Gujrat, Pakistan
- This article is about a city in Pakistan. For the Indian state see Gujarat.
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Gujrat (Urdu/Punjabi: گجرات, Gujarati: ગુજરાત) is a city in Pakistan located in Gujrat District in the Punjab Province.
History
Gujrat is a city of great historical significance. Historical consensus is that it existed in the time of Alexander the Great, and that Gujrat's Raja Porus put up a fierce challenge to Alexander's invasion at the bank of river Jehlum.
Gujrat was also a major city during the time of the Mughal empire. Mughal royalty would 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 unrest 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 "Festival of Jahangir".
There are many historical buildings and ruins in and around Gujrat. In the time of Shair Shah Suri a road was built to link the City of Gujrat to Jalal Pur Jattan (another major town of the district) which still exists today, along with its period stone wall.
Location
Gujrat is situated 120 km. north of Lahore. It is bounded on the north by Jhelum, on the south by Gujranwala, on the west by Mandi-Bahauddin, and on the east by Azad Kashmir. It is located near the Chenab river. The city is surrounded by hundreds of villages.
Political Importance
Many famous political personalities have come from Gujrat, including Fazal Elahi Chaudhry, former President of Pakistan; Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, former Prime Minister of Pakistan and Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, Chief Minister of Punjab.
Agriculture
The fields of Gujrat produce a large rice crop. Thanks to the system of irrigation canals, Gujrat produces sugarcane, wheat, gram and a wide range of pulses and vegetables.
Industry
Gujrat's principal industries include fan manufacture and export, pottery and furniture. Gujrat has a unique status throughout Punjab due to its relatively impressive manufacturing capabilities: there are around 1000 industrial units operating in the district. Several small and large textile industrial units have been established in Jalalpur Jattan, a large town near the city.
Communications
Gujrat, situated beside the grand trunk road and main railway track is directly connected to the major urban centres of Pakistan.