Rawalpindi is a city in
the Punjab province
of Pakistan. It is the fourth most populous city in Pakistan
after Karachi, Lahore, and Faisalabad, and third most
populous in Punjab after Lahore and Faisalabad. Rawalpindi
is situated close to Pakistan capital Islamabad, and the two are jointly
known as the twin cities because of the social and economic links
between them.
Rawalpindi is on the Potohar Plateau, and
remained a small town of less importance up until 18th century. The
Potohar region was known for its
ancient Hindu and Buddhist heritage, especially in the neighboring
town of Taxila, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In 1765, the
ruling Gakhars were defeated and the city came under Sikh rule, Rawalpindi from
a small regional town became an important city within the Sikh
Empire based at Lahore. The city Babu Mohallah neighborhood
was once home to a community of Jewish traders who had fled Mashhad,
Persia, in the 1830s. The city was conquered by the British
Raj in 1849, and in the late 19th century became the largest garrison
town of the British Indian Army Northern command as its climate
suited the British authorities. Britain army elevated the city from a
small town to the third largest city in Punjab by 1921. Following
the partition of British India in 1947, the city became home to
the headquarters of the Pakistan Army, retaining its status as a
major military city.
The word Rawalpindi consists of two Punjabi words;
Rawal, and Pindi. The origin of the name may derive from the combination of two
words: Rawal meaning lake and Pind meaning
village. The combination of the two words thus means the village of the
lake.
Another theory is that Rawalpindi literally means the
Village of Rawals as it occupies the site of an old village inhabited by the
Rawals, a group of yogis (ascetics)
Rawalpindi has a big history in terms of
assassinations. In 1951, the Rawalpindi conspiracy took
place in which leftist army officers conspired to depose the first
elected Prime Minister of Pakistan, Liaquat Ali Khan. Rawalpindi
later became site of the Liaquat Ali Khan assassination. On 27 December 2007,
Rawalpindi was the site of the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir
Bhutto.
Construction of Pakistan new purpose-built national
capital city of Islamabad in 1961 led to greater investment in the
city provided by IMF and local banks, as well as a brief stint
as the country capital before the completion of Islamabad. Modern
Rawalpindi is socially and economically intertwined with Islamabad, and the
greater metropolitan area. The city is also home to numerous suburban
housing developments that serve as bedroom-communities for workers in Islamabad. As
home to the GHQ of the Pakistan Army and PAF Base Noor
Khan, and with connections to the M-1 and M-2 motorways,
Rawalpindi is a major logistics and transportation center for northern
Pakistan. The city is also home to historic havelis and temples,
and serves as a hub for tourists visiting Rohtas Fort, Azad
Kashmir, Taxila and Gilgit-Baltistan.
Inhabitants of Rawalpindi District speak a great
variety of Punjabi includes Pothohari, Majhi, Pahari, Shahpuri, Dhani and
Kashmiri. Although Urdu is also the mother tongue of few people but Urdu being
a national language is spoken and understood by sizeable population. English is
also known and spoken by many people of Rawalpindi. Pashto is also spoken of
migrants.
History of
Rawalpindi
Gajnipur is the old
name of Rawalpindi.
The
region around Rawalpindi has been inhabited for thousands of years. Rawalpindi
falls within the ancient boundaries of Gandhara, and is in a region littered
with Buddhist ruins. In the region north-west of Rawalpindi, traces have been
found of at least 55 stupas, 28 Buddhist monasteries, 9 temples, and various
artifacts in the Kharoshthi script.
To the southeast are the ruins of the Mankiala stupa – a
2nd-century stupa where, according to the Jataka tales, a previous incarnation
of the Buddha leapt off a cliff in order to offer his corpse to seven hungry
tiger cubs. The nearby town of Taxila is thought to have been home to the
world first university. Sir Alexander Cunningham identified ruins on the site
of the Rawalpindi Cantonment as the ancient this city was the capital of the
Bhatti tribe in the ages preceding the Christian era and famously known as (
Gajnipur ) on the name of Bhatti Rajput ruler Rawalpindi is a city in
the Punjab province
of Pakistan. It is the fourth most populous city in Pakistan
after Karachi, Lahore, and Faisalabad, and third most
populous in Punjab after Lahore and Faisalabad. Rawalpindi
is situated close to Pakistan capital Islamabad, and the two are jointly
known as the "twin cities" because of the social and economic links
between them.
Rawalpindi is on the Potohar Plateau, and
remained a small town of less importance up until 18th century. The
Potohar region was known for its
ancient Hindu and Buddhist heritage, especially in the neighboring
town of Taxila, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In 1765, the
ruling Gakhars were defeated and the city came under Sikh rule, Rawalpindi from
a small regional town became an important city within the Sikh
Empire based at Lahore. The city Babu Mohallah neighborhood
was once home to a community of Jewish traders who had fled Mashhad,
Persia, in the 1830s. The city was conquered by the British
Raj in 1849, and in the late 19th century became the largest garrison
town of the British Indian Army Northern command as its climate
suited the British authorities. Britain army elevated the city from a
small town to the third largest city in Punjab by 1921. Following
the partition of British India in 1947, the city became home to
the headquarters of the Pakistan Army, retaining its status as a
major military city.
The word Rawalpindi consists of two Punjabi words;
Rawal, and Pindi. The origin of the name may derive from the combination of two
words: "Rawal" meaning lake and "Pind" meaning
village. The combination of the two words thus means "the village of the
lake".
Another theory is that Rawalpindi literally means the
“Village of Rawals” as it occupies the site of an old village inhabited by the
Rawals, a group of yogis (ascetics)
Rawalpindi has a big history in terms of
assassinations. In 1951, the Rawalpindi conspiracy took
place in which leftist army officers conspired to depose the first
elected Prime Minister of Pakistan, Liaquat Ali Khan. Rawalpindi
later became site of the Liaquat Ali Khan assassination. On 27 December 2007,
Rawalpindi was the site of the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir
Bhutto.
Construction of Pakistan new purpose-built national
capital city of Islamabad in 1961 led to greater investment in the
city provided by IMF and local banks, as well as a brief stint
as the country capital before the completion of Islamabad. Modern
Rawalpindi is socially and economically intertwined with Islamabad, and the
greater metropolitan area. The city is also home to numerous suburban
housing developments that serve as bedroom-communities for workers in Islamabad. As
home to the GHQ of the Pakistan Army and PAF Base Noor
Khan, and with connections to the M-1 and M-2 motorways,
Rawalpindi is a major logistics and transportation center for northern
Pakistan. The city is also home to historic havelis and temples,
and serves as a hub for tourists visiting Rohtas Fort, Azad
Kashmir, Taxila and Gilgit-Baltistan.
Inhabitants of Rawalpindi District speak a great
variety of Punjabi includes Pothohari, Majhi, Pahari, Shahpuri, Dhani and
Kashmiri. Although Urdu is also the mother tongue of few people but Urdu being
a national language is spoken and understood by sizeable population. English is
also known and spoken by many people of Rawalpindi. Pashto is also spoken of
migrants.
History of
Rawalpindi
Gajnipur is the old
name of Rawalpindi.
The
region around Rawalpindi has been inhabited for thousands of years. Rawalpindi
falls within the ancient boundaries of Gandhara, and is in a region littered
with Buddhist ruins. In the region north-west of Rawalpindi, traces have been
found of at least 55 stupas, 28 Buddhist monasteries, 9 temples, and various
artifacts in the Kharoshthi script.
To the southeast are the ruins of the Mankiala stupa – a
2nd-century stupa where, according to the Jataka tales, a previous incarnation
of the Buddha leapt off a cliff in order to offer his corpse to seven hungry
tiger cubs. The nearby town of Taxila is thought to have been home to the
world first university. Sir Alexander Cunningham identified ruins on the site
of the Rawalpindi Cantonment as the ancient this city was the capital of the
Bhatti tribe in the ages preceding the Christian era and famously known as (
Gajnipur ) on the name of Bhatti Rajput ruler Raja Gaj Bhatti.
As far as the history of Rawalpindi is concern,
Rawalpindi has been from thousands of years, it is believed that a distinct
culture flourished on this plateau as far in c1000BC. The nearby town Taxila
has Guinness Book of World Record for its world oldest civilization and
university. After the independence of Pakistan in 1947, the
minority Hindus and Sikhs migrated to India while
the Muslim refugees from India settled in the Rawalpindi.
In the succeeding years, Rawalpindi saw an influx of Muhajir, Pashtun and Kashmiri settlers.
In late 50 the city became the interim capital of the country after creation
of a new planned capital of Islamabad in the vicinity of Rawalpindi which results
most major central government offices and institutions relocate to nearby
territory, and its population increases due to migrants from different part of
country.
Tourist Places
of Rawalpindi
·
Ayub National Park
·
Raja Bazar
· Army Museum
· Behria
· Fort Rawat
·
Rawalpindi Cricket
Stadium
·
KRL
Cricket Stadium
·
Municipal
Football Stadium
·
Jinnah Park
· Giga Mall
· Commercial Center
· Food Street
·
Saddar
·
Liaqat Bagh
·
Joyland Rawalpindi
·
Golf Course
Some Famous
Personalities of RWP
· Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad (Politician)
· Shoaib Akhtar (Cricketer)
· Tikka Khan (Ex-Army Chief)
· Syed Asim Muneer (Army Chief)
· Hadiqa Kiyani (Singer/Composer)
Content Source
Rawalpindi
Development Authority (RDA)
Wikipedia
Rawalpindi City
Local History
Writers
History of Land
As far as the history of Rawalpindi is concern,
Rawalpindi has been from thousands of years, it is believed that a distinct
culture flourished on this plateau as far in c1000BC. The nearby town Taxila
has Guinness Book of World Record for its world oldest civilization and
university. After the independence of Pakistan in 1947, the
minority Hindus and Sikhs migrated to India while
the Muslim refugees from India settled in the Rawalpindi.
In the succeeding years, Rawalpindi saw an influx of Muhajir, Pashtun and Kashmiri settlers.
In late 50 the city became the interim capital of the country after creation
of a new planned capital of Islamabad in the vicinity of Rawalpindi which results
most major central government offices and institutions relocate to nearby
territory, and its population increases due to migrants from different part of
country.
Tourist Places
of Rawalpindi
·
Ayub National Park
·
Raja Bazar
· Army Museum
· Behria
· Fort Rawat
·
Rawalpindi Cricket
Stadium
·
KRL
Cricket Stadium
·
Municipal
Football Stadium
·
Jinnah Park
· Giga Mall
· Commercial Center
· Food Street
·
Saddar
·
Liaqat Bagh
·
Joyland Rawalpindi
·
Golf Course
Some Famous
Personalities of RWP
· Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad (Politician)
· Shoaib Akhtar (Cricketer)
· Tikka Khan (Ex-Army Chief)
· Syed Asim Muneer (Army Chief)
· Hadiqa Kiyani (Singer/Composer)
Content Source
Rawalpindi
Development Authority (RDA)
Wikipedia
Rawalpindi City
Local History
Writers
History of Lands
