Unexplored

Originally called Abha Nagri ("City of Brightness"), the name morphed into the Abhaneri over time. There is limited documented history on Abhaneri. The town is thought to have been established by King Raja Chand, who is credited with building the Chand Baori, in the 8th century AD.

The history of the Town of Kapurthala goes back as early as the 11th Century when it is said to have been founded by Rana Kapur, a scion of the ruling house of Jaisalmer (Rajasthan). The present royal family of Kapurthala is descended from Nawab Jassa Singh Ahluwalia, a contemporary of Nadir Shah and Ahmad Shah, who by his intelligence and bravery made himself the leading Sikh of his day.[2][3]

At one time it held possessions on both sides of the Sutlej, and also in the Bari Doab. The cis-Sutlej estates and scattered tracts in the Bari Doab were forfeited owing to the hostility of the chief in the First Sikh War; but the latter were afterwards restored in recognition of the loyalty of Raja Randhir Singh during the mutiny of 1857, when he led a contingent to Oudh which did good service. He also received a grant of land in Oudh, 700 m² in extent, yielding a gross rental of 89,000. In Oudh, however, he exercises no sovereign powers, occupying only the status of a large landholder, with the title of Raja-i-Rajagan.

Raja Sir Jagatjit Singh, K.C.S.I., was born in 1872, succeeded his father in 1877, and attained his majority in 1890. During the Tirah expedition of 1897-98 the Kapurthala imperial service infantry took a prominent part. The territory is crossed by the railway from Jalandhar to Amritsar. The state has a large export trade in wheat, sugar, and cotton. The hand-painted cloths and metal-work of Phagwara are well known.

The capital city, Firozpur, is believed to have been founded by Firuz Shah Tughluq from which the district obtains its name. In 1838, as part of the first Anglo-Afghan war, troops of the British East India Company marched from Ferozepur to Kabul. Seven years later during the Anglo-Sikh War the area was the scene of conflict between the Khalsa army and the British. It has always remained an important place throughout its existence. It has always remained as a border area, earlier between Sikhs and Britishers and now between India and Pakistan[1].
At the time of Partition of India, Firozpur had a Muslim Nawab and had been ruled by the same Mamdot family for centuries, along with the majority which voted to join Pakistan. In a very controversial move, however, British Viceroy Mountbatten the Firozpur district, and the estate of the Nawab of Mamdot to India, forcing hundreds of thousands of Muslims to flee in the chaos of Partition from Firozpur to Pakistan. This was a very controversial move, and many Pakistanis believe this was an attempt by the British to undermine the survival of Pakistan as an independent state. This move would leave the newly established nation without one single military complex. Most importantly, while the bulk of the fertile land remained in Pakistan, the canal head works and water sources are found in the district. This has caused much tensions between the two countries as India has, time and time again, violated the Indus Water Treaty and hindered water flow to Pakistan, creating hurdles for Pakistan's agriculture based economy. Also,the forceful integration of the region into India allowed Indian soldiers to enter Kashmir. This caused the 1947 Indo-Pakistan war and the War of 1965. Today, Firozpur has a Sikh and Hindu majority with a virtually non-existent Muslim population. Most Muslims left for West Punjab, in the wake of Partition of India while and most of the remainder converted to Sikhism in order to escape massacre at the hands of the Sikhs.

The name 'Faridkot' is derived from Baba Farid, the famous religious lover of God whose bani appears in the Guru Granth Sahib. Faridkot was feudlist province under British rule , but now it is a district in Punjab in independent India.

The ancestor of the Faridkot principality, Bhallan was an ardent follower of 6th Sikh Guru Har Gobind. He helped the Guru Har Gobind ji in the battle of Mehraj. He died issueless in 1643. Kapura, who was a nephew of Bhallan, succeeded him. Kapura founded the town of Kotkapura in 1661. Nawab Kapura was the Chaudhry of eighty-four villages. He was a Sikh but did not want to earn the ire of the Mughals and help Guru Gobind Singh Ji and fight with Mughals.

The famous last battle of Muktsar (Khidrane Di Dhaab) now a historic town, happened after Nawab Kapura declined Guru Gobind Singh's request to use his fort to fight Mughal Army. Otherwise the last war between Mughals and Guru Gobind Singh Ji was destined to happen at Kotkapura. Guru ji moved from Kotkapura to Dhilwan Kalan from there to Talwandi sabo via Guru ki Dhab. However, later in the battle of Muktsar in 1705, Nawab Kapura helped Guru Gobind Singh Ji in an underhand manner. Kapura was slain by Isa Khan Manj in 1708. He had three sons named Sukhia, Sema and Mukhia. Mukhia killed Isa Khan and took control of the entire area. Sema was also killed in this battle in 1710. Kapura's elder son Sukhia again came into power in 1720.

A dispute between grandsons of Kapura (sons of Sukhia) led to the division of the state in 1763. The older brother, Sardar Jodh Singh Brar, retained control of Kotkapura, and his younger brother, Sardar Hamir Singh Brar, was given Faridkot.

The state was captured in 1803 by Ranjit Singh, but was one of the Cis-Sutlej states that came under British influence after the 1809 Treaty of Amritsar. During the Sikh wars in 1845, Raja Pahar Singh aided the British, and was rewarded with an increase of territory. The state had an area of and its 642 square miles, and a population of 124,912 in 1901. It was bounded on the west and northeast by the British district of Ferozepore, and on the south by the state of Nabha. The last Ruler of Faridkot was Lt. HH Farzand-i-sadaat Nishan Hazrat-i-kaisar-i-hind Raja Sir Harindar Singh Brar Bans Bahadur.