Jhang District ( Punjabi and ur, ) is a

district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...

Faisalabad division Faisalabad Division is an administrative division of Punjab, Pakistan. The reforms of 2000 abolished the third tier of government but was restored again in 2008. Districts It consists of the following districts:Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...

province, Pakistan.

Jhang Jhang (Punjabi language, Punjabi, ur, ), ) is the capital city of Jhang District, in the central portion of the province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab, Pakistan. Situated on the east bank of the Chenab river, it is the List of most populous c ...

city is the capital of district.

Geography

Jhang District has a triangle-like shape, with its

apex The apex is the highest point of something. The word may also refer to: Arts and media Fictional entities * Apex (comics), a teenaged super villainess in the Marvel Universe * Ape-X, a super-intelligent ape in the Squadron Supreme universe *Apex ...

at the narrow southwestern corner and its base on the northeastern side. The district is traversed by two major rivers, the

Jhelum Jhelum ( Punjabi and ur, ) is a city on the east bank of the Jhelum River, which is located in the district of Jhelum in the north of Punjab province, Pakistan. It is the 44th largest city of Pakistan by population. Jhelum is known for p ...

and the

Chenab The Chenab River () is a major river that flows in India and Pakistan, and is one of the 5 major rivers of the Punjab region. It is formed by the union of two headwaters, Chandra and Bhaga, which rise in the upper Himalayas in the Lahaul regi ...

. The Chenab generally flows towards the southwest, and it runs right down the middle of the district so that it practically divides the district into two equal parts. The Jhelum enters Jhang District to the west of the Chenab and flows almost due south until it meets the Chenab at a place called the Domel. The combined river takes the name Chenab, and it leaves the district just to the east of the far southwestern corner. The geography of the Jhang district can be divided into several regions, based on the course of its two major rivers. First is the Hithar, or lowland areas that get flooded annually by the rivers. Next, there are three distinct upland areas: the

Sandal Bar The Sandal Bar ( pa, ) is a region between the rivers Chenab and Ravi in Punjab, Pakistan. It is located in the southern part of Rechna Doab. It spreads over almost in width (west to east) and in length (north to south). "Bar", in the local ...

, to the east of the Chenab, the

Kirana Bar Kirana Bar is a portion of the Jech Doab, it takes its name from the Kirana Hills found here. It convers the area between the western side of Chenab and the eastern side of Jehlum. The hills are not, as generally supposed, outliers of the Salt Ra ...

, between the rivers, and the

Thal Thal may refer to: Places * Thal, Lower Austria, Austria * Thal, Styria, Austria * Thal, Ruhla, Germany * Thal, Uttarakhand, Didihat district, India * Thal, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan ** Thal railway station * Thal, St. Gallen, Switzerla ...

, which is to the west of the Jhelum. These are high plateaus which slope down to the river valleys on either side. Finally, between the Hithar lowlands and the Bar and Thal uplands, there is an intermediate zone called the Utar. Each of these zones — Hithar, Utar, and the uplands — represents a different period of geological formation, with the uplands being the oldest, and they are all of

alluvial Alluvium (from Latin ''alluvius'', from ''alluere'' 'to wash against') is loose clay, silt, sand, or gravel that has been deposited by running water in a stream bed, on a floodplain, in an alluvial fan or beach, or in similar settings. Alluv ...

origin.

Uplands

Historically, the upland zones were mostly inhabited by pastoralists who grazed their herds on the wide plains here. They lived in temporary habitations of thatched huts and moved around frequently. Under the

British Raj The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was himsel ...

, most of this land was held directly by the government.

The
Sandal Bar The Sandal Bar ( pa, ) is a region between the rivers Chenab and Ravi in Punjab, Pakistan. It is located in the southern part of Rechna Doab. It spreads over almost in width (west to east) and in length (north to south). "Bar", in the local ...

The easternmost upland area is the Sandal Bar. In the northern parts of the district, the Sandal Bar "rises abruptly from the Utar, and the summit of the dividing ledge is from 10 to 30 feet above the plain below." This sudden rise gradually lessens further south, until eventually there is no clear distinction between the Bar and the Utar. The quality of the soil generally decreases towards the south, with ''Kallar'' plains more frequent, and the better types of grass such as

dhaman ''Ptyas mucosa'', commonly known as the oriental ratsnake, Indian rat snake, ''darash'' or ''dhaman'', is a common non-venomous species of colubrid snake found in parts of South and Southeast Asia. Dhamans are large snakes. Typical mature total ...

also become rarer.

The
Kirana Bar Kirana Bar is a portion of the Jech Doab, it takes its name from the Kirana Hills found here. It convers the area between the western side of Chenab and the eastern side of Jehlum. The hills are not, as generally supposed, outliers of the Salt Ra ...

The Kirana Bar, which is named after the

Kirana Hills The Kirana Hills is a small and extensive rocky mountain range located in Rabwah and Sargodha, Pakistan. It is also a place of tourist attraction in Sargodha City. Locally known as "Black Mountains" due to its brownish landscape, its highest pe ...

, is part of the

Chaj Doab Chaj Doab ( pa, ) can be classified as one of the main regions of Punjab, Pakistan. Punjab historically has been divided into regions based on its various rivers, since the name Punjab is based on its five main rivers. The Chaj doab includes the ...

between the Chenab and Jhelum rivers. Like the Sandal Bar, the Kirana Bar is generally separated from the Utar by a distinct ridge, called the ''Nakka''. The flora is also similar between the two regions. However, the Kirana Bar has better lands agriculturally than the Sandal Bar, and light rain showers can leave the Kirana Bar "carpeted with grass". The soil gets worse to the west of the Kirana Hills, towards the Jhelum river, and more ''kallar'' soil is found.

The
Thal Thal may refer to: Places * Thal, Lower Austria, Austria * Thal, Styria, Austria * Thal, Ruhla, Germany * Thal, Uttarakhand, Didihat district, India * Thal, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan ** Thal railway station * Thal, St. Gallen, Switzerla ...

Not much of the Thal is included in Jhang District, although the district boundary juts out further to include more of it south of the road connecting Jhang with

Dera Ismail Khan Dera Ismail Khan (; bal, , Urdu and skr, , ps, ډېره اسماعيل خان), abbreviated as D.I. Khan, is a city and capital of Dera Ismail Khan District, located in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. It is the 37th largest city of Pakistan ...

. The Thal is an elevated plateau like the Bars, but with one major difference — it is almost completely covered in sand dunes, and the underlying soil only pokes out in patches. The main colour of the soil here is a light reddish brown.

Well A well is an excavation or structure created in the ground by digging, driving, or drilling to access liquid resources, usually water. The oldest and most common kind of well is a water well, to access groundwater in underground aquifers. The ...

-based agriculture is done in other parts of the Thal closer to the

Indus The Indus ( ) is a transboundary river of Asia and a trans-Himalayan river of South and Central Asia. The river rises in mountain springs northeast of Mount Kailash in Western Tibet, flows northwest through the disputed region of Kashmir, ...

, but due to the lack of access to water, there is little to no cultivation in the parts of the Thal included in Jhang district. For the most part, this part of the Thal is a wasteland, dominated by rolling sand hills that run parallel to each other. These are interspersed with occasional patches of good soil studded with pilu bushes, which along with some trees form just about the only greenery in sight. Grass does grow abundantly after a good rain, but those only happen rarely.

Utar

The Utar zone is very important from a human perspective because it contains most of the district's settlements. The characteristics of this zone vary somewhat between several different areas:

Utar of the Sandal Bar

This area varies in width from 4 to 16 miles, with the average usually being about 8 miles wide. As with the Sandal Bar and the district as a whole, the soil gradually gets worse towards the south. In general, the area closest to the river bank is the most fertile, with almost continuous areas of cultivation. There are lots of wells for irrigation, each one surrounded by a cluster of trees (most commonly

kikar The talent was a unit of weight that was introduced in Mesopotamia at the end of the 4th millennium BC, and was normalized at the end of the 3rd millennium during the Akkadian-Sumer phase, divided into 60 minas or 3,600 shekels. In classical antiqu ...

and

shisham ''Dalbergia sissoo'', known commonly as North Indian rosewood or ''shisham'', is a fast-growing, hardy, deciduous rosewood tree native to the Indian subcontinent and southern Iran. ''D. sissoo'' is a large, crooked tree with long, leathery leav ...

). Going further east, the wells become less frequent and they are interspersed by patches of wasteland. Beyond this is the area where cattle graze. Closest to the border with the Bar, the distance to water is far, and the fertility of this area varies heavily depending on rainfall. Farmers try to bring rainwater down from the Bar uplands. Towards the southern end of the district, good grassland becomes less common, and trees become mostly absent except in some depressions where water collects when it rains. The Chenab itself widens out in the south, and the Utar becomes more narrow. Traces of river action are more common here, with more depressions and sand dunes. At the far southern end of the district is a distinct area formed by relatively recent river activity; the soil here is light and sandy, and the

water table The water table is the upper surface of the zone of saturation. The zone of saturation is where the pores and fractures of the ground are saturated with water. It can also be simply explained as the depth below which the ground is saturated. T ...

is very high and close to the surface. Areas here that are not under cultivated are covered by a dense growth of sar grass.

Utar of the Kirana Bar

For the most part, the Utar on the west side of the Chenab is the same as the Utar on the east. There is a similar band of well-based agriculture on this side. Further west, in the Shah Jiwana taluka, the landscape changes to become either partially covered by sparse ''sar'' grass or otherwise bare ''kallar'' plains. The lowest part of the triangle between the Jhelum and the Chenab is called the Vichanh, which "may be described as a dorsal ridge, covered with efflorescent

saltpetre Potassium nitrate is a chemical compound with the chemical formula . This alkali metal nitrate salt is also known as Indian saltpetre (large deposits of which were historically mined in India). It is an ionic salt of potassium ions K+ and nitra ...

, between the fertile low-lying alluvial lands of the two rivers." This area has exceptionally sour soil and it extends as far south as Kadirpur Bakhsha. The Utar between the Jhelum and the Kirana Bar, in the area around Kot Isa Shah, is arguably the most fertile part of the district. Agriculture flourishes here, and there are plenty of trees for some distance away from the river. To the east, farther away from the Jhelum, is an infertile zone with lots of ''kallar'', and then comes the Kirana Bar. No clear high ridge separates this part of the Kirana Bar from the Utar. The ''kallar'' plains of the border area are interspersed by some patches of fertile soil, such as the one around the village of Bhairo.

Thal-Jhelum Utar (aka the Kachhi)

The Utar between the Thal and the Jhelum is also called the ''Kachhi'', which refers to "a country that is contained within some strongly marked boundary, here the Thal." The name is unrelated to the

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''

The Kachhi only really exists south of the village of Sherowana — north of here, the Jhelum flows right next to the Thal. South of Sherowana, though, the Kachhi is about 9 miles wide and does not get inundated by the Jhelum's floods. A distinct feature of the Kachhi is the absence of grass. The soil is clayey, and water does not penetrate it but instead drains off into depressions. The salts left behind prevent the growth of plants, and the surface is barren as a result. The Kachhi does, however, support a "stunted forest" of ''jal'' bushes close to the Thal, and ''karir'' closer to the river.

Hithar

The upper Chenab valley

The upper Chenab, before receiving the waters of the Jhelum at the Domel, is "a broad shallow stream, with a sluggish current and a licentious course. Its deposits are sandy, but its flood is extensive, and from the loose texture of the soil on its banks, the moisture penetrates far inland." The upper Chenab is contained between two well-defined banks and it rarely spills over them except at certain known points. The width between these two banks varies significantly throughout the river's course. In areas where the banks are fairly close together, the whole area between them is reliably flooded each year. In areas where the river has eroded more of the Utar and the banks are farther apart, however, the flood patterns are less predictable. In these places, in order to ensure that the water floods fields, people set up embankments across the ''

nala Nala (Sanskrit: नल) is a character in the ''Vana Parva'' book of the ''Mahabharata''. He was the king of Nishadha Kingdom and the son of Veerasena. Nala was known for his skill with horses and for his culinary expertise. He married prince ...

''s to raise the water level. The deposits left behind by the Chenab are usually very sandy, and they usually require successive deposits of silt in order to become good for agriculture. This tendency has led to a saying, "it takes gold and gives copper." The upper Chenab has "enormous powers of erosion" but it works slowly, and its flooding is fairly regular.

The Jhelum valley

Compared to the Chenab, the Jhelum contains a much smaller volume of water, and it flows in a much narrower channel. Since it is a fairly narrow river, islands are uncommon. The Jhelum floods a smaller area than the Chenab, but its deposits are much richer: more mud and less sand. A deposit of Jhelum silt can yield a good rice crop in its first year, unlike the Chenab. The zone on the banks of the Jhelum is "fertile, well wooded, densely cultivated, and supports a larger population than any other portion of the district."

The lower Chenab valley

Immediately downstream from the Domel, the lower Chenab begins to flood a much larger area. Large islands (called ''bela''s or ''bindi''s) form much more frequently than they do upstream. There are many channels of the river that are dry during cold weather and fill up with water whenever the water level rises. A thick ''lai jangal'' grows along the riverbank, mixed with patches of cropland. Between this band and the boundary of the Utar zone is the alluvial plain flooded by the river each year. This area is heavily cultivated, mostly for

Rabi crop Rabi crops or rabi harvest, also known as winter crops, are agricultural crops that are sown in winter and harvested in the spring in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. The complimentary of the rabi crop is the kharif crop, which is grown after t ...

s — generally only higher, lighter soils are used to grow autumn crops. The soil in this zone ranges from stiff clay to sand, but usually tends to be a light

loam Loam (in geology and soil science) is soil composed mostly of sand (particle size > ), silt (particle size > ), and a smaller amount of clay (particle size < ). By weight, its mineral composition is about 40–40–20% concentration of sand–sil ...

, "easily worked and retentive of moisture." Below

Shorkot Shorkot ( ur, , Basti starabad=), ( pa, ), is a city in Punjab, Pakistan. It is also a capital city of Shorkot Tehsil in Jhang district. It is located at 30°30'N 72°24'E with an altitude of 131 metres (433 ft). The city is famous ...

, the Utar recedes, and instead of a relatively narrow band of Hithar lowlands, there is a wide floodplain with many channels that carry floodwaters inland. There is a narrow band of rich ''sailab'' land along the riverbank. Beyond this, higher ground and patches of sandy ''sar''-covered wasteland become common. Wells for irrigation also become more common farther away from the river.

Climate

The climate of Jhang District is the same as the climate for all of southern Punjab. At the start of June, the weather becomes intensely hot, and the kikar and

ber ''Ziziphus mauritiana'', also known as Indian jujube, Indian plum, Chinese date, Chinese apple, ber, and dunks is a tropical fruit tree species belonging to the family Rhamnaceae. It is often confused with the closely related jujube, Chinese j ...

trees lose all their leaves due to the heat. A hot wind blows consistently from the south and southwest throughout the month of June; the wind becomes more variable with the onset of the

monsoon A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annual latitudinal oscil ...

. Until the last few days in June, the nights are somewhat cooler than the days, and from that point on both day and night are very hot. The monsoon rains generally start by mid-July, and then they fall constantly with few if any pauses. The rains bring a drop in temperature, and the lack of muggy weather makes Jhang District more pleasant during this period than some other areas. Any pause in the rains, though, and the heat becomes intense again. The next major change usually happens in August, when the nights and mornings get cooler. When the cold weather begins depends on the amount of rainfall during August and September: if there is no rain, then the cooling happens more gradually and people stop using pankhas around early-mid October. With rain, the cold weather begins much more quickly. Like in the rest of Punjab, cold weather in Jhang District is characterised by crisp, fresh mornings; cool, bright days; and frosty nights. Rain generally does not fall during October and November, but it does at the end of December as well as during January and February. By the end of March, it gets noticeably warmer; April and May are both hot and dry.

Plants

Trees

The most common tree in Jhang District is the kikar (''

Acacia arabica ''Vachellia nilotica'', more commonly known as ''Acacia nilotica'', and by the vernacular names of gum arabic tree, babul, thorn mimosa, Egyptian acacia or thorny acacia, is a flowering tree in the family Fabaceae. It is native to Africa, the Mi ...

''), especially in the Hithar zone along the Jhelum and Chenab rivers. It grows quickly, which is the main reason why it is generally preferred as a wood tree. It is vulnerable to frost when young, but less so when mature. The tree's pods and loppings from

pruning Pruning is a horticultural, arboricultural, and silvicultural practice involving the selective removal of certain parts of a plant, such as branches, buds, or roots. The practice entails the ''targeted'' removal of diseased, damaged, dead, ...

are readily eaten by sheep and goats. Kikar wood is very high quality and traditionally was used for practically every purpose, especially making wooden

wheel A wheel is a circular component that is intended to rotate on an axle Bearing (mechanical), bearing. The wheel is one of the key components of the wheel and axle which is one of the Simple machine, six simple machines. Wheels, in conjunction wi ...

s. The bark, meanwhile, is traditionally used in

tanning Tanning may refer to: *Tanning (leather), treating animal skins to produce leather *Sun tanning, using the sun to darken pale skin **Indoor tanning, the use of artificial light in place of the sun **Sunless tanning, application of a stain or dye t ...

as well as to make

spirits Spirit or spirits may refer to: Liquor and other volatile liquids * Spirits, a.k.a. liquor, distilled alcoholic drinks * Spirit or tincture, an extract of plant or animal material dissolved in ethanol * Volatile (especially flammable) liquids, ...

. The Kabuli kikar ('' Acacia cupressiformis'') is also common in Jhang District, but it is less valued for human use. The

(''Dalbergia sissu''), also called the tahli, is found wherever there is cultivated land, but since its roots need to get down to water for it to thrive, it is most abundant in the Hithar lowlands along the rivers. Particularly in the southern Hithar, just about every well has a bunch of shishams growing around it, and many of them can get quite big. The shisham can be found either growing straight or drooping. The

(''Zizyphus jujuba'') is a hardy tree, and it will grow just about anywhere, although it does best in the fertile soil of the Hithar. It is considered unlucky to cut down a ber, and its fruit is held in high regard. The fruit ripens around March, and it has an acidic taste. The ukanh ('' Tamarix orientalis''), also called the farash or the khagal, is not common except in the Bars and the Kachhi. In the Kachhi, ukanh are usually gnarled and stunted except around wells, and they are usually not chosen to be planted by people. In the Bars, the ukanh is a common sight wherever water collects or the soil is moister than usual. Its wood is hard and used for various purposes. The jand (''Acacia leucophelea'') is usually encountered as a stunted bush or shrub, but in more conducive conditions it can grow into a large tree. The presence of jand shrubs is a sign of good underlying soil. Jand ''jangal'' is uncommon in the Hithar, also a dense area of it once existed near Shorkot. Like the ukanh, jands growing in the Bars generally prefer moist, low-lying areas. The sohajna, or horseradish tree (''Moringa pterygosperma''), is found throughout the district, but is especially common in the Jhang tehsil. It gets pruned regularly every year, and its fruit is preserved and used in

chutney A chutney is a spread in the cuisines of the Indian subcontinent. Chutneys are made in a wide variety of forms, such as a tomato relish, a ground peanut garnish, yogurt or curd, cucumber, spicy coconut, spicy onion or mint dipping sauce. ...

s as well as to make pickles. Pilu

The jal (''

Salvadora oleoides ''Salvadora oleoides'' is a small bushy evergreen tree found in India and Pakistan and southern Iran. The root and stem possess various antimicrobial agents and is traditionally used as toothbrush in Pakistan and India Habitat The vann is commo ...

''), also called the wan or pilu, is very common throughout the district, with the largest trees generally being found in the Kachhi and the Bars. It is known by all three names, but its fruit is exclusively called pilu. There are two kinds of jal tree: the ''kaura'' jal and the ''miththa'' jal. The ''kaura'' jal's leaves are much darker, longer, and wider than the ''mitha'' jal's leaves. Cobras especially like to hide under the jal tree's roots, and camels like to eat its leaves during the first part of the hot season. The jal is well-regarded for giving good shade. Historically, cattle thieves in the Bars would frequently hide stolen animals under jal trees. The jal does not make good firewood — it produces "an enormous quantity of ash", it stinks when burned, and it doesn't give off much heat. The pilu fruit, though, is enjoyed both by people and by animals. It usually ripens around the beginning of June, and it gets gathered, dried, and stored. Livestock that eat the pilu fruit are supposed to produce sweeter milk, and more of it. Capparis decidua green unripe fruits

The karir bush ('' Capparis aphylla'') grows alongside the jal throughout the district. Like the jal, it is especially common in the Kachhi and Bar regions. Sheep and goats readily graze off the karir, and cows will do so as well when other food is hard to come by. It has a pinkish-white flower called the bata, as well as a berry called the dehla. The dehla is eaten when ripe, but not extensively, and it is nowhere near as esteemed as ber or pilu fruit. The unripe berries are pickled or made into a tonic for horses. Karir wood is less susceptible (but not immune) to infestation by

white ant ''White Ant'' (Chinese: 白蟻─慾望謎網) is a 2016 Taiwanese drama film and the narrative feature film debut of Chu Hsien-che, who worked as a documentarian for more than 20 years prior to ''White Ant''. The film stars Wu Kang-jen, Aviis Zho ...

s than other types of wood found in the district; it gets used to make

rafter A rafter is one of a series of sloped structural members such as wooden beams that extend from the ridge or hip to the wall plate, downslope perimeter or eave, and that are designed to support the roof shingles, roof deck and its associated ...

s for houses. Other trees that are found in Jhang District include the siris ('' Acacia speciosa''), which is rare but gives good shade; the bohar (''

Ficus indica ''Ficus'' ( or ) is a genus of about 850 species of woody trees, shrubs, vines, epiphytes and hemiepiphytes in the family Moraceae. Collectively known as fig trees or figs, they are native throughout the tropics with a few species extending in ...

''), which is found throughout the district but especially thrives near the rivers; the pipal (''

Ficus religiosa ''Ficus religiosa'' or sacred fig is a species of Ficus, fig native to the Indian subcontinent and Indochina that belongs to Moraceae, the fig or mulberry family. It is also known as the bodhi tree, pippala tree, peepul tree, peepal tree, pipa ...

''), which is found throughout the district but less commonly than the bohar; the bakain ('' Melia azaderach''); and the bahn (''

Populus euphratica ''Populus euphratica'', commonly known as the Euphrates poplar, desert poplar, diversiform-leaved poplar, or poplar diversifolia, is a species of poplar tree in the willow family. Description The Euphrates poplar is a medium-sized deciduous ...

'', locally called the ''ubhan''), which is found on some river islands, particularly just above the Domel.

Shrubs

One of the most significant plants found in Jhang District is the buta (''

Tripidium bengalense ''Tripidium bengalense'', synonym ''Saccharum bengalense'', with the common names munj sweetcane, baruwa sugarcane or baruwa grass, is a plant of the genus '' Tripidium'' native to Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, northern India, Nepal, Bangladesh an ...

'', syn. ''Saccharum munja''), which is extremely common in the Chenab valley but not so much along the Jhelum. It gets more common the further south you go. Different parts of the plant go by different names: the leaves are called ''sar'', the flower stems are called ''kana'' and ''tili'', and the stem sheaths are called ''munj''. In October and November, before the ''kana'' stems are cut, they crowd one's view, and the difference after they are cut is "astonishing". During the cold season, cattle almost exclusively eat these plants. Every part of the buta plant has human uses, but the most important is the munj, which gets made into

rope A rope is a group of yarns, plies, fibres, or strands that are twisted or braided together into a larger and stronger form. Ropes have tensile strength and so can be used for dragging and lifting. Rope is thicker and stronger than similarly ...

. Kanh (''

Saccharum spontaneum ''Saccharum spontaneum'' (wild sugarcane, Kans grass) is a grass native to the Indian Subcontinent. It is a perennial grass, growing up to three meters in height, with spreading rhizomatous roots. In the Terai-Duar savanna and grasslands, a l ...

'') is only found in the moistest areas along the rivers. It makes the thickest jangal in the district, and it is especially liked by buffaloes for grazing as well as by wild pigs. It gets used to make pens, but not for thatching because it's too valuable. Lana, lani, and khar are all found in Jhang District, and they are all eaten by camels. Khar is the most preferred, and lani the least. Lana comes in two varieties, called ''gora'' and ''mithar''. Khar is used to make

sajji Sajji ( Balochi and Urdu: سجی) is a Balochi dish originating from the Balochistan province of Pakistan. Traditional and authentic sajji consists of lamb, marinated only in salt with a few spices. Sajji is considered done when it is at the ' r ...

. Phog is mostly found in the Thal and in sandy parts of the Bars. It is rarely eaten by cattle, and it has no human use. Buin and khip are similarly useless to humans, and animals do not eat them. Ak is sometimes eaten by goats and deer if they get desperate, and it is also not useful to humans. Jawanh, or the camelthorn, is mostly found in the waste and

fallow Fallow is a farming technique in which arable land is left without sowing for one or more vegetative cycles. The goal of fallowing is to allow the land to recover and store organic matter while retaining moisture and disrupting pest life cycles ...

lands that get flooded by the rivers; it is a weed that causes problems for agriculture. The leh, or

thistle Thistle is the common name of a group of flowering plants characterised by leaves with sharp prickles on the margins, mostly in the family Asteraceae. Prickles can also occur all over the planton the stem and on the flat parts of the leaves. ...

, is another weed that grows in old ''sailab'' lands. Two more problematic weeds are the harmal and the bhukil, which are found throughout the Kachhi areas under well-based agriculture. The harmal mostly grows on fallow lands, while the bhukil grows in light sandy soil alongside crops, and it "chokes" the crops and kills them.

Grasses

Grasses are important in Jhang District because they form pasturage for livestock. The most common grass in the district is the chhimbar, which thrives in all types of soil. It grows densely, and with good rainfall it can get very tall.

Lamb Lamb or The Lamb may refer to: * A young sheep * Lamb and mutton, the meat of sheep Arts and media Film, television, and theatre * ''The Lamb'' (1915 film), a silent film starring Douglas Fairbanks Sr. in his screen debut * ''The Lamb'' (1918 ...

is a feathery grass that grows in ''kallar''. Lunak also grows in ''kallar''; it is tall and high quality and requires a good deal of rain to thrive. Garham somewhat resembles lunak in appearance, but is taller and stronger. It does not grow in ''kallar'' soil, but instead usually grows under bushes that have been fertilised by dung. It is not as good as lunak. Kurya is an uncommon grass, but it is high quality and makes especially good grazing for horses. Khar madhuna is a smaller grass, inferior in quality. Its seeds are shaped like a

woodlouse A woodlouse (plural woodlice) is an isopod crustacean from the polyphyleticThe current consensus is that Oniscidea is actually triphyletic suborder Oniscidea within the order Isopoda. They get their name from often being found in old wood. ...

. The best grass of all is

, which grows more in the north and less in the south. It will not grow on ''kallar'' soil. It is "a thick, juicy, pale green grass" that gets very tall with enough rain. It supposedly makes buffalo milk slightly intoxicating if they graze on it. Another good grass is pilan, which makes sweet hay and grows mixed with chhimbar and kheo. Kheo sprouts exceptionally quickly after rains; it is higher quality than murak, which also has this trait. Aleti, dedhak, and kilanj are three prostrate grasses that grow in Jhang District; all three of them are very hardy and do well during droughts. Sheep and goats eat them on the ground, while people dig them up and feed them to cattle. Khawi grass grows in hollows where water collects, and tends to favour ''kallar'' soil. It has a fragrant smell and is coloured dark brownish-red. Cows will eat it, but only when desperate, because it is not very nutritious. Khawi grass is used to make khas-khas. Like khawi, panhi grass grows in hollows and depressions, but it sticks to better soils and does not grow in ''kallar''. It somewhat resembles the buta in shape, although it is straight and stiff instead of drooping like the buta. Its roots are long and tough, and they are used to make rope as well as to make weavers' brushes.

Animals

Wolves The wolf (''Canis lupus''; plural, : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large Canis, canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of Canis lupus, subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been reco ...

are found in both the Sandal Bar and the Kirana Bar, and historically they were fairly common.

Hyena Hyenas, or hyaenas (from Ancient Greek , ), are feliform carnivoran mammals of the family Hyaenidae . With only four extant species (each in its own genus), it is the fifth-smallest family in the Carnivora and one of the smallest in the clas ...

s live here but have never been common. Two types of

wild cat Felidae () is the family of mammals in the order Carnivora colloquially referred to as cats, and constitutes a clade. A member of this family is also called a felid (). The term "cat" refers both to felids in general and specifically to the do ...

s live in the district, and both of them are called the ''bar-billa''. One type is distinguished by its long tail and is actually descended from domesticated cats that became

feral A feral () animal or plant is one that lives in the wild but is descended from domesticated individuals. As with an introduced species, the introduction of feral animals or plants to non-native regions may disrupt ecosystems and has, in some ...

. It grows larger than domesticated cats, and can run especially fast. The other type, distringuished by its short tail, is a true

lynx A lynx is a type of wild cat. Lynx may also refer to: Astronomy * Lynx (constellation) * Lynx (Chinese astronomy) * Lynx X-ray Observatory, a NASA-funded mission concept for a next-generation X-ray space observatory Places Canada * Lynx, Ontar ...

Jackal Jackals are medium-sized canids native to Africa and Eurasia. While the word "jackal" has historically been used for many canines of the subtribe canina, in modern use it most commonly refers to three species: the closely related black-backed ...

s historically were found along the Chenab "in great numbers", but not so much in the Bars. Two different kinds of

fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

es also live in the district: one is a light yellowish-brown colour, and it blends in with the ground after a drought; the other one is darker in colour. Wild

pig The pig (''Sus domesticus''), often called swine, hog, or domestic pig when distinguishing from other members of the genus '' Sus'', is an omnivorous, domesticated, even-toed, hoofed mammal. It is variously considered a subspecies of ''Sus ...

s and

hare Hares and jackrabbits are mammals belonging to the genus ''Lepus''. They are herbivores, and live solitarily or in pairs. They nest in slight depressions called forms, and their young are able to fend for themselves shortly after birth. The ge ...

s also live in Jhang District. Birds found in the district include the houbara, which is called the ''obara'' here and is especially common throughout the district during the colder months; the coulon, or ''kunj'', which comes here during the cold season and is most common in Hithar areas; and

geese A goose (plural, : geese) is a bird of any of several waterfowl species in the family (biology), family Anatidae. This group comprises the genera ''Anser (bird), Anser'' (the grey geese and white geese) and ''Branta'' (the black geese). Some o ...

, which migrate here later than the coulon and are most common along the banks of the Jhelum and the lower Chenab. The

sandgrouse Sandgrouse is the common name for Pteroclidae , a family (biology), family of sixteen species of bird, members of the order Pterocliformes . They are traditionally placed in two Genus, genera. The two central Asian species are classified as ''Sy ...

is common throughout the district in November and December, and the

quail Quail is a collective name for several genera of mid-sized birds generally placed in the order Galliformes. The collective noun for a group of quail is a flock, covey, or bevy. Old World quail are placed in the family Phasianidae, and New Wor ...

is common in spring and autumn. The most common snakes in the district include the karet and the cobra. The Bars especially are home to a large variety, including many venomous ones.

Administrative divisions

This district comprises four sub-districts (or

Tehsils A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluka, or taluk) is a local unit of administrative division in some countries of South Asia. It is a subdistrict of the area within a district including the designated populated place that serves as its administr ...

): *

* Athara Hazari *

* Ahmad Pur Sial

History

The early history of Jhang District is unclear. It is heavily intertwined with the historically dominant

Sial In geology, the term sial refers to the composition of the upper layer of Earth's crust, namely rocks rich in aluminium silicate minerals. It is sometimes equated with the continental crust because it is absent in the wide oceanic basins, but ...

tribe, who founded the city of

in 1462. But they were not particularly powerful until the first half of the 18th century — they were originally just one of several pastoral tribes living in the area, and they were tributaries of the more powerful Nauls.

Babur Babur ( fa, , lit= tiger, translit= Bābur; ; 14 February 148326 December 1530), born Mīrzā Zahīr ud-Dīn Muhammad, was the founder of the Mughal Empire in the Indian subcontinent. He was a descendant of Timur and Genghis Khan through his ...

does not mention the Sials at all in the early-16th-century ''

Baburnama The ''Bāburnāma'' ( chg, ; literally: ''"History of Babur"'' or ''"Letters of Babur"''; alternatively known as ''Tuzk-e Babri'') is the memoirs of Ẓahīr-ud-Dīn Muhammad Bābur (1483–1530), founder of the Mughal Empire and a great-great- ...

'', although he does refer to the regions of

Bhera Bhera ( pa, ; ur, ) is a city and tehsil of Sargodha District, Punjab province of Pakistan. The city is known for wood-carved items, textiles (such as quilts and khussas), and certain desserts (such as pheonian and pateesa). The city is ...

Khushab Khushab ( punjabi: خُوشاب) is a town as well as a district of Sargodha Division, located in the Punjab province of Pakistan. The word ''Khushab'' means "sweet water." Khushab city also serves as the headquarters of Khushab Tehsil, an admini ...

Chiniot Chiniot (Urdu and pa, ) is a city and the administrative headquarter of Chiniot District in the province of Punjab, Pakistan. Located on the bank of the river Chenab, it is the 28th largest city of Pakistan. It is also known for its intrica ...

, Chenab, and (possibly)

. Gradually, however, the Sials gained preeminence over the other tribes and came to collect tribute from them. Various independent branches of the Sials existed up until the reign of Walidad Khan in the early 18th century (the exact date is not clear). Walidad Khan inherited rulership of the branch based at Jhang's fort, but he only ruled a small area at first. Other branches of the Sials at the time were based at Rashidpur, across the Chenab and close relatives (and allies) of Walidad Khan; at

Massan is a Japanese television drama series, the 91st Asadora (morning drama) broadcast daily on NHK from September 29, 2014, until March 28, 2015. ''Massan'' is based on the lives of Masataka Taketsuru and his Scottish wife Jessie Roberta "Rita" Cowa ...

in the Vichanh, whose ruler belonged to the Sahibana branch; and at Mirak Sial to the south, whose ruler was part of the Nithrana branch. Other independent rulers included the Mahnis of Khiwa, the

Sayyid ''Sayyid'' (, ; ar, سيد ; ; meaning 'sir', 'Lord', 'Master'; Arabic plural: ; feminine: ; ) is a surname of people descending from the Prophets in Islam, Islamic prophet Muhammad through his grandsons, Hasan ibn Ali and Husayn ibn Ali ...

s of Shah Jiwana, the Rihans of Kalowal, and the

Kharal The Kharal also spelled ''Kharral'' or ''Kharl'' is a very large tribe centered in Punjab Region that was traditionally semi-pastoral and is classed as Jat or Rajput. Modern Indian and Pakistani census reports mention Kharals as Rajputs. The ...

s of

Kamalia Kamalia ( pa, , ur, ) is a city in the Toba Tek Singh District of Punjab, Pakistan. It is the administrative center of Kamalia Tehsil. It is the 42nd largest city of Pakistan by population and has a lot more population compared to nearby ci ...

. Walidad Khan was a successful ruler who ended up ruling over a large kingdom with Jhang as his capital. He died in 1747 and was succeeded as ruler by

Inayatullah Khan Inayatullah Khan (Pashto/Dari: ), (20 October 1888 – 12 August 1946) was the King of Afghanistan for three days in January 1929. He was the son of former Afghan Emir, Habibullah Khan. Inayatullah's brief reign ended with his abdication. I ...

, who was his nephew and son-in-law. Inayatullah Khan was also skilled as an administrator and military leader, but the ascendant

Sikh Confederacy The Misls (derived from an Arabic word مِثْل meaning 'equal') were the twelve sovereign states of the Sikh Confederacy, which rose during the 18th century in the Punjab region in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent and is cit ...

was beginning to impose its authority over this region. In 1760,

Hari Singh Maharaja Sir Hari Singh (September 1895 – 26 April 1961) was the last ruling Maharaja of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir (princely state), Jammu and Kashmir. Hari Singh was the son of Amar Singh and Bhotiali Chib. In 1923, followi ...

of the

Bhangi Misl The Bhangi Misl ( Punjabi pronunciation: ə̃˨ŋɡiː mɪsəl was a large and most powerful Sikh Misl headquartered was in Amritsar. It was founded in the early 18th century by Sardar Chhajja Singh Dhillon,Sikh History (2004)"The Bhangi ...

sacked Jhang and made Inayatullah into his tributary; Inayatullah suspended paying tribute in 1778 and captured Chiniot from the Bhangis, but it had apparently come back under their control by the time he died in 1787.

Ranjit Singh Ranjit Singh (13 November 1780 – 27 June 1839), popularly known as Sher-e-Punjab or "Lion of Punjab", was the first Maharaja of the Sikh Empire, which ruled the northwest Indian subcontinent in the early half of the 19th century. He s ...

, founder of the

Sikh Empire The Sikh Empire was a state originating in the Indian subcontinent, formed under the leadership of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, who established an empire based in the Punjab. The empire existed from 1799, when Maharaja Ranjit Singh captured Lahor ...

, captured Chiniot from the Bhangis in 1803 and intended to attack Jhang, but the reigning Sial leader

Ahmad Khan Ahmad ( ar, أحمد, ʾAḥmad) is an Arabic male given name common in most parts of the Muslim world. Other spellings of the name include Ahmed and Ahmet. Etymology The word derives from the root (ḥ-m-d), from the Arabic (), from the ve ...

agreed to become his tributary before he did so. He paid an annual tribute of 70,000

rupee Rupee is the common name for the currencies of India, Mauritius, Nepal, Pakistan, Seychelles, and Sri Lanka, and of former currencies of Afghanistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, the United Arab Emirates (as the Gulf rupee), British East Africa, B ...

s and one

mare A mare is an adult female horse or other equine. In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger. In Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than four ...

for a couple of years before Ranjit Singh invaded again. Ahmad Khan offered to pay him nazarana, but Ranjit Singh refused and went on to capture Jhang. Ahmad Khan fled to

Multan Multan (; ) is a city in Punjab, Pakistan, on the bank of the Chenab River. Multan is Pakistan's seventh largest city as per the 2017 census, and the major cultural, religious and economic centre of southern Punjab. Multan is one of the List ...

, where he found refuge with the Nawab, Muzaffar Khan. Meanwhile, Ranjit Singh parcelled out the tax farming rights for the conquered Sial territory among his followers: the Vichanh area was given jointly to Dyal Singh and Fateh Singh Lamah, while the rest went to Fateh Singh Kalianwala. Ahmad Khan and Fateh Singh Kalianwala reached an agreement in 1808; Ahmad Khan was reinstated as ruler of his former lands (at least the part that Fateh Singh held) in return for an annual payment of Rs. 70,000. Ahmad Khan then drove out the Sikh governors of the Vichanh. However, this arrangement did not last for long: after accompanying Ranjit Singh on an unsuccessful expedition against Multan in 1810, Ahmad Khan was imprisoned and taken to

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city. ...

because Ranjit Singh suspected him of favouring the Nawab of Multan.

Lala Sujan Rai Lala may refer to: Geography * Lala language (disambiguation) Places * Lala (Naples Metro), an underground metro station in Naples, Italy * Lala, Assam, a town in Assam, India * Lala, Ilam, a village in Ilam Province, Iran * Lala, Lanao del No ...

was then appointed governor of Jhang. Ahmad Khan was later released and given a

jagir A jagir ( fa, , translit=Jāgir), also spelled as jageer, was a type of feudal land grant in the Indian subcontinent at the foundation of its Jagirdar (Zamindar) system. It developed during the Islamic rule era of the Indian subcontinent, start ...

of Rs. 1,200 at Mirowal near

Amritsar Amritsar (), historically also known as Rāmdāspur and colloquially as ''Ambarsar'', is the second largest city in the Indian state of Punjab, after Ludhiana. It is a major cultural, transportation and economic centre, located in the Majha r ...

; he later died in 1820. The British annexed the Punjab in 1849 at the end of the

Second Anglo-Sikh War The Second Anglo-Sikh War was a military conflict between the Sikh Empire and the East India Company, British East India Company that took place in 1848 and 1849. It resulted in the fall of the Sikh Empire, and the annexation of the Punjab r ...

, and at that point Jhang was constituted as one of the districts of Punjab. It was divided into the following

tehsil A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluka, or taluk) is a local unit of administrative division in some countries of South Asia. It is a subdistrict of the area within a district including the designated populated place that serves as its administr ...

s and

taluka A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluka, or taluk) is a local unit of administrative division in some countries of South Asia. It is a subdistrict of the area within a district including the designated populated place that serves as its administr ...

s: In 1854, the Faruka taluka in the

was transferred out of Jhang District and into

Shahpur District Shahpur District was a district in current day Pakistan from 1893, during the British Raj, till 1960. From 1893 to 1914 Shahpur was the district headquarters. In 1914 the district headquarters were moved from Shahpur to Sargodha, although the dis ...

, and at about the same time a long strip of land on the right bank of the

Ravi River The Ravi River () is a transboundary river crossing northwestern India and eastern Pakistan. It is one of five rivers associated with the Punjab region. Under the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960, the waters of the Ravi and two other rivers were ...

was transferred out of Jhang District and into

Multan District Multan District ( ur, ), is a district in the Punjab province of Pakistan. According to the 1998 census of Pakistan it had a population of 3,116,851 (1.315 million or 42.2% in urban areas). Its capital is the city of Multan. The district of ...

. In 1861, the ilakas of

Garh Maharaja Garh Maharaja ( ur, ), is a Town Committee of Ahmedpur Sial Tehsil in the Jhang District in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is located at 30°50'0" North, 71°54'0" East. The Shrine of Sultan Bahu is located in Garh Maharaja. It is a popula ...

and Ahmadpur were transferred from

Muzaffargarh District Muzaffargarh District ( ur, ) is a district of the Punjab province of Pakistan. Its capital is Muzaffargarh city. It lies on the bank of the Chenab River. Administration The district is administratively divided into the following three teh ...

into Jhang District, and the ilaka of Kalowal was transferred from Shahpur District into Jhang District. At around the same time, Jhang District was redivided into three tehsils: Jhang, Chiniot, and

. Then in 1880, five villages were transferred out of Shorkot Tehsil in Jhang District and placed in the Sarai Siddhu of Multan District, so as to give Multan District control of the entire Ravi ''sailab''.

Demographics

At the time of the 2017 census the district had a population of 2,742,633, of which 1,394,928 were males and 1,347,444 females. Rural population is 2,144,201 while the urban population is 598,432. The literacy rate was 55.64%.

Religion

As per the 2017 census,

Muslims Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abraha ...

made up almost the entire population with 99.70%.

Language

At the time of the 2017 census, 94.11% of the population spoke Punjabi and 4.10%

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''

Historical settlement patterns

From the Census Report of 1881: the average size of a village was 474 people, the average distance between villages was 2.98 miles, and the average number of villages per 100 square miles was 13. The overall population density per square mile was just 69 people (63 in rural areas excluding cities), but this statistic was "in a manner misleading", since it counted large areas of arid steppe with very low populations of nomadic pastoralists. The area that was under cultivation, on the other hand, was actually fairly dense, with 557 people per square mile in rural areas (615 per square mile if urban areas are included). The average number of families per house was 1.22 in villages and 1.94 in towns; the average number of people per house was 5.74 in villages and 8.05 in towns; and the average number of people per family was 4.71 in villages and 4.14 in towns. Historically, most villages in Jhang district were very dispersed. Instead of having a single village site, landlords and their tenants would have houses around individual wells in small hamlets, along with a shopkeeper and a few Kamins (craftsmen, service providers, and other specialists).

Educational institutes

Following are some of the notable educational institutes of the district: *

Chenab College, Jhang Chenab College Jhang is a public college in Jhang, Punjab, Pakistan Punjab (; , ) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in central-eastern region of the country, Punjab is the second-largest province of Pakistan by land area ...

* Punjab College of Science, Jhang CampusPunjab Group of Colleges website
/ref>

Notable people

Sultan Bahoo Sultan Bahu ( pa, , ਸੁਲਤਾਨ ਬਾਹੂ ; also spelled Bahoo; 17 January 1630 – 1 March 1691), was a 17th-century Punjabi Sufi mystic, poet, scholar and historian. He was active in the Punjab region (present-day Pakistan) dur ...

, a Sufi saint *

Abdus Salam Mohammad Abdus Salam Salam adopted the forename "Mohammad" in 1974 in response to the anti-Ahmadiyya decrees in Pakistan, similarly he grew his beard. (; ; 29 January 192621 November 1996) was a Punjabi Pakistani theoretical physicist and a ...

Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; sv, Nobelpriset ; no, Nobelprisen ) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfr ...

winner in physics * Muhammad Arif Khan Rajbana Sial, politician, close associate of the

Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah (, ; born Mahomedali Jinnahbhai; 25 December 1876 – 11 September 1948) was a barrister, politician, and the founder of Pakistan. Jinnah served as the leader of the All-India Muslim League from 1913 until the ...

and key figure in the Independence Movement of Pakistan *

Aleem Dar Aleem Dar PP ( Punjabi, ur, ; born 6 June 1968) is a Pakistani cricket umpire and former cricketer. He is a member of the Elite Panel of ICC Umpires. He won the David Shepherd Trophy three years in a row from 2009 to 2011, after being nomina ...

, cricket player *

Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri ( ur, ‎; born 19 February 1951) is a Pakistani–Canadian Islamic scholar and former politician who founded Minhaj-ul-Quran International and Pakistan Awami Tehreek. He was also a professor of international cons ...

, a Sufi Scholar, Politician, Founder of Minhaj-Ul-Quran International and Pakistan Awami Tehreek *

Majeed Amjad Majeed Amjad (Punjabi, ur, ) (29 June 1914 – 11 May 1974) was an Urdu poet from Pakistan. One newspaper described him as a "philosophical poet of depth and sensitivity". His ghazals have also been sung by various Pakistani singers. Personal ...

, a famous Urdu Poet

References

Bibliography

* *
Maloomat e Jhang Complete Book
{{Authority control Districts of Punjab, Pakistan