Pathankot (Punjabi: ਪਠਾਨਕੋਟ, Hindi: पठानकोट [pəˈʈʰaːnkoːʈ]) is a city and a municipal committee in Gurdaspur district in the Indian state of Punjab. It was a part of the Nurpur princely state ruled by the Rajputs prior to 1849 A.D. It is a meeting point of the three northern states of Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. Due to its ideal location, Pathankot serves as a travel hub for the three northerly states. Pathankot is the fifth largest city in the state of Punjab in terms of population. It is the last city in Punjab on the national highway that connects Jammu and Kashmir with the rest of India. Situated in the foothills of Kangra and Dalhousie, with the river Chakki flowing close by, the city is often used as a rest-stop before heading into the mountains of Jammu and Kashmir, Dalhousie, Chamba, and Kangra, deep into the Himalayas.
Pathankot is also used as a gateway for Chamba & Kangra Valley in Himachal Pradesh.
Near Pathankot there is a dam named Ranjit Sagar Dam near Jugial.
By plane Pathankot is connected to Delhi.
By train Pathankot is a major railroad junction. Lines from Amritsar (2 hrs) and Delhi (8 hrs) merge here, and all services to Jammu (2 hrs) pass through. In addition to Pathankot station itself, there is a second station called Chakki Bank just 4 km away, which serves some express trains that do not stop in Pathankot station.In addition, Pathankot is also served by the narrow-gauge Kangra Valley Railway built by the British, which crawls 128 km to Joginder Nagar via Palampur and Kangra (near Dharamsala
As of 2001[update] India census, Pathankot had a population of 159,559. Males constitute 55% of the population and females 45%. Pathankot has an average literacy rate of 87%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 90%, and female literacy is 83%. In Pathankot, 11% of the population is under 6 years of age. In Pathankot, Punjabi is the main spoken language although Urdu, Hindi and Dogri are also spoken
Places worth visiting near Pathankot include Shahpur Kandi with a hanging resthouse, Ranjit Sagar Dam which is the highest gravity dam in Asia, Madhopur headworks which date back to the Mughal era. Church, Head works of Upper Bari Doab, Shahpur Kandi are the attractions of this area.
There are two mosques in the city presenting the city of its name .
There are some caves on the way to Shahpur Kandi which date to the time of the Mahabharata. According to a legend, the Pandavas stayed in those caves for a night during their "Agayatwas". A carnival or mela, called Mukesran da mela is held there each year in the month of April to mark Baisakhi.
The ancient Shiva temple- 'Kathgarh'. is approximately 25 km from PTK, During "Naag panchami" gap between two shiva parvati holy stones reduces and during "shivrathri" the gap increases. There is no clue as to how that happens. But truly it's a magic of its own. To reach there one has to go to Indora (HP), which is 20 km away from ptk. Don't miss this temple if you visit Pathankot.
India's foremost hydraulic research stations is situated at Malikpur which is 7 km from Pathankot, where various models of dams and irrigation canal are made before actual work upon them starts.
There is a fort, called the Nurpur Fort built by the Pathania Rajputs, more than 900 years ago. It was damaged due to the great earthquake which struck this region early in 1905 A.D. 25 km from Pathankot. It is quite famous in North India, and the temple inside attracts tourists from all across. It is 25 KM away from Pathankot.
Shahpurkandi fort is also one of the main attractions of Pathankot city. It was built in 1505 A.D. by a Rajput chief Jaspal Singh Pathania. It was strategically located to have control over the Kangra and Nurpur region. The fort is in ruins, and is famous for its temples and the view it commands over the Ravi river.
The famous road/colony that forms the heart of city are mission road, Jodhamal colony, green heaven colony and Patel chownk road. Famous temples are Ashapurni mandir, Kali mata ka mandir, Shani Dev mandir, Hanuman Mandir near railway station, Ramlila ground. Also devotees visit CNI church.Its one of the city of Punjab's golden triangle i.e. Amritsar, Jalandhar and Pathankot are at a distance of 100 km to each other
One can stop over in Pathankot en-route to Dharamshala (100 km), Dalhousie (70 km), Amritsar (108), Palampur (100 km), Chamba (100 km) & Jammu (100 km), Hoshiarpur (100 km), Kangra (100 km), Jalandhar (108 km) all in different directions from Pathankot
In spite of being the fifth largest city of Punjab (population-wise), Pathankot does not have a government college
