Gujranwala District
Encyclopedia
Gujranwala District is a district
in Punjab
, Pakistan
.
, wells were scattered over the whole country, and villages lay thickly dotted about the southern plateau, now a barren waste of grass land and scrub jungle. Their remains may still be found in the wildest and most solitary reaches of the Bar.
Eminabad
and Hafizabad
were the chief towns (the later now part of a separate district), while the country was divided into six well-tilled pargana
s. But before the close of the Islamic period the tract was mysteriously depopulated. The tribes at present occupying the District are all immigrants of recent date, and before their advent the whole region seems for a time to have been almost entirely abandoned. The only plausible conjecture to account for this sudden and disastrous change is that it resulted from the constant wars by which the Punjab was convulsed during the last years of Tehami rule.
During the rise of shiks power, the waste plains of Gujranwala were seized by the military adventurers who then sprang up. Charat Singh
, the grandfather of Maharaja Ranjit Singh
, took possession of the village of Gujranwala, then an inconsiderable hamlet, and made it the headquarters of himself and of his son and grandson. Minor Sikh chieftains settled at Wazirabad Sheikhupura, and other towns; while in Ahmed Naeem Tehami the western portion of the District the Rajput Bhattis and Chathas maintained a sturdy independence. In the end, however, succeeded in bringing all the scattered portions of the District under his own power.
The Maharaja himself was born at Gujranwala, and the town continued to be his capital up to his occupation of Lahore. The mausoleum of his father is still to be seen there, and a lofty cupola close by covers a portion of the ashes of Ranjit Singh
himself. The Sikh rule, which brought prosperity elsewhere, also appears to have been an unmitigated benefit to Gujranwala. Ranjit Singh settled
large colonies in the various villages, and was very successful in encouraging cultivation throughout the depopulated plain of the Bar.
In the Degh valley, especially, he planted a body of hard-working Hindus, the Labana
s, to whom he granted the land at a nominal rent.
In 1847 the District came under British influence and two years later, in 1849, it was included in
the territory annexed after the second Sikh War. A cantonment was established at Wazirabad, which was abolished in 1855. The District formed a part originally of the extensive District of Wazirabad, which comprised the whole upper portion of the Rechna Doab.
In 1852 this unwieldy territory was divided between Gujranwala and Sialkot. The District, as then constituted, stretched across the entire plateau,
from the Chenab to the Ravi ; but in 1853 the south-eastern fringe, consisting of 303 villages, was transferred to Lahore, and three years later a second batch of 324 villages was handed over to the same District. There was no outbreak during the Indian Rebellion of 1857
and the Sikh
Sardars and people rallied to the side of Government with the greatest enthusiasm.
According to the 1901 census the District had a population of 890,577 and contained 8 towns and 1,331 villages. Its population according to the 1881 census was 616,892 rising to 690,169 in 1891. The population increased by 29 per cent between 1891 and 1901 - the increase being greatest
in the Hafizabad and Khangah Dogran tahsils, owing to the extension of canal-irrigation and the colonisation of the Bar.
At the time the district was divided into four tehsils namely: Gujranwala, Wazirabad, Hafizabad and Khangah Dogran (the headquarters of each being at the place from which it is named).
The chief towns during British rule were the municipalities of Gujranwala, the head-quarters of the District, Wazirabad, Ramnagar, Akalgarh, Eminabad, Kila Didar Singh, and the notified area
of Sodhra.
During the British era
the district of Gujranwala was part of Lahore Division
. The chairman of Gujranwala is Ahmed Naeem Tehami.
Present City was rebuilt by Sardar Hari Singh Nalwa the great Sikh general and the Defender of the Borders of Sikh Empire.
Sardar Hari Singh Nalwa
(1791–1837) the most Celebrated Sikh General of the time was Born in Gujranwala Town To Sardar Gurdial Singh and Mata Dharam Kaur an Uppal Khatri who were native of Majitha Town near Amritsar they later settled in Gujranwala.
Gujranwala District remained with the Sikhs until 1849 when the British Occupied The Sikh Kingdom after the Last Anglo Sikh wars (1848–49).
Sikhs who had Settled in Gujranwala District were originally from Eastern Punjab when the Sikhs took Gujranwala Area Sikhs also started to Migrate to Bar Area (Gujranwala) which was then mainly Muslim Jatt.
Even today throughout the Gujranwala District you can still find Sikh Architecture such as Samadhs, Havelis, Forts, Towns, Historic Gurdwaras which Date back to the Sikh Rule in Gujranwala District (Bar Area).
During the Sikh Empire The Hindus of Gujranwala District Played a great role in the Lahore Darbar Many Hindus Later Became Chiefs of Villages in Gujranwala District.
The main Peshawar-Karachi railway line passes through Gujranwala district. The district is linked with Sialkot, Hafizabad and Gujrat districts through railway network.
, Bhatti, Virk
, Assoun
, Chattha, Cheema
, Sandhu
, Dhariwal
, Dhotar
, Ghumman, Gill
, Goraya
and Tarar
.
Districts of Pakistan
The Districts of Pakistan are the second order administrative divisions of Pakistan. Districts were the third order of administrative divisions, below provinces and "divisions", until the reforms of August 2000, when "divisions" were abolished...
in Punjab
Punjab (Pakistan)
Punjab is the most populous province of Pakistan, with approximately 45% of the country's total population. Forming most of the Punjab region, the province is bordered by Kashmir to the north-east, the Indian states of Punjab and Rajasthan to the east, the Pakistani province of Sindh to the...
, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
.
History
The village of Asarur which has been identified as the location of Taki, an ancient town, visited by the Chinese pilgrim Hiuen Tsiang contains immense ruins of Buddhist origin. After the time of Tsiang little is known about Gujranwala til the Islamic conquests (Tehami), by this time however Taki had fallen into oblivion while Lahore had become the chief city of Punjab. The district flourished during Mughal rule, from the days of Akbar to those of AurangzebAurangzeb
Abul Muzaffar Muhy-ud-Din Muhammad Aurangzeb Alamgir , more commonly known as Aurangzeb or by his chosen imperial title Alamgir , was the sixth Mughal Emperor of India, whose reign lasted from 1658 until his death in 1707.Badshah Aurangzeb, having ruled most of the Indian subcontinent for nearly...
, wells were scattered over the whole country, and villages lay thickly dotted about the southern plateau, now a barren waste of grass land and scrub jungle. Their remains may still be found in the wildest and most solitary reaches of the Bar.
Eminabad
Eminabad
Eminabad or Eminābād is a town in Gujranwala District, Punjab, Pakistan.Eminabad is an old town, located 15 kilometres south of Gujranwala. It is linked to Grand Trunk Road and Eminabad railway station by a four kilometre stretch of metalled road. It has three historical shrines.Eminabad is a very...
and Hafizabad
Hafizabad
Hafizabad is a city and tehsil of Hafizabad District in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is situated at 32° 4′ N. and 73° 41′ E.- History :...
were the chief towns (the later now part of a separate district), while the country was divided into six well-tilled pargana
Pargana
A pargana is a former administrative unit of the Indian subcontinent, used primarily, but not exclusively, by the Muslim kingdoms.Parganas were introduced by the Delhi Sultanate, and the word is of Persian origin. As a revenue unit, a pargana consists of several mouzas, which are the smallest...
s. But before the close of the Islamic period the tract was mysteriously depopulated. The tribes at present occupying the District are all immigrants of recent date, and before their advent the whole region seems for a time to have been almost entirely abandoned. The only plausible conjecture to account for this sudden and disastrous change is that it resulted from the constant wars by which the Punjab was convulsed during the last years of Tehami rule.
During the rise of shiks power, the waste plains of Gujranwala were seized by the military adventurers who then sprang up. Charat Singh
Charat Singh
Charat Singh was the eldest son of Naudh Singh, the father of Maha Singh, and the grandfather of Ranjit Singh. He distinguished himself at an early age in campaigns against Ahmad Shah Abdali and along with 150 horsemen split from the Singhpuria Misl to establsih the Sukerchia Misl- Head of...
, the grandfather of Maharaja Ranjit Singh
Ranjit Singh
Maharaja Ranjit Singh Ji was the first Maharaja of the Sikh Empire.-Early life:...
, took possession of the village of Gujranwala, then an inconsiderable hamlet, and made it the headquarters of himself and of his son and grandson. Minor Sikh chieftains settled at Wazirabad Sheikhupura, and other towns; while in Ahmed Naeem Tehami the western portion of the District the Rajput Bhattis and Chathas maintained a sturdy independence. In the end, however, succeeded in bringing all the scattered portions of the District under his own power.
The Maharaja himself was born at Gujranwala, and the town continued to be his capital up to his occupation of Lahore. The mausoleum of his father is still to be seen there, and a lofty cupola close by covers a portion of the ashes of Ranjit Singh
himself. The Sikh rule, which brought prosperity elsewhere, also appears to have been an unmitigated benefit to Gujranwala. Ranjit Singh settled
large colonies in the various villages, and was very successful in encouraging cultivation throughout the depopulated plain of the Bar.
In the Degh valley, especially, he planted a body of hard-working Hindus, the Labana
Labana
Labanas are a Punjabi tribe. The Labanas of Punjab region are mostly Sikhs, with a small minority of Muslims and Hindus.- History:According to British records 33% of the Labana were baptised Sikhs and were found primarily in the Lahore, Gujranwala, and Sialkot areas...
s, to whom he granted the land at a nominal rent.
In 1847 the District came under British influence and two years later, in 1849, it was included in
the territory annexed after the second Sikh War. A cantonment was established at Wazirabad, which was abolished in 1855. The District formed a part originally of the extensive District of Wazirabad, which comprised the whole upper portion of the Rechna Doab.
In 1852 this unwieldy territory was divided between Gujranwala and Sialkot. The District, as then constituted, stretched across the entire plateau,
from the Chenab to the Ravi ; but in 1853 the south-eastern fringe, consisting of 303 villages, was transferred to Lahore, and three years later a second batch of 324 villages was handed over to the same District. There was no outbreak during the Indian Rebellion of 1857
Indian Rebellion of 1857
The Indian Rebellion of 1857 began as a mutiny of sepoys of the British East India Company's army on 10 May 1857, in the town of Meerut, and soon escalated into other mutinies and civilian rebellions largely in the upper Gangetic plain and central India, with the major hostilities confined to...
and the Sikh
Sardars and people rallied to the side of Government with the greatest enthusiasm.
According to the 1901 census the District had a population of 890,577 and contained 8 towns and 1,331 villages. Its population according to the 1881 census was 616,892 rising to 690,169 in 1891. The population increased by 29 per cent between 1891 and 1901 - the increase being greatest
in the Hafizabad and Khangah Dogran tahsils, owing to the extension of canal-irrigation and the colonisation of the Bar.
At the time the district was divided into four tehsils namely: Gujranwala, Wazirabad, Hafizabad and Khangah Dogran (the headquarters of each being at the place from which it is named).
The chief towns during British rule were the municipalities of Gujranwala, the head-quarters of the District, Wazirabad, Ramnagar, Akalgarh, Eminabad, Kila Didar Singh, and the notified area
Notified area
In urban planning, a notified area is any land area earmarked by legal provision for future development. The term is used in the Hindi belt region of North India....
of Sodhra.
During the British era
British Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
the district of Gujranwala was part of Lahore Division
Lahore Division
Lahore Division was an administrative division of the Punjab Province of Pakistan, until the reforms of 2000 abolished the third tier of government.-History:Lahore Division was originally an administrative division of the Punjab Province of British India...
. The chairman of Gujranwala is Ahmed Naeem Tehami.
Sikh era
Ranjit singh Became the Ruler of his Territory after the death of His Father Sardar Mahan Singh in 1792 the young Ranjit singh who was 12 years of age was destined to become the Chief of his Grandfathers and Fathers Possessions, Gujranwala remained Popular until 1801 when Ranjit singh made Lahore his new Capital which he had captured in 1799 from the Bhangi Sikh Confederacy.Present City was rebuilt by Sardar Hari Singh Nalwa the great Sikh general and the Defender of the Borders of Sikh Empire.
Sardar Hari Singh Nalwa
Hari Singh Nalwa
Hari Singh Nalwa was Commander-in-chief of the Khalsa, the army of the Sikh Empire. He is known for his role in the conquests of Kasur, Sialkot, Multan, Kashmir, Attock, and Peshawar. He led the Sikh Army in freeing Shah Shuja from Kashmir and secured the Koh-i-Nor diamond for Maharaja Ranjit Singh...
(1791–1837) the most Celebrated Sikh General of the time was Born in Gujranwala Town To Sardar Gurdial Singh and Mata Dharam Kaur an Uppal Khatri who were native of Majitha Town near Amritsar they later settled in Gujranwala.
Gujranwala District remained with the Sikhs until 1849 when the British Occupied The Sikh Kingdom after the Last Anglo Sikh wars (1848–49).
Sikhs who had Settled in Gujranwala District were originally from Eastern Punjab when the Sikhs took Gujranwala Area Sikhs also started to Migrate to Bar Area (Gujranwala) which was then mainly Muslim Jatt.
Even today throughout the Gujranwala District you can still find Sikh Architecture such as Samadhs, Havelis, Forts, Towns, Historic Gurdwaras which Date back to the Sikh Rule in Gujranwala District (Bar Area).
During the Sikh Empire The Hindus of Gujranwala District Played a great role in the Lahore Darbar Many Hindus Later Became Chiefs of Villages in Gujranwala District.
List of Sardars of Gujranwala District during 19th century
- Gujranwala District Sardar Mehr Singh Chachi Kohli Khukhrain Khatri
- Gujranwala District Sardar Balwant Singh Butalia Khatri
- Gujranwala District Sardar Narayan Singh Nalwa Khatri a Descendant of Sardar Hari Singh Nalwa
- Gujranwala District Diwan Hari Singh Akalgarhia Chopra Khatri
- Gujranwala District Sadar Rajwant Singh of Ruriala Waraich Jatt
- Gujranwala District Sardar Kirpal Singh of Mughal Chak Maan Jatt
- Gujranwala District Lala Ganda Mal Sodhra
- Gujranwala District Manohar Lal Dogal
- Gujranwala District Lala Kirpa Ram Kapur of Hafizabad Kapoor Khatri
- Gujranwala District Rai Bhadur Sardar Amrik Singh Hassanwalia of Ramnagar Khatri
- Gujranwala District Karam Ilahi Chatha Jatt
- Gujranwala District Rai Sahib Diwan Amar Nath of Eminabad Khatri
- Gujranwala District Ganga Bishan of Eminabad Chadha Khukhrain Khatri
- Gujranwala District Jai Singh Chimni Khatri
- Gujranwala District Dharam Singh of Gharjakh Khatri
- Gujranwala District Sardar Gyan Singh Lamba Lamba Khatri
- Gujranwala District Raja Mahummad Khan of Pothi Chib Rajput
- Gujranwala District Sardar Hari Singh Lamba Lamba Khatri
- Gujranwala District Badri Nath of Kunja Khatri Descendent of Dewan Mokham Chand
Demography
According to the 1998 census of Pakistan the population of district was 3,400,940 of which 50.17% were urban. It is thus the third-most advanced district in Punjab, the population now stands at 4,308,905.- Population before the partition of 1947
- Muslims 50%
- Hindus 30%
- Sikhs 10%
Government
The district is composed of 4 tehsils:- GujranwalaGujranwalaGujranwala is a industrial city in the north-east of the Punjab province. It is the sixth largest city in Pakistan with a population of approximately 2,661,360 as on 24 June 2011...
- Kamoke TehsilKamoke TehsilKamoke is a Tehsil of Gujranwala District located on the Grand Trunk Road. It is headquartered at Kāmoke, which is approximately 40km from Gujranwala - the district capital. It is famous for its market of Basmati rice. It is administratively subdivided into twenty four Union Councils.Kamoke is a...
- Nowshera VirkanNowshera virkanNoshehra Virkan is a tehsil and large town west of the industrial city of Gujranwala, Pakistan.Nowshera Virkan lies in the Gujranwala District; it is a hub of rice-growing villages....
- Wazirabad TehsilWazirabad TehsilWazirabad is an administrative subdivision of Gujranwala District in the Punjab province of Pakistan. The tehsil is headquartered at the city of Wazirabad and is administratively subdivided into 36 Union Councils.-History:...
Transport links
The district has metalled road-length of 1413 Kilometres and is linked with Sialkot, Gujrat, Sheikhupura, Narowal, Hafizabad and Mandi Bahauddin districts through metalled roads.The main Peshawar-Karachi railway line passes through Gujranwala district. The district is linked with Sialkot, Hafizabad and Gujrat districts through railway network.
Major tribes
The Kambho are a major tribe. The principal clans are ChadharChadhar
Chadhar is a Punjabi tribe in India and Pakistan. They are both Rajputs and Jats, and are Aryan.This caste should not be confused with another Indian caste spelled similarly, which is found in Madhya Pardesh India and is amongst one of the Indian Scheduled Caste...
, Bhatti, Virk
Virk
Virk Wirk Birk Vrik Varika is a gotra of the Jat clan found in the Punjab region of India and Pakistan. Typically, Virks are tall, thin and fair-skinned. In western Punjab, Virks are supposed to belong to the Mahe dynasty and Manhas or Minhas are considered to be brethren of the Virks. Birk...
, Assoun
Assoun
The Assoun are a Jat tribe and they are considered gotra in Punjab state of North India, while they are considered a tribe in Sindh and Punjab provinces of Pakistan....
, Chattha, Cheema
Cheema
Cheema is a Jatt of Jat ethnicity found inPunjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and also in Pakistan.Cheemas are one of the two major sub clans of Jats along with other Jat clans like Sandhu, Grewal, Pannu, Uppal etc.. .Historically, this tribe has held considerable tracts in the upper Rechna Doab since...
, Sandhu
Sandhu
Sandhu or Sindhu is a Jatt of Jat ethnicity found in Iraq, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir in India and also in Pakistan...
, Dhariwal
Dhariwal
Dhariwal are a clan of Jats found in both India and Pakistan.- History :One branch of the Mudgals was called Dharan. Later on, these people were known as Dhariwals....
, Dhotar
Dhotar
The Dhotar are a Jat tribe, originally found principally in Gujranwala District, of Punjab, Pakistan. The Sikh section of this tribe moved to Punjab, India after partition.The Dhotar are found in Sialkot and Gujrat Districts of Punjab, Pakistan.- History :...
, Ghumman, Gill
Gill (clan)
Gill is a gotra/surname of the Jat ethnicity found in Punjab. Though, to westerners, Gill seems like a familiar given name , the Gill surname does not have the same etymological origins. "Gill" stands out to be one of the most popular surnames of the Jat race, with population of Gills being resided...
, Goraya
Goraya
Goraya is a town in Jalandhar District in the Indian state of Punjab. It lies between Jalandhar and Ludhiana on G. T. Road NH-1, which connects Amritsar and Delhi. Goraya belongs to Tehsil administrative division and is known for its industry.-Geography:...
and Tarar
Tarar
Tarar is a Punjabi tribe and Jat gotra of Northern India and in Punjab province of Pakistan.-Geographical distribution:Tarar is a Goth of Jats that means a sub-caste of Jat clan...
.