Gujrat (Urdu/Punjabi: گجرات) is a city in Pakistan located in Gujrat District in the Punjab Province. A person living in Gujrat is called Gujrati.

Location

Gujrat is situated 120 km north of Lahore. To the north lies Jhelum, to the north east at 45 kilometrs to the south Gujranwala, to the west Mandi-Bahauddin, and to the east Pakistan-Administrated Kashmir. It is located near the Chenab river. The city is surrounded many villages from which the local labour market is supplied.

History

Gujrat is an ancient city which was founded by Raja Bachhan Pal in 460 BC, according to General Cunningham, the British historian. Gujrat's history is long and wide-reaching in its significance. 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 river Jehlum. The establishement 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".

There are many historical buildings and ruins in and around Gujrat. In the time of Shair Shah Suri a road was built to link the city to Jalal Pur Jattan (another major town of the district). The road still exists today, along with its period stone wall. The nearby towns of Adowal, Dinga and Kunjah are also historically important.The village KURREE SHARIF is famous for the shrines of saints and MAZAR of MALIK JUSRUS, the forfather of maliks(khokhars) of punjab.

Major Raja Aziz Bhatti Shaheed, a recipient of the Nishan-e-Haider (Pakistan's highest aviation award) during the India-Pakistan war of 1965 was born in Laadhian, a village near Gujrat. He was killed in the war and interred in the village.

Major Muhammad Akram, another recipient of the Nishan-e-Haider during the India-Pakistan war of 17th December 1971, was born at Dinga, a village of Gujrat.

Major Shabir Sharif was another recipient of the Nishan-e-Haider. He was born at Kunjah, a village near Gujrat.

Captain Syed Mazhar Hussain Shaheed of the 8th Punjab Regement was martyred on 22 September 1965, across the BRB canal steadfastly holding an advance defensive position against one of the main Indian thrusts directed towards Lahore, while the main defense force occupied positions behind the canal. His gallant action and tenacious defense blunted the Indian onslaught which led to the ultimate Indian defeat and their design to capture Lahore. He was laid to rest in his birthplace Madina Syedan, adjoining the city of Gujrat.

Commissioned in 1954, Maj.-Gen. Hakeem Arshad Qureshi (s/o the famous Chiragh Ali Hakeem) commanded an infantry battalion (26 FF) in East Pakistan (Saidpur-Rangpur-Dinajpur) and led it through the 1970 general election, the civil disobedience movement, the insurgency, the counter-insurgency and the 1971 war, earning a Sitara-i-Jurat in the process. His appointment as Director General Pakistan Rangers, made him responsible for the 1400 miles long border with India.

Political Importance

Many famous political personalities have come from Gujrat, including Fazal Elahi Chaudhry, former President of Pakistan; Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, Former Prime Minister of Pakistan ; Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, Chief Minister of Punjab. Former commerce Minister of Pakistan Ch. Ahmad Mukhtar and Mian Imran Masood Minister of Education Punjab.

Gates of Gujrat

There are four gates in Gujrat;

1. Shahdaula gate on the east, named after a famous saint Shahdaula Daryai

2. Dhaki(Ascention) gate on the west

3. Sheshanwala gate on the north

4. Kalra gate on the south

In old times, the city was situated within the gates. At the night, the gates were closed, and nobody was allowed to enter inside the city afterwords. Kabli Gate was central to the rails. The gates, except Shadoula gate, exist in names only.

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Sites of interest

The Zahoor palace, situated in the center of the city (Pakistan Chawk), is the hub of political activity in Gujrat. The same building has been the residence of Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and Chaudhary Pervaiz Elahi. Over the ages, the building has influenced the political history of the city. The Gujrat Fort, now in shambles, still stands, depicting the declining glory of Mughal architenture. 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-illah Manzil is another historical place, Where father of the nation, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah resided for a short while.

Known for its huge Sufism past, the city houese the tombs and shrines of many Sufis, Preachers, Saints, etc. The most familiar include;

1. Shrine of Shahdaula Daryai (see "Gates of Gujrat")

2. Shrine of Kanwanwali Sarkar (The saint of crows)

3. Shrine of Shah Hussain

Economy

Gujrat's principal industries include fan manufacture and export, pottery and furniture. Gujrat has a unique status throughout Punjab due to its relatively impressive manufacturing capabilities: there are around 1000 industrial units operating in the district. Several small and large textile industrial units have been established in Jalalpur Jattan, a large town near the city.

The fields of Gujrat produce a large rice crop. Thanks to the system of irrigation canals, Gujrat produces sugarcane, wheat, gram and a wide range of pulses and vegetables.

Culture

"Sohni Mahinwal" 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 held in August every year. At the same time, a fair to celebrate the event is held. Traditionally, it always rains heavily at this time.

Education

History tells us that region of Gujrat has kept its status at the peak in the field of education. Sir Syed Ahmad Khan named the region as "Khita-e-Younan", means "Territory resembling to Greece". Nawab Sir Fazal Ali is a known personality, who is behind educating Gujratis. Even today, Gujrat has developed a noticeable education system. Several schools and colleges are located at Gujrat. The University of Gujrat is prominent university of the region

Transport

Gujrat is linked directly by road to Gujranwala, Jhelum, Mandi Bahauddin and Bhimber (Pakistan-Administrated Kashmir). The main Peshawar-Karachi railway line passes through Gujrat, linking the city to Jhelum and Gujranwala districts, with the nearest junctions at Wazirabad and Lalamusa.

See also

• Gujrat District

Coordinates: 32°34′N 74°05′E

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