Bathinda

Bathinda is a city and municipal corporation in Punjab, India, and the administrative headquarters of Bathinda district. It lies in the Malwa region of northwestern India, 227 kilometres west of Chandigarh, and is the fifth largest city of Punjab. After independence and the merger of Patiala and the East Punjab States into PEPSU, Bathinda became a full district with its headquarters in the city. The city is home to the Maharaja Ranjit Singh Punjab Technical University, the Central University of Punjab and AIIMS Bathinda, two thermal power plants, a fertiliser plant, two cement plants, a large army cantonment, an air force station, a zoo and the historic Qila Mubarak fort. The 2011 census counted 285,813 residents, and the city stands at an average elevation of 201 metres.