Imperial Gazetteer Of India Provencial Series Punjab Vol Ii 1908

· 1908 · Public domain (published pre-1930) · archive.org ↗

1LAHORE DISTRICT

217

32 r' N. and 73"^^ 24^ E., 29 miles south-east of Montgomery station

4on the North-Western Railway. Population (1901), 6,192.

5Pakpattan is the ancient Ajodhan, which probably derived its

6name from the Yaudheya tribe (the modern Johiyas). From

7a -very early date it was a place of importance, as the principal

8ferry across the Sutlej and the meeting-place of the great

9western roads from Dera Ghazi Khan and Dera Ismail Khan.

10The fort is said to have been captured by Sabuktagm in 977-8

11and by Ibrahim Ghaznivid in 1079-80. The town owes its

12sanctity and modern name, ‘ the holy ferry, ^ to the shrine of the

13great Muhammadan saint Shaikh~ul-Islam, Farid-ul-Hakk-

14wa-ud-Din, Shakar Ganj (1173-1265), which was visited by

15I bn Batata (1334). The town was besieged by Shaikha, the

16Khokhar, in 1394, and in 1398 was visited by Timur, who

17spared iBuch of the inhabitants as had not fled, out of respect

18for the shrine of the saint. It was the scene of two of Khizr

19Khan’s victories over generals of the Delhi court (1401 and

201405). The shrine of Baba Farid attracts crowds of wor-

21shippers, its sanctity being acknowledged as far as Afghanistan

22and Central Asia. The principal festival is at the Muharram.

23The municipality was created in 1867. During the ten years

24ending 1902-3 the income averaged Rs. 7,200, and the expendi-

25ture Rs. 7,000. The income in 1903-4 was Rs. 8,400, chiefly

26derived from octroi ; and the expenditure was Rs. 7,300.

27Pakpattan is a town of considerable commercial importance,

28importing wheat, cotton, oilseeds, and pulses from the sur-

29rounding villages, gur and refined sugar from Amritsar, Jul-

30lundur, and the United Provinces, piece-goods from Amritsar,

31Delhi, and Karachi, and fruits from Afghanistan. The exports

32consist principally of cotton, wheat, and oilseeds. The town

33has a local manufacture of silk hmgzs and lacquer- work.

34It contains a vernacular middle school and a dispensary. From

351849 ^^52 it was the head-quarters of the District.

36Lahore District {Ldhaur), — District in the Lahore Division, Boun-

37Punjab, lying between 30° 38' and 31° 54' N. and 73° 38' and f^aries,con-

3874° 58' E., with, an area of 3,704 square miles. In shape it is

39nearly square, its south-east side resting on the Sutlej, beyond and river

40which lies Ferozepore. It is bounded by the Districts

41Sialkot and Amritsar on the north-east, by Gujranwala on the

42north-west, and by Montgomery on the south-west. The

43District falls naturally into four distinct parts. To the north-

44west the 'Ravi runs parallel with its border and cuts off about

45goo square miles of the Rechna Doab, mostly includefl in the

46Sharakpur talisll — a barren tract, three-fourths of which lies

47':Fl75r. n.; ' 'O ■ ■ . ■

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