Gujranwala Timeline
History: Gujranwala appears to be a 500-year-old city. The history of the name Gujranwala is buried in mystery. According to the editors of the first edition of the district Gazette, the settlement was first known as Khanpur Shansi, after a JAT caste member named Khan Shansi, who created 11 villages in the surrounding area. The land was occupied by the Jaat Tribe Gujar for some reason. They grew so powerful that the town became known as Gujranwala. It’s possible that the district formerly housed the Punjab’s capital, at a time when Lahore hadn’t yet begun to develop.
Hsuan Tsang, a Chinese Buddhist pilgrim, visited Tse-kia (or Taki) near present-day Gujranwala in 630; the ancient city’s site has been located as a mound near the modern settlement of Asarur.
Mughal Era: Gujranwala grew into a mediaeval town, and native Gurjars were converted to Islam by Sufi missionaries. Gujranwala was little known before the coming of the Muslims, except that Lahore was the capital. The district grew and then fell during Muslim administration. The name “Gujranwala” was first recorded in the mid-16th century, according to the district gazetteer. Gujranwala was administered by the Sikh Empire after the Mughal Empire fell apart.
Sikh Era: Following the demise of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb Alamgir in 1707, the Sikhs formed their Empire in Punjab. Following Aurangzeb’s death, the kingdom experienced a series of fast governmental transitions that pushed it to the brink of anarchy. Charat Singh, the chief of one of the Sikh Clans, took advantage of this and built his stronghold in Gujranwala in 1763. Charat Singh died in 1774 and was succeeded by his son, Mahan Singh, who fathered Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the most accomplished leader in Punjab history. Gujranwala rose to prominence under the reigns of Ranjit Singh’s father and grandfather, both of whom were born in the city. Ranjit Singh, who was also born there, rose to become the most powerful Sikh monarch. Hari Singh Nalwa, the Sikh army’s military leader, is credited with constructing the “new” Gujranwala.
British Era:In 1848, the British Empire conquered the region. A railway line was established along the Grand Trunk Road in 1881 to connect Gujranwala with other Punjab cities, facilitating trade. Gujranwala became a municipality in 1867, and the North-Western Railway connected it to other towns in British India, including Calcutta and Karachi.
After Partition: The Muslim League and the Pakistan Movement were supported by the majority-Muslim populace. Minority Hindus and Sikhs migrated to India after Pakistan’s independence in 1947, while Muslim refugees from India settled in the Gujranwala area.
Current: Gujranwala is a city in Punjab, Pakistan, and the capital of the Gujranwala Division. It’s also known as the “City of Wrestlers” and is well-renowned for its cuisine. The city is the 5th most populated metropolitan region in Pakistan, as well as the 5th most populous city. Gujranwala, founded in the 18th century, is a comparatively new town in comparison to the millennia-old settlements of northern Punjab. Gujranwala, after Karachi and Faisalabad, is presently Pakistan’s third largest industrial city, accounting for 5% of the country’s GDP. The city is part of a network of significant metropolitan centres in Pakistan’s north-east Punjab province, which is one of the country’s most industrialised areas. Gujranwala is part of the so-called “Golden Triangle” of industrial cities with export-oriented economies, which also includes the neighbouring cities of Sialkot and Gujrat.