Everything about Gujranwala totally explained
Gujranwala (
Urdu:
گوجرانوالہ) is a city in
Punjab,
Pakistan with a population of 1,132,509 (1998 census). Gujranwala is located at 32.16° North, 74.18° East and is 700 feet above
sea-level. Gujranwala, with a population of over 1.1 is the fifth largest city in Pakistan. It borders with
Ghakhar Mandi and some small towns and villages.
Punjabi is the local language, however
English and
Urdu are also common, particularly in schools and offices, as is the case in almost all of Pakistan.
History
Early history
The human settlements in Gujranwala existed since antiquity. The first name of the settlement according to the compilers of the first edition of the district Gazette was "Khanpur Shansi" after a member of the
Jat tribe who founded eleven villages in the nearby area.
Gujjars also settled in the Gujranwala region. They reached such dominance that the town came to be known as Gujranwala. According to the Imperial Gazetteer of India however the town was originally founded by Gujars, and renamed Khanpur by some Sansi Jats of Amritsar who settled there; but its old name has survived.
In 630 the Chinese Buddhist pilgrim,
Hsuan Tsang visited a major town known as Tse-kia (or Taki) which was in the vicinity of modern Gujranwala. A mound near the modern village of
Asarur has been identified as the site of the ancient city. Until the arrival of the
Muslims little is known of Gujranwala, except that Taki had fallen into oblivion and
Lahore had become the chief city. Under Muslim rule the district flourished for a time; but a mysterious depopulation took place and the whole region seems to have been almost entirely abandoned. The district gazetteer dates the name of Gujranwala to approximately the middle of the 16th century. Other smaller towns in the vicinity for example Sohdara, Eminabad, Wazirabad, and Ghakhar have older antecedents than Gujranwala itself.
Sikh era
The
Sikhs occupied the
Punjab after the death of the
Mughal Emperor
Aurangzeb Alamgir in
1707. The town became important during the rule of the father and grandfather of
Ranjit Singh.
Sports
The main sport in Gujranwala is
wrestling, this city has always been famous for its
Pehlwans (wrestlers) in
Pakistan, which is why the city is also called
Pehlwanon Ka Shehar (
City of Wrestlers). The main sports are
cricket,
kabaddi,
wrestling,
hockey,
soccer. This city is also home to the international-standard
Jinnah Cricket Stadium. The Gujranwala city lacks Playgrounds and sports facilities and there are not many parks in the city.
Cuisine
Gujranwala is renowned all over Pakistan for its cuisine, especially
barbecue meat dishes and roasted sparrow (Bhune Chirre & Roosi Batair).
Further Information
Get more info on 'Gujranwala'.
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