HOSHIARPUR, a town of British India, in the Punjab. Pop. (1931), 26,73o. It was founded, according to tradition, about the early part of the 14th century. In 1809 it was occupied by Ranjit Singh. The maharaja and his successors maintained a considerable cantonment I m. S.E. of the town, and the British government kept it up for several years after the annexation of the Punjab in 1849. There are manufactures of cotton goods, inlaid woodwork, lacquered ware, shoes and copper vessels.
The DISTRICT OF HOSHIARPUR comprises an area of 2,247 sq.m. ; pop. (1931) 1,o3 2,18 7. It falls into two nearly equal portions of hill and plain country. Between the two chains of hills on the east, stretches a valley of uneven width, known as the Jaswan Dun. Its upper portion is crossed by the Sohan torrent, while the Sutlej sweeps into its lower end through a break in the hills, and flows in a southerly direction till it turns the flank of the central range, and debouches westwards upon the plains. This western plain consists of alluvial formation, with a general west erly slope owing to the deposit of silt from the mountain torrents in the sub-montane tract. Rice is largely grown in the marshy flats along the banks of the Beas. Several religious fairs are held, at Anandpur, Mukerian and Chintpurni, all of which attract an enormous concourse of people. Cotton fabrics are manufactured, and sugar, rice and other grains, tobacco and indigo are among the exports.
The country around Hoshiarpur formed part of the old Hindu kingdom of Katoch in Jullundur. The state was eventually broken up, and the present district was divided between the rajas of Ditarpur and Jaswan. They retained undisturbed possession of their territories until 1759, when the rising Sikh chieftains commenced a series of encroachments upon the hill tracts. By the close of the year r g I 8 the whole country from the Sutlej to the Beas had come under the government of Lahore, and after the first Sikh war in 1846 passed to the British government.