Overseas Pakistani 2.86

History

Gujrat is an ancient city which was founded by Raja Bachhan Pal Gurjar in 460 BC, according to General Cunningham, the British historian. Historical consensus is that it existed in the time of Alexander the Great, and that the city's Raja Porus put up a fierce challenge to Alexander's invasion at the bank of the Jehlum River. The establishment of Gujrat City was realized early in the 1900 century after the British Empire and in support of regional land lords (e.g, Daswandi Khan of Daswandi Pura).

During the Mughal Empire period, Mughal royalty would travel through the district en-route to Kashmir. When King Jahangir died while he was returning from Kashmir, the news of his death was not released to avoid any unrest in the empire. As such, his abdominal organs were taken out and buried in Gujrat. To this day an annual festival is held commemorating this event, commonly known as the "Festival of Jahangir".

Two main battles between British and Sikh armies were fought in this district: the Battle of Chillianwala and Battle of Gujrat. Only after winning the battle of Gujrat on 22 February 1849 did the British declare victory in Punjab.

Historic remains

There are many historical buildings and ruins in and around Gujrat. The Grand Trunk Road commonly abbreviated as GT road built by emperor Sher Shah Suri also passes from Gujrat. The road still exists today, along with its period stone wall. The village Kathala Chenab is a historic village, It gives many popular persons like poets and The Education level in Kahtala is abt 90%,Most of the people in this village are jutt Warraich, it is near the Chenab river. The nearby towns of Shadiwal, kalra kalan Tanda, Adowal, Amra Kalan, Kotla,Bangial, Dinga and Kunjah have historical buildings and ruins. The village Kurree Sharif is famous for the shrines of saints and mazar of Malik Jusrus, the forefather of Maliks (Khokhars) of Punjab.

Geography

Gujrat is an ancient district of Pakistan located between two famous rivers, the Jhelum River and the Chenab River. 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 Jammu and Kashmir, on the northwest by the Jhelum River 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. District Gujrat is spread over an area of 3,192 square kilometres and comprises the three tehsils of Gujrat, Kharian & Sarai Alamgir.

The Gujrat Fort, now in shambles, still stands, depicting the declining glory of Mughal architecture. The fort was built by Akbar the Great Mughal Emperor in 1598-99. Morever, the Baradari, built by Raja Ranja Singh, is also a worth visiting place.

Faiz-e-Illahi Manzil (residence of the famous Chiragh Ali Hakeem Advocate and active member of Muslim league part until 1948) is another historical place, Where father of the nation, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah resided for a short while.

Descendants of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H.)

Descendants of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H.) first settled in Gujrat in the 16th century. Their forfathers came from Khorezm, Central Asia, and took their blood line back to the 6th Imam Jafar al-Sadiq (7th century). Their 3 most famous towns are Madina Syedan, Mohin ud-Din Syedan and Jamalpur Syedan.

Madina Syedan,

founded in the 16th century by the descendants of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H.) on land granted by the Mughal Emperor Akbar the Great as he was camping in Gujrat on his way back from Kahmir to Fatheypur Sikri.

Jamalpur Syedan,

founded in 1658 by Syed Jamal ud-Din whose grandfather, Syed Dawood, was a general of the Mughal Emperor Akbar the Great. Jamalpur Syedan got a special place in the history of Gujrat because of the town's famous 17th century saint Syed Muhammad Shah Sharif. Shah Sharif's urs is held In Jamaplur Syedan on every 24th March.

Climate

This district has moderate climate. During peak summer, the daytime temperature shoots up to 45°C, but the hot spells are relatively short due to the proximity of the Azad Kashmir Mountains. During the winter months the minimum temperature may fall below 2°C. The average rainfall on the Kashmir border is over 100 cm; at Kharian it is 75 cm, at Gujrat 67 cm, at Dinga 50 cm and at Sarsal 48 cm.

Culture

District Gujrat produces low temperature pottery and ceramic goods, ‘Hookas’, artistic handicrafts, flower pots, "Changairian" (made from the leaves of palm and date trees), cotton mates, "Dhusse" and woollen shawls.. Sohni Mahiwal is a famous folk tale of the Punjab region. The heroine of the story, named "Sohni" (a Punjabi word, meaning "beautiful"), came from the Gujrat region. She used to meet her lover "Mahinwal" by crossing the Chenab river, sitting on a pitcher. The tale is still told to this day, and is an essential part of Punjabi culture. The anniversary of Kanwan-Wali Sarkar is celebrated with a fair in August every year, usually it rains heavily at this time.