Life of Ahmad — Page 209
as BAI‘AT AT LUDHIANA 209 The Ludhiana Gazetteer says: 'Few districts possess greater historical interest than Ludhiana, which must from its situation have been at all periods the scene of the most important events. Lying as it does on the high road from Central Asia, it would be crossed by each successive wave of conquest or immigration; and when we come to historical times, we find that some of the most decisive conflicts for empire took place in this neighbourhood. The town of Ludhiana was founded in 1481 by two of the Lodi race (then ruling at Delhi), from whom it derives its name, and was built in great part from the prehistoric bricks of Sunet. The Lodies continued in possession until 1620, when it again fell into the hands of the Rais of Raikot. Throughout the palmy days of the Mughal Empire, the Raikot family held sway, but the Sikhs took advantage of the troubled period which accompanied the Mughal decadence to establish their supremacy south of the Sutlej. Several of their chieftains made encroachments on the domains of the Rais, who were able to hold their own only by the aid of George Thomas, the famous adventurer of Hariana. In 1806 Ranjit Singh crossed the Sutlej and reduced the obstinate Muhammedan family, and distributed their territory amongst his co-religionists. '