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Gujrat, Pakistan

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This article is about a city in Pakistan. For the Indian state see Gujarat.

Template:Pakistani Cities

Gujrat (Urdu/Punjabi: گجرات) is a city in Pakistan located in Gujrat District in the Punjab Province. A person living in Gujrat is called Gujrati.

Location

Gujrat is situated near the Chenab River, 120 km north of Lahore. Prominent nearby locations include Jhelum, Gujranwala, Mandi Bahauddin, and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. The city is surrounded many villages from which the local labour market is supplied.

History

Gujrat is an ancient city which was founded by Raja Bachhan Pal in 460 BC, according to General Cunningham, the British historian. Historical consensus is that it existed in the time of Alexander the Great, and that the city's Raja Porus put up a fierce challenge to Alexander's invasion at the bank of river Jehlum River. The establishment of Gujrat City was realized early in the 1900 century after the British Empire and in support of regional land lords (e.g Daswandi Khan of Daswandi Pura).

During the Mughal Empire period, Mughal royalty would travel through the district en-route to Kashmir. When King Jahangir died while he was returning from Kashmir, the news of his death was not released to avoid any unrest in the empire. As such, his abdominal organs were taken out and buried in Gujrat. To this day an annual festival is held commemorating this event, commonly known as the "Festival of Jahangir".

There are many historical buildings and ruins in and around Gujrat. In the time of Shair Shah Suri a road was built to link the city to Jalalpur Jattan (another major town of the district). The road still exists today, along with its period stone wall. The nearby towns of Tanda, Adowal, Dinga and Kunjah are also historically important.The village Kurree Sharif is famous for the shrines of saints and mazar of Malik Jusrus, the forefather of Maliks (Khokhars) of Punjab.

Geography

Gujrat is an ancient district of Pakistan located between two famous rivers, the Jhelum River and the Chenab River. Because of its proximity with the rivers, the land is good for cultivation with rice and sugar cane as main crops. It is bounded on the northeast by Jammu and Kashmir, on the northwest by the Jhelum River which separates it from Jhelum district, on the east and southeast by the Chenab River, separating it from the districts of Gujranwala and Sialkot; and on the west by Mandi Bahauddin district. District Gujrat is spread over an area of 3,192 square kilometres and comprises of the three tehsils of Gujrat, Kharian & Sarai Alamgir. A green village Bhalesar situated at Bhimber road 13 K.M from Gujrat. The first village of gujrat which no any crime or killing.

Area and population

According to 1998 Population and Housing Census, total population of Gujrat District is 20,48,000 persons out of which 10,26,000 are males and 10,22,000 are females. Density of population in the district is 642 persons per square Kilometre. Percentage break-up of the Rural and Urban population is 72.3% and 27.7% respectively.

Famous people

  • Captain Syed Mazhar Hussain Shaheed of the 8th Punjab Regiment was martyred on 22 September 1965, across the BRB canal steadfastly holding an advance defensive position against one of the main Indian thrusts directed towards Lahore, while the main defense force occupied positions behind the canal. He was laid to rest in his birthplace Madina Syedan, adjoining the city of Gujrat.
  • Commissioned in 1954, Maj.-Gen. Hakeem Arshad Qureshi (S/o the famous Chiragh Ali Hakeem) commanded an infantry battalion (26 FF) in East Pakistan (Saidpur-Rangpur-Dinajpur) and led it through the 1970 general election, the civil disobedience movement, the insurgency, the counter-insurgency and the 1971 war, earning a Sitara-i-Jurat in the process. His appointment as Director General Pakistan Rangers, made him responsible of keeping the 1400 miles long border with India porous for the ISI infiltrators.

Sites of interest

The Zahoor Palace, situated in the center of the city (Pakistan Chowk), is the hub of political activity in Gujrat. The same building has been the residence of Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi. Over the ages, the building has influenced the political history of the city. The Gujrat Fort, now in shambles, still stands, depicting the declining glory of Mughal architenture. The fort was built by Akbar the Great Mughal Emperor in 1598-99. Morever, the Baradari, built by Raja Ranja Singh, is also a worth visiting place. Faiz-e-Illahi Manzil(residence of THE famous Chiragh Ali Hakeem Advocate and active member of muslim league part until 1948) is another historical place, Where father of the nation, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah resided for a short while. The mazar's of Karam ilhai, Shah Dulah,Imam Shah,Jungo Shah, and Malang Shah of Sook Klan are also in Gujrat

Climate

This district has moderate climate. During peak summer, the daytime temperature shoots up to 45ºC, but the hot spells are relatively short due to the proximity of the Azad Kashmir Mountains. During the winter months the minimum temperature may fall below 2ºC. The average rainfall on the Kashmir border is over 100 cm; at Kharian it is 75 cm, at Gujrat 67 cm and at Dinga 50 cm.

Culture

District Gujrat produces low temperature pottery and ceramic goods, ‘Hookas’, artistic handicrafts, flower pots, "Changairian" (made from the leaves of palm and date trees), cotton mates, "Dhusse" and woolen shawls.. Sohni Mahinwal is a famous folk tale of the Punjab region. The heroine of the story, named "Sohni" (a Punjabi word, meaning "beautiful"), came from the Gujrat region. She used to meet her lover "Mahinwal" by crossing the Chenab river, sitting on a pitcher. The tale is still told to this day, and is an essential part of Punjabi culture. The anniversary of Kanwan-Wali Sarkar is celebrated with a fair in August every year. Traditionally, it always rains heavily at this time.

Economy

Gujrat is also known for its clay with which Gujratis have for long produced quality pottery. The city also produces fine furniture. Over last few decades, Gujrat has also attained a name in the export of electric fans. There are about 1,059 cottage level and small/medium/large scale industrial units operating in the district. Jalalpur Jattan is a large town of Gujrat , where several small and large textile companies have been established. There are many other factories engaged in manufacturing of electrical goods, electric motors, shoes, Several schools and colleges are located at Gujrat, including the University of Gujrat, a prominent university of the region.

Transport

Gujrat, situated beside the grand trunk road and main rail line, is directly connected with the major cities of the country. The district has 1019 kilometres of road. The district is linked with Gujranwala, Jhelum, and Mandi Bahauddin districts through roads. The main Peshawar - Karachi railway line passes through Gujrat district. The district is linked with Jhelum and Gujranwala districts through railway network.

See also

External links

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