Nawanshahr is a city and a municipal council in Nawanshahr district in the Indian state of Punjab. It is the headquarters of Nawanshahr District. It is said to have been built during the reign of Alaudin Khilji (1295-1316) by his Afghan Military Chief Nausher Khan. Previously it was called "Nausar" but with the passage of time, the town came to be known as "Nawanshahr". Nausher Khan had constructed five forts known as Havelis, whose remains still exist. The town Nawanshahr has been renamed as Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar. Khatkar Kalan, the ancestral village of Bhagat Singh is in Nawanshahr district. The Punjab Government renamed the town in September 2007