From being a small village called Meer Hota in 1481 to later Lodiana and now Ludhiana, the city has never been caught napping. From first to fourth century it was under the rule Yodhas and later came under the rule of Samudragupta. The original Ludhianavis started to settle here in the ninth century. These were the Rajputs from south and then the Turks and the Afghans who took the Bet area of Sutlej on lease from Mohammad Gami. Later, the Sidhus, Gills, Sandhus and the Grewals came from the jungles of Jagraon and camped here.
Sikandar Lodhi sent Yusaf and Nihang to stop the approaching Baloachs. They crossed Sutlej and after defeating Khokhars of Doaba, established Sultanpur Lodhi. Nihang stayed back at village Meer Hota as Naib. He changed the name of the village to Lodiana. Later, his grandson, Jalal Khan, built the Lodhi Fort there. His two sons Aloo Khan and Khijar Khan divided among themselves the area around the fort but were dethroned by Babur who even demolished Nihang`s tomb. That didn`t end the travails of this town. During Akbar`s reign, it was a tehsil along with Tihara.
Ludhiana is the textile center of India and a very rapidly growing town. In the field of agriculture, Ludhiana occupies a large grain market. Hero Bicycles, the world`s largest manufacturer of bicycles is based here. Christian Medical College Hospital of Ludhiana, established in 1895, was the first school of medicine in Asia. The world`s famous Punjab Agricultural University resides here. It has an excellent museum. Ludhiana accounts for 90% of the country`s woolen hosiery industry. Ludhiana is also famous for rural Olympics.
