Sri Muktsar Sahib

Sri Muktsar Sahib (/ʃriː ˈmʊktsər saːhɪb/) (often referred to as Muktsar (/ˈmʊktsər/)) is a historical city and district headquarters in Punjab, India. The 2011 Census of India put the total population of Sri Muktsar Sahib municipality at 117,085,[1] making it the 14th largest city of Punjab, in terms of population. The second Guru of the Sikhs, Guru Angad (Nanak II) was born in the village Matte-di-Sarai (Sarainaga) in the same district.[2] Earlier the city was called Khidrana/Khidrane di dhab, the city was named Muktsar after the Battle of Muktsar in 1705 and the district headquarters in 1995. The government officially changed the name of the city to Sri Muktsar Sahib in 2012,[3] though the city is still primarily referred to by its unofficial name – Muktsar. The modern day Sri Muktsar Sahib city was historically a semi-desert terrain named Khidrana or Khidrane de dhab, situated near a lake. Not much is known about the early history of the present area of the city. This may partly be due to the river Sutlej. The Sutlej is notorious for shifting its course, and it is stated to have flowed as far east as Sri Muktsar Sahib within historical times. While shifting its course it is said to have leveled down everything that came its way, leaving behind ruins and mounds of earth and pottery debris. The present area of Sri Muktsar Sahib is almost entirely destitute of ancient buildings and contains no places mentioned in early records. Legends connected with Raja Sálbán attach to one or two other ruined sites near Sri Muktsar Sahib such as that at Sarainaga, 10 miles (16 km) to the east of Sri Muktsar Sahib.