Gujrat گُجرات | |
|---|---|
  Gujrat Gujrat (Pakistan) Show map of Pakistan | |
| Coordinates:32°34′26″N74°4′44″E / 32.57389°N 74.07889°E /32.57389; 74.07889 | |
| Country |  Pakistan |
| Province |  Punjab |
| Division | Gujrat |
| District | Gujrat |
| Founded | Before 9th century CE |
| City status | 16th century CE |
| Government | |
| • Type | Metropolitan Corporation (Pakistan) |
| • Mayor | None (Vacant) |
| • Deputy Commissioner | Safdar Hussain Virk |
| • District Police Officer | Mastansar Atta[1] |
| Area | |
• Total | 65 km2 (25 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 250 m (820 ft) |
| Lowest elevation | 223 m (732 ft) |
| Population | |
• Total | 574,240 |
| • Rank | 11th, Punjab 16th, Pakistan |
| • Density | 8,800/km2 (23,000/sq mi) |
| • Language | Punjabi (native) |
| Demonym | Gujrati |
| Time zone | UTC+5 (PKT) |
| Postal code | 50700 |
| Calling code | 053 |
| Number of union councils | 18[3] |
Gujrat[a] (Punjabi:[ɡʊd͡ʒɾaːt̪]) is thethirteenth largest city in thePakistani province ofPunjab.[4] Located on the western bank of theChenab River in northern Punjab'sChaj Do'āb, it serves as the headquarters of theeponymous district anddisvision; and is the16th most populous in Pakistan, with a population of 574,240 in2023.[5][3] Along withSialkot andGujranwala, Gujrat forms part of the "Golden Triangle of Punjab", as these industrial cities have export-oriented economies.[6][7]
Gujrat is a place of some antiquity and abounds in important ancient sites. The city and district formed part of the kingdom ofPorus who ruled primarily within theChaj Doab. He was defeated byAlexander after a difficult campaign at theBattle of Hydaspes in May 326 BC.[8] Alexander was impressed by his bravery and decided to reinstall him as a vassal of theMacedonian Empire. Instead of rehabilitating Gujrat, which had been affected during Alexander's invasion, some local legends suggest that after the death of King Porus, a ruler named Raja Kula Chand (sometimes linked to Chandragupta) founded a new settlement near Jalalpur Jattan. This new city, reportedly comprising several smaller settlements, was namedKulachor.[9]
With Alexander's death in June 323 BC,Chandragupta Maurya (referred to in Greek sources as "Sandrokottos") who was of relatively humble origin possibly from the Punjab region, took control of the Punjab using it as a base for the founding of theMauryan Empire.[8] It remained under the Mauryas until shortly after the death ofAshoka in 231 BC, and later came under the sway ofDemetrius I who founded theIndo-Greek Kingdom.[8] The Scythian invasion brought about byMaues in the latter half of the second century brought a change of rulers and theIndo-Scythian Kingdom was established shortly after.[8] This would change in the early first century CE when a Parthian governorGondophares declared independence from theParthian Empire. He moved east in 19 CE, conquering territory from theIndo-Scythians andIndo-Greeks, thus forming his ownIndo-Parthian kingdom.[8] The domains of the Indo-Parthians were greatly reduced following the invasions of theKushans in the second half of the 1st. century CE who formed a vast prosperous empire in Central and South Asia which oversaw a flowering ofBuddhism.[8]
For several hundreds years, nothing is known about the area except between 455 and 550 CE when it was exposed to the ravages of theAlchon Huns.[8] After the decline of the Alchon Huns, it became the main base of the new kingdom of Gurjara, under a certain Alakhana.[8] According to theRajatarangini, it was invaded between 883 and 902 CE bySankaravarman of theUtpala dunasty in Kashmir who fought and defeated the Gurjara ruler Alakhana.[10] The name Alakhana etymologically is in reference to the Alchon Huns.[10][11] This may be the Ali Khan whom the presentGujjar tribe in Gujrat hail as their elder and founder of Gujrat.[8][11] The putative Hunnic origin of the ruler Alakhana, remembered as Ali Khan in the tradition and memory of the Gujjars centuries after their conversion to Islam, led British historians to conclude that the Gujjars were originally from the stock of theAlchon Huns.[11]
Gujrat was known and inhabited during the early 16th century when theSuri rulerSher Shah toppled theMughals underHumayun.[8] The area was named Khwaspur,[8] in honour of Suri's Governor of Rohtas, Khwas Khan.[12] The city came under theMughal Empire and was further developed during the reign ofAkbar in the latter half of the 16th century, who built theGujrat Fort,[13] and allowed Gujjars to settle in the fort who had been living within the district for centuries up to this time.[8][14][15] The city and district was formally named in reference to the local Gujjar tribe.[8][15]
In 1605, Syed Abdul Kasim was granted the city as a fief by Akbar.[8] During the reign ofJahangir, Gujrat was part of the route used by the Mughal family when visitingKashmir.[16] In the Mughal era, Gujrat was encircled by a wall with five gates, of which only the Shah Daula gate survives.[17]
With the death ofAurangzeb, in 1707, the Mughal Empire began to weaken significantly.[18] Mughal authority in Punjab remained in the hands of Mughal Nawabs, despite theAfsharid rulerNader Shah leading aninvasion in 1739 that resulted in the sacking of the capital Delhi.[8][18] Nadir Shah's invasion of India on November 18, 1738, brought devastation to Gujrat as well. With a massive army of two hundred and seventy thousand men, he crossed the Indus and entered the Punjab. His orders were to leave nothing standing within the reach of his troops' weapons, instilling fear particularly in Nawab Zakaria Khan, the Viceroy of Lahore. His forces crossed the Chenab River near the Shahdoula Shrine, entering Gujrat and pillaging the town. As part of his battle strategy, Nadir Shah stationed one of his generals, Mirza Nur Beg, with a contingent in Gujrat, while he himself led the bulk of his forces against the army of the Governor of Lahore, Mirza Kalandar Beg, who was stationed near Wazirabad at the Chenab River.[19]
Mughal rule collapsed in Punjab afterMir Mannu died in 1753. TheDurrani Afghans under their new rulerAhmad Shah Durrani annexed the region directly from the Mughals. The city suffered further from the eight invasions of the Durrani Afghans between 1748 and 1767 who fought the Sikhs for control of Punjab.[8] In the ensuing chaos, the city was captured by localGakhar Punjabi tribesmen from thePothohar Plateau to the west.[12]
In 1765, the city was overrun by the Sikh Bhangi Misl underGujjar Singh who defeated the Ghakars under their chiefMuqarrab Khan.[12] In 1765, Chaudhry Rehmat Khan Warraich of Jalalpur Jattan wrote a letter to Gujjar Singh, urging him to attack Gujrat and overthrow Sultan Muqarrab Khan. This invitation marked a significant shift in alliances, as Rehmat Khan, once an ally of Adina Beg against the Sikhs, recognized the changing political dynamics in Punjab and extended a diplomatic gesture to the Sikhs. Diwan Shiv Nath Handa, an associate of Rehmat Khan from Jalalpur Jattan, also supported this move.
Responding to the call, Gujjar Singh swiftly marched towards the northeast of Punjab, capturing 150 villages, including Wazirabad, Eminabad, and Sodhra, before reaching Gujrat in December 1765. Here, Chaudhry Rehmat Khan joined forces with Gujjar Singh against Sultan Muqarrab Khan. Despite Sultan Muqarrab Khan's determined resistance, he was defeated in the battle and sought refuge in the Gujrat Fort. Following the intense clash with the Sikhs, the entire area from the vicinity of Mauza Dadupur Patala Sohian in Kunjah was in a state of chaos.
The Sikhs swiftly laid siege to the fort of Gujrat, disrupting Sultan Muqarrab Khan's supply lines and ultimately forcing him to abandon his stronghold. The Ghakkar chief, riding on an elephant, crossed a ravine known as Nali-e-Jou-e-Bar in Kunjah near Mauza Ghaidowal, located to the west of Gujrat, but he never emerged.[20] The Sikhs defeated an Afghan force in a battle for Gujrat on 29 April 1797.[21] In 1798, the Bhangi leader Sahib Singh pledged allegiance to the Sukerchakia Misl ofRanjit Singh who later established theSikh Empire in 1799.[8] By 1810, Ranjit Singh's armies captured the city from Bhangi forces, thereby extending the rule of theSikh Empire to the city.[8]
Gujrat finally came under British control in 1849, following the collapse of the Sikh Empire in the wake of the Sikh defeat at theBattle of Gujrat on 22 February, which ended theSecond Anglo-Sikh War.[8] In 1867, Gujrat was constituted as a municipality.[13] According to the census, the city had a population of 18,396 in 1881, 19,410 in 1901 and 21,974 in 1921.
Gujrat is an ancient city ofPakistan located between two famous rivers,Jhelum River andChenab River. It is bounded to the northeast byAzad Kashmir; to the northwest by the Jhelum River; to the east and southeast by the Chenab River, separating it from the districts ofGujranwala andSialkot; and to the west byMandi Bahauddin District. Gujrat consists of three tehsils:Sarai Alamgir,Kharian andGujrat.
It is served byGujrat railway station on theKarachi–Peshawar Line, the main railway line ofPakistan Railways.
Gujrat has ahot semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classificationBSh), although it is almost wet enough to be amonsoon-influencedhumid subtropical climate (Cwa).
| Climate data for Gujrat | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 19.2 (66.6) | 22.1 (71.8) | 27.4 (81.3) | 33.7 (92.7) | 39.1 (102.4) | 41.1 (106.0) | 36.3 (97.3) | 34.6 (94.3) | 35.1 (95.2) | 33.1 (91.6) | 27.2 (81.0) | 21.2 (70.2) | 30.8 (87.5) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 12.4 (54.3) | 15.1 (59.2) | 20.3 (68.5) | 26 (79) | 31.1 (88.0) | 34 (93) | 31.4 (88.5) | 30.2 (86.4) | 29.4 (84.9) | 25.3 (77.5) | 18.7 (65.7) | 13.5 (56.3) | 24.0 (75.1) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 5.6 (42.1) | 8.1 (46.6) | 13.3 (55.9) | 18.4 (65.1) | 23.2 (73.8) | 26.9 (80.4) | 26.6 (79.9) | 25.8 (78.4) | 23.8 (74.8) | 17.6 (63.7) | 10.2 (50.4) | 5.8 (42.4) | 17.1 (62.8) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 38 (1.5) | 37 (1.5) | 36 (1.4) | 21 (0.8) | 19 (0.7) | 47 (1.9) | 182 (7.2) | 205 (8.1) | 83 (3.3) | 12 (0.5) | 5 (0.2) | 18 (0.7) | 703 (27.8) |
| Source:[22] | |||||||||||||
| Religious group | 1881[26][27][28] | 1891[29]: 68 [30] | 1901[31]: 44 [32]: 26 | 1911[33]: 23 [34]: 19 | 1921[35]: 25 [36]: 21 | 1931[37]: 26 | 1941[23]: 32 | 2017[24] | 2023[25][38] | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | |
Islam | 13,637 | 72.76% | 12,824 | 71.05% | 14,047 | 72.37% | 14,253 | 74.66% | 16,284 | 74.11% | 19,482 | 73.49% | 24,681 | 79.88% | 532,896 | 98.19% | 917,696 | 98.54% |
Hinduism [c] | 4,762 | 25.41% | 4,703 | 26.06% | 4,823 | 24.85% | 4,226 | 22.14% | 5,016 | 22.83% | 5,984 | 22.57% | 5,011 | 16.22% | 30 | 0.01% | 55 | 0.01% |
Sikhism | 317 | 1.69% | 452 | 2.5% | 415 | 2.14% | 495 | 2.59% | 486 | 2.21% | 659 | 2.49% | 630 | 2.04% | — | — | 18 | 0% |
Jainism | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 4 | 0.02% | 0 | 0% | 10 | 0.03% | — | — | — | — |
Christianity | — | — | 71 | 0.39% | 125 | 0.64% | 116 | 0.61% | 184 | 0.84% | 386 | 1.46% | 553 | 1.79% | 9,121 | 1.68% | 12,450 | 1.34% |
Zoroastrianism | — | — | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0% |
Judaism | — | — | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Buddhism.svg) | — | — | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Ahmadiyya | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 659 | 659% | 1,026 | 0.11% |
| Others | 27 | 0.14% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 14 | 0.05% | 2 | 0% | 34 | 0% |
| Total population | 18,743 | 100% | 18,050 | 100% | 19,410 | 100% | 19,090 | 100% | 21,974 | 100% | 26,511 | 100% | 30,899 | 100% | 542,708 | 100% | 931,279 | 100% |
Some of the notable educational institutes of Gujrat include:
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)| International | |
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