Sheikhupura
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  Sheikhupura  Sheikhupura | |
| Coordinates:31°42′40″N73°59′16″E / 31.71111°N 73.98778°E /31.71111; 73.98778 | |
| Country |  Pakistan |
| Province |  Punjab |
| Division | Lahore |
| District | Sheikhupura |
| Founded by | Jahangir |
| Area | |
• City | 75 km2 (29 sq mi) |
| • Metro | 3,030 km2 (1,170 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 236 m (774 ft) |
| Population | |
• City | 591,424 |
| • Rank | 15th, Pakistan |
| • Density | 7,900/km2 (20,000/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+5 (PST) |
| Postal code | 39350 |
| Calling code | 056 |
| Union council number | 51 |
Sheikhupura (Punjabi /Urdu:شیخوپورہ;pronounced[ʃeːxuˈpuːɾäː]) also known asQila Sheikhupura, is a city and district in the Pakistani province ofPunjab. Founded by theMughal EmperorJahangir in 1607, Sheikhupura is the15th largest city of Pakistan by population[2][3] and is the headquarters ofSheikhupura District. The city is an industrial centre and satellite town, and is located about 38 km northwest ofLahore.[4] It also bordersSialkot,Gujranwala,Nankana Sahib andKasurdistricts of Punjab, Pakistan.
The region around Sheikhupura was previously known as Village Sheikhupura, or "Pind Sheikhupura", in reference of the Kachari, Nabi-pura and Behari colony & Jahangir-pura is Qila and old city that inhabited the area. In Singh KingdomRaja Ranjeet Singh, Sheikhupura city is part of Gujranwala Dist. In Akbar's Kingdom, Sheikhupura city was a part of Forest NearLahore city. The city, founded in 1607, was named byMughal EmperorJehangir himself - the city's first name is recorded in the Emperor's autobiography, theTuzk-e-Jahangiri, in which he refers to the town asJehangir pura.[5] The city then came to be known by its current name, which derives from Jehangir's nicknameShekhu that was given to him by his mother, wife ofAkbar the Great.[6]
Mughal EmperorJahangir laid the foundations of Sheikhupura in 1607 near the older town ofJandiala Sher Khan, an important provincial town during the early to middle Mughal era.[7] He also erected the nearbyHiran Minar, Sheikhpura's most renowned site, between 1607 and 1620 as a monument to his beloved pet deer,Mansiraj, at a time when the area served as a royal hunting ground for the Mughal Emperor.[8] Jehangir laid the foundation of theSheikhupura Fort in 1607, which is situated in the city's centre.
DuringBritish colonial rule, the area was under the rule of Raja Dhayan Singh,[9] and during establishment ofBritish colonial rule, Bhatti possessions that had been seized by the Sikhs were restored.[10] The large area between theChenab andRavi rivers were initially consolidated into a single district with Sheikhupura serving as its first headquarters, until 1851.[10] The area around Sheikhupura attained District status in 1919,[10] with M.M.L. Karry serving as its first administrator.[11]
On the eve of thePartition of British India, Sikhs made up 19% of the district's population. Despite the area's Muslim majority, Sikhs had hoped that the boundary commission would award the area to India, given the proximity of Sheikhupura to the city ofNankana Sahib - revered as the birthplace of the founder ofSikhism,Guru Nanak.[12] The city was spared the large-scale rioting that engulfedLahore earlier in 1947, and the city's Sikh population did not shift to India before theRadcliffe Line that demarcated the border of the newly independent states ofPakistan andIndia was announced.[12]
The Sikh population had not made arrangements to leave and remained trapped in the city until 31 August 1947.[12] The city's Sacha Sauda refugee camp hosted upwards of 100,000 Sikh refugees who had come to the city after fleeing nearbyGujranwala and other surrounding areas earlier that year.[12] Fierce violence erupted in the city, and an estimated 10,000 people were killed in Sheikhupura between 16 August and 31 August in communal rioting betweenSikhs andMuslims.[12]
The overall literacy rate of Sheikhupura is 43.6% which is increasing day by day.[13] Following are some of the notable educational institutes of the city:
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1941 | ... | — |
| 1951 | 29,717 | — |
| 1961 | 41,635 | +40.1% |
| 1972 | 80,560 | +93.5% |
| 1981 | 141,168 | +75.2% |
| 1998 | 280,263 | +98.5% |
| 2017 | 473,129 | +68.8% |
| 2023 | 591,424 | +25.0% |
According to the1998 Pakistan Census, the population of Sheikhupura city was recorded as 280,263. As per2017 Census of Pakistan, the population of city was recorded as 473,129 with an increase of 68.82% in just 19 years.[15]
Quaid-e-Azam Business Park Sheikhupura and Rachna Industrial Park are two industrial areas under development in Sheikhupura.[16] The former industrial area is declared a special economic zone by the government of Pakistan.[citation needed]
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Media related toSheikhupura at Wikimedia Commons
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