Rawalpindi Travel Information
Rawalpindi is close to the capital of Pakistan the Islamabad. It is a garisson town and is the headquarter of Pakistan Army
Rawalpindi or in short Pindi is the 3rd largest city of Punjab province of Pakistan. Being close to Islamabad it is also known as twin city Rawalpindi-Islamabad
Rawalpindi is located on the Pothohar Plateau, known for its ancient Buddhist heritage, especially in the neighboring ancient ruins of Taxila – a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Rawalpindi itself was a major city along the Grand Tunk road it was destroyed during the invasion of Mahmud of Ghazni before being taken over by Gakhars in 1493. In 1765, the ruling Gakhars were defeated as the city came under Sikh rule. The city was conquered by the British Raj in 1849, and in 1851 became the largest garrison town of the British Indian Army. Following the partition of British India in 1947, the city became home to the headquarters of Pakistan Army hence retaining its status as a major military city
Construction of Pakistan's new purpose-built national capital city of Islamabad in 1961 led to greater investment in the city, as well as a brief stint as the country's capital immediately before completion of Islamabad.
The Modern Rawalpindi is socially and economically intertwined with Islamabad, and the greater metropolitan area. The city is also home to numerous suburban housing developments that serve as bedroom-communities for workers in Islamabad. As home to GHQ of Pakistan Army & Benazir Bhutto International Airport, and with connections to the M-1 and M-2 motorways, Rawalpindi is a major logistics and transportation centre for northern Pakistan.
The city is also home to historic havelis and temples, and serves as a hub for tourists visiting Taxila & Rohtas Fort two of the six world heritage sites of Pakistan.
Hotels in Rawalpindi
City's History and ancient period
The region around Rawalpindi (Also known as Sindu Sagar) has been inhabited for thousands of years. The word Rawalpindi is derived from legendary Rajput King Bappa Rawal a Gehlot/Sisodia dynasty from Mewar, Rajasthan. When Bappa Rawal Defeated Arabs and Salim this area was prior to it known as Ghazni Pradesh but later Bappa Rawal appointed local chief to be king of Rawalpindi after he killed local chief Salim.
Rawalpindi falls within the ancient boundaries of Gandhara, and is in a region littered with Buddhist ruins. In the region north-west of Rawalpindi, traces have been found of at least 55 stupas, 28 Buddhist monasteries, 9 temples, and various artifacts in the Kharoshthi script.
To the southeast are the ruins of the Mankiala stupa – a 2nd-century stupa where, according to the Jataka tales, a previous incarnation of the Buddha leapt off a cliff in order to offer his corpse to seven hungry tiger cubs. The nearby town of Taxila is thought to have been home to the world's first university.
Sir Alexander Cunningham identified ruins on the site of the Rawalpindi Cantonment as the ancient city of Ganjipur (or Gajnipur), the capital of the Bhatti tribe in the ages preceding the Christian era.
The region came under the influence of the Nanda Empire of ancient India from 300 BCE, and with the rise of Chandragupta Maurya, the region came under the complete control of the Mauryan Empire. Afterward, the region was briefly and nominally controlled by the Shunga Empire. However, with the decline of the Shungas, the region passed to local Hindu and Buddhist rulers, and interrupted by foreign rulers. Many of these foreign rulers, like the Indo-Parthians, Sakas, and Kushans converted to Hinduism and Buddhism, and promoted these Indian religions throughout Central and South Asia. The region reached its height under the Buddhist ruler Kanishka the Great. After the fall of the Kushans, the region came under the control of the Gupta Empire of ancient India. During the period, Hindu and Buddhist art and architecture flourished in the area.
With the decline of the imperial Guptas, the Hindu Shahis came to rule the area. The Hindu Shahis built massive forts and temples. These Hindu Shahi forts were known for high towers and steep defensive walls. The Hindus also built many Hindu temples around the area, however, much of them are now in rubble. The Hindu Shahis remained in control of the area until their defeat by the Turkic Muslim army of Ghaznavids.
Medieval
The first mention of Rawalpindi's earliest settlement dates from when Mahmud of
Ghazni destroyed Rawalpindi and the town was restored by Gakhar chief Kai Gohar
in the early 11th century. The town fell into decay again after Mongol invasions
in the 14th century.[25] Situated along an invasion route, the settlement did
not prosper and remained deserted until 1493, when Jhanda Khan re-established
the ruined town, and named it Rawal.[26]
Mughal
The 16th century Rawat Fort offered military protection to
Rawalpindi.
During the Mughal era, Rawalpindi remained under the rule of the Ghakhar clan,
who in turn pledged allegiance to the Mughal Empire. The city was developed as
an important outpost in order to guard the frontiers of the Mughal realm.[27]
Gakhars fortified a nearby caravanserai, in the 16th century, transforming it
into the Rawat Fort in order to defend the Pothohar plateau from Sher Shah
Suri's forces.[28] Construction of the Attock Fort in 1581 after Akbar led a
campaign against his brother Mirza Muhammad Hakim, further securing Rawalpindi's
environs.[22] In December 1585, the Emperor Akbar arrived in Rawalpindi, and
remained in and around Rawalpindi for 13 years as he extended the frontiers of
the empire,[27] in an era described as a "glorious period" in his career as
Emperor.[27]
With the onset of chaos and rivalry between Gakhar chiefs after the death of
Kamal Khan in 1559, Rawalpindi was awarded to Said Khan by the Mughal
Emperor.[29] The Emperor Jehangir visited the royal camp in Rawalpindi in 1622,
where he first learned of Shah Abbas I of Persia's plan to invade Kandahar.[30]
Sikh Misl
Rawalpindi declined in importance as Mughal power declined, until the town was
captured in the mid 1760s from Muqarrab Khan by the Sikhs under Sardar Gujjar
Singh and his son Sahib Singh.[29] The city's administration was handed to
Sardar Milkha Singh, who then invited traders from the neighboring commercial
centers of Jhelum and Shahpur to settle in the territory in 1766.[25][29] The
city then began to prosper, although the population in 1770 is estimated to have
been only about 300 families.[31] Rawalpindi became for a time the refuge of
Shah Shuja, the exiled king of Afghanistan, and of his brother Shah Zaman in the
early 19th century.[22]
Sikh Empire
Sikh ruler Maharaja Ranjit Singh allowed the son of Sardar Milkha Singh to
continue as Governor of Rawalpindi, after Ranjit Singh seized the district in
1810.[29] Sikh rule over Rawalpindi was consolidated by defeat of the Afghans at
Haidaran in July 1813.[29] The Sikh rulers allied themselves with some of the
local Gakhar tribes, and jointly defeated Syed Ahmad Barelvi at Akora Khattak in
1827, and again in 1831 in Balakot.[29] Jews first arrived in Rawalpindi's Babu
Mohallah neighbourhood from Mashhad, Persia in 1839,[32] in order to flee from
anti-Jewish laws instituted by the Qajar dynasty. In 1841, Diwan Kishan Kaur was
appointed Sardar of Rawalpindi.[29]
On 14 March 1849, Sardar Chattar Singh and Raja Sher Singh of the Sikh Empire
surrendered to General Gilbert near Rawalpindi, ceding the city to the
British.[33] The Sikh Empire then came to an end on 29 March 1849.
British
Rawalpindi's Fatima Jinnah Women University is housed in a Victorian mansion.
Following Rawalpindi's capture by the British East India company, 53rd Regiment
of the company army took quarters in the newly captured city.[22] The decision
to man a permanent military cantonment in the city was made in 1851 by the
Marquess of Dalhousie.[22] The city saw its first telegraph office in the early
1850s.[34] The city's Garrison Church was built shortly after in 1854,[22] and
is the site where Robert Milman, Bishop of Calcutta, was buried following his
death in Rawalpindi in 1876.[22] The city was home to 15,913 people in the 1855
census.[31] During the 1857 Sepoy Mutiny, the area's Gakhars and Janjua tribes
remained loyal to the British.[34]
Numerous civil and military buildings were built during the British era, and the
Municipality of Rawalpindi was constituted in 1867,[22] while the city's
population as per the 1868 census was 19,228, with another 9,358 people residing
in the city's cantonment.[22] The city was also connected to railways that
offered connection to India and the northwest frontier in Peshawar in the
1880s.[22] The Commissariat Steam Flour Mills were the first such mills in
Punjab, and supplied most of the needs of British cantonments throughout
Punjab.[22] Rawalpindi's cantonment served as a feeder to other cantonments
throughout the region.[22]
Rawalpindi flourished as a commercial centre, though the city remained largely
devoid of an industrial base during the British era.[22] A large portion of
Kashmir's external trade passing through the city; in 1885, 14% of Kashmir's
exports, and 27% of its imports passed through the city.[22] A large market was
opened in central Rawalpindi in 1883 by Sardar Sujan Singh, while the British
further developed a shopping district for the city's elite known as Saddar with
an archway built to commemorate Brigadier General Massey.[22]
Rawalpindi's cantonment became a major center of military power of the Raj after
an arsenal was established in 1883.[25] Britain's army elevated the city from a
small town, to the third largest city in Punjab by 1921.[34] In 1868, 9,358
people lived in the city's cantonment – by 1891, the number rose to 37,870.[22]
In 1891, the city's population excluding the Cantonment was 34,153.[22] The city
was considered to be a favourite first posting for newly arrived soldiers from
England, owing to the city's agreeable climate, and nearby hill station at
nearby Murree.[22] In 1901, Rawalpindi was made the winter headquarters of the
Northern Command and of the Rawalpindi military division. Riots broke out
against British rule in 1905, following a famine in Punjab that peasants were
led to believe was a deliberate act.[35]
During World War 1, Rawalpindi District "stood first" among districts in
recruiting for the British war effort, with greater financial assistance from
the British government channeled into the area in return.[34] By 1921,
Rawalpindi's cantonment had overshadowed the city - Rawalpindi was one of seven
cities of Punjab in which over half the population lived in the cantonment
district.[34] Communal riots erupted between Rawalpindi's Sikh and Muslim
communities in 1926 after Sikhs refused to silence music from a procession that
was passing in front of a mosque.[35]
HMS Rawalpindi was launched as an ocean liner in 1925 by Harland and Wolff, the
same company which built RMS Titanic. The ship was converted into an armed
vessel, and was sunk in October 1939. The British government carried out poison
gas testing on Indian troops during the Rawalpindi experiments over the course
of more than a decade beginning in the 1930s.[36]
Partition
On 5 March 1947, members of Rawalpindi's Sikh and Hindu communities took out a
procession against the formation of a Muslim ministry within the Government of
Punjab. Policemen fired upon protestors, while Hindus and Sikhs fought against
weaker Muslim counter-protestors.[37] The area's first Partition riots erupted
the next day on 6 March 1947, when the city's Muslims, angered by the actions of
Hindus and Sikhs and encouraged by the Pir of Golra Sharif, raided nearby
villages after they were unable to do so in the city on account of Rawalpindi's
heavily armed Sikhs.[38]
At the dawn of Pakistan's independence in 1947 following the success of the
Pakistan Movement, Rawalpindi was a 43.79% Muslim, while Rawalpindi District as
a whole was 80% Muslim.[39] The region, on account of its large Muslim majority,
was thus awarded to Pakistan. Rawalpindi's Hindu and Sikh population, who had
made up 33.72% and 17.32% of the city,[39] migrated en masse to the newly
independent Dominion of India after communal riots in western Punjab, while
Muslim refugees from India settled in the city following anti-Muslim pogroms in
eastern Punjab and northern India.[38]
Modern
In the years following independence, Rawalpindi saw an influx of Muhajir,
Pashtun and Kashmiri settlers. Having been the largest British Cantonment in the
region at the dawn of Pakistan's independence, Rawalpindi was chosen as
headquarters for the Pakistani Army, despite the fact that Karachi had been
selected as the first capital.[40]
In 1951, the Rawalpindi conspiracy took place in which leftist army officers
conspired to depose the first elected Prime Minister of Pakistan, Liaquat Ali
Khan.[40] Rawalpindi later became the site of the Liaquat Ali Khan's
assassination, in what is now known as Liaquat Bagh Park. In 1958, Field Marshal
Ayub Khan launched his coup d'etat from Rawalpindi.[40] In 1959, the city became
the interim capital of the country under Ayub Khan, who had sought the creation
of a new planned capital of Islamabad in the vicinity of Rawalpindi. As a
result, Rawalpindi saw most major central government offices and institutions
relocate to nearby territory, and its population rapidly expand.
Construction of Pakistan's new capital city of Islamabad in 1961 led to greater
investment in Rawalpindi.[10] Rawalpindi remained the headquarters of the
Pakistani Army after the capital shifted to Islamabad in 1969, while the
Pakistan Air Force continues to maintain an airbase in the Chaklala district of
Rawalpindi.[41][42] The military dictatorship of General Zia ul Haq hanged
Pakistan's deposed Prime Minister, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, in Rawalpindi in
1979.[43]
In 1980, tens of thousands of Shia protestors led by Mufti Jaffar Hussain
marched on Rawalpindi to protest a provision of Zia ul Haqs Islamization
programme.[39] A spate of bombings in September 1987 took place in the city
killing 5 people, in attacks that are believed to have been orchestrated by
agents of Afghanistan's communist government.[44] On 10 April 1988, Rawalpindi's
Ojhri Camp, an ammunition depot for Afghan mujahideen fighting against Soviet
forces in Afghanistan, exploded and killed many in Rawalpindi and
Islamabad.[45][46] At the time, the New York Times reported more than 93 were
killed and another 1,100 wounded;[47] many believe that the toll was much
higher.[48]
Riots erupted in Rawalpindi in 1992 as mobs attacked Hindu temples in
retaliation for the destruction of the Babri Masjid in India by Hindu
extremists.[39] In March 2003, Pakistani authorities captured Khalid Sheikh
Mohammed, mastermind of the 11 September attacks in New York City. On 27
December 2007, Rawalpindi was the site of the assassination of former Prime
Minister Benazir Bhutto.
Modern Rawalpindi is socially and economically intertwined with Islamabad, and the greater metropolitan area. The city is also home to numerous suburban housing developments that serve as bedroom-communities for workers in Islamabad.[11][12] In June 2015, the Rawalpindi-Islamabad Metrobus, a new bus rapid transit line with various points in Islamabad, opened for service.
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