Pathankot was the capital of Nurpur princely state ruled by the Pathania Rajpoots. In Mughal records it was knows as paithan an abbreviation of Pratishthan from which the Pathania Rajputs derive their name, an ancient customed tradition of Rajputs, in which the King almost in all instances took his name from the name of the country where he exercised his dominion. The capital was shifted from pathankot to dhameri Nurpur in the time of Raja Basu Dev 1580/1613
