Kotkapura


Kot Kapura is a historic city in Faridkot district, some 50 km from Bathinda, 40 km from Moga and 30 km from Muktsar in the state of Punjab, India. It is the largest city in the Faridkot District and has a large cotton market. It takes around 15 minutes by bus from Faridkot, 4 hours by road from Chandigarh and 2.0 hours from Ludhiana, and 8 hours from New Delhi by train to reach the city. It is a central city on route to Ganganagar, Ludhiana, Bathinda, Firozpur, etc. Kot Kapura takes its name from its founder, Nawab Kapur Singh, and the word "Kot", meaning a small fort – literally the "fort of Kapura". The city is known for its "Dhodha" and "Atta Chicken".

History

Bhallan, founder of the Faridkot principality, was an ardent follower of Guru Har Gobind, the 6th Sikh Guru. He helped Guru Har Gobind Ji in the Battle of Mehraj, but died issueless in 1643. He was succeeded by his nephew, Kapura, who founded the town of Kot Kapura in 1661. Nawab Kapura was the chaudhry of eighty-four villages. Guru Gobind Singh, the 10th Guru of the Sikhs, en route from Machhiwara, after staying at Dina and after short stopovers at various other places, reached Kot Kapura and asked Nawab Kapura Brar for his fort to fight the pursuing Mughal army. Kapura was a Sikh, but did not want to earn the ire of the Mughals by helping Guru Gobind Singh openly in his war with them; otherwise, the famous last battle of Muktsar between Guru Gobind Singh and the Mughal army would have been fought at Kot Kapura. However, Nawab refused the fort to the guru.

Kot Kapura today

Kot Kapura,like many other small towns in India, is going through modernization.Ladha market established by YV Ladha Shastri Market or Maheshwari Street established by Bansi Dhar Maheshwari is one of the most populous and largest markets in Punjab. Kot Kapura has also been called 'City of White Gold' due to its cotton market, which was once the largest cotton market in Asia.The town is famous for sweet called Dhodha and Savoury Dish named Atta Chicken.
Kot Kapura was famous for its ever-closed railway crossing gate on the Kot Kapura–Muktsar highway. However, a flyover has saved the town from this notorious landmark.

Schools