GUJRANWALA

City District / Divisional Capital

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Municipal Corporation Gujranwala

Municipal Corporation logo

Gujranwala is located in Punjab, PakistanGujranwalaGujranwala

Location in Punjab, Pakistan

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Coordinates: 32°9′24″N 74°11′24″ECoordinates: 32°9′24″N

74°11′24″E

Country Pakistan

Region Punjab

Division Gujranwala
District Gujranwala

Tehsil Gujranwala City, Gujranwala Saddar

Autonomous towns 7

Union councils 19

Government[1]

• Type Municipal Corporation

• Mayor Sheikh Sarwat Ikram

• Deputy Mayor Rana Maqsood

• Deputy Mayor Salman Khalid But

Area

• Total 3,198 km2 (1,235 sq mi)

Elevation 231 m (758 ft)

Population (2017)[2]

• Total 2,238,243

Gujranwala City: 73,940

Gujranwala Municipal Corporation: 2,027,001

Gujranwala Cantonment: 137,302

Time zone UTC+5 (PKT)

Postal code

52250
Area code(s) 055

Website gujranwaladivision.gop.pk

Gujranwala (Punjabi, Urdu: ‫ )گوجرانوالہ‬is a city in Punjab, Pakistan,

that is located north of the nearby provincial capital of Lahore. It is
also known as "City of Wrestlers" and is quite famous for its
food[3]. The city is Pakistan's 7th most-populous metropolitan
area,[4] and its 5th most populous city proper. Founded in the
18th century, Gujranwala is a relatively modern town compared to
the many nearby millennia-old cities of northern Punjab. The city
served as the capital of the Sukerchakia Misl state between 1763
and 1799, and is the birthplace of the founder of the Sikh Empire,
Maharaja Ranjit Singh.

Gujranwala is now Pakistan's third largest industrial centre after

Karachi and Faisalabad,[5] and contributes 5% of Pakistan's
national GDP.[6] The city is part of a network of large urban
centres in north-east Punjab province that forms one of Pakistan's
mostly highly industrialized regions.[7] Along with the nearby
cities of Sialkot and Gujrat, Gujranwala forms part of the so-called
"Golden Triangle" of industrial cities with export-oriented
economies.[8][5]

Contents

1 Etymology
2 History

2.1 Founding

2.2 Sikh

2.3 British

2.4 Partition

2.5 Modern

3 Geography

3.1 Climate

3.2 Urban form

4 Architecture

5 Economy

6 Transportation

6.1 Road

6.2 Rail

6.3 Air

6.4 Public transportation

7 Administration

8 Education

9 See also

10 References
11 External links

Etymology

Gujranwala's name means "Abode of the Gujjars" in Punjabi, and

was named in reference to the Gujjar tribe of nomads and grazers
that live in northern Punjab.[9][10] One local narrative suggests
that town was named in reference to a specific Gujjar, Choudhry
Gujjar, owner of the town's Persian wheel that supplied water to
the town.[5] Evidence suggests, however, that the city derives its
name from Serai Gujran - a village once located near what is now
Gujranwala's Khiyali Gate.[5]

History

Founding

The exact origins of Gujranwala are unclear. Unlike the ancient

nearby cities of Lahore, Sialkot, and Eminabad, Gujranwala is a
relatively modern city. It may have been established as a village in
the middle of the 16th century.[11] Locals traditionally believe
that Gujranwala's original name was Khanpur Shansi, though
recent scholarship suggests that the village was possibly Serai
Gujran instead - a village once located near what is now
Gujranwala's Khiyali Gate that was mentioned by several sources
during the 18th century invasion of Ahmad Shah Durrani.[5]

Sikh
The birthplace of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, founder of the Sikh
Empire.

The interior of the Sheranwala Baradari is elaborately decorated.

Following the 1707 death of the last of the great Mughal

emperors, Aurangzeb, and the subsequent decline of Mughal
power, various Sikh states came to control the region around what
is now modern Gujranwala.[9] Charat Singh, ruler of the
Sukerchakia Misl Sikh estate and the local Muslim chief
Muhammad Yar joined forces to defeat Nader Shah's 1738
invasion of the region, which would later culminate in the sacking
of Delhi.[12]

Charat Singh had a fort built in the area between 1756 and 1758,
[5] which was laid siege to in September 1761 by Khwaja Ubaid,
Governor of Lahore.[13] He then elevated the city to status of
capital of his Misl in 1763.[5][12] Charat Singh's grandson Ranjit
Singh was born in Gujranwala in 1780 in the city's Purani Mandi
market, and would later established the Sikh Empire that would
control Punjab until the arrival of the British.[12]

Maharaja Ranjit Singh maintained Gujranwala as his capital

initially after rising to power in 1792. His military commander, Hari
Singh Nalwa, built a high mud wall around Gujranwala during this
era, and established the city's new grid street-plan that exists until
present day.[5] Gujranwala remained Ranjit Singh's capital until he
captured the nearby old Mughal capital of Lahore from the
Durranis in 1799, at which point the capital was moved there,
leading to the relative decline of Gujranwala in favour of Lahore.
[14] Maharani Jind Kaur, the last queen of Ranjit Singh and mother
of Maharaja Duleep Singh, was born in Gujranwala in 1817.[15]

By 1839, the city's bazaars were home to an estimated 500 shops,

while the city had been surrounded by a number of pleasure
gardens, including one established by Hari Nalwa Singh that was
famous for its vast array of exotic plants.[5]

British

Estcourt Clock Tower, commonly known as Ghanta Ghar, was built

in 1906.

Gujranwala's rail station dates from the British era.

The area was captured by the British Empire in 1848, and rapidly
developed thereafter.[5] Gujranwala was incorporated as a
municipality in 1867,[16] and the city's Brandreth, Khiyali, and
Lahori Gates built atop the site of a Sikh-era gates were completed
in 1869.[5] A new clocktower was built in central Gujranwala to
mark the city's centre in 1906.

Christian missionaries were brought to the region during British

colonial rule, and Gujranwala became home to numerous
churches and schools.[5] The city's first Presbyterian Church was
established in 1875 in the Civil Lines area - a setlement built one
mile north of the old city to house Gujranwala's European
population. A theological seminary was established in 1877, and a
Christian technical school in 1900.[5]

The North-Western Railway connected Gujranwala with other

cities in British India by rail in 1881.[9] The major Sikh higher
learning institution, Gujranwala Guru Nanak Khalsa College, was
founded in Gujranwala in 1889, though it later shifted to
Ludhiana.[5] The nearby Khanki Headworks were completed in
1892 under British rule, and helped irrigate 3 million acres in the
province.Gujranwala's population, according to the 1901 census of
British India, was 29,224.[9] The city continued to grow rapidly for
the remainder of British rule.

Riots erupted in Gujranwala following the Jallianwala Bagh

Massacre in Amritsar in April 1919, and were the most violent
reaction to the British massacre in all of the Indian Subcontinent.
[5] Riots lead to the damage of the city's railway station and
burning of the city's Tehsil Office, Clock Tower, Dak Bangla, and
city courts.[5] Much of the city's historical record was burnt in the
atacked offices.[5] Protestors in the city, nearby villages, and a
procession from Dhullay were fired upon with machine-guns
mounted to low-flying planes, and subjected to aerial
bombardment from the Royal Air Force under the control of
Reginald Edward Harry Dyer.[5][17][18]

According to the 1941 census, 269,528 out of the Gujranwala

District's 912,234 residents were non-Muslim.[19] 54.30% of
Gujranwala city residents were Muslims prior to Partition, though
non-Muslims controlled much of the city's economy.[5] Hindus
and Sikhs together owned two-thirds of Gujranwala's properties.
[5] Sikhs were concentrated in the localities of Guru Nanak Pura,
Guru Gobind Garh, and Dhullay Mohallah, while Hindus were
dominant in Hakim Rai, Sheikhupura Gate area, and Hari Singh
Nalwa Bazaar. Muslims were concentrated in Rasul Pura, Islam
Pura and Rehman Pura.[5]

Partition

The Jain shrine dedicated to Vijayanandsuri was abandoned

during Partition, and is now used as a police station.

Following the Independence of Pakistan and the aftermath of the

Partition of British India in 1947, Gujranwala was site of some of
the worst rioting in Punjab.[5][20] Large swathes of Hindu and
Sikh localities were atacked or destroyed.[5][20] Rioters in the
city gained notoriety for atacks, with the city's lohar blacksmith
guild known for its particularly brutal atacks.[20] In retaliation for
atacks against a trainload of refugees by Sikh rioters at Amritsar
railway station on 22 September that resulted in the deaths of
3,000 Muslims over the course of three hours,[20][21] rioters
from Gujranwala atacked a trainload of Hindus and Sikhs fleeing
towards India on 23 September,[20] killing 340 refugees in the
nearby town of Kamoke.[21] Partition riots in Gujranwala resulted
in systematic violence against the city's minorities,[20] and may
constitute an act of ethnic cleansing by modern standards.[20]
Gujranwala became home to Muslim refugees who were fleeing
from the widespread anti-Muslim pogroms that depopulated
eastern Punjab in India of almost its entire Muslim population.[20]
Refugees in Gujranwala were mainly those who had fled from the
cities of Amritsar, Patiala, and Ludhiana in what had become the
Indian state of East Punjab.[5]

Modern

The influx of Muslim refugees into Gujranwala drastically altered

the city's form. By March 1948, over 300,000 refugees had been
resetled in Gujranwala District.[22] Many refugees found post-
Partition Gujranwala lacking in opportunities, causing some to
move south to Karachi.[22] The refugee population mostly setled
in localities that were mostly non-Muslim, like Gobindgarh,
Baghbanpura and Nanakpura.[22]
Suburban districts were rapidly laid, including Satellite Town in
1950, which was designed mostly to house wealthy and upper
middle-class refugees.[22] D-Colony was built in 1956 for poorer
Kashmiri refugees,[22] and Model Town in the 1960s.[5] The city
experienced strong industrial growth during this period. In 1947,
there were only 39 registered factories - a number which rose to
225 by 1961.[22] The city's colonial era metal-working industry
continued to grow, while the city became a centre of hosiery
manufacturing that was run by refugees from Ludhiana.[22] The
city's jewelry-trade had been run by Hindus but came under
control of refugees from Patiala.[22]

Gujranwala's economy continued to grow into the 1970s and

1980s.[5] New development continues, such as the opening of a
5,774 foot long flyover that functions as an elevated urban
expressway,[5] as well as the nearby Sialkot International Airport
which serves the entire Golden Triangle region, and is Pakistan's
first privately owned commercial airport.[23] Educations of higher
learning have also been established in the city since
independence. The Sialkot-Lahore Motorway, due to be open in
2018, will pass near Gujranwala.

Geography

Gujranwala sits at the heart of the Rechna Doab - a strip of land

between the Chenab in the north, and Ravi River in the south.
Gujranwala is also part of the Majha - a historical region of
northern Punjab. The city was built upon the plains of Punjab, and
the surrounding region is unbroken plain devoid of topographical
diversity.[24]

Gujranwala is in the Rechna Doab region of Punjab, marked in

grey.

Gujranwala is 226 metres (744 ft) above sea level, sharing borders
with Ghakhar Mandi and several towns and villages. About 80
kilometres (50 mi) south is the provincial capital, Lahore. Sialkot
and Gujrat lie to its north. Gujrat connects Gujranwala with
Bhimber, Azad Kashmir, and Sialkot connects it with Jammu. About
160 kilometres (99 mi) southwest is Faisalabad. To its west are
Hafizabad and Pindi Bhattian, which connect Gujranwala to Jhang,
Chiniot and Sargodha.

Climate

Gujranwala has a hot semi-arid climate (BSh),[25] according to the

Köppen-Geiger system, and changes throughout the year. During
summer (June to September), the temperature reaches 36–42 °C
(97–108 °F). The coolest months are usually November to
February, when the temperature can drop to an average of 7 °C
(45 °F). The highest-precipitation months are usually July and
August when the monsoon reaches the Punjab. During the other
months, the average rainfall is about 25 millimetres (0.98 in).
October to May have litle rainfall.[26]

Climate data for Gujranwala

Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct
Nov Dec Year

Average high °C (°F) 19.1

(66.4) 22.1

(71.8) 27.4

(81.3) 33.7

(92.7) 39.0

(102.2) 40.8

(105.4) 36.1

(97.0) 34.6

(94.3) 35.0

(95.0) 33.0

(91.4) 27.0

(80.6) 21.2

(70.2) 30.8

(87.4)

Daily mean °C (°F) 12.2

(54.0) 15.0

(59.0) 20.3

(68.5) 26.0

(78.8) 31.0

(87.8) 33.8

(92.8) 31.4

(88.5) 30.2

(86.4) 29.5

(85.1) 25.4

(77.7) 18.6

(65.5) 13.4

(56.1) 23.9

(75.0)

Average low °C (°F) 5.3

(41.5) 8.0

(46.4) 13.3

(55.9) 18.4

(65.1) 23.1

(73.6) 26.9

(80.4) 26.7
(80.1) 25.9

(78.6) 24.0

(75.2) 17.8

(64.0) 10.3

(50.5) 5.7

(42.3) 17.1

(62.8)

Average precipitation mm (inches) 31

(1.2) 30

(1.2) 29

(1.1) 18

(0.7) 19

(0.7) 46

(1.8) 147

(5.8) 168

(6.6) 65

(2.6) 9

(0.4) 5

(0.2) 14

(0.6) 581
(22.9)

Source: Climate-Data.org, altitude: 225m[25]