Phalia (

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
'' Phalia Tehsil of

Mandi Bahauddin District Mandi Bahauddin, also spelled Mandi Baha ud Din, (Punjabi and ur, ) is a district in the Punjab province of Pakistan.In the north-central area of the province. It is bordered on the northwest by the Jhelum River, on the southeast by the Chena ...

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 a ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...

History

Alexander the Great Alexander III of Macedon ( grc, Ἀλέξανδρος, Alexandros; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon. He succeeded his father Philip II to ...

and his army crossed the Jhelum in July 326 BC at the Battle of the Hydaspes River where he defeated the Indian king

Porus Porus or Poros ( grc, Πῶρος ; 326–321 BC) was an ancient Indian king whose territory spanned the region between the Jhelum River (Hydaspes) and Chenab River (Acesines), in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent. He is only ment ...

. According to Arrian (''Anabasis'', 29), he built a city on the spot whence he started to cross the river

Hydaspes The Jhelum River (/dʒʰeːləm/) is a river in the northern Indian subcontinent. It originates at Verinag and flows through the Indian administered territory of Jammu and Kashmir, to the Pakistani-administered territory of Kashmir, and then ...

now

Jhelum River The Jhelum River (/dʒʰeːləm/) is a river in the northern Indian subcontinent. It originates at Verinag and flows through the Indian administered territory of Jammu and Kashmir, to the Pakistani-administered territory of Kashmir, and then ...

, which he named Bukephala or Bucephala to honour his famous and loyal horse Bukephalus or

Bucephalus Bucephalus or Bucephalas (; grc, Βουκεφάλας, ; – June 326 BC) was the horse of Alexander the Great, and one of the most famous horses of classical antiquity. Ancient historical accounts state that Bucephalus' breed was tha ...

. It is thought that ancient Bukephala was near the site of modern Jhelum City but that is wrong. Phalia was named after

on the name of the Alexander's dead horse and presently a tehsil of

. The Alexander while forwarding from Taxila opted alternate way despite using traditional route i.e. today's GT road and built two cities on opposite banks of the river

en route between

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 i ...

and Mong. In AD 997, Sultan Mahmud Ghaznavi, took over the

Ghaznavid dynasty The Ghaznavid dynasty ( fa, غزنویان ''Ġaznaviyān'') was a culturally Persianate, Sunni Muslim dynasty of Turkic ''mamluk'' origin, ruling, at its greatest extent, large parts of Persia, Khorasan, much of Transoxiana and the northwest ...

empire established by his father, Sultan Sebuktegin, In 1005 he conquered the Shahis in

Kabul Kabul (; ps, , ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province; it is administratively divided into 22 municipal districts. Acco ...

in 1005, and followed it by the conquests of

Punjab region 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 a ...

. The Delhi Sultanate and later

Mughal Empire The Mughal Empire was an early-modern empire that controlled much of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries. Quote: "Although the first two Timurid emperors and many of their noblemen were recent migrants to the subcontinent, the d ...

ruled the region. The Punjab region became predominantly Muslim due to

missionary A missionary is a member of a religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Mi ...

Sufi saints whose

dargah A dargah ( fa, درگاه ''dargâh'' or ''dargah'', Turkish: ''dergâh'', Hindustani: ''dargah'' दरगाह درگاہ, bn, দরগাহ ''dorgah'') is a shrine or tomb built over the grave of a revered religious figure, often ...

s dot the landscape of

Jalalpur Sharif Jalalpur Sharif ( ur, ) is a small town located in Jhelum, and is a Union Council of Pind Dadan Khan Tehsil in Jhelum District, Punjab province, Pakistan. It is located at 32°39'34N 73°24'19E, making it approximately 50 km south west ...

is located on west of the river Jhelum whereas Phalia on eastern bank in

close to river Jhelum earlier known as

. A semi hill or mound i.e. the historical sign of the ancient city and a shrine still available in mid of the Mohalla Ameer. In 2010, maximum of the area reshaped into commercial land and precious heritage could not be preserved. After the decline of the

, the Sikh invaded and occupied

Bahawalnagar District Bahawalnagar District (Urdu and pa, ), is a district of Punjab province in Pakistan. Before the independence of Pakistan, Bahawalnagar was part of Bahawalpur state governed by the Nawab of Bahawalpur. The city of Bahawalnagar is the capital ...

. The Muslims faced severe restrictions during the Sikh rule. During the period of

British rule 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 hims ...

, Bahawalnagar increased in population and importance. The predominantly Muslim population supported

Muslim League Muslim League may refer to: Political parties Subcontinent ; British India *All-India Muslim League, Mohammed Ali Jinah, led the demand for the partition of India resulting in the creation of Pakistan. **Punjab Muslim League, a branch of the organ ...

and

Pakistan Movement The Pakistan Movement ( ur, , translit=Teḥrīk-e-Pākistān) was a political movement in the first half of the 20th century that aimed for the creation of Pakistan from the Muslim-majority areas of British India. It was connected to the per ...

. After the

independence Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the statu ...

in 1947, the minority

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

s and Sikhs migrated to

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

while the Muslims refugees from

settled down in the

. Phalia is approximately the same age as

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 ...

. The four subdivisions (Mohallas) are named for the forefathers of

Tarar Tarar is a Jat surname found among Sikhs and Muslims in India and Pakistan, mainly in the Punjab region. Notable people with the name include: * Mamoon Jaffar Tarar, Pakistani politician * Bilal Farooq Tarar, Pakistani politician * Muhammad R ...

tribe: * Phalia Ameer for "Muhammad Ameer" * Phalia Keeman for "Muhammad Karim" * Phalia Boota for "Muhammad Boota" (also known as "Nawan Lok") * Phalia Mehman for "Muhammad Khan". .

Geography and climate

Phalia City Entrance From Kuthiala Shaekhan

Phalia is situated at 32.43 N latitude and 73.58 E longitude. It is located between the main cities of

Mandi Bahauddin Mandi Bahauddin (Urdu and pa, ) is a city in northern Punjab, Pakistan. It is also the capital of Mandi Bahauddin District. It is the 41st largest city of Pakistan by population according to the 2017 census. It has exellent agricultural land ...

and Gujrat, about 23 kilometres from Mandi Bahauddin and from Gujrat and from

Malakwal Malakwal ( ur, ) is a city in Mandi Bahauddin District, Punjab, Pakistan. History In 997 CE, Sultan Mahmud Ghaznavi, took over the Ghaznavid dynasty empire established by his father, Sultan Sebuktegin. In 1005, he conquered the Shahis in Ka ...

and near about from Salam interchange on M-2 motorway, at an altitude of above sea level. Phalia has a moderate climate, which is hot in summer and cold in winter. During peak summer, the day temperature rises up to . The winter months are mild and the minimum temperature may fall below . The average annual rainfall in the district is .

Schools and colleges

Schools

* THE EDUCATORS, Phalia Campus, A Project of Beaconhouse. Pioneer of student centered learning in the city. * The Govt Pilot Secondary School Phalia, established in 1926 in Phalia. * Govt. Islamia High School Phalia established in 1972 in Phalia. * Government High School Pahrianwali, established at Pahrianwali – a famous city of Tehsil Phalia. * Govt. High School for Girls, Phalia *

International Islamic University, Islamabad , motto_lang = Arabic , mottoeng = "All those endowed with knowledge have the All-Knowing above them" , established = , closed = , type = Public , affiliation = ...

, Phalia Campus

IIUI Schools, Phalia Campus IIUI Schools, is a school system launched by International Islamic University, Islamabad in 2010 on occasion of its Silver Jubilee (1985–2010). The IIUI Schools, also known as, International Islamic University Schools, are the first school sys ...

to provide modern education from Playgroup to GCE O/A Levels. * Air Foundation Schools, Phalia Campus * Ghazali Model High Schools, Main Campus Phalia * Pakistan Islamic Modern School (PIMS), Phalia There are many other govt and private schools in Phalia.

Colleges

* Govt. Degree College for Girls, Phalia * Govt. Commerce College for Boys, Phalia * Govt. Peer Yaqoob Shah Degree College Phalia * Ghazali Group Of Colleges Punjab, Pakistan The branches of Punjab College and Farabi College are also operating in Phalia.

AIOU Study Center

Allama Iqbal Open University Allama Iqbal Open University is a public university in Islamabad, Pakistan. It is named after Allama Iqbal. The university is the world's second largest institution of higher learning, with an annual enrollment of 1,121,038 students (), the m ...

opened a regional office in Phalia City at the Govt Pilot Secondary School Phalia

Health facilities

Health Medical facilities are on average available in the city. The main government hospital established in the city is THH (Tehsil Headquarters Hospital). There are several other private hospitals, Health center and Clinics at different locations within the city.

Phalia City

* Population and religions Phalia is not a big city, with about 20,000 houses occupied by about 150,000 people. Most of the population of the village are Muslim with some Christians. * Languages Punjabi is the native language of the province and is the most widely spoken language in Phalia. Urdu has started to become more prominent in many areas now due to its official status as the national language. * Registered voters The number of registered voters in the Constituency PP-117 (Mandi Bahuddin-II) Phalia is 134,119 . among them almost half of them are of female voters.

Administration

After the abolition of Nazim system the Administrator of Phalia is Assistant Commissioner Bilal Feroz Joya 2016.

Notable people

Mustansar Hussain Tarar Mustansar Hussain Tarar ( ur, ; ) S.I. (born 1 March 1939) is a Pakistani author, travel enthusiast, mountaineer, writer, novelist, columnist, TV host and former actor. Early life Mustansar Hussain Tarar was born in Jokalian on 1 March 1939 a ...

* Muhammad Tariq Tarar * Pir Syed Muhammad Binyamin Rizvi *

Parvaiz Mehdi Qureshi Air Chief Marshal Parvaiz Mehdi Qureshi ( ur, ; born 1 October 1943) best known as PQ Mehdi, is a retired four-star air officer and a former fighter pilot who served as the eighth Chief of Air Staff (CAS) of the Pakistan Air Force, appoint ...

Asif Bashir Bhagat Asif Bashir Bhagat ( ur, ) was born in Village Bhagat, Tehsil Phalia, located in Mandi Bahauddin. His father a local politician and was elected in Musharaf's Government. He has been elected as Member Provincial Assembly of the Punjab in ge ...

Basma Riaz Choudhry Basma Riaz Choudhry also spelt Baasima (Urdu: بسمہ ریاض چوہدری) is a Member of the Provincial Assembly of Punjab. She is the daughter of Chaudhry Riaz Asghar, (brother-in-law of Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain). The first time she was elec ...

References

{{Tehsils of Punjab, Pakistan Cities and towns in Mandi Bahauddin District Tehsils of Punjab, Pakistan