District Shahid Bhagat Singh Nagar or Nawan Sheher, as it was formerly known as is a relatively new district in the western part of Punjab. The district was carved out of the neighboring Jalandhar and Hoshiarpur districts on 7 November, 1995. It was called Nawan Sheher then but the authorities changed its name to ‘Shahid Bhagat Singh Nagar’ on 27 September, 2008. It is surrounded by Ludhiana and Rupnagar to its south while Hoshiarpur and Kapurthala make its northern boundary. To its west are Rupnagar and Jalandhar limits it in the east. For the purposes of administration the district is divided into tehesils: Balachaur and Nawanshahr.
The district is named after the famous freedom fighter Bhagat Singh who was born at the village of Khatkar Kalan 27 September, 1907 in the district. Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar came into existence on in 1995 therefore its history is linked with that of Jalandhar and Hoshiarpur. The native Hindu kings ruled the area until the 10th or 11th century when the foreign invasions began. Mohammedan rulers kept control of the area till the 18th century when the Sikh Confederacy took control. After the Anglo-Sikh wars of the 1840s the area fell into the British hands. Later, the area became a part of PEPSU when the nation gained freedom from the British in 1947.
The area of the district is 1258.33 square kilometers which makes it one of the smallest districts in Punjab. It is situated between the coordinates 31.8 ºN and 76.7º E and as per the census 2001; the district has a population of 586,637. Punjabi is the mother tongue of virtually all the population and Hindi is also widely understood. The weather in the district is typical of that of Punjab; it is hot and dry. The summers are hot and the winters are very cold. About 70% of the annual rainfall occurs between the months of July and September. Agriculture is the backbone of the local economy and there are a number of places worth visiting for a tourist going to the district:
Gurudwara Nanaksar: Built by Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the gurudwara (a Sikh temple) is located in the village of Hakimpur approximately 5 kilometers from the Bahiram Railway Station. The gurudwara is associated with the Sikh gurus: it is said that the first guru Nanak Dev stayed here for three days and the seventh guru Hari Rai tied his horses to a two tree in the gurudwara.
Gurudwara Charan Kanwal: The gurudwara was built by the Maharaja Ranjit Singh in the memory of sixth guru in the village of Jeendowal.
Gurudwara Gurpalah: The gurudwara is famous for a fair which is held here every year at the end of July. It is said that the sixth Sikh guru Hargobind Sahib stayed here for a few days when going to Kiratpur Sahib.
Gurudwara Shahidaan Urapar: This gurudwara is built to commemorate the Sikh soldiers who were killed here in a battle with the Mogul army under the leadership of Banda Bahadur in 1711.
Suraj Kund: The complex has a pool which is associated with the mythical Hindu deity Ram Chandra and according to the legend there are only three complexes which claim to have kunds in the India; Suraj Kund is one of those three and it is located in the town of Rahon.
Baba Raj Dev Temple: The temple was built in 1596 AD in the memory of the saint Raj Dev by his son. It is believed that the saint who belonged to a royal family came to the area to meditate.
