Sheikhupura ( pa, ; ur, ) also known as Qila Sheikhupura, is a city in the Pakistani province of

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 ...

. Founded by the Mughal Emperor

Jehangir 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 ...

in 1607, Sheikhupura is the 16th largest city of Pakistan by population and is the headquarters of

Sheikhupura District Sheikhupura District ( pa, ; ur, ), is a district located in Lahore Division of Punjab Province, Pakistan. Sheikhupura is the headquarters of Sheikhupura district. According to the 1998 census of Pakistan, the district had a population o ...

. The city is an industrial center, and satellite town, located about 38 km northwest of

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 ...

. It is also connected to District

Kasur Kasur (Urdu and pa, ; also romanized as Qasūr; from pluralized Arabic word ''Qasr'' meaning "palaces" or "forts") is a city to south of Lahore, in the Pakistani province of Punjab. The city serves as the headquarters of Kasur District. Kasu ...

. The old name of Sheikhupura was “Virkgarh” due to large number of

Virk Virk is a Jat clan. In India and Pakistan, it is used as a surname by the Jatt Sikhs and Jat Muslims. Notable people with the surname, who may or may not be affiliated to the clan, include: *Adnan Virk, Canadian television sportscaster *Ammy Vi ...

Jats settled in the area. The Virks are still strong in this area both politically and economically. There are around 132 villages in this area which belong to the Virks.

Etymology

The region around Sheikhupura was previous known as ''Virk Garh, or'' "''Virk'' Fort", in reference to the

Jat The Jat people ((), ()) are a traditionally agricultural community in Northern India and Pakistan. Originally pastoralists in the lower Indus river-valley of Sindh, Jats migrated north into the Punjab region in late medieval times, and su ...

tribe that inhabited the area. The city, founded in 1607, was named by

Mughal Emperor The Mughal emperors ( fa, , Pādishāhān) were the supreme heads of state of the Mughal Empire on the Indian subcontinent, mainly corresponding to the modern countries of India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. The Mughal rulers styled t ...

himself - the city's first name is recorded in the Emperor's autobiography, the ''

Tuzk-e-Jahangiri ''Tuzuk-e-Jahangiri'' or ''Tuzuk-i-Jahangiri'' ( fa, ) or Jahangir-nama ( fa, ) is the autobiography of Mughal Emperor Jahangir (1569–1627). Also referred to as ''Jahangirnama'', the ''Tuzk-e-Jahangiri'' is written in Persian, and follows th ...

,'' in which he refers to the town as ''Jehangir pura.'' The city then came to be known by its current name, which derives from Jehangir's nickname ''Shekhu'' that was given to him by his mother, wife of Akbar the Great.

History

Mughal

Mughal Emperor Jahangir laid the foundations of Sheikhupura in 1607 near the older town of

Jandiala Sher Khan Jandiala Sherkhan, or Jandiala Sher Khan ( ur, ), is a town of Sheikhupura District in the Punjab, Pakistan. It is part of Sheikhupura Tehsil. and is located at 31°49'15N 73°55'10E. The town is notable for being the birthplace of famous poet ...

, an important provincial town during the early to middle Mughal era. He also erected the nearby

Hiran Minar Hiran Minar ( ur, ; or ''"The Deer Tower"'') is an early 16th-century Mughal era complex located in Sheikhupura, in the Pakistani province of Punjab. The complex was built at the site of a game reserve in honour of Mughal Emperor Jahangir' ...

, Sheikhpura's most renowned site, between 1607 and 1620 as a monument to his beloved pet deer, ''Mansiraj'', at a time when the area served as a royal hunting ground for the Mughal Emperor. Jehangir laid the foundation of the

Sheikhupura Fort Sheikhupura Fort (Punjabi language, Punjabi, ) is a Mughal Empire, Mughal-era fort built in 1607 near the city of Sheikhupura in Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab, Although, there is no conclusive evidence supporting this, the Tuzk-e-Jahangiri mentions t ...

in 1607, which is situated in the city's centre.

British

Following establishment of

British colonial rule The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts est ...

, Bhatti possessions that had been seized by the Sikhs were restored. The large area between 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 ...

and Ravi rivers were initially consolidated into a single district with Sheikhupura serving as its first headquarters, until 1851. The area around Sheikhupura attained District status in 1919, with M.M.L. Karry serving as its first administrator.

Partition

On the eve of the

Partition of British India The Partition of British India in 1947 was the change of political borders and the division of other assets that accompanied the dissolution of the British Raj in South Asia and the creation of two independent dominions: India and Pakistan. T ...

, Sikhs made up 19% of the district's population. Despite the area's Muslim majority, Sikhs had hoped that the boundary commission would award the area to India, given the proximity of Sheikhupura to the city of

Nankana Sahib Nankana Sahib () is a city and capital of Nankana Sahib District in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is named after the first Guru of the Sikhs, Guru Nanak, who was born in the city and first began preaching here. Nankana Sahib is the mos ...

- revered as the birthplace of the founder of Sikhism,

Guru Nanak Gurū Nānak (15 April 1469 – 22 September 1539; Gurmukhi: ਗੁਰੂ ਨਾਨਕ; pronunciation: , ), also referred to as ('father Nānak'), was the founder of Sikhism and is the first of the ten Sikh Gurus. His birth is celebrated w ...

. The city was spared the large-scale rioting that engulfed Lahore earlier in 1947, and the city's Sikh population did not shift to India before the

Radcliffe Line The Radcliffe Line was the boundary demarcated between the Indian and Pakistani portions of the Punjab Province and Bengal Presidency of British India. It was named after Cyril Radcliffe, who, as the joint chairman of the two boundary commissi ...

that demarcated the border of the newly independent states of Pakistan and India was announced. The Sikh population had not made arrangements to leave and remained trapped in the city until 31 August 1947. The city's Sacha Sauda refugee camp hosted upwards of 100,000 Sikh refugees who had come to the city after fleeing nearby Gujranwala and other surrounding areas earlier that year. Fierce violence erupted in the city, and an estimated 10,000 people were killed in Sheikhupura between 16 August and 31 August in communal rioting between Sikhs and Muslims.

Education

The overall literacy rate of Sheikhupura is 43.6% which is increasing day by day. Following are some of the notable educational institutes of the city: *

Hajvery University The Hajvery University (HU) ( ur, ) is a private university located in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. This is the smallest University in Pakistan Overview Hajvery University is chartered by Government of the Punjab. The Higher Education Commission ...

, Sheikhupura Campus * University of Central Punjab, Sheikhupura Campus *

Punjab College of Science The Punjab Colleges (also known as The Punjab Group or PGC) is a group of colleges active in Punjab, Pakistan. It has its roots in a Commerce College set up by Mian Amer Mahmood. The chairman of PGC network is Mian Amer Mahmood. The Network la ...

The Superior College The Superior University, () is a private university in Lahore, Punjab (Pakistan), Punjab, Pakistan. Charter and Recognition Superior University is chartered by the Government of Punjab, Pakistan and recognized by the Higher Education Commiss ...

Lahore Grammar School Lahore Grammar School (LGS) is a group of private education institutions based in the city of Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan, with branches spread throughout the country. The system was established in 1979 at its 55 Main Gulberg campus. Today, LG ...

* Beaconhouse School System * The City School * Overseas Pakistanis Foundation

Demographics

According to the 1998 Pakistan Census, the population of Sheikhupura city was recorded as 280,263. As per

2017 Census of Pakistan The 2017 Census of Pakistan was a detailed enumeration of the Pakistani population which began on 15 March 2017 and ended on 25 May 2017. It was the first census taken in the country in the 21st century, nineteen years after the previous one in ...

, the population of city was recorded as 473,129 with an increase of 68.82% in just 19 years.

Industrial areas

Quaid-e-Azam Business Park Sheikhupura and Rachna Industrial Park are two industrial areas under development in Sheikhupura. The former industrial area is declared a special economic zone by the government of Pakistan.

Modern neighborhood of city

Sheikhupura is an old city having pre-British history however keeping in view of industrialization & growth, several housing societies & towns have been built in & around the city boundaries.Few prominent towns are e community housing society, new civil lines & wapda Town sheikhupura.

Notable people

* Sher Akbar Khan, MPA PP 142 Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf, Pakistani politician *

Aaqib Javed Aaqib Javed (Urdu: ; born 5 August 1972) is a Pakistani cricket coach and former cricketer. He was a right-handed fast-medium pace bowler with the ability to swing the ball both ways. He played 22 Tests and 163 One Day Internationals for P ...

played as fast bowler for Pakistan cricket team * Anjum Saeed played one Olympics for Pakistan hockey team * Hakim Ali Virk, Council member and Chairman UC, 284 RB * Choudhry Bilal Ahmed, politician *

Ghulam Jilani Khan , nationality = , party = , otherparty = , spouse = , relations = Zia Ullah Khan , children = Shaukat Jilani Khan Usman Jilani Khan Saulat Jilani Khan Omer Jilani Khan S ...

is the founder of the Chand Bagh School *

Kulwant Singh Virk Kulwant Singh Virk (20 May 1921 – 24 December 1987) was an author who wrote mostly in Punjabi but also extensively in English. His short stories were translated into several other languages, including Russian and Japanese. Kulwant Singh Vir ...

, author *

javed latif Jawed ( fa, جاويد); ''Javed'', ''Javid'' ( ur, جاويد); ''Jawed'', ''Javed'' ( pa, ਜਾਵੇਦ) is a masculine given name of Persian origin meaning of "eternal, immortal" and is also the word for "eternity". The name is from Mode ...

,is a politician. * Mohammad Asif a right arm medium fast bowler in cricket * Muhammad Javed Buttar, is a former justice of

Supreme Court of Pakistan The Supreme Court of Pakistan ( ur, ; ''Adālat-e-Uzma Pākistān'') is the apex court in the judicial hierarchy of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Established in accordance to thePart VIIof the Constitution of Pakistan, it has ultimate a ...

Muhammad Nawaz Bhatti Justice Muhammad Nawaz Bhatti (August 1948– 10 July 2006) who hailed from Sangla Hill area of Sheikhupura district was a Pakistani judge and lawyer. He was a judge of Lahore High Court, Lahore, (Punjab) Pakistan and a well known criminal lawyer an ...

, judge and lawyer *

Nawab Kapur Singh Nawab Kapur Singh Virk (1697–1753) is considered one of the major figures in Sikh history, under whose leadership the Sikh community traversed one of the darkest periods of its history. He was the organizer of the Sikh Confederacy and the ...

, one of the pivotal figures of the

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 ...

and founder of the Singhpuria Misl *

Rana Naved-ul-Hasan Rana Naved-ul-Hasan (Punjabi, ur, ), (born 28 February 1978) is a Pakistani cricket coach and former cricketer who played all formats of the game. A right-arm fast-medium bowler capable of generating good pace with late swing, he is a genui ...

, player for the Pakistan National Cricket Team *

Rana Tanveer Hussain Rana Tanveer Hussain (; born 1 October 1949) is a Pakistani politician who has been a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan since August 2018. Previously, he was a member of the National Assembly between 1985 and May 2018. He served as ...

Federal Minister * Saeed Anwar played three Olympics for Pakistan hockey team * Sheikh Salim Chishti, Sufi saint of the Chishti Order during the Mughal Empire *

Waris Shah Waris Shah ( pa, ; ; 1722–1798) was a Punjabi Sufi poet of the Chishti order, known for his contribution to Punjabi literature. He is primarily known as the author of ''Heer Ranjha'' . Background Waris Shah was born in Jandiala Sher Khan ...

, A Great Punjabi Sufi Poet * Zaka Ullah Bhangoo, Pakistani army aviator * Zia Ullah Khan is attributed with major contributions in the military such as serving as Corps Commander of XII Corps Quetta'XII Corps (Pakistan)' *

Zulfiqar Ahmad Dhillon Zulfiqar Ahmad Dhillon (born October 2, 1948 in Addian village, Punjab) is a Pakistani politician and a retired Brigadier in the Pakistan Army. He is a son of Chaudry Laal Khan Dhillon and younger brother of Chaudry Nisar Ahmed Dhillon. After r ...

, retired brigadier in the Pakistani army * Saeed-ul haq Dogar, Pakistani politician *

Gulshan Bawra Gulshan Kumar Mehta, popularly known by his pen name Gulshan Bawra (literally: "Gulshan The Mad") (12 April 1937 – 7 August 2009), was an Indian songwriter and actor in Hindi cinema. In a career spanning 42 years, he has to his credit about 2 ...

, Indian song writer

References

External links

Official Website of Punjab Government
{{Authority control Education in Sheikhupura Populated places in Sheikhupura District