Sri Muktsar Sahib is a historic city and district headquarters in Punjab, India. The 2011 Census of India estimated the total population of Sri Muktsar Sahib Municipality at 117,085, making it the 14th largest city in Punjab by population. The second guru of the Sikhs, Guru Angad (Nanak II) was born in the village of Matte-di-Sarai (Sarainaga) in the same district. Previously called Khidrana/Khidrane di dhab, the city was named Muktsar after the Battle of Muktsar in 1705 and the district headquarters in 1995. The government officially changed the name of the city to Sri Muktsar Sahib in 2012, although the city is . It is still mainly referred to by the unofficial name of Muktsar.
The modern city of Sri Muktsar Sahib was historically a semi-desert area called Khidrana or Khidrane de dhab, located near a lake. Not much is known about the early history of the current part of the city. This may be partly due to the Sutlej River. The Sutlej is famous for changing its course and is said to have flowed eastwards to Sri Muktsar Sahib in historical times. When changing course, it is said that it devastated everything in its path, leaving behind ruins, mounds of earth and remains of pottery. The present Sri Muktsar Sahib area is almost completely devoid of ancient buildings and contains no sites mentioned in early records. Legends associated with Raja Sálbán are attributed to one or two ruined sites closer to Sri Muktsar Sahib, such as that of Sarainaga, 16 km east of Sri Muktsar Sahib.
