Gujrat city of Punjab province of Pakistan

Gujrat city of Punjab province of Pakistan

Short brief history of Gujrat city of Punjab province of Pakistan

              Gujrat  is a district of Punjab Province in Pakistan. It is an ancient district located in between two famous rivers, the Jhelum and Chenab. 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 Mirpur, on the northwest by the River Jhelum 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 Gujrat is spread over an area of 3,192 square kilometres, and is divided into three tehsils, Gujrat, Kharian, and Sarai Alamgir. There are many historic villages and towns in the district such as Jalalpur Jattan, Chakdina, Karnana, Kunjah and Lalamusa.

            Gujrat town itself is a place of some antiquity, and the district bounds in ancient sites.The district formed part of the kingdom of Porus, who was defeated by Alexander, probably in the Karri plain beyond the Jammu border, in July, 326 B.C. ; but four years later was conquered by Chandragupta Maurya in the national rising which took place on the death of Alexander. It remained under the Mauryas until shortly after the death of Asoka in 231, and about forty years later came under the sway of Demetrius the Graeco-Bactrian. The overthrow of the Bactrians by the Parthians in the latter half of the second century brought another change of rulers, and the coins of the Indo-Parthian Maues (c. 120 B. c.), who is known to local tradition as Raja Moga, have been found at Mong. At the end of the first century A. D., ie whole of the Punjab was conquered by the Yueh-chi. For several hundred years nothing is known of the history of the District, except that between 455 and 540 it must have been exposed to the ravages of the White Huns. Dr. Stein holds that the District formed part of the kingdom of Gurjara, which, according to the Rajatarangini, was
invaded between 883 and 902 by Sankara Varman of Kashmir, who defeated its king Alakhana. This may be the Ali Khan to whom tradition ascribed the refounding of GUJRAT.

            The predominantly Muslim population supported Muslim League and Pakistan Movement. After the independence of Pakistan in 1947, the minority Hindus and Sikhs migrated to India while the Muslim refugees from India settled in the Gujrat district. Most of the refugees have since settled and inter-married into the local population. Ever since, Sialkot has become one of the major industrial centres of Pakistan and is well known for its manufacture and export of surgical instruments, musical instruments, sports goods, leather goods, textile products and other light manufactures.. Since independence Gujrat has became one of the major industrial and commercial centres of Pakistan. There are over 5,000 cottage-level and small- to large-scale industrial units operating in the district. Rice production and export is another major product of Gujrat. There are many other factories engaged in manufacturing of electrical goods, electric motors and rice cleaning mills. Most are cottage industries, providing employment to a large number of people and accounting, in aggregate, for more than 90 percent of the domestic market

Posted by Editorial Team on 05:02 in Gujrat city of Punjab province of Pakistan

Gujranwala city of Punjab province of Pakistan

Gujranwala city of Punjab province of Pakistan

Short brief history of Gujranwala city of Punjab (Pakistan)

Gujranwala District is a district in Punjab, Pakistan.

          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 Aurangzeb, 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. The Punjab region became predominantly Muslim due to missionary Sufi saints whose dargahs dot the landscape of Punjab region.

           In 1847 the District came under British occupation 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 District. 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 District, 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 Hindus and Sikh rallied to the side of Government with the greatest enthusiasm while Muslims rallied for the Mughals.

Posted by Editorial Team on 06:35 in Gujranwala city of Punjab province of Pakistan

Sialkot city of Punjab (Pakistan)

Short brief history of Sialkot city of Punjab province of Pakistan

Sialkot the capital of District Sialkot, is a city situated in the north-east of the Punjab province in Pakistan at the feet of the snow-covered peaks of Kashmir near the Chenab river. Formerly, Sialkot has been the winter-capital of the State of Kashmir. The city is about 125 km (78 mi) north-west of Lahore and only a few kilometres from Jammu in India

The recorded history of Sialkot, a district of modern-day Pakistan, covers thousands of years. It has since its creation changed hands from Aryan,Persian, Greek, Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim, Sikh and British rule to the present-day federation of Pakistan

 There are various sources tracing the origins of the city of Sialkot but the authenticity of many of these sources varies. The less-reliable historical sources about the origins of the city have been derived from oral traditions based on ancient local beliefs which, most historians concur, are full of inaccuracies, concocted legends and erroneous facts. These are, nonetheless, stated here. More reliable and validated historical references relating to the city date back to 327 BC in which it has been stated that the city is of Persian and/or Greek origin. Excavations throughout the area have revealed large amounts of Greek coins, ancient Zoroastrian temples and several Buddhist stupas. Some of the more unreliable references to Sialkot are mentioned in ancient scriptures and oral traditions, these state that Siálkot is believed to have been founded by Raja Sul or (Shalya), emperor of Madradesa and brother of Madri, second wife of emperor Pandu and mother to Nakula and Sahadeva. He was the uncle of the Pandavas, whose heroic deeds are recorded in the epic Mahabharata After his death, some 5000 years ago, there is a tradition that the dynasty continued for some 1500 years. The seasonal stream, known as the Aik Nala, that still flows through the city, has been mentioned in the Upanishads. In the late Vedic Period(c. 1500 - c. 200 B.C.), Sákala (Siálkot) was the capital of the Madras (Brihadaranyaka Upanishad). Sákaladvipa (island of Sákala) was the name of the doáb (land lying between two rivers) between Chandrabhága (Chenab) and Irávati (Ravi). In those early days, Sákala was studded with thick forests and inhabited by a pastoral race called Yahars or Yirs.

 Sialkot became a part of the Muslim Sultanate of Delhi when Shahab-ud-Din Muhammad Ghauri conquered Punjab in 1185. He was unable to conquer Lahore but left a garrison in Sialkot. Later, Sultan Khusro Malik tried to capture the city but failed to do so. Sialkot then became a part of the Muslim Mughal Empire. The Mughal commander, Usman Ghani Raza, advanced towards Delhi by way of Sialkot which capitulated to his armies.

 The city played an important role during the Pakistan Movement. The national poet of Pakistan who spearheaded the movement for an independent country, Dr. Muhammad Iqbal was born in Sialkot in 1877. In May 1944, the historic Sialkot Convention was held here. This convention is widely regarded as the landmark event which catapulted the All India Muslim League into prominence in the British-Indian Punjab. This convention was host to such Muslim League luminaries as Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Liaquat Ali Khan, Chaudhry Naseer Ahmad Malhi, (Inayat Ullah Choudhary) Khawaja Nazim-ud-Din, Sardar Abd-ur-Rab Nishtar, Mumtaz Ahmad Khan Daultana, Nawab Iftikhar Hussain Khan of Mamdot and Maulvi Tamiz-ud-Din.

Posted by Editorial Team on 23:10 in Sialkot city of Punjab (Pakistan)

Natural Beauty

Short brief of Natural beauty

The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Trust does not operate in Scotland, where there is an independent National Trust for Scotland. The trust was founded in 1895 and given statutory powers, starting with the National Trust Act of 1907. Historically the Trust tended to focus on English country houses, which still make up the largest part of its holdings, but it also protects historic landscapes such as in the Lake District, historic urban properties, and nature reserves.

The trust owns many heritage properties, including historic houses and gardens, industrial monuments and social history sites. It is one of the largest landowners in the United Kingdom, owning many beauty spots, most of which are open to the public free of charge. It is the largest membership organisation in the United Kingdom, and one of the largest UK charities by both income and assets.

Posted by Editorial Team on 21:19 in Natural Beauty

Okara District of Punjab province of Pakistan

Okara District Punjab province of Pakistan

Short history of Okara District Punjab province of Pakistan

              Okara is the capital city of Okara district in the Punjab province of Pakistan. Okara is also known as Mini Lahore. The name Okara is derived from Okaan, the name of a type of tree. The city is located southwest of the city of Lahore and Faisalabad is 100 km by passing away Ravi River. It is famous for its agriculture-based economy and cotton mills. The nearest major city to Okara is Sahiwal,formerly known as Montgomery.

            Okara has the largest storage capacity in Asia and is a fairly large district in Pakistan in terms of population. There are famous Pakistan military dairy farms, especially famous for their cheese, situated in Okara. These farms are of the pre-partition or British Indian Era. Mitchels farms also are located in the nearest town, Renala Khurd, in the Okara District. Okara's postal code is 56300.

          The city is a relatively new agricultural city; during the period of British rule there was a jungle of Okaan where the city has been built, and from this the name of the city was derived. During British rule, the area was part of Montgomery district and contained a large Saltpeter refinery. A large number of textile mills are located in Okara. In 1982, the city became the headquarters of the newly created Okara District. Okara has had a railway line since 1892. Okara is famous for its cattle breed known as Sahiwal and a water buffalo breed known as Nili-Ravi. It is very rich in livestock population and production. Livestock Production Research Institute Bahadar Nagar Farm is a very large government farm near Okara. The farm has a large number of cows, buffalo, bulls (for reproduction), goats and sheep.

Posted by Editorial Team on 01:40 in Okara district of Punjab (Pakistan)

Khanewal District of Punjab province of Pakistan

Khanewal District of Punjab province of Pakistan

Short brief history of Khanewal, Punjab province of Pakistan

             Khanewal is a city and the capital of Khanewal district in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is the host city to the second largest railway station in Pakistan.

        In 997 CE, Sultan Mehmud Ghaznavi, took over the Ghaznavid dynasty empire established by his father, Sultan Sebuktegin, In 1005 he conquered the Shahis in Kabul in 1005, and followed it by the conquests of northern Punjab region. The Delhi Sultanate and later Mughal Empire ruled the region. The Punjab region was made predominantly Muslim through conversions from Hinduism by Missionary Sufi saints whose Dargahs dot the landscape of Punjab region.

              Under Mughal rule, the city flourished and was notable for commerce and trade. After the decline of the Mughal Empire, the Sikh invaded and occupied Jhang. The Muslims faced severe restrictions during the Sikh rule. Under the British Raj, there was agricultural development. The predominantly Muslim population supported Muslim League and Pakistan Movement. After the independence of Pakistan in 1947, the minority Hindus and Sikhs migrated to India while the Muslim refugees from India settled in the Khanewal District. Khanewal became the district in 1985 firstly it was Tehsil of Multan.

Posted by Editorial Team on 22:34 in Khanewal District of Punjab (Pakistan)