Gurdaspur, which means the land of the Master (guru) and the disciple (das), is the administrative headquarters of the
Gurdaspur District, in
Punjab. It is named after Guriaji, a Sanwal Brahmin lived in a nearby village. Gurdaspur is 71 km northwest of
Amritsar.
The town was made the district headquarters in 1852, by the British. At the time of partition, the district minus the tehsil of Shakargarh became a part of the Indian union.
Places of tourist interest in and around the town include Dera Baba Nanak (35 km), Sri Hagobindpur, Gurdwara Tahli Sahib and
Pathankot (36 km).
Nearest airport is at Amritsar (72 km).
Gurdaspur Railway Station is on the Amritsar-Batala-Pathankot section of the Ferozepur Division of Northern Railway and hence has regular trains to New Delhi, Ahmedabad and Amritsar.
