Bahawalpur

Coordinates: 29°23′44″N 71°41′1″E / 29.39556°N 71.68361°E / 29.39556; 71.68361
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For the princely state, see Bahawalpur (princely state). For other uses, see Bahawalpur (disambiguation).

Bahawalpur
بہاول پور
UTC+5 (PKT)
Postal code type
63100
Area code062
WebsiteBahawalpur / Punjab Portal

Bahawalpur (/bəha:wəlpʌr/; Punjabi, Urdu: بہاول پور, romanized: Bahāwalpūr; pronounced [bəɦɑːʋəlpuːɾ]) is a city in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is one of the ten largest cities of Pakistan and 6th most populous city of Punjab.[6] Bahawalpur is the capital of Bahawalpur Division.

Founded in 1748, Bahawalpur was the capital of the former princely state of Bahawalpur, ruled by the Abbasi family of Nawabs until 1955. The Nawabs left a rich architectural legacy, and Bahawalpur is known for its monuments dating from that period.[7] The city lies at the edge of the Cholistan Desert, and serves as the gateway to the nearby Lal Suhanra National Park.

History

Main article: Bahawalpur (princely state)

Bahawalpur was among the 584 princely states before the Partition of India.[8]

The Noor Mahal was the seat of the city's ruling Nawabs.
Darbar Mahal was built by Nawab Bahawal Khan V in 1905 as a palace for his wife.[9]

Early history

Bahawalpur State was home to various ancient societies. The Bahawalpur region was part of Multan province of

Muslim mystics from the 12–15th centuries built in the region's vernacular style.[14]

Establishment

Bahawalpur was established in 1748 by Nawab Bahawal Khan I,[15] after he migrated to the region around Uch from Shikarpur, Sindh.[16] Bahawalpur replaced Derawar as the clan's capital city.[17] The city initially flourished as a trading post on trade routes between Afghanistan and central India.[18]

Durrani Attacks

In 1785, the Durrani commander Sirdar Khan attacked Bahawalpur city and destroyed many of its buildings on behalf of Mian Abdul Nabi Kalhora of Sindh.[19] Bahawalpur's ruling family, along with nobles from nearby Uch, were forced to take refuge in the Derawar Fort, where they successfully repulsed further attacks.[19] The attacking Durrani force accepted 60,000 rupees as nazrana or tribute, though Bahawal Khan later had to seek refuge in the Rajput states as the Afghan Durranis occupied Derawar Fort.[19] Bahawal Khan returned to conquer the fort by way of Uch, and re-established control of Bahawalpur.[19]

Princely state

Sadeq Mohammad Khan V served as the last Nawab of Bahawalpur.
The ruling Abbasi family regarded the nearby Derawar Fort as a traditional bastion of their power.
Bahawalpur's central library dates from the princely state period.

The princely state of Bahawalpur was founded in 1802 by Nawab Mohammad Bahawal Khan II after the break-up of the Durrani Empire, and was based in the city.

Sikh Attacks and treaties with the British

In 1807, Ranjit Singh of the Sikh Empire laid siege to the fort in Multan, prompting refugees to seek safety in Bahawalpur in the wake of his marauding forces that began to attack the countryside around Multan.[19] Ranjit Singh eventually withdrew the siege, and gave the Nawab of Bahawalpur some gifts as the Sikh forces retreated.[19]

Fawara Chowk roundabout

Bahalwapur offered an outpost of stability in the wake of crumbling Mughal rule and the declining power of

Khorasan's monarchy.[19] The city became a refuge for prominent families from affected regions and also saw an influx of religious scholars escaping the consolidation of Sikh power in Punjab.[19]

Fearing an invasion from the Sikh Empire,

British on 22 February 1833, guaranteeing the independence of the Nawab and the autonomy of Bahawalpur as a princely state. The treaty guaranteed the British a friendly southern frontier during their invasion of the Sikh Empire.[20]

Trade Routes

Trade routes had shifted away from Bahawalpur by the 1830s, and British visitors to the city noted several empty shops in the city's bazaar.

Benares or Amritsar.[18]

Increased British Influence

An 1866 crisis over succession to the Bahawalpur throne markedly increased British influence in the princely state.[22] Bahawalpur was constituted as a municipality in 1874.[23] Bahalwapur's Nawab celebrated the Golden Jubillee of Queen Victoria in 1887 in a state function at the Noor Mahal palace.[21] In 1901, the population of the city was 18,546.[17]

The Second World War

At the outbreak of World War II in 1939, Bahawalpur's Nawab was the first ruler of a princely state to offer his full support and resources of the state towards the crown's war efforts.[24]

Joining Pakistan

British Princely states were given the option to join either Pakistan or

Muslim
refugees from India settled in the city and the surrounding region.

District statistics

There are 6 tehsils in District Bahawalpur, with 109

municipal committees
.

Climate

Bahawalpur lies some 117 metres or 384 feet above sea level. The climate is dry. Over the year, there is virtually no rainfall in Bahawalpur. According to the

semi arid (BSh). The average annual temperature is 25.7 °C or 78.3 °F. The rainfall is around 289 millimetres or 11.4 inches per year.[26]

Flora and Fauna

Flora

  • Kikar
  • Shisham
  • Sufaida
  • Neem
  • Siris
  • Toot
  • Sohanjana

Fauna

Economy

Fareed Gate
Alluvial plains
form much of the immediate region around Bahawalpur.

The main crops for which Bahawalpur is recognised are

guavas are some of the fruits exported out of the country. Vegetables include onions, tomatoes, cauliflower, potatoes and carrots. Being an expanding industrial city, the government has revolutionised and liberalised various markets allowing the caustic soda, cotton ginning and pressing, flour mills, fruit juices, general engineering, iron and steel re-rolling mills, looms, oil mills, poultry feed, sugar, textile spinning, textile weaving, vegetable ghee and cooking oil industries to flourish.[27]
Sheep and cattle are raised for export of wool and hides.

Crafts

Bahawalpur is famous for its carpets, embroidery, and pottery. The Punjab government has set up a Craft Development Centre from where handicrafts can be purchased. These handicrafts are mostly manufactured in the Cholistan area.[28] Following is the list of some of the mementos manufactured in the city:

  • Flassi: It is made up of camel hair and can be used as a carpet or wall hanging
  • Gindi: A colourful combination of cotton cloth with delicate needlework. It can be used as a blanket, carpet, or bed cover
  • Changaries: Made up of palm leaves. They can be used as a decorative wall hanging or can be used to store chapatis / wheat bread
  • Khalti: A kind of purse with multi-coloured threadwork
  • Artwork: Special traditional embroidery done on kurta, chaddar/shawl etc

Demographics

According to the

2017 Census of Pakistan, the city's population was recorded as having risen to 762,111 from 408,395 in 1998.[6]

Historical population
YearPop.±%
1941 40,000—    
1951 42,000+5.0%
1961 84,000+100.0%
1972 134,000+59.5%
1981 180,000+34.3%
1998 408,395+126.9%
2017 762,111+86.6%

Religion

The Darbar Mahal mosque was built in an exuberant style.

Bahawalpur emerged as a centre of

Parish priest of the church until his death on 19 February 2009.[30]

Religious groups in Bahawalpur City (1881−2017)[a]
Religious
group 		1881[32][33]: 520 [34]: 250  1891[35]: 68 [36] 1901[37]: 44 [38]: 26  1911[39]: 23 [40]: 19  1921[41]: 25 [42]: 21  1931[43]: 26  1941[31]: 32  2017[44]
Pop. % Pop. % Pop. % Pop. % Pop. % Pop. % Pop. % Pop. %
Islam 7,459 54.7% 11,109 59.36% 11,161 60.18% 11,395 61.88% 12,042 65.11% 13,735 65.58% 28,946 72.34% 776,135 98.24%
Hinduism 6,082 44.61% 7,450 39.81% 7,236 39.02% 6,879 37.36% 6,363 34.41% 7,166[b] 34.22% 10,836[b] 27.08% 2,018 0.26%
Jainism 48 0.35% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% — —
Sikhism 43 0.32% 147 0.79% 135 0.73% 126 0.68% 75 0.41% 29 0.14% 208 0.52% — —
Christianity — — 10 0.05% 14 0.08% 14 0.08% 14 0.08% 12 0.06% 25 0.06% 11,615 1.47%
Zoroastrianism — — 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 1 0% — — — —
Ahmadiyya — — — — — — — — — — — — — — 265 0.03%
Others 3 0.02% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 31 0%
Total population 13,635 100% 18,716 100% 18,546 100% 18,414 100% 18,494 100% 20,943 100% 40,015 100% 790,064 100%

Civic administration

Bahawalpur was announced as one of six cities in Punjab whose security would be improved by the

CCTV cameras were installed throughout the city at a cost of 12 billion rupees to record and send images to the Integrated Command and Control Centres.[46]

Infrastructure

Darbar Mahal in Bahawalpur at Night
  • The city's Noor Mahal palace was completed in 1875.[17]
  • In 1878, the 4,285-foot (1,306 m) long Empress Bridge was constructed as the first rail crossing over the Sutlej River.[17]
  • Two hospitals were established in the city in 1898.[17]
  • The Bahawal Stadium or (formerly) The Bahawalpur Dring Stadium.
  • The Darbar Mahal was built in 1905.
  • The Gulzar Mahal

Bahawalpur Museum

The Bahawalpur Museum, established in 1976, is a museum of archaeology, art, heritage, modern history, and religion. It comes under the control of the Bahawalpur district government.[47] The current director of the museum is Hussain Ahmed Madni. It has eight galleries:

  1. Pakistan Movement gallery
  2. Archaeological gallery
  3. Islamic gallery; manuscripts, inscriptions, and Quranic documents
  4. Cultural heritage gallery
  5. Art gallery
  6. Coins gallery
  7. Cholistan gallery
  8. Nawab Bahawal Memorial gallery

Bahawalpur Zoo

The Bahawalpur Zoo, established in 1942, is a 25-acre (10 ha) zoological garden. It is managed by the Government of Pakistan.[48]

The zoo has occasionally bred and supplied wild cats, such as Asiatic lions and Bengal tigers, to other zoos in the country. It also has an aquarium and zoological museum with stuffed birds, reptiles, and mammals. The Bahawalpur Zoo is the fourth biggest zoo in Pakistan, after Lahore Zoo, Karachi Zoo and Islamabad Zoo.

Railway Station

Lal Suhanra National Park

Lal Suhanra is a national park in Pakistan. The park itself is situated some 35 kilometres east of Bahawalpur. It is one of South Asia's largest national parks and is a UNESCO declared Biosphere Reserve. Lal Sohanra is notable for the diversity of its landscape, which includes desert, forest, and wetland ecosystems.[49]

Education

Campus Building, Islamia University of Bahawalpur (2009)

Bahawalpur's

Islamia University was founded as Jamia Abbasia in 1925. The city's Quaid-e-Azam Medical College was founded in 1971. The District has an overall literacy rate of 48% with a total of 1662 schools and 24 colleges.[50]

Transportation

Local transportation vehicles include buses, cars, motorbikes, and rickshaws.

N-5

Pakistan's longest national highway, N-5, also passes through the city, connecting Bahawalpur to Karachi and Lahore.[51]

Railroad

The railway connects Bahawalpur with the cities of Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Quetta, Multan, Faisalabad, Sargodha, Sialkot, Gujranwala, Hyderabad, Sukkur, Jhang, Rahim Yar Khan, Nawabshah, Attock, Sibi, Khanewal, Gujrat, Rohri, Jacobabad, and Nowshera.[51]

Sports

Motiullah hockey stadium is in the Bahawal Stadium
and is used for various national and international hockey tournaments in the country. Aside from the cricket ground, it has a gym and a pool facility for citizens. There are also tennis courts, under the administration of the Bahawalpur Tennis Club, and a 2-kilometre jogging track around the football ground.

Notable people

See also

Notes

  1. ^ 1891-1941: Data for the entirety of the town of Bahawalpur, which included Bahawalpur Municipality.[31]: 32 

    2017: Combined urban populations of Bahawalpur City Tehsil and Bahawalpur Saddar Tehsil.
  2. ^ a b 1931-1941: Including Ad-Dharmis

References

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  18. ^ a b c d e The Asiatic Journal and Monthly Register for British India and Its Dependencies. Black, Parbury, & Allen. 1838.
  19. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Álī, Shahāmat (1848). The History of Bahawalpur: With Notices of the Adjacent Countries of Sindh, Afghanistan, Multan, and the West of India. James Madden.
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  53. ^ "Samiullah Khan". PrideOfPakistan.com. 6 September 1951. Retrieved 23 August 2022.

Bibliography

External links
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