Hoshiarpur

Hoshiarpur is a municipal council situated in the state of Punjab. This city is part of Jalandhar Revenue Division, which is located in the Doaba region. It shares a common boundary with the districts of Una and Kangra in the state of Himachal Pradesh.

This city was founded during the early 4th century and was later occupied by Maharaja Karanvir Singh in 1809. A part of the Indus Valley Civilization, it remained unified under the state of Punjab and holds a special significance. The excavations at different sites across the Hoshiarpur District reveal that this region was inhabited during the Paleolithic age.

Tourists can also see the archaeological remains of the temples situated at Dholbaha, which is situated at around 24 km from Hoshiarpur. These archaeological remains also suggest the inhabitation of the place during the pre-historic times. Moreover, there have been discoveries of certain antiquities belonging to the Pleistocene Period.

During the medieval period, Hoshiarpur was part of the kingdom of the Muslim ruler Mahmud Ghaznavi. He occupied the old fort in Garhshankar, which was built by Raja Shankar Das. It was later annexed by Sultan Shahab-ud-Din Muhammad Ghori, who gifted the fort to Raja Man Singh of Jaipur. The entire district was devastated in 1398-1399 by Amir Taimur, while returning from Delhi.

In 1707, after the death of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, the entire state of Punjab was divided into 6 Doabs, with the important towns falling under the Hoshiarpur District. These towns were Tanda, Hoshiarpur, Dasuya Sham Churasi and Mukerian. The British annexed the district of Hoshiarpur during the end of the First Anglo Sikh War, between 1845 and 1846.

Though the British took lot of precautionary measures, this district was still affected by the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857. Later on, in 1917, a District Congress Committee of Hoshiarpur was formed, which also actively participated in the Non Cooperation Movement. The inhabitants of this district played a major role in the Indian struggle for independence and also during the Partition of India in 1947.

Hoshiarpur town has its own railway station, which is managed by Northern Railways and is connected with nearby Jalandhar Cantonment railway station. The bus stand in the town is situated near the main town and features direct buses to various parts of the country. Amritsar International Airport is the nearest airport to the town of Hoshiarpur and travellers can avail taxis from this airport to reach the district.

Summers are very hot in the region. The best time to travel to Hoshiarpur is the winter season, extending from October through March.