Mandi Bahauddin District - History

History

The Battle of the Hydaspes River took place to the west of Mandi Bahauddin in 326 BCE, between Alexander the Great and the Raja Porus of India in 326 BCE. Raja Porus was situated nearby, in a portion of ancient India which is now part of Pakistan. The battle was the last major war fought by Alexander. Harry Roy, the son of Raja Porus, and Bucephalus, Alexander the Great's horse, both died on the first day of this battle. After the death of his son, Raja Porus, who had been stationed at Nazampur, came with elephants and fought Alexander the Great himself. As a result of this battle, Alexander founded two cities, Nicaea ("Victory") at the site of modern-day Mong, and Bucephala at the site (possibly) of Phalia in Pakistan.

In 997 CE, Sultan Mahmud Ghaznavi, took over the Ghaznavid dynasty empire established by his father, Sultan Sebuktegin, In 1005 he conquered the Shahis in Kabul in 1005, and followed it by the conquests of Punjab region. The Delhi Sultanate and later Mughal Empire ruled the region. The Punjab region became predominantly Muslim due to missionary Sufi saints whose dargahs dot the landscape of Punjab region.

In 1506 CE, a Gondal Jat chief, Bahauddin, migrated to this area from Pindi Shah Jahanian, and established a settlement named Pindi Bahauddin.

The district forms a central portion of the Chaj Doab lying between the Jhelum and Chenab rivers. It lies between 300° 8' to 320° 40' N and 730° 36' to 370° 37' E. During British rule in the early twentieth century, the British established public services such as canals and irrigation facilities and the North-Western Railway to facilitate defence of their empire from the north; it is at this time that Pindi Bahauddin Railway Station was built.

After the decline of the Mughal Empire, the Sikh invaded and occupied Mandi Bahauddin District. The Muslims faced severe restrictions during the Sikh rule. The Second Anglo-Sikh War of 1849 took place nearby; Lord Guff led the British forces against the Khalsa Sikh Army Chillianwala. A graveyard at Rakh Minar near Chillianwala has its own Ancient Memorandum, where many British Army soldiers and officers were buried. During the period of British rule, Mandi Bahauddin district increased in population and importance.

Chak Bandi was created by Sir Aamir Nawaz Tarar and 51 Chaks were settled and notified, land being awarded to people who worked for the British Empire. Chak 51 became the centre of this area, and hosted a grain market. In 1920 the town name became official, and in 1924 Pindi-Bahauddin Railway station was officially granted its name. In 1937 the town of Mandi-Bahauddin was given the status of a town committee. In 1941 it was given the status of a municipal committee. In the 1923 master reconstruction plan, all the streets and roads were laid straight and wide. In 1946 nine gates and the wall surrounding the town was completed due to riots..

The predominantly Muslim population supported Muslim League and Pakistan Movement. After the independence of Pakistan in 1947, the minority Hindus and Sikhs migrated to India while the Muslim refugees from India settled in the Mandi Bahauddin District. In 1960, Mandi Bahauddin was granted the status of Sub-Division. In 1963 the Rasul Barrage and Rasul-Qadirabad link canal project, a component of the Indus Basin irrigation project, started. The project was managed by WAPDA, and a colony for government employees and foreign contractors was constructed a few kilometres from Mandi Bahauddin. The canal project was completed in 1968 by engineer Riazur Rahman Shariff as Project Director, highlighting the town and community and enabling it to expand commercially.

In 1993, Mian Manzoor Ahmed Wattoo, Chief Minister of Punjab, declared this city a District H.Q., a new district of Mandi Bahauddin.