Pun: ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤਸਰ amritasara ‘Pool of Immortality’ [Ramdaspur] -City/District, Punjab From Skt: amṛta ‘immortal’; and sarovara/sar ‘lake’, ‘pool’, referring to the sacred tank surrounding the Golden Temple. Amritsar is the spiritual and cultural...
Pun: ਆਨੰਦਪੁਰ ਸਾਹਿਬ ānandpur sāhib ‘City of Bliss’ – Town, Punjab From Skt: ānanda ‘bliss’, ‘joy’; and pur ‘town, ‘(fortified) settlement’, with Sahib, an honorific commonly used for Sikh religious sites. Anandpur Sahib is one of the most sacred towns...
Pun: ਬਟਾਲਾ baṭālā ‘Abode of the Bhatis’ – City, Punjab From Bhati [Pun: bh → b] and Skt: alaya, ‘dwelling’, ‘abode’. Batala is one of the oldest cities in Punjab, with deep connections to Sikh history and Mughal-era trade. It was founded in 1465 CE by Raja Ram...
Pun: ਬਠਿੰਡਾ baṭhiṇḍā ‘Land of the Bhatis’ [Tabar-i-Hind] – City/District, Punjab From Bhati, the name of a Rajput clan, and (possibly) Pun: da ‘land, place’. Another theory suggests a link to Vataka, an ancient tribe mentioned in early inscriptions. Bathinda is one of...
Pun: ਫ਼ਰੀਦਕੋਟ farīdkōṭ ‘Fort of Farid’ – City/District, Punjab From Farid, after the Sufi saint Baba Farid (Fariduddin Ganjshakar), and Skt: koṭa, ‘fort’. Faridkot is named after Baba Farid (1173–1266 CE), a revered Sufi saint of the Chishti order. According to...
Pun: ਫਤਹਿਗੜ੍ਹ ਸਾਹਿਬ fatēhgaṛh sāhib ‘Fort of Victory’ – City/District, Punjab From Per/Pun: fatḥ/fateh, ‘victory’, ‘success’; Pun: garh, ‘fort, stronghold’; with Sahib, an honorific commonly used for Sikh religious sites. Fatehgarh Sahib is named to...
Pun: ਫ਼ਿਰੋਜ਼ਪੁਰ firōzpur ‘City of Firoz’ – City/District, Punjab From Per: fīrūz / firoz (‘fortunate, victorious’); and Skt: pur, ‘town’, ‘(fortified) settlement’. Firozpur is traditionally believed to have been founded by Sultan Firoz Shah Tughlaq (r....
Pun: ਗੁਰਦਾਸਪੁਰ Gurdāspur ‘City of Gurdas’ – City/District, Punjab From Guriya Ji, a personal name; possibly Pun: da, ‘land’, ‘place’; and Skt: pura, ‘city’, ‘(fortified) settlement’. Gurdaspur is traditionally believed to have been...
Pun: ਹੋਸ਼ਿਆਰਪੁਰ hōśiārpur ‘City of Hoshiar’ – City/District, Punjab From Per/Pun: hoshiar, ‘intelligent’, ‘alert’ ; and Skt: pura, ‘city’, ‘(fortified)settlement’). The name is traditionally linked to a 14th century local chief named Hoshiar who is...
Pun: ਜਲੰਧਰ Jalādhar ‘Waterland’ – City/District, Punjab From Skt: jala, ‘water’; and dhara, ‘possesing’, ‘endowed with’, ‘holding’. The name is traditionally interpreted as land with water resources. It is also situated conveniently between the...
Pun: ਕਪੂਰਥਲਾ kapūrtalā ‘Land of the Kapurs’ – City/District, Punjab From Rana Kapur and Skt: sthala, ‘land, place’. The Bhatti Rajputs of Kapurthala were the rulers of Kapurthala from 11th century to 1772. Bhatti is a Punjabi version of the Rajput clan name Bhati....
Pun: ਲੁਧਿਆਣਾ Ludhiāṇā ‘Town of the Lodhis’ – City/District, Punjab From Lodhi and Skt: ayana→ana, ‘place’, ‘abode’.’way’ Ludhiana was founded in 1480 CE by members of the Lodi dynasty, who sent two Afghan chiefs, Yusaf Khan and Nihang Khan, to establish...
Pun: ਮੋਹਾਲੀ mohālī ‘Settlement’ – City/District, Punjab From Pun: mohālī, ‘settlement’ [possibly derived from Per/Pun: mahal/mohal, ‘palace’, ‘estate’, ‘land division’, referring to an administrative or landholding unit in Punjabi villages]....
Pun: ਨੰਗਲ naṅgal ‘Settlement of the Naked Ascetics’ – Town, Punjab From Skt: nagna ‘naked (ascetic)’ and ālay(a), ‘abode, dwelling’. This derivation suggests an old settlement associated with ascetic traditions, possibly Naga sadhus or other renunciate sects. Nangal...
Pun: ਪਠਾਨਕੋਟ paṭhānkoṭ ‘Fort of the Pathans’ – City/District, Punjab From Pathania and Skt: koṭ, ‘fort’. Pathankot, located at the strategic junction of Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu & Kashmir, has long been an important military and trade center....
Pun: ਪਟਿਆਲਾ paṭiālā ‘Land of Ala Singh’ – City/District, Punjab From Pun: pati, ‘lord, chief’ or pattí , a strip, share or division of land; and Ala (Singh). Patiala is one of Punjab’s most historic cities, known for its royal heritage. The city was founded in the...
Pun: ਰੂਪਨਗਰ rūpanagara ‘City of Beauty’ – City/District, Punjab From Skt: rūpa ‘beauty’, ‘form’ ; and nagara, ‘city’. The city is traditionally said to have been named after Prince Rup Chand, the son of a local ruler. The older name, Ropar, is simply a...
Pun: ਸ਼੍ਰੀ ਮੁਕਤਸਰ ਸਾਹਿਬ śrī muktsar sāhib ‘Sacred Pool of Liberation’ – City/District, Punjab From Skt: mukta, ‘liberated, freed’ and sar(a), ‘lake, pool’. This derivation refers to the site where 40 Sikh warriors, known as the Chali Mukte (‘Forty Liberated Ones’),...
