Chunian is an historic city of Punjab

Punjab (Pakistan)

Punjab is the most populous province of Pakistan, with approximately 45% of the country's total population. Forming most of the Punjab region, the province is bordered by Kashmir to the north-east, the Indian states of Punjab and Rajasthan to the east, the Pakistani province of Sindh to the...

, Pakistan

Pakistan

Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...

. It is located at 30° 58' 0N 73° 58' 60E. The is located at an elevations of 177 metres (583 feet), and lies about 70 km south of Lahore

Lahore

Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...

, the Punjab capital. It is the headquarters of a tehsil

Tehsil

A Tehsil or Tahsil/Tahasil , also known as Taluk and Mandal, is an administrative division of some country/countries of South Asia....

or revenue sub-division of the same name in Kasur District

Kasur District

Kasur District or Qasur District is one of the districts in the province of Punjab, Pakistan It came into existence on 1 July 1976. Earlier it was part of Lahore District....

. The city is administratively subdivided into two Union Councils

Union Councils of Pakistan

A sherwan or village council in Pakistan is an elected local government body consisting of 21 councillors, and headed by a nazim and a naib nazim...

.

Chunian city (1998 census pop. 47,600) is located on the Pattoki

Pattoki

Pattoki is a town in the Kasur District of the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is the headquarters of Pattoki Tehsil, an administrative subdivision of the district, and is located at 31°1'0N 73°50'60E with an altitude of 186 metres ....

-Kasur Road at an important junction of local roads. The city is located on the right bank of the former Beas River

Beas River

The Beas River is a river in the northern part of India. The river rises in the Himalayas in central Himachal Pradesh, India, and flows for some 470 km to the Sutlej River in the Indian state of Punjab....

 bed. Beas changed its course several centuries ago.

Some important places around Chunian includes Ellah Abad and Gehlan Hithar

Gehlan Hithar

Gehlan Hithar is a town and Union Council of Kasur District, situated some 65 miles south west of Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. It is located at 30°52'0N 74°1'60E with an altitude of 174 metres and lies on the main Kasur-Okara road...

. Gehlan Hithar has almost 400 years of rich cultural history.

Economy

The tehsil is known for the Changa Manga

Changa Manga

The Changa Manga is a planted forest and a wildlife park in Lahore District, Punjab, Pakistan.-Forestry:The forest is entered from a road from off the N-5 Highway near Bhai Pheru. The forest covers an area of and is one of the largest man-made forests on the planet...

 forest, the largest single plantation of trees in Pakistan, and the Chunian Industrial Estate, one of the largest concentrations of manufacturing in the country. The city is a busy regional market for agricultural produce.

History

The present city is more than 500 years old. Some parts of the city fortification and several of its gates still exist. The city is built on a mound thought to have been built by the Harappan

Harappan

Harappan can refer to:* Aspects related to Harappa an archaeological site and city in northeast Pakistan* The Indus Valley Civilization that thrived along Indus River...

 or Indus Valley Civilisation. Very little excavation has sought to confirm this. the Archeology Department, Government of Pakistan carried out the last excavation in 1978. Among other objects, coins dating back to Alexander the Great's time (c. 323 BC) were discovered at the site. A large area of unexcavated mounds extends to the south-west of the city where ancient bricks and shards of pottery can be found on the surface. Popular legend holds that the city has been destroyed nine times in the past. The present name is popularly believed to have been derived from 'Chunni', name of a daughter of Raja Todar Mal

Raja Todar Mal

Raja Todar Mal was born in Laharpur, Uttar Pradesh in a Punjabi Kayastha family, and rose to become the Finance Minister in Akbar's Darbar of the Mughal empire. He was made in charge of Agra and settled in Gujarat. Later, he was made in charge of Gujarat as well. He also managed Akbar's Mint at...

, the dewan or revenue minister to Mughal Emperor Akbar the Great

Akbar the Great

Akbar , also known as Shahanshah Akbar-e-Azam or Akbar the Great , was the third Mughal Emperor. He was of Timurid descent; the son of Emperor Humayun, and the grandson of the Mughal Emperor Zaheeruddin Muhammad Babur, the ruler who founded the Mughal dynasty in India...

. Little historical evidence of this belief has been documented. People of nearby villages call the city Chooni in local dialect of Punjabi

Punjabi language

Punjabi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by inhabitants of the historical Punjab region . For Sikhs, the Punjabi language stands as the official language in which all ceremonies take place. In Pakistan, Punjabi is the most widely spoken language...

.

Education

Colleges:

• Government Degree College for Girls
• Government Degree College for Boys
• Government Institute Of Commerce
• Government Commerce College (Coeducational)
• Army Public Secondary College
• Various colleges Here

Schools:

• Government Model High School For Boys
• Government Madel High School For Girls
• Government Elementary School For Boys
• Government Elementary School For Girls
• Army Public School
• Umair Public School
• Al-Muslim High School
• Jinah Public School
• Quid-e-Azam Secondary School
• Various Schools Here