|
Faridkot, the capital
town of the erstwhile princely State
of Faridkot, is the headquarters of
a district named after it. The city
owes its name to the famous Muslim mystic
poet Baba Farid whose work has found
place in Holy Granth Sahib. The legend
runs that when Baba Farid came to this
place he was drafted as a laborer on
the construction of the fort. The basket,
which he was given to carry the earth,
floated without any visible support.
On seeing this divine revelation Sheikh
Farid was allowed to depart. In his
honor the town was renamed as Faridkot.
There is a tomb of baba Farid called
'Chila Baba Farid'.
The town of Faridkot has been the focal
point in the struggle for national independence.
'Jaitu Ka Morcha' at a distance of about
30km from Faridkot is a well-known event
of the freedom struggle.
Faridkot has many fine buildings, foremost
among them being the former Secretariat
building now housing the District Courts,
Guest House, Clock Tower, Darbar Ganj
and the stadium. The former ruler's
palace is situated inside the town and
there is also a fort.
Jaito:
30 kms. from Faridkot the Gurudwara,
center of an annual fair, celebrates
the victory that the Akali volunteers
had won over the British in 1923 against
govt. interference in Akhand Path, continued
recitation of the Sikh Scripture. The
peaceful agitation became a watershed
in India's freedom struggle. Pandit
Nehru had courted arrest here.
|
