The district is named after Jalandhar, a demon king, who finds a mention in the Puranas and Mahabharta. According to another legend, Jalandhar was the capital of the kingdom of lav, son of Rama. According to yet another version Jalandhar is said to have derived its name from the vernacular term `Jalandhar’ means area inside the water, i.e. tract laying between the two rivers Satluj and Beas, still another name of Jalandhar had been Trigartta, as it was waters by three rivers, Satluj, Beas and Ravi.

Location

Jalandhar is located on the intensively irrigated plain between the Beas and Sutlej rivers. The city, which has major road and rail connections, is a market for agricultural products. Manufactures include textiles, leather goods, wood products, and sporting goods. Jalandhar was the capital of Punjab from India's independence (1947) until Chandigarh was built in 1953.Jalandhar is situated at 710 31’ East and 300 33’ North at a distance of 146 kms from state capital Chandigarh. It is at a distance of 350 Kms from Delhi on Delhi-Amritsar Highway. It is surrounded by Ludhiana district in East, Kapurthala in West, Hosiharpur in North and Ferozepur in South. It is well connected by road and train. Nearest Airport is RajaSansi Airport, Amritsar at a distance of 90 kms.
Total Area and Population of the District

According to 2001 Census provisional, the area of Jalandhar District is 3,401 sq. km According to 2001 Census provisional figures, the total population of the district was 19,53,508 persons (10,26,535 males and 9,26,973 Females).

By Air
Jalandhar does not have an airport of its own. The closest international airport to is Rajasansi Airport of Amritsar, which is at a distance of 90 km. International airlines like Turkmenistan Airlines, Uzbekistan Airlines and Air India fly to and from the aiport, connecting the city to foreign countries. Several domestic flights, like Air Deccan, Jet Airways etc, also operate from Amritsar. Besides Amritsar, Chandigarh and Ludhiana have domestic airports, at a distance of 134 km and 59 km respectively.

By Rail
Jalandar has a railway station of its own, which is one of the important railway stations of Punjab. Several trains from different corners of the country arrive and depart from there. The railway terminus at Jalandhar falls on the Delhi-Amritsar Railway Line. This route is mostly traversed by the passenger and express trains that connect the city to the important cities like Jammu, Kolkata, Nagpur, Mumbai, Puri and Delhi. Some of the important trains running through Jalandhar are Amritsar-New Delhi Shatabdi Express, Amritsar Howrah Mail, Amritsar-New Delhi Express, Amritsar-Bilaspur Chhatisgarh Express, Pathankot Tatanagar Express, JammuTawi-Pune Jhelum Express, Akal Takht Express, and so on. There are also several local trains running through Jalandhar, which connect the city to different parts of Punjab. These local trains run from Jalandhar to Amritsar, Ludhiana, Hosiarpur, Pathankot, Ferozpur and Nokadar Junction.

Surface
The roads to Jalandhar are well developed and properly maintained. There is a wide network of bus services available in the city, connecting it to the other key cities in Himachal, Haryana, U.P, Jammu & Kashmir and Rajasthan. Bus services are also available within the state, connecting Jalandhar to Amritsar, Ludhiana, etc. Both Government and private owned buses run in the city, making it easily accessible. Other means of transport like auto-rickshaw and taxis can be conveniently hired to travel within the city.