Jalandhar is a city in the state of Punjab in India. With a significant population, it is the third most populous city in the state and is the largest city in the Doaba region. Located along the historic Grand Trunk Road, Jalandhar is a well-connected hub for both rail and road networks.
The city may have been named after Jalandhara, a Nath Guru who hailed from here. The city was founded by Devasya Verma, as mentioned in the Vedas. Other possibilities include that it was the capital of the kingdom of Lava, son of Rama, or that the name derives from the local term Jalandhar, which means area within the water, that is, an area lying between the two rivers Satluj and Beas. The entire Punjab and the area of present-day Jalandhar district were part of the Indus Valley civilization. Harappa and Mohenjo-daro are the places where large-scale remains of the Indus Valley Civilization have been found. Archaeological explorations carried out in recent years have puzzled the antiquity of Jalandhar district from the Harappan period. Jalandhar was known as Prasthala during the Vedic period and was the capital of the Trigarta kingdom.
