Samundri (

Urdu Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...

, Punjabi: ) is a city and headquarters of Samundri Tehsil located in

Faisalabad District Faisalabad District (Lyallpur District until 1979) ( Punjabi and ) is one of the districts of Punjab, Pakistan. According to the 2023 census of Pakistan it had a population of 9,075,819, of which 3,691,999 were in Faisalabad City. It is the t ...

Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...

province, Pakistan. It is the 55th most populous city of Pakistan, according to the 2017 census.

History

Etymology

Samundri was on a major trade route during the reign of

Sher Shah Suri Sher Shah Suri (born Farid al-Din Khan; 1472 or 1486 – 22 May 1545), also known by his title Sultan Adil (), was the ruler of Bihar from 1530 to 1540, and Sultan of Hindustan from 1540 until his death in 1545. He defeated the Mughal Empire, ...

. The present site of Samundri city was founded in 1887 as Chak No. 533 G.B. Later it was renamed as ''Seh Mundri'' because of three Hindu

mandirs A Hindu temple, also known as Mandir, Devasthanam, Pura, or Kovil, is a sacred place where Hindus worship and show their devotion to Hindu deities, deities through worship, sacrifice, and prayers. It is considered the house of the god to who ...

in the area. The word ''Seh'' () means ''Three'' in

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

and ''Mandir'' is a

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

word for temple.

Modern

In 1887, there were three Hindu shrines in this area but now what remains, houses the Government Primary School No 4. Migration between India and Pakistan was continuous before the

independence Independence is a condition of a 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 status of ...

. By the 1930s Western Punjab was predominantly

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

and supported the Muslim League and

Pakistan Movement The Pakistan Movement was a religiopolitical and social movement that emerged in the early 20th century as part of a campaign that advocated the creation of an Islamic state in parts of what was then British Raj. It was rooted in the two-nation the ...

. After the independence in August 1947, the minority

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

s and

Sikh Sikhs (singular Sikh: or ; , ) are an ethnoreligious group who adhere to Sikhism, a religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term ''Si ...

s migrated to India while the

refugees from Eastern Punjab in India settled in Western Punjab and across Pakistan. Today Samundri is known for its contributions to Pakistan's

Kabaddi Kabaddi (, ) is a contact team sport played between two teams of seven players. It is one of the traditional games of South Asia. In this game, a raider enters the opposing half of the court to touch defenders and attempt to return within 30 ...

team providing dozens of big names especially from Chak 176 G.B and 478 G.B. It has many

Gujjar The Gurjar (or Gujjar, Gujar, Gurjara) are an agricultural ethnic community, residing mainly in India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, divided internally into various clan groups. They were traditionally involved in agriculture, pastoral and nomadic ...

Rajput Rājpūt (, from Sanskrit ''rājaputra'' meaning "son of a king"), also called Thākur (), is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating fro ...

and Jat farmers who tend to be physically strong and larger in constitution than elsewhere in the region.Samthar State - Imperial Gazetteer of India, v. 22, p. 26
'' Digital South Asia Library''. Retrieved 14 April 2021.

Geography

Samundri is located at 31°03'45"N 72°57'15"E (31.063, 72.954), at an altitude of 168 metres (429 ft), and is 45 km from

Faisalabad Faisalabad, formerly known as Lyallpur, is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, second-largest city and primary List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, industrial center of the Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan ...

, 66 km from

Jhang Jhang ( Punjabi / ; ; ) is the capital city of Jhang District in central Punjab, Pakistan. Situated on the east bank of the Chenab river, it is the 13th most populous city of Pakistan. Etymology The historical name of the city and dis ...

, 30 km from Gojra, 46 km from

Sahiwal Sahiwal ( Punjabi / ; ; ), formerly known as Montgomery, is a city in central Punjab, Pakistan. It is the administrative capital of both Sahiwal District and Sahiwal Division. It is the 19th largest city of Pakistan by population accordin ...

and just 15 km from Tandlianwala. The upcoming Karachi-Lahore Motorway will pass through the neighborhood of Tandlianwala known as Samundari Interchange Km 1016 on Samundari- Tandlianwala Road. Then it will be easily accessible from Lahore and Multan. The Post Code of Samundari is 37300.

Demographics

Population

According to 2023 census, Samundri had a population of 186,371.

Economy

Samundri is home to a major

grain A grain is a small, hard, dry fruit (caryopsis) – with or without an attached husk, hull layer – harvested for human or animal consumption. A grain crop is a grain-producing plant. The two main types of commercial grain crops are cereals and ...

, whole corn & sugar market. Sugarcane and wheat are the major crops of the area, while corn is the most-traded good locally. Rice is also grown here but, due to water shortages, fewer farmers opt to grow it. Vegetables are grown on many hectares, fulfilling 50% of the demand. The Anarkali Bazaar is the main commercial market of the city, and the Jinnah Market is the oldest. Other markets in the city include Jamat Ali Bazaar, Katchery Bazaar, Mandi Bazaar, Nehar Bazaar, Qasim Bazaar, Kashmiri Bazaar, Sunny Plaza and Chaki Bazaar. Samundri is also known for its custom truck painting business. Major Banks in Samundari: # National Bank of Pakistan # Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited # Habib Bank Limited (2 Branches) #

United Bank Limited United Bank Limited (often abbreviated as UBL) is a Pakistani bank headquartered at I.I. Chundrigar Road in Karachi. It is a subsidiary of British multinational conglomerate, Bestway Group. Founded by Agha Hasan Abedi in 1959, UBL saw its firs ...

# Allied Bank Limited # Muslim Commercial Bank Limited (2 Branches) # Bank Alfalah # Soneri Bank # Meezan Bank # Faysal Bank # Al-Barka Bank # Bank Al-Habib

Notable residents

* Prithviraj Kapoor (1906–1972), Indian actor * Rao Kashif Raheem Khan (born 1970), Pakistani politician

References

{{Faisalabad District Cities and towns in Faisalabad District