Gujrat District

Last updated

Gujrat
ضلع گجرات
District
Mosque in Gujrat Pakistan.JPG
The oldest mosque in Gujrat - Eid Gah Gujrat.jpg
Rice crop in Chakrian, September 2016.jpg
Top: Mosque in the city of Gujrat
Bottom Left: Gujrat Eidgah
Bottom Right: Rice fields in Chakrian
Pakistan - Punjab - Gujrat.svg
Map of Gujrat District in Punjab
CountryFlag of Pakistan.svg Pakistan
Province Flag of Punjab.svg Punjab
Division Gujrat Division
Established1846;179 years ago (1846)
Founded by British Raj
Headquarters Gujrat
Administrative Subdivisions
04
  • Gujrat Tehsil
    Kharian Tehsil
    Sarai Alamgir Tehsil
    Jalalpur Jattan Tehsil
Government
  TypeDistrict Administration
   Deputy Commissioner Nur-ul-Ain Qureshi [1]
  District Police OfficerRana Umar Farooq [2]
  Constituensy NA-62 Gujrat-I
NA-63 Gujrat-II
NA-64 Gujrat-III
NA-65 Gujrat-IV
Area
  District
3,192 km2 (1,232 sq mi)
Population
 (2023) [3]
  District
3,219,375
  Density1,000/km2 (2,600/sq mi)
   Urban
1,324,264 (41.13%)
   Rural
1,895,111 (58.87%)
Literacy
[4]
  Literacy rate
  • Total:
    (81.37%)
  • Male:
    (84.81%)
  • Female:
    (77.95%)
Time zone UTC+5 (PST)
Area code 053
Main language(s)
Website https://gujrat.punjab.gov.pk/

Gujrat (Punjabi, Urdu : ضلع گجرات) is a district of Gujrat Division in the Pakistani province of Punjab. The Gujrat District was created by the British Government in 1846. According to the 2023 Pakistani census, the population of the Gujrat District is 3,219,375.

Contents

Geographics

It is bounded on the northeast by Bhimber district, on the north by Mirpur district, on the northwest by the River Jhelum, 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. Gujrat district is spread over an area of 3,192 square kilometres.

It is geographically located between the Chenab and Jhelum rivers and headquartered at the city of Gujrat.

History

Ancient history

According to the British Imperial Gazetteer:

Gujrat town itself is a place of some antiquity, and the district [a]bounds in ancient sites. The region was conquered by Chandragupta Maurya. It remained under the Mauryas for a few hundred years until shortly after the death of Ashoka in 231, and about forty years later came under the sway of Demetrius the Graeco-Bactrian. The overthrow of the Bactrians by the Parthians in the latter half of the second century brought another change of rulers, and the coins of the Indo-Parthian Maues (c. 120 B. c.), who is known to local tradition as Raja Moga, have been found at Mong. At the end of the first century A. D., i.e. the whole of the Punjab was conquered by the Yueh-chi. For several hundred years nothing is known of the history of the District, except that between 455 and 540 it must have been exposed to the ravages of the White Huns. Dr. Stein holds that the District formed part of the kingdom of Gurjara(Gurjar), which, according to the Rajatarangini, was invaded between 883 and 902 by Shankara Varman of Kashmir, who defeated its king Alakana. [5]

However the foundation of the capital, Gujrat, according to the Ancient Geography of India:

is ascribed to a king named Bachan Pal of whom nothing more is known; and its restoration is attributed to Alakhana, the Maha Raja of Gurjara, who was defeated by Sangkara Varmma between AD 883 and AD 901. [6]

Islamic Rule (Ghaznavid, Ghurid, Delhi, Suri, and Mughal Empires)

In 997 CE, Mahmud Ghaznavi inherited the Ghaznavid dynasty established by his father Sebuktegin. After defeating the Hindu Shahis, he conquered their kingdom entirely which included the Punjab region of modern-day Pakistan.

After defeating the Ghaznavids, the Ghurids took over the region. They were in turn succeeded by the Sultanates of Delhi.

The Mughal emperor Akbar established Gujrat as a district along with many others when he began consolidating his rule over his vast empire. Jahangir, Akbar's son and successor, in his memoirs records the following information on Gujrat:

At the time when His Majesty Akbar went to Kashmir, a fort had been built on the bank of that river. Having brought to this fort a body of Gujars who had passed their time in the neighbourhood in thieving and highway robbery, he established them here. As it had become the abode of Gujars, he made it a separate pargana, and gave it the name of Gujrat. [7]

Revenue records have been preserved in the families of the hereditary registrars (kanungos), and these exhibit Gujrat as the capital of a district containing 2,592 villages, paying a revenue of 11.6 million. In 1605, the famous Sayyid Abdul Kasim received Gujrat as a fief from Akbar.

In 1707, with Aurangzeb's death, the decline of Mughal power began in the Punjab region. Nadir Shah occupied the Punjab including Gujrat during his invasion of the Mughal Empire in 1739. The area was captured by Punjabi Gakhar tribesmen from near the Rawalpindi area after the invasion.

Gujrat and Punjab as a whole was devastated further from the invasions of the Durrani Afghans (Pashtuns) under Ahmad Shah Durrani between 1748 and 1767. Durrani took direct control over Punjab after Mir Mannu, the Mughal governor of Punjab, died in 1753. Durrani would frequently cross the area for plunder and to fight the newly emerged Sikh Misls. [5]

Sikh and British era

The Sikhs eventually took over most of northern Punjab after Ahmad Shah Durrani’s final invasion in 1767. The Sikhs under Gujjar Singh Bhangi took Gujrat after defeating the local Punjabi Ghakhars under Muqqarab Khan.

In 1798, the Bhangi leader Sahib Singh pledged allegiance to the Sukerchakia Misl of Ranjit Singh. By 1810, Ranjit Singh's armies captured the city from Bhangi forces, thereby extending the rule of the Sikh Empire to the city.

The Sikh empire declined following Ranjit Singh’s death in 1839. The British East India Company defeated the Sikhs between 1845 and 1846 during the First Anglo-Sikh War, reducing their power significantly. Two years later, the empire collapsed after the British EIC again decisively defeated the Sikhs at the Battle of Gujrat, thus ending the Second Anglo-Sikh War. The Sikh empire was entirely annexed and incorporated into the rule of the British EIC. [5] Gujrat district was annexed by the British from its former Sikh rulers after the Second Anglo-Sikh War of 1848–1849. [8]

Demographics

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1951 742,892    
1961 835,045+1.18%
1972 1,177,345+3.17%
1981 1,408,585+2.01%
1998 2,048,008+2.23%
2017 2,756,289+1.58%
2023 3,219,375+2.62%
Sources: [9]

As of the 2023 census, Gujrat district has 489,337 households and a population of 3,219,375. The district has a sex ratio of 99.83 males to 100 females and a literacy rate of 81.37%: 84.81% for males and 77.95% for females. [3] [10] 717,826 (22.32% of the surveyed population) are under 10 years of age. [11] 1,324,264 (41.13%) live in urban areas. [3]

Religion

Religion in Gujrat district (2023) [12]
ReligionPercent
Islam
98.92%
Christianity
0.95%
Other
0.13%

As per the 2023 census, Islam is the dominant religion with 98.92% of the population while there is a minority of 0.95% Christians who live mainly in urban areas.

Religion in contemporary Gujrat District
Religious
group
1941 [13] 2017 [14] 2023 [15]
Pop. %Pop.%Pop.%
Islam Star and Crescent.svg 622,90288.12%2,730,9463,181,32298.92%
Hinduism Om.svg [a] 45,8026.48%1202170.01%
Sikhism Khanda.svg 36,0555.10%38~0%
Christianity Christian cross.svg 2,0700.29%21,11730,4850.95%
Ahmadi [b] 4,0073,8250.12%
Others360.01%99113~0%
Total Population706,865100%2,756,2893,216,000100%
Note: 1941 census data is for Gujrat and Kharian tehsils of erstwhile Gujrat district, which roughly correspond to contemporary Gujrat district. District and tehsil borders have changed since 1941.
Religious groups in Gujrat District (British Punjab province era)
Religious
group
1881 [16] [17] [18] 1891 [19] 1901 [20] 1911 [21] [22] 1921 [23] 1931 [24] 1941 [13]
Pop. %Pop.%Pop.%Pop.%Pop.%Pop.%Pop.%
Islam Star and Crescent.svg 607,525669,347655,838650,893709,684786,750945,609
Hinduism Om.svg [a] 72,45072,39469,34649,43062,52973,35684,643
Sikhism Khanda.svg 8,88519,01824,89344,69349,45659,18870,233
Christianity Christian cross.svg 2551144605702,3733,0974,449
Jainism Jain Prateek Chihna.svg 00114843210
Buddhism Dharma Wheel (2).svg 0000040
Zoroastrianism Faravahar.svg 0000000
Judaism Star of David.svg 000000
Others0200008
Total population689,115760,875750,548745,634824,046922,4271,104,952
Note: 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.
Religion in the Tehsils of Gujrat District (1921) [23]
Tehsil Islam Star and Crescent.svg Hinduism Om.svg Sikhism Khanda.svg Christianity Christian cross.svg Jainism Jain Prateek Chihna.svg Others [c] Total
Pop. %Pop.%Pop.%Pop.%Pop.%Pop.%Pop.%
Gujrat Tehsil255,25226,20913,24184540295,551
Kharian Tehsil224,02012,60813,27030300250,201
Phalia Tehsil230,41223,71222,9451,22500278,294
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 Gujrat District (1941) [13]
Tehsil Islam Star and Crescent.svg Hinduism Om.svg [a] Sikhism Khanda.svg Christianity Christian cross.svg Jainism Jain Prateek Chihna.svg Others [d] Total
Pop. %Pop.%Pop.%Pop.%Pop.%Pop.%Pop.%
Gujrat Tehsil331,26129,19718,8961,5451014380,923
Kharian Tehsil291,64116,60317,159525014325,942
Phalia Tehsil322,70738,84334,1782,321038398,087
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.

Language

Languages of Gujrat district (2023) [25]
  1. Punjabi (93.5%)
  2. Urdu (3.48%)
  3. Pashto (2.16%)
  4. Others (0.89%)

Administration

The district is administratively subdivided into following tehsils:

Tehsil [26] Area

(km²) [27]

Pop.

(2023)

Density

(ppl/km²)

(2023)

Literacy rate

(2023) [28]

Union Councils
Gujrat 1,4631,746,1731,193.5682.48%...
Kharian 1,1541,174,9351,018.1479.69%...
Sarai Alamgir 575298,267518.7381.55...
Jalalpur Jattan [29] ...............
Kunjah ...............

Education

Gujrat district has the 2nd highest literacy rate in Punjab(2023). [30] District Gujrat has a total of 1,475 government schools at primary and secondary level. [31] Out of these public schools, 60 percent (889 schools) are for girls. According to the latest available data, 323,058 students are enrolled in the public schools while 10,581 teachers are working in these schools.

Notable people

Politicians

Scholars

Military

Poets

Sport

Actors/Actresses

Musicians

Other

See also

References

  1. "Nur-ul-Ain Qureshi takes charge as Gujrat's first woman DC". Minutemirror (newspaper). Retrieved 1 September 2025.
  2. "five-districts-get-new-dpos". Dawn (newspaper). Retrieved 1 September 2025.
  3. 1 2 3 "7th Population and Housing Census - Detailed Results: Table 1" (PDF). Pakistan Bureau of Statistics .
  4. "Literacy rate, enrolments, and out-of-school population by sex and rural/urban, CENSUS-2023" (PDF).
  5. 1 2 3 Imperial Gazetteer of India, v. 12, p. 366
  6. The Ancient Geography of India, page 151, Alexander Cunningham
  7. The Memoirs of Jahangueir (Rogers), Volume 1, chpt. 23
  8. Banerjee, Abhijit; Iyer, Lakshmi (January 2003). "Appendix Table 1: Districts of British India, With Dates and Mode of Acquisition by the British". History, Institutions and Economic Performance: The Legacy of Colonial Land Tenure Systems in India (BREAD Working Paper No. 003) (PDF). Bureau for Research in Economic Analysis of Development. p. 39.
  9. "Population by administrative units 1951-1998" (PDF). Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.
  10. "7th Population and Housing Census - Detailed Results: Table 12" (PDF). Pakistan Bureau of Statistics .
  11. "7th Population and Housing Census - Detailed Results: Table 5" (PDF). Pakistan Bureau of Statistics .
  12. "District Wise Results / Tables (Census - 2023)" (PDF). www.pbscensus.gov.pk. Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.
  13. 1 2 3 "Census of India, 1941. Vol. 6, Punjab". 1941. p. 42. JSTOR   saoa.crl.28215541 . Retrieved 23 March 2024.
  14. "District Wise Results / Tables (Census - 2017)". www.pbscensus.gov.pk. Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.
  15. "Pakistan Census 2023" (PDF).
  16. "Census of India, 1881 Report on the Census of the Panjáb Taken on the 17th of February 1881, vol. I." 1881. JSTOR   saoa.crl.25057656 . Retrieved 26 December 2024.
  17. "Census of India, 1881 Report on the Census of the Panjáb Taken on the 17th of February 1881, vol. II". 1881. p. 14. JSTOR   saoa.crl.25057657 . Retrieved 26 December 2024.
  18. "Census of India, 1881 Report on the Census of the Panjáb Taken on the 17th of February 1881, vol. III". 1881. p. 14. JSTOR   saoa.crl.25057658 . Retrieved 26 December 2024.
  19. "The Punjab and its feudatories, part II--Imperial Tables and Supplementary Returns for the British Territory". 1891. p. 14. JSTOR   saoa.crl.25318669 . Retrieved 26 December 2024.
  20. "Census of India 1901. [Vol. 17A]. Imperial tables, I-VIII, X-XV, XVII and XVIII for the Punjab, with the native states under the political control of the Punjab Government, and for the North-west Frontier Province". 1901. p. 34. JSTOR   saoa.crl.25363739 . Retrieved 23 March 2024.
  21. "Census of India 1911. Vol. 14, Punjab. Pt. 2, Tables". 1911. p. 27. JSTOR   saoa.crl.25393788 . Retrieved 23 March 2024.
  22. Kaul, Harikishan (1911). "Census Of India 1911 Punjab Vol XIV Part II". p. 27. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
  23. 1 2 "Census of India 1921. Vol. 15, Punjab and Delhi. Pt. 2, Tables". 1921. p. 29. JSTOR   saoa.crl.25430165 . Retrieved 23 March 2024.
  24. "Census of India 1931. Vol. 17, Punjab. Pt. 2, Tables". 1931. p. 277. JSTOR   saoa.crl.25793242 . Retrieved 23 March 2024.
  25. "District Wise Results / Tables (Census - 2023)" (PDF). www.pbscensus.gov.pk. Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.
  26. Divisions/Districts of Pakistan Archived 2006-09-30 at the Wayback Machine Note: Although divisions as an administrative structure has been abolished, the election commission of Pakistan still groups districts under the division names
  27. "TABLE 1 : AREA, POPULATION BY SEX, SEX RATIO, POPULATION DENSITY, URBAN POPULATION, HOUSEHOLD SIZE AND ANNUAL GROWTH RATE, CENSUS-2023, PUNJAB" (PDF).
  28. "LITERACY RATE, ENROLMENT AND OUT OF SCHOOL POPULATION BY SEX AND RURAL/URBAN, CENSUS-2023" (PDF).
  29. Ahmad, Salman. "Punjab to Get Two New Tehsils". ProPakistani.pk website. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
  30. "LITERACY RATE, ENROLMENT AND OUT OF SCHOOL POPULATION BY SEX AND RURAL/URBAN, CENSUS-2023" (PDF).
  31. "Punjab Annual Schools Census Data 2014-15". School Education Department, Government of the Punjab website. Archived from the original on 19 August 2016. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
  32. "PML-Q's Moonis Elahi sworn in as federal minister". Dawn.com. 20 July 2021. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
  33. Crilly, Rob (3 August 2012). "The Pakistan village where Shafilea drank bleach to avoid an arranged marriage" . The Telegraph . Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 26 December 2019.
  1. 1 2 3 1931-1941: Including Ad-Dharmis
  2. Were classified as Muslims prior to 1974
  3. Including Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Tribals, others, or not stated
  4. Including Anglo-Indian Christians, British Christians, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Tribals, others, or not stated

    32°35′N73°45′E / 32.583°N 73.750°E / 32.583; 73.750