Malerkotla is a city and the headquarters of Malerkotla district in the Indian state of Punjab. Located in the Malwa region of southern Punjab, it is historically significant as the seat of a former princely state ruled by an Afghan-origin Muslim dynasty, and it remains notable for having one of the largest concentrations of Muslim residents in present-day Punjab.
| Country | India |
|---|---|
| State | Punjab |
| District | Malerkotla |
| Region | Malwa |
| Languages | Punjabi, Urdu, Hindi |
| Type | City and district headquarters |
Malerkotla traces its origins to the late fifteenth century, when Sheikh Sadruddin-i-Jahan, an Afghan Sufi figure, is associated with the founding of the settlement of Maler. The town later expanded with the establishment of Kotla by his descendants, and the combined settlement came to be known as Malerkotla. The ruling family belonged to the Sherwani Afghan lineage and held the territory under successive imperial powers, including the Mughals, before becoming a princely state under British paramountcy.
During the colonial period, Malerkotla was one of the Phulkian and cis-Sutlej states administered through the Punjab States Agency. After the Partition of 1947, while many princely states across Punjab experienced large-scale communal violence and migration, Malerkotla saw comparatively little disruption, and a substantial Muslim population continued to live in the town. This relative communal harmony is widely linked in popular memory to the haah da naara, the protest reportedly raised by Nawab Sher Mohammad Khan of Malerkotla in 1705 against the execution of the younger sons of Guru Gobind Singh by the Mughal governor of Sirhind.
Malerkotla lies in the plains of the Malwa region of Punjab, in an agricultural belt characterised by wheat and paddy cultivation. The city is connected by road and rail to other towns in southern Punjab, including Ludhiana, Sangrur, Patiala and Barnala.
Malerkotla was historically part of Sangrur district. In 2021, the Government of Punjab carved out a new Malerkotla district with the city as its headquarters, making it Punjab's twenty-third district. The city is administered by a municipal council and is the seat of district-level offices including the deputy commissioner and the senior superintendent of police.
Malerkotla has a religiously diverse population, with a significant Muslim community alongside Sikhs and Hindus. The city is known for its mosques, dargahs and the historic Mubarak Manzil, the former palace of the nawabs. Religious festivals such as Eid, Diwali, Gurpurab and the urs of local Sufi saints are observed publicly. The city has long-standing traditions of handicraft, including embroidery and the manufacture of badges and trimmings.
Malerkotla is frequently cited in scholarly and popular literature as an example of communal coexistence in post-Partition Punjab. The 1705 episode involving Nawab Sher Mohammad Khan is commemorated by Sikhs and is regarded as a foundational moment in the city's reputation for inter-religious goodwill. Its status as Punjab's only Muslim-majority urban centre of significant size gives it a distinctive demographic and cultural profile within the state.