Kasur (Urdu/Punjabi: قصور), the city of Bulleh Shah, located 55 km southeast of Lahore, is one of the oldest cities in Pakistan. Kasur is adjacent to the Indo-Pak Border. It is a major tourist attraction because of the famous guard changing ceremony.

It is famous for its very spicy fish, a sweet dish called Andrassay, Falooda and Kasuri methi. Apart from that, it is also the birthplace of Noor Jehan, the famous Pakistani singer and actress who gained popularity in the 1950's.

There are different traditions about the name of Kasur. One is that the town was founded by Kasur/ Kasu the son of Ram Chander and named after him as Kasurpur. The other tradition tells us that the town was founded by Pathan families of Kabul (The capital of, nowadays Afghanistan) during the period of Mughal King Akbar. The Pathans constructed 12 small forts known as Kot. There were about twelve Kots named after the heads of various families. These names still exist. In Arabic, Kot or fort is known as Kaser (Qaser) and plural of Kaser is Kasur, the name of the town.

History

Within historical times, Kasur has been alloted by Mongols now called Mughal to Pathans or Afghans of Kabul and remains in the possession of them as a remarkable colony of Pathans, perhaps the most remarkable on this side of the Indus. There is little doubt, however, that the site was occupied by a Rajput town long before the period of the earliest Muslim invasions. There are various traditions about the origin of the name of Kasur.

Kasur District came into existence on July 1, 1976 after being detached from Lahore District. It is named after Kasur town situated 55 Kilometers south of Lahore. It has a glorious past set in spiritual and cultural traditions nurtured by Sufi Saints, like Bulleh Shah musicians like Ustad Ghulam Muhammad and singers like Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan and Noor Jahan. Kasur though not as old as Lahore, is a brother town of Lahore.

Kasur as bordering district and district headquarters town is the most important after Lahore built upon the high bank which marks the termination of the Majha and looking down upon the

Low-Lands of the Satluj Hither. It is a place of great antiquity and is identified by the historians as one of the place visited by the Chinese pilgrim, Howang Tsang in the 7th century A.D but it does no appear in history until late in the Muslim period when it was settled as a Pathan colony from east of the Indus. These migrants entered the town either in the reign of Baber or in that of his grandson Akbar and founded a considerable principality with territory on both sides of the Satluj. When the Sikhs rose to power, they met great opposition from the Pathan of Kasur. The chiefs of the Bhangi confederacy stormed the town in the 1763 and again in 1770 and although they succeeded in holding the entire principality for a while, the Pathan leaders re-established their independence in 1794 and resisted many subsequent attacks also. The town of Kasur was incorporated in the Kingdom of Lahore by Ranjit Singh in 1807 and had been a municipality since 1885.

Customs and Traditions

Kasur has a glorious past set in spiritual and cultural traditions, nurtured by Sufi Saints like Baba Bulleh Shah, Baba Kamal Chishti, Shah Inayat Qadiri, Imam Shah Bukhari, on one hand and by musicians, singers like Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, Ustad Barkat Ali Khan, Ustad Amanat Ali Khan, Malka-e-Tarrannam Noor Jehan etc. on the other hand. The important cultural events in the district are the Urs of Baba Bulleh Shah and Urs of Baba Imam Shah Bukhari.

Tribes and Races

The principal castes and tribes residing in Kasur district are Sayyed belongs to Muhammad's family. Arain are descendants from the group of soldiers of Muhammad bin Qasim from Areeha (Jericho) were called by their Arabic name "Areehai", which changed to Arain by the usage in local tongues. Mogul or Mughal belong to Chagatai Genghis Khan 's family, Pathan or Afghan belong to Israil's family, Jats, Rajput, Mayo, Kamboh, Dogar, Ansari, Sheikh, Khokhar and others. The refugees from east Punjab settled in this district also belong largely to these tribes and castes. There are artists and artisans of various professions and trades also. They include blacksmiths, carpenters, potters, leather makers, shoe makers, barbers, weavers, and masons. Mazaras (peasants) are generally paid in kind at the time of each harvest. These workers are found from any caste, creed, culture and religion. The Arain and Rajput constitute the majority of the population. About 32 per cent population of the district is Rajput. The next most numerous tribe is Arain consisting of about 30 per cent of the population, Jats with about 10 per cent and Dogar at 4 per cent, while Sayyed, Mughal, Chagatai, Afghan, Pathan, Ansari, Sheikh and Kamboh comprise lesser percentages and are mostly settled in towns.

Kots (residential areas)

The city of Kasur is an aggregation of fortified hamlets, called kots, small in themselves, but together forming a considerable town. In 1592 Originally there were 12 principal residentil colonies were built under the rule of Mogul Chagatai Genghis Khan's descendant Jalaluddin Muhammad Akbar in promulgation with the grace extended from Moguls to Pathans. The names of 12 kots are as fallows:

The following residential areas are built latter on.

• Kot Ghulam Muhammad Khan
• Kot Mir Baz Khan
• Kot Sherbaz Khan
• Kot Abdul Qadir
• Rod Kot
• Dhoor Kot
• Jinnah Colony
• Baghdadia Colony
• Bulley Shah Colony
• Mushtaq Colony
• Gulberg Colony
• Fazal Colony
• Roshan Colony
• Shakoor Colony
• Bhasar Pura
• Salamat Pura
• Din Garh
• Ali Garh
• Niaz Nagar
• Jamat Pura
• Kirshna Nagar
• Basti Chiragh Shah
• Basti Barat Shah
• Basti Qadir Abad
• Basti Babian Wali
• Basti Noor Shah Wali
• Garden View Housing Scheme Steel Bagh

Weather

The city has extremes of climate; the summer season begins from April and continues till September. June is the hottest month. The mean maximum and minimum temperature for this month are about 40 and 27 degree centigrade respectively. The winter seasons lasts from November to March. January is the coldest month. The mean maximum and minimum temperatures for the coldest month are 20 and 6 degree centigrade respectively.

Rainfall

Towards the end of June monsoon conditions appear and during the following two and a half months spell of rainy season alternates with intervals of sultry weather. The winter rain falls during January, February and March ranging from 23 to 31 millimeters.Details data on temperature and precipitation is not available for Kasur. These are however, available for the nearest meteorological station Lahore which as close proxy of the district and can be easily found.

Banks

• Bank Al Habib Railway Road Kasur
• Bank Alfalah Limited
• Habib Bank Limited(2 branches)
• National Bank (2 branches)
• Muslim Commercial Bank Limited (8 branches)
• United Bank Limited
• Allied Bank Limited (2 branches)

Schools and colleges

• Government Islamia College, Kasur
• Moon Star Public High School Krishna Nager Kasur
• Saint Paul Joseph Christen School
• Kasur Model High School
• Govt. High School Kacha Pacca
• Kasur Public School, Kasur
• Bhatti International Public School
• Main Khara Road, Kasur]
• Dhing Shah Model High School, Khudian
• Sadiq memorial High School, Khudian
• Government Model High School, Kasur
• Government Degree College for Women, Kasur
• Pakistan Model High School, Kasur
• Allama Iqbal Cadit High School, Kasur
• Bank Model High School, Kasur
• Sharif Model High School (Campuses in Bhatta Gorian Wala, Kot Rukin Din Khan Kasur, Muhalla Haji Shah Sharif, Near Khan Mehal Cinma Raiwind Road and Kot Usman Khan)
• Al-Madina Ideal High School Khara Road Kasur
• Pappa Educational Academy of Literature And Sciences Kasur

Beaconhouse Educators, a franchise of the Beaconhouse group, has recently opened up in Kasur, and is providing quality English medium education.

Developments

Sui gas supply

In 2004 the work for laying a gas pipe line from Lahore to Kasur was completed, allowing the residents of Kasur access to a gas supply for domestic purposes. But most of the city area has not yet received the gas.

Mobile service

Almost all of the major Mobile Companies have their stations in Kasur. [citation needed]

Kasur-Lahore Motorway

The Kasur-Lahore Motorway motorway, a 6-lane highway inaugurated by President Pervez Musharraf is under construction and is expected to be completed by the end of 2007. This is particularly important to Kasur's development as many people commute from Kasur to Lahore on a regular basis [citation needed].

Industries

• Taneries

Kasur is famous in all over the world for producing supreme quality Leather and Leather made ups. Here is some main Tanneries of Kasur.

• Akhtar Tanneries (Exporters of Leather & Leather Garments)
• Yousaf Tanneries (Exporters of Leather garments in Kasur)
• Riaz Tanneries (Exporter of Leather Garments)
• Leader Tanneries (Exporters of Leather Garments)
• Allah Wasaya & Company (Exporters of Leather Garments) www.awleather.com
• Hakim Ali Tanneries (Exporters of Leather Garments)
• Hashmat Tanneries (Leather Garments Exporters)
• Bulleh Shah Papaer Mills Kasur

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References

See also

• Kasur District
• Lahore, a brother city of Kasur

External links

• Kasur City website
• Kasur City Government
• Kasur District Police
• Kasur District Education Department