Gujrat is a city and the capital of the Gujrat district in the province of Punjab located to the East of Pakistan. Gujrat is located to the Northeast of Punjab Province on the banks of river Chenab.  The Indian State of Jammu and Kashmir borders Gujrat to the East and areas of Punjab province to the South and West and to the North the region of Azad Kashmir. Gujrat is around 125 Km to the North of Lahore the capital city of Punjab province and around 170 Km to the South of Islamabad the capital of Pakistan.

Gujrat has hot summers with temperature soaring to 45^o during peak summer season from May to August and winters being very cold and the temperature dipping to -0^o in the winter season of November to March.  The people of Gujrat are engaged in agriculture and are employed in small scale industries engaged in production of local stuffs needed for day to day living such as ceramic items, potteries, cotton and woolen clothing items and tobacco smoking pipes known as hukkas etc.

History of Gujrat in Pakistan:

History of Gujrat traces back to period of King Porus who fought the Alexander the Great, the Greek king of Macedon on the Banks of river Jehlum and since then it was ruled by various Hindu dynasties and the Sultanate dynasties from 12^th century during which period the Islam religion started taking roots in the Eastern parts of Asia and later by the Mughals from the Central Asia before British Empire brought the Asian subcontinent under its fold and during the Indian struggle for Independence of 1947 the Muslim majority of  NWFR was portioned to Muslim League and subsequently named Pakistan and Gujrat being made a district of Punjab province.

Food and Culture in Gujrat in Pakistan:

Gujrat being in Punjab province consume large quantities of wheat and rice products along with meat and dairy products.  The Punjabi food stuff of tandoori rotis, nans, chappatis along with chawal or rice with spicy curries are consumed by the local populace.

The enterprising people of Gujrat are engaged in various small industries that produce various unique items such as clay pots, terracotta vases, Hukkas or the smoking pipes and also engaging in agricultural pursuits growing wheat, rice and sugarcane etc.  The people of Gujrat celebrate various anniversaries of the saints Such as Wengi wali Sarkar and Kanwan Wali Sarkar around June and August.   The famous Punjabi folk tale of Sohni Mahiwal is from the Gujrat region of the Punjab province.  Majority of locals speak Majhi a dialect of Punjabi in Gujrat.

Shopping and Things to do in Gujrat in Pakistan:

In Gujrat Shopping is mainly done on the various local handcrafted items such as ceramic items and potteries and terracotta vases the famous smoke pipe hukkas and the Palm tree leaves artifacts etc.

Travelling in Gujrat is done with caution for tourists as it is a place with majority Islamic followers in the Islamic country of Pakistan and areas are restricted for the foreigners when visiting certain places.  One can visit Jehlum, Gujranwala and Sialkot for forts and historical sight of Indus valley civilization in Sahiwaal.

Tourist Attractions in Gujrat in Pakistan:

Rohtas Fort:

Rohtas Fort one of the Forts built during the Moghul period near Jehlum, Pakistan. It was built by the King Farid Khan in 16th century to stop the return of Mughal emperor Humayun, who was defeated by Sheer Shah in the battle of Kanauj.

Hiran Minar Tomb:

Hiran Minar Tomb located in Gujranwala to the South of Gujrat. Hiran Minar is an early 17th-century Mughal era complex located in Sheikhupura, in the Pakistani province of Punjab.

Harrapa:

Harappa is a large capital of the Indus Civilization, and one of the best-known sites in Pakistan, located on the bank of the Ravi River in central Punjab Province. At the height of the Indus civilization, between 2600-1900 BC, Harappa was one of a handful of central places for thousands of cities and towns covering a million square kilometers (about 385,000 square miles) of territory in South Asia.

The famous location near the town of Sahiwaal, site known for Indus valley civilization. Harappa is an archaeological site in Punjab, Pakistan, about 24 km west of Sahiwal. The site takes its name from a modern village located near the former course of the Ravi River which now runs 8 km to the north.

Connectivity to Gujrat in Pakistan:

The road connectivity to Gujrat is very good as the ancient Grant Trunk Road or the N-5 Road passes by Gujrat connecting to the city of Peshawar in the West to other cities to the East and South with Daewoo bus terminus and Municipal Wagon bus stand serving as hub for road transport.  Gujrat railway station is one of the important stations that connect Peshawar in the West to Karachi in the South by the train.  The nearest airport to reach Gujrat is at Lahore at a distance of 120 Km.

Hotel Accommodation in Gujrat in Pakistan:

• Kinara Hotel 3*
• Skyways Hotel 2*
• Flying Coach Hotel 2*
• ATCS Faisal Hotel 2*

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