Gurdaspur district
—  district  —
Gurdaspur district Location of Gurdaspur district in Punjab and India
Coordinates	31°55′N 75°15′E / 31.917°N 75.25°E / 31.917; 75.25Coordinates: 31°55′N 75°15′E / 31.917°N 75.25°E / 31.917; 75.25
Country	India
State	Punjab
Headquarters	Gurdaspur
Population • Density	2,104,011‡[›] (2001[update]) • 591 /km2 (1,531 /sq mi)
Literacy	63.95%
Time zone	IST (UTC+05:30)
Area	3,562 square kilometres (1,375 sq mi)
Website	http://gurdaspur.nic.in

Districts of Punjab along with their headquarters

Gurdaspur district (Doabi:ਗੁਰਦਸਪੂਰ ਜ਼ਿਲਾ) is a district in the state of Punjab, situated in the northwest part of the Republic of India. Gurdaspur is the district headquarters. It internationally borders Narowal District of the Pakistani Punjab, Kathua District of Jammu and Kashmir, the Punjab districts of Amritsar and Hoshiarpur, and Chamba and Kangra districts of Himachal Pradesh. Two main rivers Beas and Ravi passes through the district. The Mughal emperor Akbar is said to have been enthroned in a garden near Kalanaur, a historically important town in the district.^[1] The district is at the foothills of the Himalayas.

The current member of Parliament of Gurdaspur is Pratap Singh Bajwa .

As of 2011 it is the third most populous district of Punjab (out of 22), after Ludhiana and Amritsar.^[2]

History[link]

Gurdaspur was founded by Guriya Ji in the beginning of 17th century. On his name, this city was named as Gurdaspur. He bought land for Gurdaspur from Jats of Sangi Gotra. It is also established that some people used to live in huts in the old city. Guriya Ji a Sanwal Brahmin of Kaushal Gotra belonged to a village Paniar situated 5 miles north of Gurdaspur. The ancestors of Guriya Ji came from Ayodhaya long time ago and settled in Paniar. Guriya Ji had two sons Sh.Nawal Rai and Sh.Pala Ji. The descendants of Nawal Rai settled in Gurdaspur Nawal Rai’s son Baba Deep Chand was a contemporary of Guru Gobind Singh Ji. It is believed that Guru Gobind Singh Ji gave the title of Ganj Bakhsh (Owner Of Treasure) to Baba Deep Chand. The descendants of Baba Deep Chand are known as Mahants.

Little is known about the ancient history of the district except a few antiquities like the rock temples at Mukheshwar Gurdaspur along with its neighbouring districts was the same of the explicits of Alexander, who came up to River Beas in his grand design of world conquest. He fought a grim battle with the Kathaians at Sangala which is located near Fatehgarh in Gurdaspur.

From the latter half of the 10th century up to 1919 A.D this district was ruled by the Shahi dynasty under Jayapal and Anandpal. Kalanaur in this district was the most important town during the period of Delhi Emperor from 14th to 16 th century it wastwice attacked by Jasrath Khokhar, once after his un successful assault on Lahore in 1422 and again in 1428 when Malik Sikander marched to relieve the place and defeated Jasrath It was have that Akbar was installed by Bairam Khan on a throne on Feb 1556. The messonary, plat form which still exists about a kilometre and a half to the east of the town is the actual spot upon which his installation took place.

In the decline and fall of the Mughal supermacy and the rise of the Sikh power this district saw, its most stirring scenes. Some of the sikh Gurus have been closely associated with the district. Guru Nanak, born in 1469 in the Lahore district, married in 1485 with Sulkhani, daughter of Mool Chand, a Khatri of Pakhoke (Dera Baba Nanak) in the Batala Tehsil. There is still a wall known as Jhoolana Mahal which swings in Gurdaspur. The Sikh Guru Hargobind refounded Shri Hargobindpur which had been formerly known by the name of Rahila. Banda Bahadur, the disciple of Guru Gobind Singh used this district as a base to raid the country up to Lahore, the emperor Bahadur Shah conducted an expedition against him in 1711 but with only temporary effect. Banda Bahadar fought his last battle with the Mughal at Gurdas Nangal in the district and was captured. The history of the district then degenerates into an account of their restruggles of the rival Ramgarhia and Kanhaya Misals for supermacy in this part of the Doab, the power of the former was broken in 1808 and of the latter in 1811 by

Maharaja Ranjit Singh, who thus assumed way over the whole district. Dinanagar, with its pleasant mango gardens and running canal was a favourite summer residence of the lion of the Punjab, who when not elsewhere engaged used spent here the two hot weather months of May and June.

During partition of India in 1947 the future of Gurdaspur could not be decided for many days. As majority of population of this district was that of Muslims with 51.14% Muslim majority. Radcliffe Awards of Boundary transferred only Shakargarh Tehsil Of Gurdaspur district to Pakistan, and the rest of the district was transferred to India. Muslim population of the district migrated to Pakistan and refugees, the Hindus and the Sikhs of Sialkot and Tehsil Shakargarh migrated to Gurdaspur after crossing the Ravi bridge. They settled and spread in Gurdaspur district.

During British Rule the district of Gurdaspur was a subdivision of Lahore Division, the district itself was administratively subdivided into four tehsils: Gurdaspur, Batala, Shakargarh and the disputed claimed Pathankot. According to the 1881 census the population of district was 823,695 this had risen by over 100,000 to 943,922 in the 1891 census. However the 1901 census recorded a fall in population - 940,334, this was largely due to emigration - some 44,000 settlers settling in Chenab colony. According to the 1901 census there were 463,371 Muslims (49%), 380,636 Hindus (over 40%) and 91,756 (10%) sikhs. Mirza Ghulam Ahmad who founded the Ahmadiyya movement had followers here.^[3] In 1947 as part of the partition of India - Punjab was divided between Pakistan and India, Shakargarh Tehsil became part of Sialkot District which was part of the West Punjab province of Pakistan whilst the rest of the district, retaining the name Gurdaspur, became part of India's East Punjab state.^[4] The division of the district was followed by a population transfer between the two nations, with Muslims leaving for Pakistan and Hindus and Sikhs arriving.

On 27 July 2011 a part of district is carved out to form a new district Pathankot, which was earlier a part of Gurdaspur. Pathankot district now comprises two sub-divisions of Pathankot and Dharkalan along with two Sub-Tehsils namely Narot Jaimal Singh and Bamial.

Population of District Before 1947[link]

• Muslims 49%
• Hindus 40%
• Sikhs 10%

Some Famous Villages, Towns, Cities[link]

• Tibber
• Batala
• Ghuman
• Sri Hargobindpur
• Qadian
• Nasarke
• Budha Theh
• Kala Afghana
• Dhariwal
• Talwandi Virk
• Mann Sandwal
• Khaira
• Umarpura
• Gosal Afghana
• Borewala Afghana
• Parowal
• Dera Baba Nanak
• Gosal Zimidaran
• Chhina
• Ghuman Khurd
• Jogowal Jattan
• Fatehgarh Churian
• kalanaur
• Mian Kot
• Dula Nangal
• Mastkot
• kaler Kalan
• Rattangarh
• Kathiali
• Dina Nagar
• Achal
• Janial

Tehsils[link]

1. Gurdaspur
2. Batala
3. Dera Baba Nanak

Towns[link]

• Dina Nagar

• Batala

• Gurdaspur

• Kalanaur

• Dera Baba Nanak

• Sri Hargobindpur

• Fatehgarh Churian

• Qadian

• Dhariwal

Demographics[link]

According to the 2011 census Gurdaspur district has a population of 2,299,026,^[2] roughly equal to the nation of Latvia^[5] or the US state of New Mexico.^[6] This gives it a ranking of 196th in India (out of a total of 640).^[2] The district has a population density of 649 inhabitants per square kilometre (1,680 /sq mi) .^[2] Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 9.3 %.^[2] Gurdaspur has a sex ratio of 895 females for every 1000 males,^[2] and a literacy rate of 81.1 %.^[2]

Notable people[link]

• Air Chief Marshal Dilbagh Singh,^[7] former chief of Indian Airforce

• Prabhjot Singh, Indian hockey player^[8][9]

• Iqbal Bahu, Pakistani Sufi singer, born in Gurdaspur but migrated to Pakistan after Independence. Awardee of the Tamgha-i-Imtiaz honor by the Government of Pakistan in 2008.

• Dev Anand,^[10] famous Indian actor

Shiv Kumar Bataalvi (Batala){the famous Punjabi writer}

• Vijay Anand

• Chaudhry Niaz Ali Khan (of Jamalpur) founder of the Dar-ul-Islam Trust Institutes in Pathankot, India and Jauharabad, Pakistan, migrated to Pakistan after Independence in 1947

• Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (of Qadian), founder of the Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam

• Al-Hajj Hakim Noor-ud-Din, Khalifatul Massih I of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community

• Mirza Basheer-ud-Din Mahmood Ahmad, Khalifatul Massih II of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community

• Mirza Nasir Ahmad, Khalifatul Massih III of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, was born in Qadian, Died in Islamabad and buried in Rabwah Pakistan

• Mirza Tahir Ahmad, Khalifatul Massih IV of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, was born in Qadian, Died in London UK and buried in Islamabad / Surry UK

• Ghulam Ahmed Pervez, founded Tolu-e-Islam movement, migrated to Pakistan

• Sobha Singh (painter)

• Teja Singh Akarpuri

• Ishfaq Ahmad, born in Gurdaspur, migrated to Pakistan

• Mohammadi Begum
• Rana Ghulam Farid Khan Sulehria born in taragarh pathankot gurdaspur migrated,died in shakargarh narowal,active worker of Muslim league,best soldier,Agricultrist,Khalifa Pir Syed Jamat Ali Shah Lasani.

• Gurpreet Ghuggi

• Jasbir Jassi, popular Bhangra singer

• Manpreet Gony, cricket player

References[link]

Business directory of Gurdaspur

External links[link]

• Official Gurdaspur District Website
• Map of Gurdaspur District

	Pakistan	Kathua district, Jammu and Kashmir	Chamba district, Himachal Pradesh
			Kangra district, Himachal Pradesh
		Gurdaspur district    East
	Amritsar district	Kapurthala district	Hoshiarpur district

v t e Punjab, India History Punjabi language Punjabi people Other topics Capital Chandigarh Regions Majha Malwa Doaba Powadh Districts Amritsar Barnala Bathinda Faridkot Fatehgarh Sahib Fazilka Firozpur Gurdaspur Hoshiarpur Jalandhar Kapurthala Ludhiana Mansa Moga Mohali Nawanshahr Pathankot Patiala Rupnagar Sangrur Sri Muktsar Sahib Tarn Taran Major cities Amritsar Bathinda Barnala Chandigarh Hoshiarpur Jalandhar Ludhiana Patiala Mohali (S.A.S.Nagar)

Gurdaspur
—  city  —
Mechanical Block
Gurdaspur Location of Gurdaspur in Punjab and India
Coordinates	32°02′00″N 75°24′00″E / 32.0333°N 75.40°E / 32.0333; 75.40Coordinates: 32°02′00″N 75°24′00″E / 32.0333°N 75.40°E / 32.0333; 75.40
Country	India
State	Punjab
District(s)	Gurdaspur
Population • Density	67,455 (2001[update]) • 49 /km2 (127 /sq mi)
Time zone	IST (UTC+05:30)
Area • Elevation	1,369 square kilometres (529 sq mi) • 241 metres (791 ft)
Codes • Pincode • 143521 • Vehicle • pb 06
Website	[1] http://gurdaspur.nic.in/[1]

Gurdaspur (Punjabi: ਗੁਰਦਾਸਪੁਰ) is a city in the state of Punjab, situated in the northwest part of the Republic of India. It is located in the center of and is the administrative head of Gurdaspur District. It was the location of a fort (later turned into a Hindu monastery) which was famous for the siege it sustained in 1712 from the Mughals. The Gurdaspur city, situated on the Amritsar – Jammu National Highway Road, 36 km from Pathankot and 32 km from Batala is the district headquarter. All head offices of various departments are situated in this city. The India-Pakistan border is at a distance of 10 km from Gurdaspur. The river Beas flows on one side and the river Raavi flows on the other side of Gurdaspur.

The Gurdaspur city was named after the name of Mahant Guridas. The Emperor Akbar was crowned at Kalanaur, which is 26 km from Gurdaspur city and also Behrampur town is situated at a distance of 10 km, where the Mukbara of Bairam Khan is situated. Earlier, Dinanagar town was the capital of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, which is only 12 km from Gurdaspur city. The famous woolen mill is situated at Dhariwal which is only 12 km from Gurdaspur city.

Demographics[link]

According to the 2011 India census,^[2] Gurdaspur had population of 2,299,026 of which males and females were 1,212,995 and 1,086,031 respectively. There was an increase of 9.30 percent in the population compared to the population in 2001. In the previous census of India 2001, Gurdaspur District recorded increase of 19.74 percent as compared to its population in 1991.

The average literacy rate of Gurdaspur in 2011 was 81.10 per cent, as compared to 73.80 per cent in 2001. The male and female literacy rates were 85.90 and 75.70 respectively. For 2001 census, same figures stood at 79.80 and 67.10 in Gurdaspur District. The total literate population in Gurdaspur District was 1,668,339 of which males and females were 928,264 and 740,075 respectively.

History[link]

• Gurdaspur, a major city of Punjab, was founded by Guriyaji in 17th century. The place forms the northernmost part of the state. Resting within Jalandhar and flanked by the rivers Beas and Ravi, it shares its boundary with districts of Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala, and Amritsar.

Guriyaji laid the foundation of the city on the land that he bought from the Jats. Almost no evidence of the ancient history of the place is available, so not much is known about it. For a long period, it was under the rule of the Shahi dynasty. A ruler named Jasrath Khokhar was defeated by Malik Sikander. With the fall of the Mughal Empire, the city came under the supremacy of the Sikh gurus. The place is linked to many eminent Sikh Gurus like Govind Singh, Hargovind Singh, and Guru Nanak. Raja Ranjit Singh made it one of his strongholds. After partition, a major portion of the city was ceded to India.

As you go seven kilometers from the city in the western direction, you will reach Gurdas Nangal, a holy place linked with the heroic battle of Banda Bahadur with Mughal armies. A gurudwara is present here at whose entrance is placed an inscription to describe the famous battle. It lies at 10 kilometers from the destination; it was where a great massacre of Sikhs took place in the year 1746 AD.

During the misl period Gurdaspur remained the centre of activity of Kanaiya Misl and Ramgharia Misl. Maharaja Ranjit Singh conquered Ramgharia misl in 1808 and Kanyia misl in 1811, so it became a part of Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s empire.

The British East India Company annexed Punjab on 29 March 1849, after the second Anglo-Sikh war of 1839-49. After annexation a need arose for recognition of districts for administrative purpose. As a result, Gurdaspur district was formed on 1 May 1852. The district of Adinanagar was renamed as Gurdaspur. So, from a tiny village, Gurdaspur became a District Headquarter.

The mutiny of 1857 also affected Gurdaspur. The mutineers from Sialkot proceeded towards Gurdaspur. The British forces intercepted these mutineers at Trimmo Patan and defeated them in the battle of Trimmo Patan (12–16 July 1857). The prisoners were hanged in Bole Wala Bagh, situated behind Government College Gurdaspur.

Partition of 1947[link]

• During the partition of India in 1947 the future of Gurdaspur could not be decided for many days, as the majority of the population of this district was Muslim with 51.14% Muslim majority. The Radcliffe boundary awards transferred only Shakargarh Tehsil of Gurdaspur district to Pakistan, and the rest of the district was transferred to India. The Muslim population of the district migrated to Pakistan and many refugees, the Hindus and the Sikhs of Sialkot and Tehsil Shakargarh, migrated to Gurdaspur after crossing the Ravi bridge. They settled and spread out over Gurdaspur district. Gurdaspur has an area of 10.85 km².

Transport[link]

Rail[link]

• Gurdaspur is well connected with daily trains from Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai and other parts of India. and also connected with jammu and kashmir,

Road[link]

• Gurdaspur is well connected with road network: National Highway 15 (NH 15) is a major National Highway in Western and Northwestern India. NH 15 connects Kandla in Gujarat with Gurdaspur in Punjab. This 1,526 km (948 mi)-long highway passes through Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Tarn Taran Sahib, Zira, Kotkapura, Bhatinda, Ganganagar, Bikaner, Jaisalmer and Barmer. At Bikaner the National Highway 11 terminates on this Highway.

Of its total length of 1,526 km (948 mi), the National Highway 15 traverses 350 km (220 mi) in Punjab, 906 km (563 mi) in Rajasthan, and 270 km (170 mi) in Gujarat.[1] Also connected Gurdaspur to Jammu through bmial, kathua, and also connected with NH 1A through Gurdaspur, Mukerian and Gurdaspur Shri Hargobind State Highways.

Further reading[link]

• Chester, Lucy P. Borders and Conflict in South Asia: The Radcliffe Boundary Commission and the Partition of Punjab. Manchester UP, 2009.

See also[link]

• Kakazai

References[link]

•  Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Gurdaspur". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. 

External links[link]

• Official Website of Gurdaspur District
• [1]
• [2]
• [3]