Dak Chowki(mail station) of Sher Shah Suri's period (built in 1542), Wazirabad
Gujranwala belongs to the Majha region of ancient Punjab. The village of Asarur 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 till the Islamic conquests by Mahmud of Ghazni, by this time, however, Taki had fallen into oblivion while Lahore had become the capital of Punjab. Lahore had replaced Taki as the major city of Punjab and it became the second capital of the Ghaznavids. The contemporary village of Asarur has been identified as the site of the ancient city. From the beginning of the 7th century Gujjar kingdoms dominated Eastern portions of Pakistan and northern India. 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.[4] The Punjab region became predominantly Muslim due to missionarySufi saints whose dargahs dot the landscape of Punjab region.
Eminabad and Hafizabad were the chief towns (the latter now part of a separate district), while the country was divided into six well-tilled parganas. But before the end of the Islamic period the tract was mysteriously depopulated. The tribes at present occupying the District are all immigrants of recent date, and before their advent the whole region seems for a time to have been almost entirely abandoned. The only plausible conjecture to account for this sudden and disastrous change is that it resulted from the constant wars by which the Punjab was convulsed during the last years of Mughal Imperial rule.[4]
After the decline of the Mughal Empire following Aurangzeb's death in 1707, the Afsharids in 1739 under their powerful Turko-Iranian conqueror Nadir Shah destroyed what remained of the once powerful Mughal Empire. Between 1747 and 1772 the Durrani Afghans of Ahmad Shah Abdali and the Sikh Misls vied for control of the region following the power vacuum left by the Mughals. The area was under the control of the Durrani Empire for a short period of time. Eventually the Sikh Sukerchakia Misl of Charat Singh won out and occupied the area of Gujranwala making it his new capital.
Under his leadership the Chathas gained several successes over the Sikhs,[8]and it at one time looked as if the progress of the Sikh arms had been arrested and their dominion in the Doab annihilated.[6]
Chattha State was annexed when Jan Muhammad Chattha was killed in a siege led by Ranjit Singh when the latter recovered the lost Chattha state with Afghan aid.[9]
Bhattis (Rajputs) maintained a sturdy independence. In the end, however, the Sukerchakia misl succeeded in bringing them under its power.[4] Maha Singh’s son Ranjit Singh, founder of the Sikh Empire, was born in Gujranwala. Gujranwala was the capital of the Sukerchakia Misl hence many important personalities of the Sikh Empire were born here such as Ranjit Singh and his most famous general Hari Singh Nalwa.
In 1849, the district was occupied by the British East India Company who annexed the entirety of the Sikh Empire after defeating them in the Second Anglo-Sikh War.[10] The Dogra dynasty collaborated with the British and helped them in bringing down the Sikh Empire. 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.[11]
Mall of Gujranwala
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.[11] According to the 1901 census the District had a population of 890,577 and contained 8 towns and 1,331 villages. Its population according to the 1881 census was 616,892 rising to 690,169 in 1891. The population increased by 29 per cent between 1891 and 1901 - the increase being greatest in the Hafizabad and Khangah Dogran tahsils, owing to the extension of canal-irrigation and the colonisation of the Bar.[11] At the time the district was divided into four tehsils, namely: Gujranwala, Wazirabad, Hafizabad and Khangah Dogran (the headquarters of each being at the place from which it is named).[11] The chief towns during British rule were the municipalities of Gujranwala, the headquarters of the District, Wazirabad, Rasulnagar, Ali Pur Chattha, Eminabad, Qila Didar Singh, and the notified area of Sodhra.[11] During the British era, the district of Gujranwala was part of Lahore Division.[12]
As of the 2023 census, the residual Gujranwala district has 706,796 households and a population of 4,966,338. The district has a sex ratio of 103.96 males to 100 females and a literacy rate of 76.65%: 77.94% for males and 75.31% for females.[14][15] 1,322,407 (26.73% of the surveyed population) are under 10 years of age.[16] 3,224,962 (64.95%) live in urban areas.[14]
Note: 1941 census data is for Gujranwala tehsil of erstwhile Gujranwala district, which roughly corresponds to contemporary Gujranwala district. District and tehsil borders have changed since 1941.
Note1: British Punjab province era district borders are not an exact match in the present-day due to various bifurcations to district borders — which since created new districts — throughout the historic Punjab Province region during the post-independence era that have taken into account population increases.
Note2: Population decrease between 1911 and 1921 census due to the creation of Sheikhupura District, as a result of the large population increase in the region, primarily due to the Chenab Canal Colony.
Religion in the Tehsils of Gujranwala District (1921)[28]
Note: British Punjab province era tehsil borders are not an exact match in the present-day due to various bifurcations to tehsil borders — which since created new tehsils — throughout the historic Punjab Province region during the post-independence era that have taken into account population increases.
Religion in the Tehsils of Gujranwala District (1941)[18]
Note1: British Punjab province era tehsil borders are not an exact match in the present-day due to various bifurcations to tehsil borders — which since created new tehsils — throughout the historic Punjab Province region during the post-independence era that have taken into account population increases.
Note2: Tehsil religious breakdown figures for Christianity only includes local Christians, labeled as "Indian Christians" on census. Does not include Anglo-Indian Christians or British Christians, who were classified under "Other" category.
The first four towns lie in Gujranwala City and Saddar tehsils while the last two towns are under their respective tehsils, i.e. Tehsil Kamoke and Naushehra Virkan respectively.
Gujranwala is the district headquarters while Gujranwala, Kamoke and Naushehra Virkan are tehsil headquarters.
The main Peshawar-Karachi railway line passes through Gujranwala district. The district is linked with Sialkot, Hafizabad and Gujrat districts through railway network.[33]
Economy
Gujranwala District is 3rd largest industrial city of Pakistan, and important player in famous Golden Triangle of Pakistan. Gujranwala contributes at least 5% to the GDP of Pakistan.[citation needed] Gujranwala is largest manufacturer of sanitary fittings, textiles, plastic furniture, pots, room coolers and heaters, gas stove and agricultural tools and equipment. Pakistan's top quality Basmati rice is grown in this region.[34]
Notable people
Govinda Ahuja, often known mononymously as Govinda, Bollywood actor
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