Gujrat (Urdu/Punjabi: گجرات) is a city in Pakistan. It is the capital of Gujrat District and the Gujrat Tehsil subdivision in the Punjab Province[1]. People living in Gujrat refer to themselves as Gujratis, which sometimes leads to confusion with the Indian state of Gujaratwhich neighbors Pakistan. The major sources of livelihood of Gujrat populace are agriculture and small industries.
Gujrat is situated on the bank of Chenab River, situated about 120 KM north of Lahore. Prominent nearby locations include Jhelum,Gujranwala, Mandi Bahauddin, Sialkot and Bhimber-Azad Kashmir. The city is surrounded by many villages which supply a significant labor to the local market.
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 period Mughal royalty would used to 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 chaos 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
Gujrat is an ancient city of Pakistan located between two famous rivers, Jhelum River and Chenab River. Because of its proximity with the rivers, the land is good for cultivation of rice and sugarcane as main crops. It is bounded on the northeast by Jammu and Kashmir, on the northwest by the Jhelum River, 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.
Famous people
Sharif Kunjahi, Famous Punjabi Poet
Major Raja Aziz Bhatti Shaheed, a recipient of the Nishan-e-Haider (Pakistan's highest Military award) during the India-Pakistan war of 1965 belongs to Laadhian, a village in Gujrat.
Major Muhammad Akram Shaheed, a recipient of the Nishan-e-Haider (Pakistan's highest Military award) during the India-Pakistan war of 1971 belongs to Dinga, a city in Gujrat.
Major Shabir Sharif was another recipient of the Nishan-e-Haider belongs to a near by village of gujrat namely kunjah.
Inayat Hussain Bhatti, (1928-1999) a multidimensional icon of Pakistan. His body of work includes contributions as a singer, actor, producer, director, script writer, social worker, columnist, religious scholar and a protagonist of the development of Punjabi language and literature.
Fazal Elahi Chaudhry, former President of Pakistan.
Ch Ahmad Mukhtar, Present Defence Minister Of Pakistan.
Ch Shujat Hussain, Ex-Prime Minister of Pakistan, Ex-head of PML-(Q).
Ch Pervez Ilahi, Ex-Chief Minister of Punjab.
Ch. Aitzaz Ahsan, Ex-President Supreme Court Bar Association of Pakistan
Nawab Sir Fazal Ali, Founder of Zamindara College.
Sabiha Khanum, a famous Film Actress of 1970s, wife of famous actor Musa Raza (Santosh Kumar).
Climate
The city has moderate climate. During the peak of summer, the daytime temperature shoots up to 45°C, but the hot spells are relatively short due to the proximity of the Azad KashmirMountains. During the winter, the minimum temperature may fall below 2°C. The average rainfall at Gujrat is 67 cm.
Culture
Gujrat produces low temperature pottery ceramic goods, Hukkas , artistic handicrafts, flower pots, "Changairian" (made from the leaves of palm and date trees), cotton mates 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. The locals have a myth that it rains heavily at the time of fair (but actually the rail falls because of monsoon).
Economy/Industry
Gujrat is also known for its clay with which the locals have, for long, produced quality pottery. The city also produces fine furniture. Over the last few decades, Gujrat has also attained a name in the manufacture and export of Electric Fans. Gujrat is also home to one of the two largest shoe manufacturing companies in Pakistan, namely Service Industries, which runs a large shoe factory in the city. There are about 1,059 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.
The story of the emergence of the electric fan manufacturing industry in Pakistan started with a few enterprising individuals in the early 1940s, struggled against all odds, and created, without government or foreign help, resulting an efficient industry. There are now over five hundred fan factories in Gujrat, Gujranwala, Lahore and a few other cities. Most of the Fan Industries are in Gujrat.
Sir Syed Ahmad Khan named the region "Khita-e-Younan", or "Territory resembling ancient Greece", referring to the high number of educational institutes present in the area. The following universities and colleges are located in Gujrat:
University of Gujrat
Govt. Zaminadar Degree College (for men)
Govt. Fatima Jinnah Degree College (for women)
Govt. College For Girls
Punjab College
Swedish Pakistani Institute of Technology
Nawaz Sharif Medical College, at University of Gujrat
Gujrat Group of Colleges
Chenab Group Of Colleges
Govt. Girls College, Railway Road,
Govt. Degree College for men, G.T.Road,
Jamia Islamia Le-Binat-Ul-Islam ( Religious )
Transport
The district, with 1,019 kilometres of road, is linked with Gujranwala, Jhelum, and Mandi Bahauddin districts through metalled roads. The main Peshawar -Karachi railway line passes through the city and it is amongst an important railway stations of this route. The district is linked with Jhelum, Mandi Bahauddin, Sargodha and Gujranwala districts through Pakistan Railway Network. Daewoo Express has a terminal at GT Road Gujrat, started on May 14, 2004 and connects Gujrat with Lahore. Gujrat airport does not host any commercial flights, and people use the nearby Allama Iqbal International Airport, Lahore andSialkot International Airport for domestic and international flights.
Refferences
http://www.nrb.gov.pk/lg_election/union.asp?district=10&dn=Gujrat
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