Maler Kotla

Maler Kotla State ਮਲੇਰਕੋਟਲਾ ਰਿਆਸਤ مالیرکوٹلہ ریاست
Princely State of British India
← 1657–1948 →
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Motto Heaven's Light Our Guide
1911 map of Ludhiana District showing several princely states, including Malerkotla
Capital		Malerkotla
History
•	Established	1657
•	Independence of India	1948
Area
•	1901	433 km2(167 sq mi)
Population
•	1901	77,506
	Density	179 /km2  (463.6 /sq mi)
Today part of		Punjab, India
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.

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The State of Malerkotla or Maler Kotla was a princely state in the Punjab region during the era of British India. The last ruler of Maler Kotla signed the accession to join the Indian Union on 20 August 1948. Its rulers belonged to a Pathan, dynasty and its capital was in Malerkotla. The state belonged to the Punjab States Agency.

During the partition of India, The last Nawab Iftkhar Ali Khan remained in Maler Kotla & died in the year 1982. He is buried at Shahi grave yard situated at Sirhandi gate. However a part of the ruling family of Malerkotla State migrated to Pakistan and their members are living mostly in Model Town, Lahore, as well as in Muzaffargarh and Khangarh.

The predecessor state was founded in 1454 A.D. by Sheikh Sadruddin-i-Jahan, a pious man of the Sherwani tribe of Afghanistan area, and was ruled by his descendents.

Local tradition says that Behlol Lodhi (1451–1517), the Afghan king who had most of western India under his control, desired to rule Delhi and on his way he was caught in a sand drift. In the darkness the King spotted a dim light of a lamp still burning in the wind. It was the hut of Sheikh Sadruddin and when the king found out he came to the hut to show his respect and asked the holy man to pray for him to bear a son and have victory. During 1451 and 1452, the king married off his daughter Taj Murassa to Shaikh Sadruddin after being enthroned in Delhi, and also gave him the area of Malerkotla as a jagir. The descendents of Shaikh Sadruddin branched into two groups. One started ruling the state and were given the title of Nawab. The other branch lived around the Shrine of Shaikh Sadruddin, controlling its revenue.

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