Rajanpur ( 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, subdivision ...

of the Pakistani province of

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi Language, Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also Romanization, romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the I ...

, with its administrative headquarters the city of Rajanpur. Lying west of the

Indus River 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 Kashmi ...

, its inhabitants are mostly Saraikis and Baloch. According to the 1998 census, the district had a population of , and 14.27% of these were inhabitants of urban areas.

Administrative subdivisions

The district of Rajanpur comprises three administrative subdivisions ''(

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 adminis ...

)'' and 44 Union Councils.

Etymology and geography

The anatomy of Rajanpur district is associated with its town Rajanpur, which was founded by Makhdoom Sheikh Rajan Shah in 1770. It was merged with Dera Ghazi Khan district in 1982. Rajanpur is situated in the west side of

River 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 Kashmi ...

. Its north side is bounded by Dera Ghazi Khan district, and west by

Dera Bugti Dera Bugti ( Balochi and Urdu: ) is a district within the Balochistan province of Pakistan. It was established as a separate district in 1983. Administration The district is administratively subdivided into Four sub-divisions, these are: * Pirko ...

district of

Balochistan Balochistan ( ; bal, بلۏچستان; also romanised as Baluchistan and Baluchestan) is a historical region in Western and South Asia, located in the Iranian plateau's far southeast and bordering the Indian Plate and the Arabian Sea coastline. ...

. The east side is bounded by

Muzaffargarh Muzaffargarh (Urdu and pa, , , Fort of Muzaffar) is a city in the province of Punjab, Pakistan. Located on the bank of the Chenab River, it is the capital of the district with the same name. It is the 39th largest city of Pakistan by populatio ...

and

Rahim Yar Khan Rahim Yar Khan () is a city in Punjab province of Pakistan. It is the 9th largest city of Pakistan by population. It is the capital of the Rahim Yar Khan District and Rahim Yar Khan Tehsil. The administration of the city is subdivided into ni ...

districts, while its south part is covered by

Kashmore Kashmore or Kashmor ( sd, ڪشمور, ur, ), is a town and the administrative centre of Kashmore District located in the Sindh Province of Pakistan. Notable people * Salim Jan Khan Mazari, MNA from the Pakistan Peoples Party The Pakistan ...

district of

Sindh Sindh (; ; ur, , ; historically romanized as Sind) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the southeastern region of the country, Sindh is the third-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the second-largest province ...

province. The Sulaiman Mountains rise to the west of the district.

Demographics

At the time of the 2017 census the district had a population of 1,996,039, of which 1,028,164 were males and 967,668 females. Rural population is 1,658,743 while the urban population is 337,296. The literacy rate was 33.75%. Muslims made up almost the entire population with 99.89%. At the time of the 2017 census, 74.61% of the population spoke Saraiki, 18.75% Balochi, 2.93%

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
'' 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 ...

as their first language. The major tribes in this district are Jat, Arain,

Rajput Rajput (from Sanskrit ''raja-putra'' 'son of a king') is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating from the Indian subcontinent. The term Ra ...

and Baloch.

History

The

Vedic period The Vedic period, or the Vedic age (), is the period in the late Bronze Age and early Iron Age of the history of India when the Vedic literature, including the Vedas (ca. 1300–900 BCE), was composed in the northern Indian subcontinent, betwe ...

is characterized by Indo-Aryan culture that flourished in

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 Kambojas, Daradas, Kaikayas, Madras,

Pauravas The Pauravas were an ancient dynasty on the Indus (present-day India and Pakistan) to which King Porus may have belonged. Porus and the Pauravas The origins of the Pauravas are still disputed. The Pauravas may be related to the Puru tribe, d ...

, Yaudheyas,

Malavas The Malavas (Brahmi script: 𑀫𑁆𑀫𑀸𑀭𑀯 ''Mmālava'') or Malwas were an ancient Indian tribe. Modern scholars identify them with the Mallian people (Malloi) who were settled in the Punjab region at the time of Alexander's invasion ...

and Kurus invaded, settled and ruled ancient

. After overrunning the

Achaemenid Empire The Achaemenid Empire or Achaemenian Empire (; peo, 𐎧𐏁𐏂, , ), also called the First Persian Empire, was an ancient Iranian empire founded by Cyrus the Great in 550 BC. Based in Western Asia, it was contemporarily the largest em ...

in 331 BCE, Alexander marched into present-day

with an army of 50,000. The Rajanpur was ruled by

Maurya Empire The Maurya Empire, or the Mauryan Empire, was a geographically extensive Iron Age historical power in the Indian subcontinent based in Magadha, having been founded by Chandragupta Maurya in 322 BCE, and existing in loose-knit fashion until ...

, Indo-Greek kingdom,

Kushan Empire The Kushan Empire ( grc, Βασιλεία Κοσσανῶν; xbc, Κυϸανο, ; sa, कुषाण वंश; Brahmi: , '; BHS: ; xpr, 𐭊𐭅𐭔𐭍 𐭇𐭔𐭕𐭓, ; zh, 貴霜 ) was a syncretic empire, formed by the Yuezhi, ...

Gupta Empire The Gupta Empire was an ancient Indian empire which existed from the early 4th century CE to late 6th century CE. At its zenith, from approximately 319 to 467 CE, it covered much of the Indian subcontinent. This period is considered as the Gold ...

, White Huns,

Kushano-Hephthalites The Hephthalites ( xbc, ηβοδαλο, translit= Ebodalo), sometimes called the White Huns (also known as the White Hunas, in Iranian as the ''Spet Xyon'' and in Sanskrit as the ''Sveta-huna''), were a people who lived in Central Asia during t ...

and the

Turk Turk or Turks may refer to: Communities and ethnic groups * Turkic peoples, a collection of ethnic groups who speak Turkic languages * Turkish people, or the Turks, a Turkic ethnic group and nation * Turkish citizen, a citizen of the Republic o ...

and

Hindu Shahi The Hindu Shahis (also known as Odi Shahis, Uḍi Śāhis, or Brahman Shahis, 822–1026 CE) were a dynasty that held sway over the Kabul Valley, Gandhara and western Punjab during the early medieval period in the Indian subcontinent. Details ...

kingdoms. 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

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 #Districts, 22 municipal dist ...

in 1005, and followed it by the conquests of

. The

Delhi Sultanate The Delhi Sultanate was an Islamic empire based in Delhi that stretched over large parts of the Indian subcontinent for 320 years (1206–1526).

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 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 Abrah ...

due to

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, 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.Tho ...

Sufi Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, r ...

saints whose dargahs dot the landscape of

. After the decline of the

, 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 ...

invaded and occupied Rajanpur district. The Muslims faced 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 ...

, Rajanpur district increased in population and importance. The predominantly Muslim population supported Muslim League 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 stat ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

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

Sikh Sikhs ( or ; pa, ਸਿੱਖ, ' ) are people who adhere to Sikhism, Sikhism (Sikhi), a Monotheism, monotheistic religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Gu ...

s migrated to

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

while the

refugees from

settled in the Rajanpur district.

Education

Rajanpur has a total of 1,160 government schools out of which 41% (479 schools) are for female students. The district's public schools have 148,746 enrollments.

Agriculture

Agriculture in Rajanpur depends solely upon canal irrigation since rainfall is negligible in the region. The five rivers of Punjab meet at the locality of Wang near Mithankot; hence these rivers provide water for irrigation as well as for domestic usage. Rainfall occurs during the

monsoon season The wet season (sometimes called the Rainy season) is the time of year when most of a region's average annual rainfall occurs. It is the time of year where the majority of a country's or region's annual precipitation occurs. Generally, the se ...

(July–September). Occasional heavy rainfall causes flooding in this region, but such floods are rare. In Rajanpur, floodwaters come from the Koh Sultan and Shacher torrents (rivulets), as well as the Indus. Rajanpur district is famous for cotton and sugarcane crops, although they are cultivating wheat and rice as well and tobacco to a minimal extent too.

Business

Rajanpur is also famous for its cotton business. There are many cotton industries in this district that play an essential role in fulfilling the needs of cotton for textile mills. However, some of the people also do agricultural work, which is a leading business of Rajanpur.

Irrigation system

Canal irrigation

The agriculture of Rajanpur depends upon canal irrigation in some areas of Rajanpur peoples drinking canal water in these areas Pachad include:

Rod-Kohi (Hill Torrents)

Major Rod-Kohi areas traversed by hill torrents constitute nearly 65 percent of the total area of Pakistan and encompass entire Balochistan, i.e. (Makran coastal Basin and Kharan closed Desert Basin). The other major hill torrent areas include D.G.Khan and D.I.Khan, FATA, and

Azad Jammu and 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 ...

. In Sindh province, the systems are spread in the Dadu district (Kirthar range). There are around as the potential area underhill torrent / Rod-Kohi / Sailaba fanning excluding riverine areas. Indigenous Spate Irrigation/ hill torrent-irrigation systems traditionally called Rod-Kohi. Rod means water channel, and Kohi pertains to mountains. In these areas, the major constraint is the use of flood flow, which is highly variable in quantity and distribution, both in time and space. Annual rainfall is low, uncertain, and patchy. Flow is laden with high silt in each flood. It is unfortunate that in spite of the scarcity of water, the major part of flood flows is lost due to mismanagement. Spate irrigation often takes place in environments that are arid and remote. Poverty in these areas is a significant issue. There are very few options for generating income and improvement of livelihood. Abject poverty in the areas affected by the Rod-Kohi water calls for rational and scientific management of flood flows. Rod-Kohi or hill torrent cultivation is a unique system of agriculture being practiced in all the four provinces. In NWFP, D.I.Khan tract represents the major part of the system fed by five large tributaries locally named as "Zams." In Punjab, a significant portion of the system falls in the districts of D.G.Khan, Rajanpur, and Jampur. In Balochistan, this system falls in the areas of Barkhan, Musakhail, Loralai, Zhob, Bolan, and Lasbella. In Sindh province, the system is spread in Dadu & Larkana district (Kirthar range). The largest area under the regime of agriculture lies in Balochistan. Spate Irrigation is a traditionally used system for diverting hill torrents into cultivable command areas for growing seasonal crops. Extreme events of floods and droughts characterize the farming system. It usually entails the construction of an earthen diversion weir across the torrent with an extensive channel on one or both sides of the river to convey floodwater across vast distances. These earthen diversion structures and water conveyance system has traditionally been constructed by the beneficiaries/communities themselves, making use of traditional technology. Farmers construct field by making embankments from 3 to high to store the water depending upon the soil type, share in water, and various other factors. Upon drying, crops are sown, which thrive on the moisture stored in the soil. There is no further irrigation except rains if any occurs. The economic significance of Rod-Kohi Irrigation agriculture is centered on subsistence agriculture and livestock raising, which are the primary sources of income. Another aspect of the Spate Irrigation System of Rod-Kohi areas is the occurrence of the perennial water (known as Kalapani), which is available throughout the year in the upper reaches. It contributes significantly to sustainable farming in the area and used for high-value crops like fodder, fruits, and vegetables. The development potential in Rod-Kohi Hill torrent areas is listed below.

Floods

In July 2015, due to the heavy rains caused floods in the town. Rajanpur district was badly affected by these flash floods. In Rajanpur, flood water came from Koh Sultan and Shacher torrent (rivulet). This floodwater hit the different union councils of Rajanpur. Hundreds of houses were damaged fully and partially, and inhabitants had to spend time under the open sky. The displaced people have sought shelter in streets and other public buildings and around their chaks (villages). Table of affected union councils (UCs) with current population and damage caused by the 2015 flood.

Analysis

In assessment and initial findings from the flood-affected district Rajan Pur show that 04 union councils were destroyed U/C Jahan Pur, U/C Fatih Pur, U/C Hajji Pur, and Umer Kot U/C. There was an urgent need for non-food items (NFIs), including mattresses, mosquito nets, kitchen utensils, fuel for daily cooking, and hygiene kits. Yearly food stock was almost washed away, while livestock suffered considerable loss. Affected people faced critical conditions and had suffered economically for at least one whole year as their crops were damaged on a large scale. According to the effects, flood was more massive than the one, some 40 years ago.

Places

Mithankot is the shrine of the great Sufi Saraiki poet Khawaja Ghulam Farid. It is the historical place in Kot Mithan. Thousands of his disciples come to Rajanpur every year on the anniversary of Khawaja Ghulam Farid. Fazilpur is the shrine of great Peer/Sufi Chan Charagh Shah Sain, a.k.a. Ghorrey Shah Sain. It is the historical place in Fazilpur. Fazilpur is situated in the center (heart) of Rajanpur district. And its importance in district Rajanpur is like a heart in every field, especially politics. Major caste living in Fazilpur are Bhutta, Gopang, Bosan, Mastoi, Mohajir (Yusafzai, Sherwani, Lodhi, Qureshi), Mashori, Dreshak, Korai, Thaheem, Bhatti, Zargar(Sunara) and Mughal Pathan. Harrand Fort, built in the British era, is situated in the tribal area of Rajanpur. Basti-Abdullah, named after

Maulana Muhammad Abdullah Mawlānā Muhammad Abdullah Ghazi ( ur, – 17 October 1998) was a Pakistani Islamic scholar who served as Chairman of Ruet-e-Hilal Committee and as the first Imam of Lal Masjid, and founded Faridia University and Jamia Hafsa. He Graduat ...

and is also noted for being the resting place of Abdul Rashid Ghazi. Lalgarh is situated in the foot-hills of Suleman Range mountains. It is HQ of Gorchani tribe. It is a small village, having a population of about 3000 inhabitants. Government offices include a police station, a higher secondary school, a girl's middle school, a civil dispensary, a veterinary dispensary, a telephone exchange & NADRA office. Maari is the resort hill station in Rajanpur, similar to Muree. Its altitude is 4800 ft. It has freezing weather in summer. Dragal mountain is an altitude of . Ada Chiragh Shah is situated on the Indus Highway. There is a shrine of Baba Chiragh Shah, a Sufi peer. Muhammad Pur Emergency Service Rescue 1122 is fully operational in Muhammad Pur district of Punjab.

References

External links

Rajanpur District
{{Coord, 29.104650, N, 70.325665, E, type:adm2nd_source:itwiki, display=title * Districts of Punjab, Pakistan 1982 establishments in Pakistan