History of Pathankot is glorified by the influence of various kings and rulers. Interesting stories also are popular that centered on the history of Pathankot. In fact Pathankot and its nearby region were integrated to Nurpur territories. Nurpur was the former name of Himachal Pradesh of India. A Taur Rajput , called Jatpal came from Delhi and took hold of the whole areas that are found at the foothill . He was the founder of the Nurpur dynasty.

Rajput kings transferred their capital to Nurpur, a modern town, which was renamed after Begum Nurjahan) during late 17th century. A Muslim successor Sayed Khan, famous king of Nurpur dynasty dominated the region till the year 1781. According to some experts, Pathans settled down at Pathankot during medieval period. Special mentioning of Pathankot also is found in ancient books as well. In the famous book Ain-i-Akbari Pathankot has been mentioned as the Pargana Headquarter. Scholars opine that even in the great epic of India, Mahabharata , Audumbar was the name of Janapada , a type of kingdom. This Audmbar was Pathankot.

Some light also has been thrown about etymology of the words. Popular historian, Cunnigham claimed that Pathankot is derived from the term Pattan.