From warlord’s cantonment to Sher-e-Punjab’s retreat

The town, originally known as Adinanagar, was founded by Adina Beg, a Punjabi warlord and general, in 1730 on the banks of the Hansli river. He established his residence and cantonment here while still in the early stages of his political career.

Later, Dinanagar became the summer capital of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, who also received British delegations in the town. It was here that he welcomed the famous Macnaghten Mission in 1838. After the British annexed Punjab in 1849, Dinanagar was designated as a new revenue district. However, the district headquarters were later moved to Batala in 1849, and by 1852, Dinanagar became part of the Gurdaspur district.

In the 19th century, several production centres for shawls and loi (a woollen blanket) were established, making Dinanagar famous throughout the country for these products.

In 1919, Dinanagar participated in protests against the Rowlatt Act and also joined the Non-Cooperation Movement in 1920. The British colonial government had passed the Rowlatt Act, which granted the police the power to arrest any Indian on mere suspicion. In response, Mahatma Gandhi called upon people to perform Satyagraha, in which the people of Dinanagar actively took part.

There was a period when industrial activity picked up in Dinanagar. However, the Central Government did not extend to it the incentives and subsidies granted to neighbouring states like Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh.

On the educational front, Swami Swatantra Nand founded the Dayanand Math in 1938. This institution became a centre for learning and Ayurveda. In recent decades, numerous schools and colleges have emerged, enabling children from nearby villages, who previously had to travel to other cities for education, to enroll in institutions within Dinanagar.