Located on thePothohar Plateau of northern Punjab — a region known for its ancient heritage, for instance the city ofTaxila, aUNESCO World Heritage Site — Rawalpindi was founded in 1493 and remained a small town of little importance, with localPunjabi Muslim tribes indirectly ruling it for larger empires, up until 1765 when it was captured by theBhangi Misl. During theSikh era, Rawalpindi transitioned from a small regional town into one of the major Punjabi cities, becoming a hub oftrade andmilitary. The city also became acosmopolitan hub, housing various ethnic minorities as immigrants and refugees alongside the nativePunjabi majority.[8][9][10]
Previously known asFatehpur Baori, the city fell into decay during theMongol invasions of the fourteenth century. Afterwards, the ruined city came in hand of theGakhars and a chief namedJhanda Khan restored it naming it Rawalpindi in 1493, literally meaning the "Village of Rawal" inPunjabi.[24][25][26][27] Some accounts propose that a group ofascetics named Rawals arrived in this area and established the town.[28]
The region around Rawalpindi has been inhabited for thousands of years. Rawalpindi falls within the ancient boundaries ofGandhara, and is thus in a region containing many Buddhist ruins. In the region north-west of Rawalpindi, traces have been found of at least 55stupas, 28 Buddhist monasteries, 9 temples, and various artifacts in theKharoshthi script.[29]
To the southeast are the ruins of theMankiala stupa – a second-century stupa where, according to theJataka tales, a previous incarnation of theBuddha leapt off a cliff in order to offer his corpse to seven hungry tiger cubs.[31] The nearby town ofTaxila is thought to have been home to one of the early universities or education centres of South Asia.[32]
The first mention of Rawalpindi's earliest settlement dates from whenMahmud of Ghazni destroyed Rawalpindi and the town was restored byGakhar chiefKai Gohar in the early 11th century. The town fell into decay again after Mongol invasions in the 14th century.[33] Situated along an invasion route, the settlement did not prosper and remained deserted until 1493, whenJhanda KhanGakhar re-established the ruined town, and named itRawal.[34]
The 16th centuryRawat Fort offered military protection to Rawalpindi.
During the Mughal era, Rawalpindi remained under the rule of theGhakhar clan, who in turn pledged allegiance to the Mughal Empire. The city was developed as an important outpost in order to guard the frontiers of the Mughal realm.[35] Gakhars fortified a nearbycaravanserai, in the 16th century, transforming it into theRawat Fort in order to defend the Pothohar plateau fromSher Shah Suri's forces.[36] Construction of theAttock Fort in 1581 after Akbar led a campaign against his brotherMirza Muhammad Hakim, further securing Rawalpindi's environs.[37] In December 1585, the EmperorAkbar arrived in Rawalpindi, and remained in and around Rawalpindi for 13 years as he extended the frontiers of the empire,[35] in an era described as a "glorious period" in his career as Emperor.[35]
With the onset of chaos and rivalry between Gakhar chiefs after the death of Kamal Khan in 1559, Rawalpindi was awarded to Said Khan by the Mughal Emperor.[38] EmperorJehangir visited the royal camp in Rawalpindi in 1622, where he first learned of ShahAbbas I of Persia's plan to invadeKandahar.[39]
Rawalpindi declined in importance asMughal power declined, until the town was captured in the mid-1760s fromMuqarrab Khan Gakhar by theSikhs underSardar Gujjar Singh and his son Sahib Singh.[38] The city's administration was handed to Sardar Milkha Singh, who then invited traders from the neighbouring commercial centers ofJhelum andShahpur to settle in the territory in 1766.[33][38] The city then began to prosper, although the population in 1770 is estimated to have been only about 300 families.[40] Rawalpindi became for a time the refuge ofShah Shuja, the exiled king ofAfghanistan, and of his brother Shah Zaman in the early 19th century.[37]
Sikh rulerMaharaja Ranjit Singh allowed the son of Sardar Milkha Singh to continue as Governor of Rawalpindi, after Ranjit Singh seized the district in 1810.[38] Sikh rule over Rawalpindi was consolidated by defeat of the Afghans at Haidaran in July 1813.[38] The Sikh rulers allied themselves with some of the localGakhar tribes, and jointly defeatedSyed Ahmad Barelvi atAkora Khattak in 1827, and again in 1831 inBalakot.[38] Jews first arrived in Rawalpindi'sBabu Mohallah neighbourhood fromMashhad,Persia in 1839,[41] in order to flee from anti-Jewish laws instituted by theQajar dynasty. In 1841, Diwan Kishan Kaur was appointedSardar of Rawalpindi.[38]
On 14 March 1849, Sardar Chattar Singh and Raja Sher Singh of the Sikh Empire surrendered to General Gilbert near Rawalpindi, ceding the city to the British.[42] The Sikh Empire then came to an end on 29 March 1849.
Following Rawalpindi's capture by the British East India Company, 53rd Regiment of the company army took quarters in the newly captured city.[37] The decision to man a permanent military cantonment in the city was made in 1851 by theMarquess of Dalhousie.[37]
The city saw its firsttelegraph office in the early 1850s.[43] The city's Garrison Church was built shortly after in 1854,[37] and is the site whereRobert Milman, Bishop of Calcutta, was buried following his death in Rawalpindi in 1876.[37] The city was home to 15,913 people in the 1855 census.[40] During the 1857War Of Independence, the area'sGakhars andJanjua tribes remained loyal to the British.[43]Numerous civil and military buildings were built during the British era, and the Municipality of Rawalpindi was constituted in 1867,[37] while the city's population as per the 1868 census was 19,228, with another 9,358 people residing in the city's cantonment.[37]
The city was also connected to railways that offered connection to India and the northwest frontier inPeshawar in the 1880s.[37] The Commissariat Steam Flour Mills were the first such mills in Punjab, and supplied most of the needs of British cantonments throughout Punjab.[37] Rawalpindi's cantonment served as a feeder to other cantonments throughout the region.[37]
Rawalpindi flourished as a commercial centre, though the city remained largely devoid of an industrial base during the British era.[37] A large portion of Kashmir's external trade passing through the city; in 1885, 14% of Kashmir's exports, and 27% of its imports passed through the city.[37] A large market was opened in central Rawalpindi in 1883 by Sardar Sujan Singh, while the British further developed a shopping district for the city's elite known asSaddar with an archway built to commemorate Brigadier General Massey.[37]
Rawalpindi's cantonment became a major centre of military power of the Raj after an arsenal was established in 1883.[33] Britain's army elevated the city from a small town, to the third largest city in Punjab by 1921.[43] In 1868, 9,358 people lived in the city's cantonment – by 1891, the number rose to 37,870.[37] In 1891, the city's population excluding the Cantonment was 34,153.[37] The city was considered to be a favourite first posting for newly arrived soldiers from England, owing to the city's agreeable climate, and the nearbyhill station ofMurree.[37]
In 1901, Rawalpindi was made the winter headquarters of the Northern Command and of the Rawalpindi military division. Riots broke out against British rule in 1905, following a famine in Punjab that peasants were led to believe was a deliberate act.[44]
DuringWorld War I,Rawalpindi District "stood first" among districts in recruiting for the British war effort, with greater financial assistance from the British government channeled into the area in return.[43]
By 1921, Rawalpindi's cantonment had overshadowed the city – Rawalpindi was one of seven cities of Punjab in which over half the population lived in the cantonment district.[43] Communal riots erupted between Rawalpindi's Sikh and Muslim communities in 1926 after Sikhs refused to silence music from a procession that was passing in front of a mosque.[44]
On 5 March 1947, members of Rawalpindi's Hindu and Sikh communities took a procession against the formation of a Muslim League ministry within the Government of Punjab. Policemen fired upon protestors, while Hindus and Sikhs fought against weaker Muslim counter-protestors.[46] The area's first Partition riots erupted the next day on 6 March 1947, when the city's Muslims, angered by the actions of Hindus and Sikhs and encouraged by the Pir ofGolra Sharif, raided nearby villages after they were unable to do so in the city on account of Rawalpindi's heavily armed Sikhs.[47] Thousands of Sikhs and Hindus were killed in villages surrounding Rawalpindi, in large scale and widespread violence that came to be known as theRawalpindi massacres.[48]
At the dawn of Pakistan's independence in 1947 following the success of thePakistan Movement, Rawalpindi was 43.79% Muslim, while Rawalpindi District as a whole was 80% Muslim.[49] The region, on account of its large Muslim majority, was thus awarded to Pakistan. Rawalpindi'sHindu andSikh population, who had made up 33.72% and 17.32% of the city,[49] migrateden masse to the newly independentDominion of India after anti-Hindu and anti-Sikh pogroms in western Punjab, while Muslim refugees from India settled in the city following anti-Muslim pogroms in eastern Punjab and northern India.[47]
Murree Road is one of the main arteries in Rawalpindi.Bahria Town is an affordable locality in RawalpindiRehman Abad Clock Tower Rawalpindi
In the years following independence, Rawalpindi saw an influx ofMuhajir,Pashtun andKashmiri settlers. Having been the largest British Cantonment in the region at the dawn of Pakistan's independence, Rawalpindi was chosen as headquarters for the Pakistani Army, despite the fact that Karachi had been selected as the first capital.[15]
In 1951, theRawalpindi conspiracy took place in which leftist army officers conspired to depose the first electedPrime Minister of Pakistan,Liaquat Ali Khan.[15] Rawalpindi later became the site of the Liaquat Ali Khan's assassination, in what is now known asLiaquat Bagh Park. In 1958, Field MarshalAyub Khan launched hiscoup d'etat from Rawalpindi.[15] In 1959, the city became the interim capital of the country under Ayub Khan, who had sought the creation of a new planned capital of Islamabad in the vicinity of Rawalpindi. As a result, Rawalpindi saw most major central government offices and institutions relocate to nearby territory, and its population rapidly expand.
The construction of Pakistan's new capital city ofIslamabad in 1961 led to greater investment in Rawalpindi.[20] Rawalpindi remained the headquarters of thePakistani Army after the capital shifted to Islamabad in 1969, while thePakistan Air Force continues to maintain an airbase in theChaklala district of Rawalpindi.[50][51] The military dictatorship of GeneralZia ul Haq hanged Pakistan's deposedPrime Minister,Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, in Rawalpindi in 1979.[52]
In 1980, tens of thousands of Shia protestors led by Mufti Jaffar Hussain marched to Rawalpindi to protest a provision of Zia ul Haqs Islamization programme.[49] A spate of bombings in September 1987 took place in the city killing 5 people, in attacks that are believed to have been orchestrated by agents of Afghanistan's communist government.[53]
On 10 April 1988, Rawalpindi'sOjhri Camp, an ammunition depot for Afghanmujahideen fighting againstSoviet forces in Afghanistan, exploded and killed many in Rawalpindi and Islamabad.[54][55] At the time, the New York Times reported more than 93 were killed and another 1,100 wounded;[56] many believe that the toll was much higher.[57]
Modern Rawalpindi is socially and economically intertwined with Islamabad, and the greatermetropolitan area. The city is also home to numerous suburban housing developments that serve as bedroom-communities for workers in Islamabad.[21][22] In June 2015, theRawalpindi-Islamabad Metrobus, a newbus rapid transit line with various points inIslamabad, opened for service.
Rawalpindi features ahumid subtropical climate (Köppen: Cwa)[59] with hot and wet summers, a cooler and drier winter. Rawalpindi and its twin cityIslamabad, during the year experiences an average of 91 thunderstorms, which is the highest frequency of any plain elevation city in the country. Strong windstorms are frequent in the summer during which wind gusts have been reported byPakistan Meteorological Department to have reached 176 km/h (109 mph). In such thunder/wind storms, which results in some damage of infrastructure.[60] The weather is highly variable due to the proximity of the city to the foothills of Himalayas.
The average annual rainfall is 1,254.8 mm (49.40 in), most of which falls in the summer monsoon season. However, westerly disturbances also bring quite significant rainfall in the winter. In summer, the record maximum temperature has soared to 47.7 °C (118 °F) recorded in June 1954, while it has dropped to a minimum of −3.9 °C (25 °F) several occasions, though the last of which was in January 1967.
Bahria Town is a private housing scheme in Rawalpindi
Social structures in Rawalpindi's historic core centre around neighbourhoods, each known as aMohallah. Each neighbourhood is served by a nearby bazaar (market) and mosque, which in turn serves as a place where people can gather for trade and manufacturing.[62] EachMohallah has narrowgallies (streets), and the grouping of houses around short lanes and cul-de-sacs lends a sense of privacy and security to residents of each neighbourhood.[original research?] Major intersections in the neighbourhood are each referred to as achowk.
Rawalpindi is relatively a new city contrasted with Pakistan's millennia-old cities such asLahore,Multan, andPeshawar.[63] South of Rawalpindi's historic core, and across the Lai Nullah, are the wide lanes of the Rawalpindi Cantonment. With tree-lined avenues and historic architecture, the cantonment was the main European area developed during British colonial rule. British colonialists also built the Saddar Bazaar south of the historic core, which served as a retail center geared towards Europeans in the city. Beyond the cantonment are the large suburban housing developments that serve as bedroom communities for Islamabad's commuter population.[62]
96.7% of Rawalpindi's population is Muslim, 3.1% is Christian, 0.2% belong to other religious groups. The city'sKohaati Bazaar is site of largeShia mourning-processions forAshura.[68] The neighbourhoods ofWaris Shah Mohallah andPir Harra Mohallah form the core of Muslim settlement in Rawalpindi's old city.
Prior to partition there was a sizableSikh andHindu community living in Rawalpindi. Today, the city is still home to a few hundred Hindu families.[69] Despite the fact that the vast majority of the city's Hindus fleden masse to India after Partition, most Hindu temples in the old city remain standing, although in disrepair and often abandoned.[69] Many of the old city's neighbourhoods continue to bear Hindu and Sikh names, such as Krishanpura, Aria Mohallah, Akaal Garh, Mohanpura, Amarpura, Kartarpura, Bagh Sardaraan, Angatpura.
Rawalpindi was a majorityHindu andSikh city prior to thePartition of India in 1947,[69] combined composing 51.05 percent of the total population according to the 1941 census.[70]: 32 The same census detailed Muslims as the largest single group who made up 43.79 percent of the total population.[49][70]: 32 The Baba Dyal Singh Gurdwara in Rawalpindi was where the reformistNirankari movement of Sikhism originated.[68] The city still has a small Sikh population, but has been bolstered by the arrival of Sikhs fleeing political instability inKhyber Pakhtunkhwa.[71]
There are 3 main active Hindu temples in the city-Shri Krishna Mandir in Saddar Cantonment,Lal Kurti Temple in Lal Kurti area, and theValmiki Swamiji Mandir in Gracy lines.[72]TheShri Krishna Mandir is the only major functional Hindu temple in Rawalpindi.[73] It was built in the Kabarri Bazaar in 1897.[69] Other temples are abandoned or were repurposed. Rawalpindi's largeKalyan Das Temple from 1880 has been used as the "Gov't. Qandeel Secondary School for the Blind" since 1973.[74][75] The Ram Leela Temple inKanak Mandi, and the Kaanji Mal Ujagar Mal Ram Richpal Temple in the Kabarri Bazaar, are both currently used to house Kashmiri refugees. Mohan Temple in theLunda Bazaar remains standing, but is abandoned and the building no longer used for any purpose. The city's "Shamshan Ghat" serves as the city's cremation grounds, and was partly renovated in 2012.[76]
The city'sBabu Mohallah neighbourhood was once home to a community of Jewish traders who had fledMashhad,Persia in the 1830s.[41]
In the British era many churches were built for the British soldiers to come to the churches for Sunday prayer becauseRawalpindi Cantonment was the home for theBritish Army.[41][77]
Religious groups in Rawalpindi City (1881−2023)[g]
Rawalpindi is situated along the historicGrand Trunk Road that connects Peshawar toIslamabad andLahore. The road is roughly paralleled by theM-1 Motorway between Peshawar and Rawalpindi, while theM-2 Motorway provides an alternate route to Lahore via theSalt Range. The Grand Trunk Road also provides access to the Afghan border via theKhyber Pass, with onwards connections toKabul andCentral Asia via theSalang Pass. TheKarakoram Highway provides access between Islamabad and western China, and an alternate route to Central Asia viaKashgar in the Chinese region ofXinjiang.
TheIslamabad Expressway connects Rawalpindi's eastern portions with theRawal Lake and heart ofIslamabad. The IJP Road separates Rawalpindi's northern edge from Islamabad.
The entire Main Line-1 railway track between Karachi and Peshawar is to be overhauled at a cost of $3.65 billion for the first phase of the project,[90] with completion by 2021.[91] Upgrading of the railway line will permit train travel at speeds of 160 kilometres per hour, versus the average 60 to 105 km per hour speed currently possible on existing track.[92]
Rawalpindi is served by theIslamabad International Airport. The airport is located 21 km west of the city. It offers non-stop flights throughout Pakistan, as well as to the Middle East, Europe, North America, Central Asia, East Asia and Southeast Asia.
The city of Rawalpindi is one of fivetehsils (sub-districts) ofRawalpindi District. The city is sub-divided between a Metropolitan Corporation, two Cantonment Boards (or military towns), and a number of ruralunion councils (the lowest level of local government in Pakistan), the latter of which are directly governed by the Rawalpindi district council. The Metropolitan Corporation includes 78 urban union councils.[93]
The metropolitan area includes many private housing developments (or "colonies") that have largely developed themselves rapidly. They include Gulraiz Housing Society, Korang Town, Agochs Town, Ghori Town, Pakistan Town, Judicial Town,Bahria Town[97] Kashmir Housing Society, Danial Town, Al-Haram City, Education City, Gul Afshan Colony, and Allama Iqbal Colony.
Ayub National Park is located beyond the old Presidency onJhelum Road. It covers an area of about 2,300 acres (930 ha) and has a playland, lake with boating facility, an aquarium and a garden-restaurant. Rawalpindi Public Park is onMurree Road near Shamsabad. The Park was opened to the public in 1991. It has a playland for children, grassy lawns, fountains and flower beds.
In 2008Jinnah Park was inaugurated at the heart of Rawalpindi and has since become a hotspot of activity for the city. It houses a state-of-the-art cinema, Cinepax,[98] aMetro Cash and Carry supermart, an outlet ofMcDonald's, gaming lounges,Motion Rides and other recreational facilities. The vast lawns also provide an adequate picnic spot.[99][100]
Rawalpindi is situated near theAyub National Park formerly known as 'Topi Rakh' (keep the hat on) is by the old Presidency, between theMurree Brewery Co. andGrand Trunk Road. It covers an area of about 2,300 acres (930 ha) and has a play area, lake with boating facility, an aquarium, a garden-restaurant and an open-air theater. This park hosts "The Jungle Kingdom" which is particularly popular among young residents.[101]
Liaquat Bagh, formerly known as the "company bagh" (East India Company's Garden), is of great historical interest. The first prime minister of Pakistan,Liaquat Ali Khan, was assassinated here in 1950. Pakistan's Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was assassinated here on 27 December 2007. She was the youngest and the only woman to be elected as Prime Minister of Pakistan.
Rawalpindi Public Park (previously Nawaz Sharif Park, renamed Iqbal Park in 2019[102]) is located on Murree Road just opposite to the Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University Rawalpindi. The park was opened in 1991. It has a play area for children, lawns, fountains and flower beds. Acricket stadium was built in 1992 opposite the public park. Several matches in the1996 World Cup were held on this cricket ground.
Rawalpindi District is home to 2,463 government public schools, out of which 1706 are primary schools, 306 middle schools, 334 are high schools, while 117 are higher education colleges.[103]
97.4% of children ages 6–16 in urban areas ofRawalpindi District are enrolled in school – the third highest percentage in Pakistan after Islamabad andKarachi.[104] 77.1% of Rawalpindi's students in Class 5 are able to read sentences in English.[104] 27% of children in Rawalpindi attend paid private schools.[105]
There are a large number of Cable TV service providers in the city such asNayatel, PTCL, SA Cable Network and DWN.Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation has a centre in Rawalpindi.
Giga Mall is one of the largest malls in Rawalpindi
Ayub park Rawalpindi museum
Night view of Joyland Rawalpindi
In mid-2012 3D cinema, The Arena, started its operations inBahria Town Phase-4 in Rawalpindi.[109][110]
Rawalpindi food street, Saddar
Rawalpindi Golf Course was completed in 1926 by Rawalpindi Golf Club, one of the oldest golf clubs of Pakistan. The facility was initially developed as a nine-hole course. After several phases of development, it is now a 27-hole course and the biggest in Pakistan.[111] From the clubhouse, there is a panoramic view of Faisal Mosque, the twin cities ofIslamabad and Rawalpindi. Major domestic golf tournaments are regularly held here.
Playland is another public park parallel to Ayub Park
In 2019, after the Army Heritage Foundation took over Ayub park from Chaklala Cantonment Board, a new amusement park called JoyLand was opened on the site of a previously failed project.[112] This newly developed park has a number of rides and activities for visitors, from the relaxing Ferris wheel to the daring Discovery. All rides are imported and meet safety standards. JoyLand is the only amusement park in Pakistan that is ISO 9001:2008 certified.[113]
^The Pakistani government dissolved theFederal Capital Territory ofKarachi in 1959, and amalgamated it into theprovince of West Pakistan. The state institutions were shifted temporarily to Rawalpindi whilst the future capital ofIslamabad was being constructed adjacent to it. Rawalpindi's status as thede-facto capital ended after theIslamabad Capital Territory was established and state institutions began gradually shifting out of the city.[6][7]
^Language percentages based on the urban population of Rawalpindi Tehsil which corresponds with the urban locality borders, Rawalpindi urban locality is also the only designated urban area in the Rawalpindi tehsil.
^1881–1941: Data for the entirety of the town of Rawalpindi, which included Rawalpindi Municipality and Rawalpindi Cantonment.[70]: 34
^abNOORANI, A.G."Horrors of Partition". Frontline (India).Archived from the original on 25 February 2014. Retrieved8 December 2017.
^Talbot, Ian (2019). "The 1947 Partition violence: Characteristics and interpretations". In Mohanram, Radhika; Raychaudhuri, Anindya (eds.).Partitions and Their Afterlives: Violence, Memories, Living.Rowman & Littlefield International. p. 4.ISBN9781783488407.The attacks on largely defenceless minority populations have earned the violence the title of the Rawalpindi Massacres. Outlying villages in the Rawalpindi district witnessed shocking violence against Sikh inhabitants. Around seven thousand to eight thousand people were estimated to have died.
^"Rawalpindi"(PDF). Annual Status of Education Report.Archived(PDF) from the original on 8 December 2017. Retrieved7 December 2017.
^ab"Summary Report Card 2014"(PDF).Summary Report Cards (National – Urban). Annual Status of Education Report.Archived(PDF) from the original on 22 January 2016. Retrieved7 December 2017.
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