Kapurthala State

Kapurthala State, with its capital at Kapurthala, was a former Princely state of Punjab, spread across 352 square miles (910 km²).

According to the 1901 census the state had a population of 314,341 and contained two towns and 167 villages.

In 1930, Kapurthala became part of the Punjab States Agency and acceded to the Union of India in 1947.

History

The state was ruled by the Ahluwalia dynasty, founded in 1772 by Jassa Singh Ahluwalia (1718–1783), a prominent Sikh leader during the Sikh Confederacy, and also Misldar of the Ahluwalia army. He was born in village Ahlu or Ahluwal near Lahore, giving rise to the name of the family, Ahluwalia or one from Ahlu.

Badar Singh, the great-grandson of Sada Singh, married the daughter of a petty sardar of the district. Their son Jassa Singh Ahluwalia was born in 1718. Jassa Singh was barely five years old when his father died in 1723. Subsequently his mother requested Mata Sundri, the widow of Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh to take care of young Jassa.

Kapurthala

Kapurthala (Punjabi: ਕਪੂਰਥਲਾ) is a city in Punjab state of India. It is the administrative headquarters of Kapurthala District. It was the capital of the Kapurthala State (ruled by Ahluwalia Dynasty), a princely state in British India. The secular and aesthetic mix of the city with its prominent buildings based on French and Indo-Saracenic architecture self-narrate its princely past. It is also known as city of Palaces & Gardens.

History

Kapurthala was founded in 11th century by Rana Kapur, who was descendant of Rajput royal house of Jaisalmer, Rajasthan. It is known to be an erstwhile royal state.

Princely state

Kapurthala was once the capital of Kapurthala State, a princely state in pre-independence India, ruled by the Ahluwalia Sikh rulers

Demographics

As per provisional data of 2011 census Kapurthala had a population of 101,854, out of which males were 55,485 and females were 46,169. The literacy rate was 85.82 per cent.

As of 2001 India census, Kapurthala had a population of 84,361. Males constitute 55% of the population and females 45%. Kapurthala has an average literacy rate of 65%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 67%, and female literacy is 62%. In Kapurthala, 11% of the population is under 6 years of age.