Goteriala ( ur, گوٹریالہ), which is also spelled Goteriala and Gotriyala, is a village in Kharian Tehsil,

Gujrat district Gujrat ( Punjabi and ur, ), is a district of Punjab Province in Pakistan. It is bounded on the northeast by Mirpur, on the northwest by the River Jhelum, which separates it from Jhelum District, on the east and southeast by the Chenab Ri ...

in Punjab, Pakistan

Geography

Goteriala is situated near the border with

Azad Kashmir Azad Jammu and Kashmir (; ), abbreviated as AJK and colloquially referred to as simply Azad Kashmir, is a region administered by Pakistan as a nominally self-governing entitySee: * * * and constituting the western portion of the larger Ka ...

and Punjab, Pakistan, approximately 25 kilometers from Kharian and 50 kilometers from Gujrat. The Union Council of Goteriala is

Thutha Rai Bahadar Thutha Rai Bahadar is a town and union council of Gujrat District, in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is one of the biggest village of Chib Rajputs. It is part of Kharian Tehsil Kharian Tehsil (Punjabi and ur, ) is a tehsil located i ...

, which is 6 kilometres to the

south South is one of the cardinal directions or Points of the compass, compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Pro ...

. The border with

lies 1.5 kilometers north of the village. Goteriala is situated in a mountainous area and "Nala Bhimber" stream flows through the valley. The village hosts several graveyards, including Hafiz Siddique and Zinda Peer graveyards. The village has between 1,500 and 2,000 houses and a population of approximately 5,000. The central mosque of Goteriala is Jamia Masjid.

History

The village was founded in 1638. Its name is derived from the

Punjabi Punjabi, or Panjabi, most often refers to: * Something of, from, or related to Punjab, a region in India and Pakistan * Punjabi language * Punjabi people * Punjabi dialects and languages Punjabi may also refer to: * Punjabi (horse), a British Th ...

phrase for old man, "baba Goto". The majority of the inhabitants are

Jatt Jatt may refer to: * Jat people, a social group of the Indian subcontinent * Jatt, Israel Jatt ( ar, جت; he, גַ'ת) is an Arab local council in the Triangle area of Haifa District in Israel. In it had a population of . History Antiquity ...

. During the 20th century, the majority of men from Goteriala served in the

Pakistan Army The Pakistan Army (, ) is the Army, land service branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The roots of its modern existence trace back to the British Indian Army that ceased to exist following the partition of India, Partition of British India, wh ...

Economy

The land surrounding the village is arid, so production of crops is completely dependent on seasonal rainfall. As a result, agriculture has not been the main source of income for the local population. Many of the villagers have gone overseas to find work and have set up businesses in Italy, Spain, the United States, the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates

Infrastructure

Electricity was introduced in 1983, and

Land line A landline (land line, land-line, main line, home phone, fixed-line, and wireline) is a telephone connection that uses metal wires or optical fiber telephone line for transmission, as distinguished from a mobile cellular network, which us ...

telephony was introduced in 2006. One water turbine supplies fresh water, the result of a project of the World Health Organization, but they have not worked for 14 to 15 years. Many shops operate in Goteriala, mostly in the Goteriala Bazaar. Streets are paved and sewage ditches are open, but lined.

Climate

The climate of this region is extreme. Winters can be extremely cold, which creates problems given the unreliable electricity supply.

Education

Goteriala has had a primary school since 1905. Separate government high schools are available for boys and girls. Private schools are also available, including a girl's religious school ( deobandi madrasa).

References

{{reflist Populated places in Gujrat District Villages in Gujrat District