| Malerkotla | |
| — city — | |
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| Coordinates | |
| Country | India |
| State | Punjab |
| District(s) | Chandigarh |
| Population | 106,802 (2001[update]) |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+05:30) |
| Area |
• 242 metres (794 ft) |
| Website | [http://[2] [3]] |
Malerkotla (Punjabi: ਮਲੇਰਕੋਟਲਾ, Hindi: मलेरकोटला, Urdu: مالیرکوٹلہ) is a city and a municipal council in Sangrur district in the Indian state of Punjab. It was the seat of the eponymous princely state during the British Raj. The state acceded unto the union of India in 1947 and was merged with other nearby princely states to create the Patiala and East Punjab States' Union (PEPSU).
When that political entity was reorganised in 1956, the territories of the erstwhile state of Malerkotla became part of Punjab.[1]
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Malerkotla, a Muslim majority state, ruled by Sherwani of Arab origin(According to latest research done on DNA test by a member of Sherwani Family .They belong to Haplogroup J2). Maler Kotla state was founded in 1600. It is a historic fact that during the 1947 riots when Punjab was in flames, the State of Malerkotla did not witness a single incident of violence; through it all, it remained a lone island of peace.[2]
The origin of this rare occurrence dates back to 1705, when Sahibzada Fateh Singh and Sahibzada Zorawar Singh, 9 and 7 year old sons of 10th Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh, were ordered to be bricked alive by the governor of Sirhind, Wazir Khan, his close relative, Sher Mohammed Khan, Nawab of Malerkotla, who was present in the court, lodged vehement protest against this inhuman act and said it is against the glorious tenets of Quran and Islam.[3] Wazir Khan nevertheless had the Sahibzadas tortured and bricked into a section of wall while still alive. At this the noble Nawab of Malerkotla walked out of the court in protest
Guru Gobind Singh on learning this kind and humanitarian approach profusely thanked the Nawab of Malerkotla and blessed him with his Hukamnama, Kirpan etc. In recognition of this act, the State of Malerkotla did not witness a single incident of violence during partition.
During the partition of India, the Ruling Family of Sheikh Sadr-ud-Din Sherwani migrated to Pakistan and living mostly in Model Town, Lahore, Muzzafargarh, Khangarh.[4] Though many also contribute this peace to the presence of the shrine of 'Baba Haidar Sheikh', the Sufi saint, who founded the town of Malerkotla more than 500 years ago.[5]
To facilitate the oriental scholars, Punjabi University, Patiala, decided to establish an Institute of higher learning in this field in the 'Urdu Town of Punjab' i.e. Malerkotla named after one of the founders of Malerkotla Estate, Nawab Sher Mohammad Khan. The Nawab Sher Mohd. Khan Institute of Advanced Studies in Urdu, Persian and Arabic,[6] provides the facilities of higher research in the area of Urdu/Persian Languages and Literature up to the level of PhD. Besides regular classes of M.A. (Persian), Certificate courses (Urdu, Persian and Arabic), PGDCA (1 year) and CCA (6 months) certificate in computer application, Computer Courses are also being run.
Today Malerkotla is the only place in Indian Punjab that has a majority Muslim population. 55% percent of the residents of Malerkotla are Muslims with sufficient Sikh and Hindu population. Due to the Muslim majority in Malerkotla in schools across Malerkotla Urdu is taught alongside Punjabi and Hindi.
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