GUJRAT

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.

 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.

Naheed Akhtar, One of the most famous female singer of Pakistan.

Sabiha Khanum, a famous Film Actress of 1970s, wife of famous actor Musa Raza (Santosh Kumar).

[edit] 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 Kashmir Mountains. 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 Sarkarnear Karuan wala Gujrat 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)and "Wengi Wali Sarkar" anniversary in 5 january every year at village Haji Wala near Karianwala Tehsil and District Gujrat.