Faridkot

Faridkot lies in the Malwa country of Punjab. Tradition holds that the town was founded as Mokalhar by Raja Mokalsi and renamed after a visit by the Sufi saint Baba Farid. The old Qila Mubarak fort is associated with that early period. Later Faridkot gave its name to a state ruled by the Brar family.

Hamir Singh established the Brar state in 1763, amid the decline of Mughal and Afghan authority. Its rulers faced pressure from Patiala and Lahore, and rival claims divided their lands. Ranjit Singh occupied Faridkot in 1807, alarming other Malwa chiefs, who sought British support. A treaty in 1809 restored it to Gulab Singh and obliged the Sikh ruler to abandon claims south of the Sutlej. Faridkot survived under British influence; Gulab Singh died in 1826 and was succeeded, after the brief rule of Attar Singh, by Pahar Singh.