Kasur District

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ضِلع قصُور
District
Kasur District
Bulleh Shah's Shrine.JPG
Location of Kasur District (highlighted in orange) within Punjab.
Location of Kasur District (highlighted in orange) within Punjab.
Country Pakistan
Province Punjab
Headquarters Kasur
Government
 • District Coordination Officer Adnan Arshad Olakh
Area
 • Total 4,796 km2 (1,852 sq mi)
Population
 • Total 3,466,000
Time zone PST (UTC+5)

Kasur District or Qasur District (Urdu: ضِلع قصُور‎), is one of the districts in the province of Punjab, Pakistan It came into existence on 1 July 1976. Earlier it was part of Lahore District.

The district capital is Kasur city, the birth city of the Sufi poet Bulleh Shah, well known in that region as well as in the whole of Pakistan. The total area of the district is 4,796 square kilometres.[1]

History

In ancient time, Kasur was known for its education and fish.The history of Kasur is more than 1,000 years.Kasur region was agricultural region with forests during the Indus Valley Civilization. The Vedic period is characterized by Indo-Aryan culture that invaded from Central Asia and settled in Punjab region. The Kambojas, Daradas, Kaikayas, Pauravas, Yaudheyas, Malavas and Kurus invaded, settled and ruled ancient Punjab region. After overrunning the Achaemenid Empire in 331 BCE, Alexander marched into present-day Punjab region with an army of 50,000. The Kasur region was ruled by Maurya Empire, Indo-Greek kingdom, Kushan Empire, Gupta Empire, White Huns, Kushano-Hephthalites and Shahi kingdoms. Kasur was established by Kush , son of Ram (king of ayodhya) In 997 CE, Sultan Mahmud Ghaznavi, took over the Ghaznavid dynasty empire established by his father, Sultan Sebuktegin, In 1005 he conquered the Shahis in Kabul in 1005, and followed it by the conquests of Punjab region. The Delhi Sultanate and later Mughal Empire ruled the region. The Punjab region became predominantly Muslim due to missionary Sufi saints whose dargahs dot the landscape of Punjab region.

After and during the decline of the Mughal Empire, the Sikhs were targeted ,and were massacred over the course of the years. Kasur was used as a route out of Punjab for Ahmad Shah Abdali to avoid any trouble. Eventually the Sikhs fought back, and established their own sovereign rule. The Sikh empire was fair ,and secular allowing Muslims, and Hindus fair rights along with being able to obtain high positions in the government. During the British Raj, the irrigation canals were built that irrigated large areas of the Kasur District.

The predominantly Muslim population supported Muslim League and Pakistan Movement. After the independence of Pakistan in 1947, the minority Hindus and Sikhs migrated to India while the Muslim refugees from India settled in the Kasur District.

Famous For

Kasur is adjacent to the Indo-Pak Border. It is a major tourist attraction because of the famous guard changing ceremony. The city is also the resting place of Sufi poet Bulleh Shah. Kasur is famous for its very spicy fish, a sweet dish called Andrassay, Falooda and Kasuri Methi.

Administration

The district is administratively subdivided into 5 tehsils[2] and 166 Union Councils:[3]

Name of Tehsil Number of Unions
Chunian 27
Kasur 55
Kot Radha Kishan 28
Pattoki 31
Raiwind 26
Total 186

Kasur Departments Numbers

Language and Demography

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Dialects of Punjabi

As per the 1998 census of Pakistan, Punjabi language is spoken by 44%.Mewati is spoken 32% and Pushto is spoken 9% while in the eastern areas of the district 8% Gujarati spoken people are living.Punjabi dialects spoken in the district are

  • Majhi or Standard (Majority)
  • Malwi (Migrated people from Indian)

Urdu is used for understanding each other. According to the 2011 census, the total population of the district is 34,66,000. Of this 97% are Muslims, 2% are Christians while the rest are Ahmadis, Hindus and scheduled castes.The 43.78% of the population lived in the urban areas.[4]

Physical features

The district is bounded by the Ravi River in the north-west and river Sutlej in the south-east. Whereas the old course of Beas River bifurcates the district into two equal parts locally known as Hither and Uthar or Mithan Majh. Both of the areas have a height differential of approximately 5.5 meters. The natural surface elevation of the district is 198 meters above the sea level, having a general slope from north-east to south- west. Whereas the east and west ends of the district comprise the flood plains of the rivers Satluj and Ravi, characterized by breaching of looping river Channels braided around meander bars.Kasur district is attached with Lahore from east, attached with Nankana Sahibfrom north, attached with Faisalabad from west and attached with Okara and India from south.

Topography

Topographically speaking, Kasur District lies between the river Satluj which flows along its boundaries with India and river Ravi which flows its boundary with Sheikhupura District. The districts may be divided into two parts, a low lying or riverine area along the two bordering rivers and upland, away from the rivers. The riverine area is generally inundates during monsoon season. The water level in this area is higher than in the upland. The soil is sandy. The upland is flat plains sloping from north-west to south-west. The general height of the area is from 150 to 200 meters above the sea level.

Flora

Flora of the district has been greatly modified by human agency of the old open forests of small trees and shrubs; there remains only a few Rakhs or portions of forest which are kept as gazing ground for cattle etc. Amongst trees the most important are Kikar (Acacia arbica), Shisham or Tahli (Dalbergia sissoo), Beri (Zizyphus jajaba), Toot (Morus marlaccae), Sharin (Albizzia lebbek, Dharek (Malia azerdaracb), Phulahi (Acacia modesta), and Nim (Melia indica), Piple (Ficus indica) are planted for shade.The growth in Rakhs is composed mainly of three kinds of trees Jand (Prosopis spicigera), Karril (Capparis aphylla), and van or Jal (Salvadora obeoides). Occasionally pelu (acacia Loucophhloea) and Farash (Tamarix articulate) are also found. Pilchi (Tamarix gallio) is found on moist sandy soil along the rivers and is used for wicker-work, basket making etc.

Fauna

Wolf and jackal are the only wild animals of any importance. The former being met with occasionally in the low land wastes of Chunian Tehsil but jackal are found every where. Changa Manga reserve a thick forest is the only area in which a few Nelgai, pig, peafowl and here are found.

Places of interest

  • Shrine of Baba Bulleh Shah, Kasur City
  • City Park Railway Station
  • Kasur Museum
  • Tomb Hazrat Baba Kamal Cishti in Kasur city
  • Ganda Singh Wala Border, Pakistan-India Border
  • Balloki Headworks
  • Changa Manga Forest, near Chunian Town
  • Shrine of Hazrat Abdullah Shah Bukhari(Baba Sha Jhanda), near Pattoki city in the village also named after him
  • Gurdwara HardoSahari and Samadh Pir Sahari Chhina Jatt. Village Hardo Sahari
  • Shrine of Baba Makhdom Shah , Kasur City

Notable people

Villages

Tribes and Clans

Dugars,Sayed, Dhudhi, Arain, Jatts, Alizai Pathans Ansari, Gujjars, Sheikhs, Dogars, and Malik. Famous Punjabi poet/saint Baba Bulleh Shah's Pir or Murshid Shah Inayat Qadiri also belonged to Arain tribe of Kasur and isburied in Lahore.

MNA'S

  • Chaudhry Salman Hanif Khan NA-138
  • Waseem Akhtar Sheikh NA-139
  • Malik Ahmad Saeed Khan NA-140
  • Rana Muhammad Ishaq Khan NA-141
  • Rana Muhammad Hayat Khan NA-142

MPA'S

  • Yaqoob Nadeem Sethi PP-175
  • Makhdoom Anees Shah Qureshi PP-176
  • Chaudhry Khalid Mairaj Gujjar PP-177
  • Naeem Safdar Ansari PP-178
  • Malik Hamid Saeed Khan Niazi PP-179
  • Dr.Waqas Hassan Akhtar Moakal PP-180
  • Malik Ahmad Saeed Khan Niazi PP-181
  • Sheikh Allaudin Ahmad PP-182
  • Chaudhry Mehmod Anwar PP-183
  • Rana Iqbal Khan PP-184
  • Sardar Asif Nakai PP-185

See also

  • Kasur, the capital of Kasur District

References

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