Kotkapura
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Kotkapura is a historic city situated around 50 kilometers away from Bathinda in the state of Punjab in India. It is the largest city in the Faridkot District, and has a large cotton market(one of the best in Asia). Kotkapura is popular due to world famous astrologer Sardar Ujjal singh. He is honoured by the guild of international astrologers. Many tourists come to Kotkapura due to sardar ujjal singh
Kotkapura is also famous for the garden Ram Bag (means 'Garden of Lord Ram'). The Shastri Market of Kotkapura is one of the most populous and largest shopping markets in Punjab.
Kotkapura has a population of 128,000 not including significant floating population due to seasonal work demands in the cotton market and fields. Its Address PIN CODE is 151204 (Punjab) and Phone area code is 01635. It takes around 5 hours by bus from Chandigarh and 2.5 hours from Ludhiana to reach the city.
Kotkapura derives its name from Nawab Kapura Singh and kot meaning a small fort. Literaly meaning 'fort of Kapura'. Kotkapura is a sub division of Faridkot Dist. Kotkapura was part of Faridkot Ryast.
The ancestor of the Faridkot principality, Bhallan was an ardent follower of 6th Sikh Guru Har Gobind. He helped the Guru Har Gobind ji in the battle of Mehraj. He died issueless in 1643. Kapura, who was a nephew of Bhallan, succeeded him. Kapura founded the town of Kotkapura in 1661. Nawab Kapura was the Chaudhry of eighty-four villages. He was a Sikh but did not want to earn the ire of the Mughals and help Guru Gobind Singh Ji opnely and fight with Mughals. The famous last battle of Muktsar (Khidrane Di Dhaab) now a historic town, happened after Nawab Kapura declined Guru Gobind Singh's request to use his fort to fight Mughal Army. Otherwise the last war between Mughals and Guru Gobind Singh Ji was destined to happen at Kotkapura. Guru ji moved from Kotkapura to Dhilwan Kalan from there to Talwandi sabo via Guru ki Dhab. However, later in the battle of Muktsar in 1705, Nawab Kapura helped Guru Gobind Singh Ji in an underhand manner. Kapura was slain by Isa Khan Manj in 1708. He had three sons named Sukhia, Sema and Mukhia. Mukhia killed Isa Khan and took control of the entire area. Sema was also killed in this battle in 1710. Kapura’s elder son Sukhia again came into power in 1720.
A dispute between grandsons of Kapura (sons of Sukhia) led to the division of the state in 1763. The older brother, Sardar Jodh Singh Brar, retained control of Kotkapura, and his younger brother, Sardar Hamir Singh Brar, was given Faridkot.
In 1808, Maharaja Ranjit Singh captured the principality of Faridkot up to Muktsar. Ranjit Singh vacated this area on the behest of the British. That is why the ruler of this principality, Pahara Singh sided with the British during the Anglo-Sikh Wars.
Faridkot is little smaller than Kotkapura but due to existing infrastructure of erstwhile Fardikot Riyasat, it got to be the Dist Hqs under the rule of Giani Zail Singh as the Chief Minister of Punjab. He hails from Sidhwan vill, which is located in between Faridkot and Kotkapura. Kotkapura is famous for its frequently closed railway crossing gate on road KKP- Muktsar. How ever a much delayed fly over has saved the town of this notorious land mark. Guru Gobind Singh ji, the tenth guru of the Sikhs had reached Kotkapura from Machhiwara and asked the nawab for his fort to fight the pursuing mughal army. Nawab fearing retribution refused the fort to the guru. Thus Kotkapura lost a golden opportunity to be part of Sikh history. Kotkapura is also famous for a famous sweet 'Dhodha'.
Apart from its natural beauty, Kotkapura, like many other small towns in India is going through 'modernization' as never before.
One of the most prominent sikh families reside in kotkapura after partition, which is the Nakai family, desending from the Nakai misal.The family holds a big hand in the modernisation and upliftment of the town by opening various computer education centres and recently openend the most prestigeous school named, "west point high school".
