikh, the Sufi saint, who founded the town of Malerkotla more than 500 years ago.

The ruling family of Sheikh SadrudDin Sherwani migrated to Pakistan and lived mostly in Model Town, Lahore, Muzaffargarh, and Khangarh.

Malerkotla is famous for its food, mosques, badge-making industry, poets, and the ornate tombs of its princely rulers.

Demographics

As per provisional data of the 2011 census, the Malerkotla urban agglomeration had a population of 189,424, out of which males were 82,376 and females were 64,048. The literacy rate was 70.25 per cent.

Malerkotla is the only Muslim-majority city of Indian Punjab.

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|+ Religious groups in Malerkotla City (1881−2011)