Jhang District

Jhang District

Jhang District (Punjabi and Urdu: ضلع جھنگ) is a district in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is part of the Faisalabad division. The main city is called Jhang, and it helps manage the whole area. This district is important to Pakistan's history and culture, with many people living there and helping shape the country's story.

Geography

Jhang District has a triangle shape, with a narrow southwestern corner and a base on the northeastern side. Two big rivers, the Jhelum and the Chenab, flow through the district. The Chenab runs through the middle, splitting the district into two parts. The Jhelum enters from the west and joins the Chenab at Domel. After this, the river is called the Chenab and leaves the district.

The geography of Jhang can be divided into several areas based on the rivers. The Hithar is the lowland that floods each year. There are three upland areas: the Sandal Bar to the east of the Chenab, the Kirana Bar between the rivers, and the Thal to the west of the Jhelum. These uplands are high plateaus that slope down to the river valleys. Between the lowlands and the uplands is the Utar zone, where most people live. Each of these areas formed at different times in Earth's history.

Uplands

In the past, the uplands were home to people who moved with their herds and lived in temporary huts.

The Sandal Bar

The Sandal Bar is the easternmost upland area. In the north, it rises sharply from the Utar, but this difference becomes less noticeable further south. The soil quality gets worse toward the south.

The Kirana Bar

The Kirana Bar is named after the Kirana Hills and lies between the Chenab and Jhelum rivers. It is similar to the Sandal Bar but has more fertile land. Light rains can cover it with grass.

The Thal

The Thal is an elevated plateau covered mostly in sand dunes, with patches of soil. There is little farming here because of lack of water. The land is mostly rolling sand hills with some green patches.

Utar

The Utar zone is important because most of the district's settlements are here. The land in this zone is different in different places.

Utar of the Sandal Bar

This area is between 4 and 16 miles wide. The soil gets worse toward the south. Near the river, the land is very fertile with many wells for watering crops. Further east, the land becomes less fertile and more like grassland.

Utar of the Kirana Bar

The Utar on the west side of the Chenab is similar to the east side, with wells for watering crops. In some areas, the land changes to sparse grass or bare land.

Thal-Jhelum Utar (aka the Kachhi)

The Kachhi is the area between the Thal and the Jhelum. It is about 9 miles wide south of Sherowana and does not flood. The soil here is clayey and does not let water through, so the land is often barren. Some small bushes grow close to the Thal.

Hithar

The upper Chenab valley

The upper Chenab valley is a wide, shallow stream with a slow current. It floods a large area each year, leaving sandy deposits that need time to become good for farming.

The Jhelum valley

The Jhelum River has less water than the Chenab and flows in a narrow channel. It floods a smaller area but leaves richer deposits that are good for growing rice.

The lower Chenab valley

Downstream from Domel, the lower Chenab floods a much larger area. Large islands form often, and the river has many channels that fill with water when the level rises. The land here is heavily farmed, mostly for autumn crops.

Climate

The climate of Jhang District is similar to the rest of southern Punjab. Summer starts in June with very hot weather. The monsoon rains begin in mid-July, bringing cooler temperatures. Cold weather comes in August or September, depending on the rain. Winter has crisp mornings, cool days, and frosty nights. Rain falls in December, January, and February.

Plants

Trees

The most common tree in Jhang District is the kikar, which grows quickly and is used for wood and other things. The shisham tree is found in farmed land, especially near rivers. The ber tree is tough and grows anywhere, with fruit that ripens in March. Other trees include the ukanh, jand, sohajna, jal, karir, siris, bohar, pipal, bakain, and bahn.

Shrubs

One important plant is the buta, which is common in the Chenab valley. Different parts of the buta plant have various uses, with the munj part used to make rope. Other shrubs include kanh, lana, lani, khar, phog, buin, khip, ak, jawanh, leh, harmal, and bhukil.

Grasses

Grasses are important for animals. Common grasses include chhimbar, lamb, lunak, garham, kurya, khar madhuna, dhaman, pilan, kheo, aleti, dedhak, kilanj, khawi, and panhi.

Administrative divisions

This district has four smaller areas called sub-districts, also known as Tehsils.

History

The early history of Jhang District is not very clear. It is closely linked with the powerful Sial tribe, who founded the city of Jhang in 1462. For a long time, the Sials were not very strong and were just one of many tribes in the area. They paid taxes to stronger rulers.

Over time, the Sials grew more powerful. One of their leaders, Walidad Khan, became a successful ruler with Jhang as his capital. Later leaders faced challenges from the Sikh Confederacy. In the early 1800s, Ranjit Singh, the founder of the Sikh Empire, took control of the area. After the British defeated the Sikhs in 1849, Jhang became a district under British rule. The district's borders changed several times in the late 1800s.

Demographics

Jhang District is home to many families and people. As of the 2023 census, there are 491,999 households and a total of 3,065,639 people. There are more males than females, with 107 males for every 100 females. About 59.5% of people can read and write, with more males (69%) knowing how to read and write than females (49%).

Most people in Jhang District follow the Muslim faith, making up nearly the whole population at 99.55%.

The main language spoken is Punjabi, used by 93.3% of the people. Urdu is spoken by 4.71%, and a small group of people speak other languages.

Historically, villages in Jhang were spread out. Instead of one big village, families lived around wells in small groups. Each group had a few houses, a shop, and some workers who helped with special jobs.

Educational institutes

Here are some important schools in Jhang District:

• Chenab College, Jhang
• Punjab College of Science, Jhang Campus

Notable people

Jhang District has been home to many well-known individuals. Sultan Bahoo was a respected Sufi saint. Ram Kishan served as the 4th Chief Minister of East Punjab. Abdus Salam won a Nobel Prize in physics.

Other notable people include Muhammad Arif Khan Rajbana Sial, a politician who worked with the Quaid-e-Azam. Aleem Dar is a famous cricket player. Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri is known as a Sufi scholar and politician. Majeed Amjad was a celebrated Urdu poet. Syed Fakhar Ali Shah was a baseball manager and former president of the Pakistan Federation Baseball.