Gujranwala: the story on HearLore

Gujranwala

Gujranwala is the fourth-largest city in the Pakistani province of Punjab, yet it is best known not for its population size but for its nickname, the City of Wrestlers. This moniker reflects a deep cultural tradition where physical strength and wrestling have been central to the local identity for generations. The city serves as the headquarters of its eponymous district and division, and it is the fifth-most populous city in Pakistan. Located in the Rachna Doab, it is a major metropolitan hub of northeastern Punjab. Founded in the 18th century, Gujranwala is a relatively modern town compared to the several nearby millennia-old cities of northern Punjab. Despite its younger age, the city has played a pivotal role in the history of the region, serving as the birthplace of Ranjit Singh, the founder of the Sikh Empire. The city's historical significance is intertwined with its role as the capital of the Sukerchakia Misl between 1763 and 1799, and of the Sikh Empire from 1799 to 1801, before it shifted to Lahore. Today, Gujranwala is Pakistan's third largest industrial centre after Karachi and Faisalabad, and contributes 5% to 9% to Pakistan's national GDP. The city is part of a network of large urban centres in north-east Punjab province that forms one of Pakistan's most highly industrialized regions. 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.

Founding and Sikh Era

Gujranwala was founded by Gurjars in the eighteenth century, though the exact origins of the city remain unclear. Unlike the nearby ancient cities of Sialkot and Lahore, Gujranwala is a relatively modern city. It may have been established as a village in the middle of the 16th century. Locals traditionally believe that Gujranwala's original name was Khanpur Sansi, 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 Abdali. In 1707, with the death of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, Mughal power began to rapidly weaken, especially following Nader Shah's invasion in 1739 and then completely dissipated from the Punjab region due to the invasions of Ahmad Shah Abdali, who raided Punjab many times between 1747 and 1772, causing much devastation and chaos. Abdali's control over the region began to weaken in the latter part of the 18th century with the rise of the Sikh Misls, which overran Punjab. Charat Singh, ruler of the Sukerchakia Misl, established himself in a fort which he had built in the area of Gujranwala between 1756 and 1758. Nuruddin, a Jammu-based Afghan general, was ordered by Abdali to subdue the Sikhs but was driven back at Sialkot by Sikh soldiers led by Charat Singh. In 1761, Khwaja Abed Khan, Abdali's governor in Lahore, tried to besiege Charat Singh's base in Gujranwala but the bid misfired. The Sikh misls rallied to his support by attacking Afghan officers wherever they were found. A fleeing Abed Khan was pursued by Sikh contingents led by the Ahluwalia misl into Lahore, where he was killed. Charat Singh made Gujranwala the capital of his misl in 1763. In a 1774 battle waged in Jammu, Charat Singh of the Sukerchakia misl and Jhanda Singh of the powerful Bhangi misl, fighting on opposite sides, were both killed. Before his death, Charat Singh had become master of large and contiguous territories in the three doabs between the Indus and the Ravi. He was succeeded by his son Maha Singh, who added to the lands that Charat Singh had not only captured but also capably administered. Chattha State under their leader Nur Muhammad Chattha declared independence from the Mughal Empire in 1750. After the death of Pir Muhammad Chattha, his son Ghulam Muhammad Chattha inherited the chieftaincy and the rivalry of Sukerchakias. The rivalry was passed down to Mahan Singh and Ghulam Muhammad Chattha. Under his leadership, the Chathas gained several successes over the Sikhs, and at one time it looked as if the progress of the Sikh arms had been arrested and their dominion in the Doab annihilated. In the Gujranwala area in the 1770s, the Jat Chathas of Wazirabad and Rajput Bhattis of Hafizabad offered fierce resistance to the Sukerchakias, whose attack was aided by Sahib Singh of the Bhangi misl. Rasoolnagar which belonged to the Chathas was renamed Ramnagar after the defeat of the Chathas. The Gazetteer noted that the treacherous killing of Chatha and his resistance was remembered in many a local ballads in Gujranwala. Chattha estates were annexed when Jan Muhammad Chattha was killed in a siege led by Ranjit Singh when the latter recovered the lost estates with Afghan aid. The Bhattis of Hafizabad tehsil, who were Muslim Rajputs, did not cease their resistance to the Sukerchakias until 1801 when their leaders were killed and their possessions captured. Some Bhattis fled to Jhang. Ranjit Singh, Maha Singh's son and successor who would later go on to establish the Sikh Empire, was born in 1780 in Gujranwala's Purani Mandi market. Ranjit Singh maintained Gujranwala as his capital initially after rising to power in 1792. Ranjit Singh's most famous military commander Hari Singh Nalwa contributed to the prosperity of Gujranwala, which he was given as a jagir sometime after 1799, which he held till his death in 1837. Nalwa's family had migrated to Gujranwala before his birth. Nalwa built a high mud wall around Gujranwala during this era and established the city's new grid street-plan that exists until the present day. Gujranwala remained Ranjit Singh's capital until he captured Lahore from the Durrani Afghans in 1799, at which point the capital was moved there, leading to the relative decline of Gujranwala in favour of Lahore. Jind Kaur, the last queen of Ranjit Singh and mother of Duleep Singh, was born in Gujranwala in 1817. 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.

Common questions

What is the nickname of Gujranwala and what does it signify?

Gujranwala is known as the City of Wrestlers, a nickname reflecting a deep cultural tradition where physical strength and wrestling have been central to the local identity for generations. This moniker distinguishes the city from other major urban centers in Pakistan based on its unique cultural heritage.

When was Gujranwala founded and by whom?

Gujranwala was founded by Gurjars in the eighteenth century, though the exact origins of the city remain unclear. It may have been established as a village in the middle of the 16th century, making it a relatively modern city compared to nearby ancient cities like Sialkot and Lahore.

Who was born in Gujranwala and what empire did he found?

Ranjit Singh, the founder of the Sikh Empire, was born in 1780 in Gujranwala's Purani Mandi market. He maintained Gujranwala as his capital initially after rising to power in 1792 before moving the capital to Lahore in 1799.

What happened to Gujranwala during the Partition of British India in 1947?

Following the Partition of British India in 1947, Gujranwala was the site of some of the worst rioting in Punjab with large swathes of Hindu and Sikh localities attacked or destroyed. By March 1948, over 300,000 refugees had been resettled in Gujranwala District, drastically altering the city's form and demographics.

When was Gujranwala incorporated as a municipality and what infrastructure was built then?

Gujranwala was incorporated as a municipality in 1867, and the city's Brandreth, Khiyali, and Lahori Gates built atop the site of Sikh-era gates were completed in 1869. A new clocktower was built in central Gujranwala to mark the city's center in 1906.

What is the current economic status of Gujranwala in Pakistan?

Today, Gujranwala is Pakistan's third largest industrial center after Karachi and Faisalabad, and contributes 5% to 9% to Pakistan's national GDP. The city forms part of the Golden Triangle of industrial cities along with Sialkot and Gujrat, featuring export-oriented economies.

British Colonial Rule

The area was captured by the British Empire in 1848, and rapidly developed thereafter. Gujranwala was incorporated as a municipality in 1867, and the city's Brandreth, Khiyali, and Lahori Gates built atop the site of Sikh-era gates were completed in 1869. 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. The city's first Presbyterian Church was established in 1875 in the Civil Lines area , a settlement 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. The North-Western Railway connected Gujranwala with other cities in British India by rail in 1881. The major Sikh higher learning institution, Gujranwala Guru Nanak Khalsa College, was founded in Gujranwala in 1889, though it later shifted to Ludhiana. 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. 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. These were some of the most violent riots in response to the massacre in all of British India. Riots led to the damage of the city's railway station and burning of the city's Tehsil Office, Clock Tower, Dak Bangla and city courts. Much of the city's historical record was burnt in the attacked offices. 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. According to the 1941 census, 269,528 out of the Gujranwala District's 912,234 residents were non-Muslim. 30% of Gujranwala city residents were Muslims prior to Partition, though non-Muslims controlled much of the city's economy. Hindus and Sikhs together owned two-thirds of Gujranwala's properties. 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.

Partition and Modern Growth

Following the Independence of Pakistan and the aftermath of the Partition of British India in 1947, Gujranwala was the site of some of the worst rioting in Punjab. Large swathes of Hindu and Sikh localities were attacked or destroyed. Rioters in the city gained notoriety for attacks, with the city's Muslim Lohar blacksmiths particularly carrying out brutal attacks. In retaliation for attacks against a trainload of refugees by Sikh rioters at Amritsar railway station on the 22nd of September that resulted in the deaths of 3,000 Muslims over the course of three hours, rioters from Gujranwala attacked a trainload of Hindus and Sikhs fleeing towards India on the 23rd of September, killing 340 refugees in the nearby town of Kamoke. Partition riots in Gujranwala resulted in systematic violence against the city's minorities, and may constitute an act of ethnic cleansing by modern standards. 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. 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. The influx of Muslim refugees into Gujranwala drastically altered the city's form. By March 1948, over 300,000 refugees had been resettled in Gujranwala District. Many refugees found post-Partition Gujranwala lacking in opportunities, causing some to move south to Karachi. The refugee population mostly settled in localities that were mostly non-Muslim, like Gobindgarh, Baghbanpura and Nanakpura. Suburban districts were rapidly laid, including Satellite Town in 1950, which was designed mostly to house wealthy and upper-middle-class refugees. D-Colony was built in 1956 for poorer Kashmiri refugees, and Model Town in the 1960s. 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. 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. The city's jewellery-trade had been run by Hindus but came under the control of refugees from Patiala. Gujranwala's economy continued to grow into the 1970s and 1980s. New development continues, such as the opening of a 5,774-foot long flyover that functions as an elevated urban expressway, as well as the nearby Sialkot International Airport which serves the entire Golden Triangle region, and is Pakistan's first privately owned commercial airport. Institutions of higher learning have also been established in the city since independence. The Sialkot-Lahore Motorway, opened in 2020, passes near Gujranwala.