Chichawatni
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| Chichawatni | |
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 Chichawatni
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| Coordinates: 30°19′N 72°25′E / 30.32°N 72.42°E | |
| Country | Pakistan |
| Province | Punjab |
| Population (1998) | |
| • Total | 72,261 |
| • Estimate (2007) | 120,400 |
| Time zone | PST (UTC+5) |
| Calling code | 040 |
| Number of towns | 1 |
| Number of Union councils | 3 |
Chichawatni (Urdu/Punjabi: چیچہ وطنی) is a town in the Sahiwal District of the Pakistani province of Punjab.[1] Situated near the Grand Trunk Road, it lies approximately 45 kilometres (28 mi) from the district capital, Sahiwal.[2]
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[edit] Etymology
There are two leading folk etymologies proposed for the name Chichawatni. The first asserts that the 7th-century Raja Dahir named the town Chichawatni – meaning "City of Chach" – for his father, Maharaja Chach of Alor, after passing by it during a hunt. According to the second etymology, the name is derived from a Hindu family who lived in the area in antiquity, with the father of the family being named Chicha and the mother Watni.
[edit] History
During the British Raj, Chichawatni was reputedly transformed from a small Punjabi village into a relatively modern city by infrastructure investment and planning decrees, starting in 1918.[citation needed] At the time of the India-Pakistan Partition of 1947, many aristocratic Indian Muslim families migrated from Punjabi towns like Ludhiana, Jallandhar, Amritsar and Firozpur, and settled in towns like Chichawatni, shaping the city's present-day Muslim elite. Another legacy of the Partition is a large Christian community, with Christianity being most prominent among poorer residents.
[edit] Overview
Chichawatni serves as the main city of Sahiwal Division, and is administratively subdivided into three City Union Councils and 34 rural Union Councils.[1] It is also the headquarters of Chichawatni Tehsil. It lies approximately 20 kilometres (12 mi) from the ancient Upper Indus site of Harappa, and is consequently a popular stop-over for tourists. It furthermore serves as the educational hub for many local villages, offering several colleges and institutions for higher education.
[edit] Forest division
Chichawatni is the headquarters of a Pakistani forest division, also named Chichawatni. Dating to 1923, the Chichawatni Plantation covers a total forested area of approximately 9,000 acres (36 km²), constituting the second-largest forest plantation in Pakistan,[citation needed] the largest being Changa Manga.
The Peregrine Fund, a U.S.-based avian conservation organisation, has conducted research in Chichawatni forest.[3]
[edit] Cattle market
Chichawatni's cattle market, known as Mandi Muwaishiyan, is among the largest in Pakistan.[citation needed] Typically, the market runs from the 21st of each month to the end of month, with its business peaking in three first days.
[edit] Kabbadi stadium
Kabbadi – a team sport similar to wrestling – is popular in Chichawatni, which is home to one of the few floodlit Kabbadi stadiums in Pakistan. The town has played host to numerous Kabbadi championships.[citation needed]
[edit] Educational institutions
Chichawatni is home to numerous institutions of secondary and tertiary education, including:
- Darul Uloom Khatm-e-Nubuwwat (an Islamic institution)
- Dawn Cadet High School
- The Educators College
- Unique Public School
- Al-Falah Public School
- Punjab Group of Colleges (Chichawatni Campus)[4]
- Government Crescent College (for girls)[5]
- Government Crescent Girls High School[6]
- Government Degree College (for boys)[7]
- Government High School (for boys)[8]
- Government M.C. High School (for boys)[9]
[edit] Rail links
In 1918, Chichawatni's first railway station was constructed, but its position – in the largely impassable forest to the north of the town – made it difficult to reach, despite the expansion of the station in 1927. In July 2007, at the insistence of the local MNA, Rai Azizullah Khan MP, a new and more accessible railway station was constructed in Chichawatni, with the sanction of then-Prime Minister Zafarullah Jamali.[citation needed]
[edit] Government investment
In recent years, the Government of Punjab has invested significantly into education in Chichawatni, leading to a rapid increase in the local literacy rate. In partnership with private interests, local authorities have also invested into ICT education, improving the computer skills of school and college students in Chichawatni.[10] Numerous municipal parks and museums have also been constructed with government aid.[citation needed]
[edit] Notable people from Chichawatni
- Abdul Latif Khalid Cheema, religious leader and head of Chichawatni's Darul Uloom Khatm-e-Nubuwwat[11]
- Rai Hassan Nawaz, two-time nazim of the District of Sahiwal
- Azam Tariq, co-founder of the political organisation Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan
- Asad Wazir,Famous composer and sufi rock artist
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b Tehsils & Unions in the District of Sahiwal - Government of Pakistan
- ^ Location of Chichawatni. Falling Rain. Retrieved 2012-02-11.
- ^ Details of Research
- ^ http://pgc.edu/campuses_Chichawatni.aspx
- ^ http://chichawatni.com/GovtCrescentCollegeforgirls.aspx
- ^ http://www.schoolinglog.com/school/Government-Girls-High-School-CRESCENT-CHICHAWATNI-CHICHAWATANI-SAHIWAL_74064.html
- ^ http://chichawatni.wikimapia.org/place/1760519/Government-Degree-College-Boys
- ^ http://www.facebook.com/pages/GOVT-HIGH-School-Chichawatni/139865766086019?sk=info
- ^ http://tmachichawatni.com/Pic-Gallery.html
- ^ The Computer Scientists
- ^ "الطاف حسین صہیونی ایجنڈے پر کام کررہے ہیں‘ عبداللطیف خالد". Jasarat. 13 September 2011. http://www.jasarat.com/unicode/detail.php?category=13&newsid=70549. Retrieved 17 September 2011.
[edit] External links
Coordinates: 30°32′N 72°42′E / 30.533°N 72.7°E
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