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Ludhiana

Metropolis in Punjab, India

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It stands on the old bank of Sutlej River, that is now 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) to the south of its present course. The Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has placed Ludhiana on the 48th position among the top 100 smart cities, and the city has been ranked as one of the easiest cities in India for business according to the World Bank.

History

Founding

Although the area around present-day Ludhiana had been inhabited since ancient times, the modern city was established during the late fifteenth century under the Lodi dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate. Prior to its foundation, the region comprised several agricultural settlements located along the southern bank of the Sutlej River, whose course has since shifted further north.

During the rule of the Tughlaq dynasty, a fort was constructed to protect the strategic route linking Delhi with north-western India. The fort was captured by the Khokhar ruler Jasrat during his campaign in Punjab in 1421–22, illustrating the declining authority of the Delhi Sultanate in the region.

Ludhiana was founded in 1480 during the reign of the Lodi dynasty. According to tradition, Sultan Sikandar Lodi sent two military commanders, Yusuf Khan and Nihad Khan, to restore Lodi authority in Punjab. While Yusuf Khan crossed the Sutlej River and established Sultanpur Lodhi, Nihad Khan founded Ludhiana at the village of Mir Hota.

The city's name was originally Lodi-ana, meaning "the town of the Lodis", which gradually evolved into Lodiana and eventually Ludhiana.

The Lodhi Fort, popularly known as Purana Qila, is the only surviving monument from the city's foundation. It was repaired during the reign of Maharaja Ranjit Singh and later maintained by the British administration before falling into disrepair after independence. In December 2013, it was declared a state-protected monument by the Government of Punjab.

Mughal period

Following the establishment of the Mughal Empire in 1526, Ludhiana became part of the Lahore Subah. Owing to its location on important commercial routes between Delhi and Lahore, the town developed as a regional trading centre for agricultural produce, textiles and handicrafts. Local administration was carried out through Mughal officials, while the surrounding countryside remained predominantly agrarian.

The city was also influenced by the growth of Sikhism. Several Sikh Gurus, including Guru Hargobind, Guru Tegh Bahadur and Guru Gobind Singh, travelled through the region, contributing to the religious significance of nearby settlements.

Sikh Confederacy

During the eighteenth century, Mughal authority in Punjab weakened following repeated invasions by Ahmad Shah Durrani. Ludhiana changed hands several times between Afghan forces and various Sikh misls. By the late eighteenth century, the area had come under the influence of the Phulkian chiefs and the Cis-Sutlej states, becoming an important frontier settlement in central Punjab.

British rule

Following the Treaty of Amritsar between the British East India Company and Maharaja Ranjit Singh, Ludhiana became an important British military cantonment on the southern bank of the Sutlej River. The British established a political agency in the city to supervise the Cis-Sutlej princely states and maintain diplomatic relations with the Sikh Empire.

After the First Anglo-Sikh War (1845–46) and the annexation of Punjab in 1849, Ludhiana became part of British Punjab. Railways, roads and irrigation projects transformed the town into a major commercial centre. Industries relating to hosiery, textiles, metalworking and agricultural machinery began to emerge during the late nineteenth century.

Educational institutions, missionary schools and municipal administration expanded rapidly during this period. The Ludhiana Municipality was established in 1867, providing civic services and urban governance.

Indian independence movement

Ludhiana was an active centre of political and revolutionary activity during the Indian independence movement. The district contributed significantly to the Ghadar movement, with many emigrants from Ludhiana who had settled in North America joining the Ghadar Party. Several revolutionaries returned to Punjab during the First World War to organise an armed uprising against British rule, leading to arrests and prosecutions in the Lahore Conspiracy Case.

The district is closely associated with the revolutionary Kartar Singh Sarabha, one of the youngest leaders of the Ghadar movement, whose sacrifice later inspired Bhagat Singh and other freedom fighters.

Ludhiana also witnessed widespread participation in the Non-Cooperation Movement, Civil Disobedience Movement and Quit India Movement. Public meetings, processions, strikes and the boycott of foreign goods were organised throughout the district, while many local political activists were imprisoned for anti-colonial activities.

Partition and post-independence

The Partition of India in 1947 transformed Ludhiana's demographic and economic landscape. The city received tens of thousands of Hindu and Sikh refugees from West Punjab in present-day Pakistan, while much of its Muslim population migrated in the opposite direction.

The refugee population included skilled artisans, industrialists and entrepreneurs who established small-scale manufacturing units. Their contribution accelerated the growth of the bicycle, hosiery, sewing machine, machine-tool, auto component and textile industries, earning Ludhiana the nickname "Manchester of India".

During the second half of the twentieth century, Ludhiana expanded rapidly as Punjab's principal industrial and commercial centre. The establishment of institutions such as Punjab Agricultural University in 1962 further strengthened its importance in agricultural research and education. In the twenty-first century, the city has continued to expand as a centre for manufacturing, trade, healthcare and higher education, while also being selected under the Government of India's Smart Cities Mission.

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