Corrections to the history:
Updated: Feb 12, 2003
It should have been Bhajan Singh
instead of Jasbir Singh.
Updated: Nov 12, 2007
Mukhtiar Singh, PCS has done 13 MAs
(not 11 as mentioned above)
This update was sent by S. Gurcharan Singh Boparai
Hello Birinder,
Sat Sir Akal,
My name is Gurcharan Singh Boparai. I am from Ghurani Khurd, a village next to
Dhamot. I am living in Canada from last 37 years. I did MBA 32 years ago, and
since then I have been working with the Ontario Government.
I visited your website today and I thought that I should congratulate you for
doing such a good job in establishing this site.
Another reason of writing this e-mail to you is about Mukhtiar Singh PCS
(Tehsildar) of your village. Mukhtiar is my close friend. We went to Khanna
college together. Recently, I visited Punjab and spent some time with Muktiar.
Your website indicates that Mukhtiar did 11 MAs. As a matter of fact he has done
13 MAs. Please up-date your website to reflect his level of education
accurately. Thanks.
Gurcharan Singh.
Jattan Da Itihas
About Ludhiana
From being a small
village called Meer Hota in 1481 to later Lodiana and now Ludhiana, the city has never been caught napping. Under
theYodhas from the first to the fourth century, it later came under the rule of
Samudragupta. But the Original Ludhianavis settled here much later in the ninth
century. These were the Rajputs from south and then the Turks and the
Afghans who took the Bet area of Sutlej on lease from Mohammad Gami.
Later, the Sidhus, Gills, Sandhus and the Grewals came from the jungles of
Jagraon and camped here.
Sikandar Lodhi sent Yusaf
and Nihang to stop the approaching Baloachs. They crossed Sutlej and after
defeating Khokhars of Doaba, established Sultanpur Lodhi. Nihang stayed
back at village Meer Hota as Naib. He was the one who changed the name of the
village to Lodiana. Later, his grandson, Jalal Khan, built the Lodhi Fort
there. His two sons Aloo Khan and Khijar Khan divided among themselves the area
around the fort but were dethroned by Babur who even demolished Nihang's tomb.
That didn't end the travails of this town. During Akbar's reign, it was a
tehsil along with Tihara.
Hathur, Bhundri, Machiwara, Payal and Doraha. Not many of us know that Guru
Gobind Singhji traveled through Jharsahib, Machiwara, Kanech, Alamgir, Lama
Jatpura and Lakha and finally at village Dina and wrote the famous Zafarnama in
1806. Maharaja Ranjit Singh also came to Ludhiana twice. On the pretext of
solving the Patiala crisis, he won the area around Sahenewal and gifted 54
villages to Raja Bhag Singh of Jind. Diwan Mohkam Singh was made the
ruler. The Brits too, traipsed along with Capt. Akhtar loni (1809-1815), an
English political agent, followed by Capt. Maney and Sir Matton (1833-1838).
After the death of Raja Sangat Singh, the Britishers captured 80 villages
and Ludhiana came under Assistant Political Agent. During the First
English-Sikh War, there were only 4,000 white soldiers. Ranjodh Singh Ladwa
burnt this cantonment and looted the English at Baddowal. At Aliwal's War,
however, Henry Smith defeated Ranjodh Singh.
The 1857 sepoy mutiny
didn't amount to much as Deputy Commissioner Ricket successfully thwarted it
with the help of Nawab of Malerkotla, Nabha patti. The Bet Muslims, however,
revolted while urban Hindus and Sikhs remained pro government. In fact, fellow
Ludhianvi Rai Kishan Chand Dhandari was the official advocate of the English at
Lahore! Bassian Kothi was the biggest armour at that time and many secret
agents lived in that area. Maharaja Dilip Singh was also kept for one night at
Bassian Kothi. Kaonkey Kalan is another of the historical places in Ludhiana
where antique coins were found along with bricks of 12inchX10inch size. It was
also the main control area during the English Sikh War, while Chaoni Mohalla
was an armament dump. English dug canals for irrigation and they helped their loyals
to settle in bars that were vacated after the Partition. Maulana Shah Abdul
Kadar led the Punjab mutiny. He was persuaded by blind Jaman Shah to settle
here. It's here that he constructed a house and a masjid at Mouchpura now known
as Masjid-do-Manjila. Jaman Shah would come here daily, bare-footed five times
a day, to offer prayers. The Shah signed an agreement here in 1839 and the
English crowned him king of Kabul. February 1921 saw Mahatma Gandhi at Daresi
Ground in the city. At the end of the year, 3,000 freedom fighters from
Ludhiana were arrested and sentenced to prison. Another 475 joined the Quit
India Movement. Politically, Ludhiana has contributed five chief ministers,
namely Bhim Sen Snahan, Justice Gurnam Singh, Gian Singh Rarewala, Lachaman
Singh Gill and Beant Singh. The Goa War took 87 of its young soldiers.
Now, after partition of
Punjab, its population has grown very fast and the small Cottage Industry also
developed. The formation of new Punjab in 1966 made Ludhiana the central city of
Punjab and so it became an attraction for everyone. Ludhiana is the central
district of Punjab. It has its boundaries common with seven districts of
Punjab. In the North, it has district Jalandhar and Nawan Shahar with river
Sutlej forming the seperating line, in the North-East the district Ropar and
Fatehgarh Sahib in the South-East. Ferozpur and Moga are in the West of
Ludhiana. In the South Sangrur District. Ludhiana(East), Ludhiana(West),
Jagraon, Khannna, Samrala, Payal and Raikot are the seven Tehsils
(Sub-Divisions) of this District.
The city of Ludhiana with
the population of more than 35 Lacs, is the District Headquarters of Ludhiana.
More than 50,000 people from around Ludhiana come everyday for different
purposes. It is situated on Delhi-Amritsar Grand Trunk Road (National Highway
No. 1). It is at a distance of 320 K.M. from Delhi and 136 K.M. from Amritsar.
From the State Capital of Punjab i.e. Chandigarh, it is around 100 K.M.. There
is a daily Air Service from Ludhiana to Delhi direct Railway Service to any
part of the country.
Besides its historical
and Geographical attraction, it is the Manchester of India. There have been
great achievements by the people of Ludhiana in Agriculture, Education, and
Industry.
Wheat and Rice are the main crops cultivated in this area. Punjab Agricultural University (Estd.
here in 1962) is the Torch Bearer of the World Agriculture. In Wheat, Ludhiana
is known to have a record per hectare yield in the world. Ludhiana also
manufacture world class agricultural implements.
In Education side,
Ludhiana have two Medical colleges - Christian Medical College and Dayanand
Medical College. the city have an engineering college named Guru Nanak Dev Engineering College.
There are more than twenty colleges affiliated to Punjab University,
Chandigarh. Literacy rate is very high in Ludhiana and is comparable to any
well-literate corner of the country. In Industry, Ludhiana have more remarkable
achievements. Ludhiana produces the largest number of bicycles in the world
with Hero, Avon and Neelam the most popular brands. In Hosiery, city is
exporter to Russia, Europe, and every other corner of the world. Whether it is
America or Arabian countries it is hard to find a place where Ludhiana made
Sewing Machines are not sold. Ludhiana also produces good quality of cloth and
export quality Woolens. Plastic, Rubber and Chemical, electrical and
Electronics industry is also growing rapidly here.