Introduction to Kasur: City of Bulleh Shah, Methi, and Fish.
Kasur district was named after the city of Kasur and this ancient city is also the capital of this district.
Before gaining district status, it was a tehsil of Lahore. On July 1, 1976, Kasur tehsil was separated from the
Lahore district and given district status.
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Before knowing the history of Kasur district, it is very important to understand the historical status of Kasur city.
Introduction to Kasur
Etymology of Kasur
The word Kasur is a combination of the Arabic word qasr which means palace.
The city of Kasur was first settled by the Pathan nobles and they built separate fortified palaces (Kasars) for their families.
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Due to these palaces, the name Kasur came into existence. Many of these palaces, later known as Kot, still exist with
the same old names.
For example Kot Halim Khan, Kot Fateh Din Khan, Kot Usman Khan, Kot Ghulam Muhammad Khan, Kot Rakn Din Khan,
Kot Murad Khan, Kot Azam Khan, Kot Badruddin Khan, Kot Piran, Kot Badha, Kot Mirbazkhan, Kot Sherbazkhan,
Dhorkot, Road Kot and Kot Aligarh etc.
History of Kasur:
According to one estimate, Kasur had become a large town in the first century AD.
It was occupied by the Khushgan Pathans in 533 AD, but in 1020 it was annexed by Raja J. Paul of Lahore.
After the conquest of India in 1526, Zaheer-ud-Din Babar granted the territory of Kasur to the Afghans for their services.
In 1830, it was occupied by the Sikhs in the form of Raja Ranjit Singh, who remained there till 1847, and later,
due to the annexation of Punjab by the British, it was also occupied by the British.
Before the partition of India, Kasur was connected to Amritsar and Ferozepur by rail but now this railway line has
been abolished and most of this district is connected to Lahore by road and rail.
Most of the trade here is due to Lahore. On the railway track from Lahore to Karachi, there is a separate railway line
from Raiwind Junction to Kasur which passes through Kasur city via Khadian Khas and from Kunganpur District Kasur
to Lodhran. Arrives
In 1867, the British government gave Kasur the status of a municipality.
The railway line from Raiwind to Ganda Singh was laid in 1883 and the railway track from Kasur to Lodhran was
completed in 1910.
The past of Kasur is glorious. It is the custodian of religious, cultural, and spiritual traditions.
Most of the organized government here has been by Pathans of Afghanistan who were appointed by the government
of Delhi or Lahore but they were almost autonomous locally.
Hyun Tsang, a famous Chinese tourist, is said to have arrived here in the 7th century AD and wrote about the conditions here.
From his writings, we get a lot of information about archeology, before that the historical mention of Kasur is missing.
Location of Kasur
Kasur is bounded on the south by the Sutlej River, which flows along the international Indian border from Kasur
District and joins the Indus at Panjnad.
In the northwest, the Ravi River serves as the final boundary of the district on which the blocky headworks are a
popular recreational site.
There is also Indian territory in the east, the border of Okara district in the west, Lahore district in the north, and
Sheikhupura district across the Ravi River in the northwest.
An ancient river Beas of Punjab no longer exists but its old passage can still be seen from east to west in the
middle of Kasur district which has naturally divided this area into two parts.
The northern part of the passage is higher than the southern part, which is about five and a half meters high.
The northern region is called Majha and the southern region is called Hathar due to its elevation. In the Majha area,
along the Beas River, there is a vast range of huge mud dunes.
The ancient city of Kasur is situated on the southwestern tip of Majha, situated on the same dunes.
Ferozepur Road passes through the eastern part of Kasur city which starts from Lahore and goes to Ferozepur
via Ganda Singh.
Since the partition of India, this road has been restricted to the international Pak-India border.
This highway is about 53 km from Kasur city to Lahore and 25 km from the Indian city of Ferozepur.
The district has a natural elevation of 198 meters above sea level, which is generally sloping from northeast to southwest.
Areas close to the Ravi and Sutlej rivers are low-lying and during the rainy season, water often accumulates here,
creating flood conditions. The land in these areas is mostly sandy.
The district is administratively divided into four tehsils, Kasur Tehsil which is named after Kasur City is bigger
than the other three tehsils (Chunian, Patoki, and Kot Radhaksh), and its headquarters in Kasur City.
Economy
In Kasur district, the largest hand-planted forest in Pakistan is located in Changa Manga Tehsil Chunian.
Many valuable trees have been planted in it, from which tons of honey are collected annually.
The mulberry tree is very common here and the best natural silk is obtained by raising silkworms on its leaves.
A beautiful amusement park in the forest of Changa Manga is a tourist attraction.
The forest also serves as a haven for a variety of animals. Changa manga wood is famous all over the country.
Banyan etc. are abundant while Jund, Karir, and Van are seen from time to time.
Palchi grows as a bush in riverine areas in moist and sandy places, the branches of which form baskets, etc.
and also grows in dubs in watery areas, which are used for making rows for prayers.
In the barren lowlands of Chunian Tehsil, traces of ancient life are also occasionally found.
Wolves and foxes are mostly seen in the Majha area, foxes are found throughout the district and get the good
news of crops, thornbushes are also the main enemy of crops and are present in large numbers, apart from pigs
and wild cats. Blue cows, deer, and wild rabbits are also found.
Casts, Dresses, and Amenities:
Educated people in the cities can usually be seen wearing semi-western clothes while they wear simple clothes at
home, it is a common custom to wear the shalwar kameez, and people like to wear colorful clothes in wedding ceremonies.
Women’s clothing is often colorful and they adorn matching suits with passion.
The most famous and prominent castes are Aryans, Jats, Rajputs, Mayos, Dogars, Ansaris, Sheikhs, and Pathans.
Ansari, Sheikh, and Pathan are very few in proportion and are mostly part of the urban population. People of more
prominent castes often live in villages and are engaged in farming.
Being a rural district, 78% of the population lives in rural areas, most of whom are engaged in agriculture.
Due to being an agricultural area, people also keep livestock with interest and abundance which fulfills the need for
meat and milk. Milk is also collected from here and supplied to the majority population of Lahore.
The district consists of 641 villages and towns. Due to its fertile lands and excellent canal system, most of the lands
are irrigated with canal water.
Tube wells are also a source of irrigation in Hathar but due to the frequent bitterness of the groundwater of Majha,
only rain or canals are useful for irrigation.
Therefore, the government has made a successful attempt to provide proper drinking water to the entire area by
expanding the water supply scheme in Hathar as well. Major crops include wheat, rice, sugarcane, cotton, maize,
and fodder. Vegetables are also widely grown which meet the demand here and are also sent in large quantities to Lahore.
The government provides a lot of educational facilities in public educational institutions while private educational
institutions are also expanding rapidly in which a few facilities are provided in exchange for huge fees which is like
cumin in the mouth of a camel.
Basic health facilities are also scarce in proportion to the population. There are three hospitals, 25 dispensaries,
12 rural health centers, 8 maternal and child health centers, and one TB center for the needs of the entire district.