Gojra (Punjabi and Urdu: گوجرہ), the administrative capital of Gojra Tehsil, is the city of Toba Tek Singh District in the Punjab province of Pakistan. Gojra is 50 kilometers (31 mi) from Faisalabad, 170 kilometers (110 mi) from Lahore, and 20 miles (32 km) north of Toba Tek Singh. Founded in 1896 during the British colonial period, Gojra was the commercial center of lands which had recently come under cultivation and was known for its “mandi” (market) for cash crops. It is the 51st largest city of Pakistan by population according to the 2017 census.
History
Pre-Independence
Gojra city was established in 1896 when the colonization of Faisalabad began. The railway line between Faisalabad and Gojra was laid in 1899. The town was given the status of notified area committee in 1904 and upgraded to a B-Class Municipality in 1925. In 1906, the population was 2,589, according to The Imperial Gazetteer of India.”The business is done in this rising mart on the railway, which has sprung into existence in the last six years owing to the extension of the Chenab Canal to the surrounding country, bids fair to rival in importance that of Faisalabad itself”.
In 1919, following the Rowlatt Act, hartals broke out throughout Punjab. Gojra was affected by serious protests and a member of the Church Mission Society had to be escorted out of the town by loyal residents.
Post-Independence
In August 1947, India and Pakistan achieved independence. Riots and local fighting followed the expeditious withdrawal of the British, resulting in an estimated one million civilians deaths, particularly in the western region of Punjab. Gojra, which was in the region of the Punjab Province that became West Pakistan, was populated by a number of Hindus and Sikhs who migrated to India, while Muslim refugees from India settled in the district.
After independence from Britain, in view of its increasing size, it was declared as a 2nd class Municipal Committee in 1960. Gojra was raised to the status of tehsil town and affiliated with the newly established district Toba Tek Singh on 01.07.1982. After the introduction of the Devolution of Powers Plan, the Tehsil Municipal Administration Gojra came into being on 12.08.2001.
Geography
Gojra’s coordinates are as UTM: BQ74
Geographical coordinates in decimal degrees (WGS84)
- Latitude: 31.150
- Longitude: 72.683
Geographical coordinates in degrees minutes seconds (WGS84)
- Latitude: 31 09′ 00
- Longitude: 72 41′ 00
Geology
The district of Toba Tek Singh is part of the alluvial plains between the Himalayan foothills and the central core of the Indian subcontinent. The alluvial deposits are typically over 1,000 feet thick. The interfluves are believed to have been formed during the Late Pleistocene and feature river terraces. These were later identified as old and young floodplains of the Ravi River on the Kamalia and Chenab Plains. The old floodplains consist of Holocene deposits from the Ravi and Chenab rivers.
The soil consists of young stratified silt loam or very fine sand loam that makes the subsoil weak in structure with common kankers at only five feet. The course of the rivers in Faisalabad is winding and often subject to frequent alternations. In the rainy season, the currents are very strong. This leads to high floods in certain areas which last for days.
The Rakh and Gogera canals have encouraged the water levels in the district; however, the belt on the Ravi River has remained narrow. The river bed includes the river channels which have shifted the sandbars and low sandy levees leading to river erosion.
This area is between the Chenab and Ravi rivers. There is a mild slope from the northeast to the southwest with an average fall of 0.2–0.3 meters per kilometer (1.1–1.6 feet per mile). The topography is marked by valleys, local depression, and high ground.
Economy
The surrounding countryside, irrigated by the lower Chenab River, produces cotton, wheat, sugarcane, vegetables and fruits. The city is an industrial centre with major railway yards, engineering works, and mills that process sugar, flour, and oil seed. Gojra is known for producing crops, especially in wheat production, as well as sugarcane and cotton. Gojra has its own fabric mills, which import and export to other countries.
Culture
Festivals
The Punjabi people celebrate cultural and religious festivals throughout the region, such as arts and craft, music, local events, and religious celebrations.
The city of Gojra customarily celebrates its independence day on 14 August by raising the Pakistan flag at every home and important Govt buildings. Bazaars are colourfully decorated for the celebration, government and private buildings are brightly lit, and there are similar flag–raising ceremonies that are typically held in the district and its tehsils.
The arrival of spring brings the annual “Rang-e-Bahar” festival during the month of March, where the Parks & Horticulture Authority of the Gojra Municipal Committee organise a flower show and exhibition at Civil Club, Gojra.
Being a Muslim majority city, religious observances include Ramadan(Ramzan) and Muharram. The festivals of Chaand Raat, Eid al-Fitr, and Eid al-Adha are celebrated and are national holidays. The celebration of the Prophet Muhammad’s birthday is observed in the city which is often referred to as “Eid Milād-un-Nabī”. There are darbar and shrines which attract devotees during the annual Urs. There are Christian churches in the city where Easter and Christmas services take place.
Attire
Traditional attire in Gojra is Punjabi clothing such as the dhoti, kurta and pagri. Gojra men wear white shalwar kameez as do women but with a dupatta (scarf). Mostly women wear burqas that may or may not cover the face. Combinations of Pakistani and Western attire are worn by women, such as an embroidered kurta worn with jeans or trousers, and half sleeve or sleeveless shirts with Capri pants. Men have adopted some of the modern Western styles for both casual and formal business dress such as dress pants, trousers, T-shirts and jeans.
Food
Gojra’s cuisine is very much Punjabi cuisine, with influences from the times of the Mughal and Colonial empires. Key ingredients include rice or roti (flatbread) served with a vegetable or non-vegetable curry, a salad consisting of spiced tomatoes and onions, and yogurt. This is usually accompanied by South Asian sweets such as jaggery, gajar ka halwa, gulab jamun, and jalebi. Tandoori barbecue specialties consist of naan bread served with tandoori chicken, chicken tikka or lamb shishkebab served with a mint chutney.
Street foods are a key element to cuisine. Samosas (deep fried pastry filled with vegetables or meat) are topped with an onion salad and two types of chutney. Other street foods include dahi bhale (deep fried vadas in creamy yoghurt), gol gappay (fried round puri filled with vegetables and topped with tamarind chutney) and vegetable or chicken pakoras. Biryani and murgh pilao rice are a specialty in Gojra.
A typical breakfast in Gojra is halwa poori comprising a deep-fried flatbread served with a spicy chickpea curry and sweet orange-coloured halwa. It is customarily accompanied by a sweet or salty yoghurt-based drink called lassi. During winter, a common breakfast is roghni naan bread served with paya curry.
Specialty drinks vary depending on climate. During winter, hot drinks are available, such as rabri doodh, a creamy dessert drink commonly made with full-fat milk, almonds, pistachios and basil seeds, dhood patti (milky tea), and Kashmiri chai, a pink coloured milky tea containing almonds and pistachios. During summer, drinks such as sugarcane rusk, limo pani (iced lemon water), skanjvi (iced orange and black pepper) and lassi are common. The famous food points are Rafiq samosa corner, molvi ky pakory, Shahryar ice-cream, gujjar chaye wala, attari fruit chaat, Pardesi Burger, Al-Madina Tikka shop, Barkha Sweets.
Languages
The population speaks Punjabi as mother tongue while the national language Urdu is widely spoken.
Arabic is taught in Madrasahs and Masjids as a religious language. English as the official language is taught in all schools.