Gurdaspur district is an administrative district in the state of Punjab in northern India. Located in the Majha region, it lies between the rivers Beas and Ravi, and shares an international boundary with Pakistan to the west. The district headquarters is the town of Gurdaspur.
Key facts
| Country | India |
|---|---|
| State | Punjab |
| Region | Majha |
| Headquarters | Gurdaspur |
| Major rivers | Ravi, Beas |
| International border | Pakistan (to the west) |
| Official language | Punjabi |
Geography
Gurdaspur lies in the north-western corner of Punjab, in the fertile alluvial plain of the Bari Doab — the tract of land between the Beas and Ravi rivers. The district borders Pathankot district to the north, Amritsar district to the south-west, Kapurthala district and Hoshiarpur district to the south-east, the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir to the north-east, and Pakistan's Punjab province across the Ravi to the west. The terrain is largely flat agricultural land, with the foothills of the Shivaliks influencing its north-eastern fringe.
Administration
The district is divided into several tehsils and sub-tehsils, including Gurdaspur, Batala, Dera Baba Nanak and Dina Nagar. Batala is the largest urban centre in the district and an important industrial and trading town. Other notable towns include Dera Baba Nanak, Dina Nagar, Qadian and Sri Hargobindpur.
Parliamentary representation
The district forms the core of the Gurdaspur Lok Sabha constituency, which has historically been represented by several prominent figures in Indian politics and public life.
History
The area now forming Gurdaspur district has a long association with Sikh history. The town of Dera Baba Nanak on the Ravi is linked with Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, and is the Indian terminus of the Kartarpur Corridor opened in 2019, which connects pilgrims to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur in Pakistan. The town of Sri Hargobindpur was founded in association with the sixth Sikh Guru, Guru Hargobind.
Under the Mughals, the region was part of the Lahore Subah. In the 18th century it came under the rule of the Sikh Empire of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, with Batala emerging as a centre of administration and learning. After the First Anglo-Sikh War and subsequent annexation of Punjab in 1849, the district was organised under British rule as part of the Lahore Division.
At the time of the Partition of India in 1947, the boundary award by the Radcliffe Commission placed the bulk of Gurdaspur district in India, despite a Muslim-majority population in parts of it — a decision that has remained historically significant because it provided India with a land link to Jammu and Kashmir. The Partition was accompanied by large-scale population exchange and violence in the district.
In 2011, the tehsils of Pathankot and Dhar Kalan were carved out of Gurdaspur to form the new Pathankot district.
Economy
The economy of Gurdaspur district is predominantly agricultural. Wheat, paddy and sugarcane are the principal crops,