Shorkot ( ur, , Basti starabad=), ( pa, ), is a city in

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 ...

. It is also a capital city of Shorkot Tehsil in

Jhang district Jhang District (Punjabi and ur, ) is a district of Faisalabad division in the Punjab province, Pakistan. Jhang city is the capital of district. Geography Jhang District has a triangle-like shape, with its apex at the narrow southwestern co ...

. It is located at 30°30'N 72°24'E with an altitude of 131 metres (433 ft). The city is famous for the tombs of Sufis Sultan Bahoo, Darbar Hazrat Peer Syed Akbar Ali Shah Gilani, Syed Bahadur Ali Shah, Shah Mehmood Ghazi (also known as "Ghazi Pir") and Syed Mehboob Alam Shah Gillani. The tomb of Gillani is in the centre of the town. He was born in

Emperor Jahangir Nur-ud-Din Muhammad Salim (30 August 1569 – 28 October 1627), known by his imperial name Jahangir (; ), was the fourth Mughal Emperor, who ruled from 1605 until he died in 1627. He was named after the Indian Sufi saint, Salim Chishti. Ear ...

's era and died in 1079 (Hijri), during the rule of

Emperor Aurangzeb Muhi al-Din Muhammad (; – 3 March 1707), commonly known as ( fa, , lit=Ornament of the Throne) and by his regnal title Alamgir ( fa, , translit=ʿĀlamgīr, lit=Conqueror of the World), was the sixth emperor of the Mughal Empire, ruling ...

. Aurangzeb came to see him at shorkot, and after a meeting became his disciple and granted vast tract of land around Shorkot to the family of Syed Mehboob Alam Gillani. Later Emperor Shah Alam II built a tomb for PIr Mehboob Aalam Gillani which is a great symbol of Mughal architecture and still exists in the centre of the city.''Auliya-e-Jhang'', by Iqbal Zuberi, Jhang Adabi Academy. Jhang Saddar, Pakistan (2000)

Ancient History

V. S. Agrawala writes that Ashtadhyayi of Panini mentions janapada Uśīnara (उशीनर) (IV.2.118) - Panini mentions Ushinara as part of Vahika. Panini mentions three divisions of Vahika Country, viz

Kekaya Kekaya ( Sanskrit: ) was an ancient Indo-Aryan tribe of north-western South Asia whose existence is attested during the Iron Age. The members of the Kekaya tribe were called the Kaikayas. Location The Kekayas were located between the Gāndh� ...

, Uśīnara and Madra. Fourth division to be added to Vahika country is Śavasa. Of these Kekaya and Śavasa may be located between Jhelum and

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 ...

rivers, the first in the south and the second in the north respectively;

Madra Madra (Sanskrit: ) was an ancient Indo-Aryan tribe of north-western South Asia whose existence is attested since the Vedic period. The members of the Madra tribe were called the Madrakas. Location The Madras were divided into -Madra ("northe ...

and Ushinara between the Chenab and

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 ...

in the north and south respectively. The Divyadana refers to the Shvasas in Uttarapatha with headquarters at

Takshasila Taxila or Takshashila (; sa, तक्षशिला; pi, ; , ; , ) is a city in Punjab, Pakistan. Located in the Taxila Tehsil of Rawalpindi District, it lies approximately northwest of the Islamabad–Rawalpindi metropolitan area an ...

to which

Ashoka Ashoka (, ; also ''Asoka''; 304 – 232 BCE), popularly known as Ashoka the Great, was the third emperor of the Maurya Empire of Indian subcontinent during to 232 BCE. His empire covered a large part of the Indian subcontinent, s ...

was deputed by his father

Bindusara Bindusara (), also Amitraghāta or Amitrakhāda (Sanskrit: अमित्रघात, "slayer of enemies" or "devourer of enemies") or Amitrochates (Greek: Ἀμιτροχάτης) (Strabo calls him Allitrochades (Ἀλλιτροχάδης)) ...

as Viceroy to quell their rebellion. The name of Savasa or Shvasa seems to be preserved in the modern name Chhiba, comprising Punchh,

Rajauri Rajouri or Rajauri (; Pahari: 𑠤𑠬𑠑𑠶𑠤𑠮, راجوری; sa, राजपुर, ) is a city in Rajouri district in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It is located about from Srinagar and from Jammu city on the ...

and Bhimbhara. In literature Ushinaras are often associated with the Śibis (greek - Siboi) whose chief town Śibipura has been identified with Shorkot in Jhang district. V. S. Agrawala writes that Panini mentions Pura (IV.2.122) ending names of towns like Arishṭapura (Pali: Ariṭṭapura), a city in the kingdom of

Shivi Shivi ( hi, शिवि) was in ancient India, ruled by a democratic system of government known as ganatantra. Kshudrakas had formed a sangha with Malava Malwa is a historical region of west-central India occupying a plateau of volcanic o ...

in Vahika. V. K. Mathur tells us the location of Shivirashtra, the kingdom of king Shivi, at Shorkot in Jhang district of Pakistan. Professor B.S. Dhillon writes that the ancient city of Sibipura or Shivipura which means the city of Shivi is today called "Shorkot" and is located in the Jhang district of Punjab, Pakistan. As per

Diodorus Diodorus Siculus, or Diodorus of Sicily ( grc-gre, Διόδωρος ; 1st century BC), was an ancient Greek historian. He is known for writing the monumental universal history ''Bibliotheca historica'', in forty books, fifteen of which su ...

, Arrian and Strabo, the area surrounding Sibipura was occupied by a people called

Sibi Sibi (Sindhi: سيوي ur, ) is a city situated in the Balochistan province of Pakistan. The city is the headquarters of the district and tehsil of the same name. Etymology The origin of the town's name is attributed to Rani Sewi, a Hindu lad ...

, during the time of Alexander's invasion of Punjab. Professor Eggermont said, "J. Ph. Vogel showed that the mound of Shorkot (Jhang district, between Chenab, Indus, and Ravi rivers) represents the site of Sibipura, the town (pura) of the Sibis, which is mentioned in a Shorkot inscription". Even today

or Sibia is a well known Jat clan in Punjab. Furthermore, Professor Eggermont said, "However, I cannot possibly pass over in silence that in the very Vessantara Jataka the town over which Sanjaya, king of Sibi, ruled is called Jettuttara and not Aritta-pura. It is probably more likely the word Jetuttara is Jetupura or Jatupura which means the place where Jats live. The word "pura" in

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

means "city".

Notable people

* Muhammad Arif Khan Rajbana Sial * Sahibzada Nazir Sultan

References

{{Neighbourhoods of Jhang Populated places in Jhang District