Jalalpur Sharif
Encyclopedia
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...
province, 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 32°39'34N 73°24'19E, making it approximately 42 km south west of the city of Jhelum.
History
Jalalpur modern name came from the renaming of its ancient name, Girjakh, by its king Malik Darwesh Khan Janjua who was also a high ranking General of the Imperial Mughal Army under Emperor Jalaluddin Muhammad Akbar’s reign.It is stated that Malik Darwesh ordered the renaming of Girjakh (part of his extended kingdom) to Jalalpur, when Emperor Akbar visited him. This was done in honour of the Emperor and the Janjua family's relationship. Jalalpur at this point was a flourishing centre of trade for the region.
The history of the region dates back to 326 BC when Alexander the Great and his troops camped at Jalalpur Sharif, located on the right bank of Jhelum River, prior to the historic Battle of Jhelum against Raja Porus. During this battle, which was fought across the river, Alexander’s horse Bucephalus
Bucephalus
Bucephalus or Bucephalas was Alexander the Great's horse and one of the most famous actual horses of antiquity. Ancient accounts state that Bucephalus died after the Battle of the Hydaspes in 326 BC, in what is now modern Pakistan, and is buried in Jalalpur Sharif outside of Jhelum, Pakistan...
was killed but his remains were brought back and buried close to Jalalpur Sharif where subsequently Alexander built a city named after his horse. The ruins of an ancient city are spread across the hills towards the east of Jalalpur Sharif.
A notable landmark of the town is the Shrine of Pir Syed Ghulam Haidar Ali Shah, a prominent (Chishti) leader of the Punjab, Pakistan,
(d. 1908). It is this association with the shrine of one of the most well known Chishti spiritual leaders of the sub continent that the title of Sharif is pronounced together with Jalalpur. Pir Syed Ghulam Haidar Ali Shah and his descendants, notably including his grandson, who was given the title Amir-e-Hizbullah, Pir Syed Muhammad Fazal Shah were extremely influential in the spiritual development of the Muslims of Punjab, and also in the political movement that eventually led to the creation of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
The Khewra Salt Mines
Khewra Salt Mines
Khewra Salt Mines is a salt mine located in Khewra, Jhelum District, Punjab in Pakistan, about from Islamabad and from Lahore. It attracts up to 40,000 visitors per year and is the second largest salt mine in the world...
, the world's second largest salt mine, is located 37 km west of Jalalpur Sharif in Khewra
Khewra
Khewra is a town of Pind Dadan Khan Tehsil in Jhelum District, Punjab province, Pakistan, it is located at 32°38'60N 73°1'0E. The town is administratively subdivided into two Union Councils and is the location of the Khewra Salt Mines.-References:...
.
Administration
Jalalpur Sharif has one police station and there are three higher secondary and high schools they are:- Govt. Higher Secondary School
- Govt. High School for Girls
- Govt. High School for Boys