AN INTRODUCTION OF JHELUM THE GREAT ANCIENT CITY.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

In ancient days Jhelum was known as Jalham, the word Jhelum is reportedly derived from two words JAL(pure water) and HAM(snow).
The name thus refers to the waters of river Jhelum which have their origin in the snow capped Himalayas. The name of this river written in Rag-e-Vaid is Watasta. The origin of this river is Vary Naag Spring in Sri Nagar from where it enters Wooler Lake. After passing Wooler Lake it then enters Mangla Lake. The total length of this river is 450 Miles. Two canals named Upper Jhelum and Lower Jhelum are also constructed from this river.

                      Jhelum is one of the oldest districts of Pakistan, established by the British Regime in the year 1849 with its Headquarters at Pind Dadan Khan. At that time it consisted of Chakwal, Jabbi and Pind Dadan Khan. Subsequently, Jhelum replaced Tehsil Jabbi and also became the District Headquarter in 1850, In 1949 the Tehsil of Rohtas was also transferred to this District from Rawalpindi. In 1850, Makhad and Pindi Gheb area of this Tehsil were added to Talagang Tehsil. In this way Jabbi Tehsil was abolished that year and a new Tehsil was constituted. The same year the Headquarter of the District was shifted from P.D.Khan to Jhelum. P.D.Khan was relegated to a Sub-Division. In 1851 Jabbi area was transferred from Rawalpindi District to this District. In 1857, sixty five villages were again transferred from Rawalpindi District to Jhelum District. Afterwards, the Tehsil of Talagang was transferred to Cambellpur District. Presently named as Attock District. Thus at the time of independence, the District consisted of three Tehsils Jhelum, P.D.Khan and Chakwal covering an area of 2772square kilometers.

 Jhelum District is situated in the north eastern parts of Pakistan and is one of the four districts of Rawalpindi Division. During the year 1992 Chakwal District was created. In this way a good part Jhelum District was detached. At the same time Jhelum Tehsil was bifurcated in two parts by creating a new Tehsil of Sohawa out of it.

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     LOCATION & BOUNDARIES

    The District contains four towns :-
    Jhelum City
    Dina
    P.D.Khan
    Sohawa

    The Administrative Headquarters are at the town of Jhelum that is situated in the extreme South     Eastern Corner of the District. There are three Assistant Commissioners stationed at Jhelum Saddar P.D.Khan and Sohawa.

It is situated in the north east of Punjab, Jhelum straddles both sides of the Grand Trunk Road. It is bounded in the north by Rawalpindi District, in the South by Gujrat and Sargodha, in the east by Azad Jammu & Kashmir and in the west by District Chakwal from which it is separated by a mountainous range called the Kohistan-e-Nimak.
The river passes through the Eastern & Southern parts of the District. The soil adjoining the river is generally plain, alluvial and quite fertile. This area is generally cultivable and produces all types of crops. The western edge of Tehsil P.D.Khan is both exceedingly rough and difficult in approach making this area relatively inaccessible. The newly constructed Motor Way has now opened up this area. The area of District is as below:

 In terms of Sq.Km the total area of the District is 3,587.                           

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 PHYSICAL FEATURES

There is a long stretch of plain level around Jhelum itself, which is prolonged into a narrower strip along the course of the river, which is overlooked by hills, whereby the mountains of the Salt Range and its off shoots cut the District and divide it into two District lines of hills generally situated at a distance of about 8 kilometers from each other. Each of these is made up of a number of parallel ridges. Generally, after an interval of 16 kilometers these two main lines of hills bound in toward one another. Then they again separate, again run parallel and unite.

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TOPOGRAPHY

Geographically Jhelum is divided into three regions, the first of these lies below the hills, the second within these and the third behind these. These regions may be called as the riverine, the upland and the plateau.
The riverine region possesses alluvial soil and is situated between the river Jhelum and the hills in the southern part of the District. Its length is 160 kilometers and stretches from Pindori in tehsil Jhelum to Phitrote in District Sargodha. The narrow plain between the Salt Range and the Jhelum situated beyond Jalalput Girjak contains the most fertile land. this area is very productive and produces all types of crops.
    The second Upland region is the tract, which lies between ranges of the hills. The uplands of the Salt Range live together in Pind Dadan Khan Tehsil, while those which are situated between the Tilla and the Nilli hills, are surrounded by mountains from all the sides. In some places the surface is too stony to be productive but generally the soil is of good quality.
The third region is plateau. It is quite different the first one. It consists of most parts of Domeli and Iskandral area. It is generally known as Khudder of area of riverines. The surface of the tract is broken and distorted. On the both sides of Bund stream the land is high and sandy. Near Baragowah the soil is mixed with clay. Just under the soil is too stony to be culture able, but the soil is very rich and fertile on the banks of kahan stream below Rohtas. Between Lehri and Langerpur hills soil is black in colour.

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FLORA & FAUNA

Vegetation of the forests of Jhelum Forest Division is dry deciduous scrub type, Phulai, Kau and sanatha are the main species. The stocking on the whole is poorand the forests are open. Vegetation is poor on sand stone and redmarl. The southern slopes are often devoid of vegetation while north western slopes carry good forests. The forests of Jhelum Forests Divisions are burdened with right of grazing browsing and firewood. Under settlement out of total area 93,566 acres only 5,468 acres about (45%) are right free. Remaining 55% are open to grazing.

The fauna of the District is mostly indigenous restricted, like the vegetation, but similarly varied and interesting. The rugged and rough terrain, low rainfall, the scantly cover of vegetation and the burning passions of the increasing number of hunters, all have their share in limiting the animal kingdom in the District. The riverine offers a better environment than elsewhere though the hills support a more interesting wildlife. Urial and Chinckara are spot aids while wild bores are found in the Salt Range. Wolves, Foxes and Wild Cats are also found. Hare is fairly common. Chikor grey and black Patridge are also found in the parts of the District. Migratory ducks like Teal Pintail and Mallard and some geese visit during winter.                                                                     

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 ETHNOGRAPHY

The general distribution of the land owning tribes comprised of Gujjars who hold east of the Jhelum and present Sohwa Tehsil. Janjuas the south west and the Gakkhars in the great part of what remains. In P.D.Khan, Janjuas hold most of the eastern half of the hills and some of the eastern plain. The rest of the plain is held by Jalps,Kashmiris, Mughals, Qureshis, Awans, Syeds, Phaphras, Khokhars etc.  

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 AGRICULTURE

Jhelum District has a total area of 8,58,767 acres, out of which 3,16,815 acres are cultivated. It has three tehsils viz; Jhelum, Pind Dadan Khan and Sohawa. The area is located on the eastern part of Potohar upland alongwith River Jhelum. 

Agriculture in the District Jhelum depends mainly on rainfall. The average rainfall of the area varies from 20 to 40 inches. About three fourth of this precipitation is received in monsoon season and the remaining one fourth is received during the rest of the year. The irrigated area at present is limited but the emphasis on construction of small Dams and Mini Dams is gradually increasing. Wheat remains the main crop.
    In Tehsil P.D.Khan Salt is the predominant feature which is spoiling the rich agricultural land day by day. There is a long strip of very rich and virgin soil along the river which could be made a paradise of citrus plantation by drip irrigation if the local people are motivated and the Government of Punjab expressed some interest in it.

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 LITERACY

The Literacy ratio in Jhelum District has increased from 38.9% in 1981, to 63.9% in 1988. The Literacy ratio for males is 77.7% as against 50.5% for females. The ratio is much higher in urban areas when compared with the rural areas for both male and female.

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 COMMUNICATOINS

 ROADS:    All the three tehsil headquarters are interlinked with metalled roads. The tehsil Sohawa is situated at Grand Trunk Road whereas Pind Dadan Khan Sub-Division is connected with Jhelum-Pind Dadan Khan Road. The suburbs of Jhelum Tehsil stand linked and netted with pacca roads namely Gattalian-Sheikhupur road, Jhelum-Kala Gujran-Chak Jamal Road, Chak Jamal-Boora Jungal road, Dina-Sheikhupur-Mangla road, Nakki Link road, Pind Dadan khan, Rohtas road, Umral Lehri road, Sohan Johda road and Khalaspur Chakri-Pind Swika road. The Sohawa Sub Division is also interlinked with the villages of Bhitmast, Pakhwal, Dhidi PariKarunta-Bangi, Gurha Nisar, Domeli, Jahli, Adrana, Dhoke Mochian, Gattarand Gujjar Katarian. Pind Dadan Khan town inter-links the villages of this Tehsil on eitherside of the left and right with small pacca roads.  
RAILWAYS:    There is one main Railway line passing through the District connecting Lahore, Wazirabad, Rawalpindi and Peshawar. One branch line coming from Malikwal enters the District at Haranpur after crossing the river Jhelum.One branch line leads to Gharibabad, One to Khewra, One to Pind Dadan Khan laeving for Khushab through Lilla and one branch line leading to Mangla Cantonment and Maira from Dina. The total length of Railway lines passing through the District is around 100 kilometers.
POSTAL SERVICES:     The postal services are satisfactory, especially since the involvement of private sector. Similarly the telecommunications have also been improved because of the Government policy to encourage the private sector even in the remote areas of the District. Communication has also become satisfactory with improved equipment and introduction of new technology.                                 

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MEDICAL FACILITIES

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The climate of the tract is extreme. In winter it is very cold and summer is very hot. The average rainfall varies from 48 to 69 m.m per annum which is much below the required quantity but in the rainy season the water torrents flow from North to the river Jhelum with a very fast speed and cause damages to the crops, bridges, roads and are responsible for the soil erosion in the District. The detailed data is as under:

MONTH WISE TEMPERATURE & PRECIPITATION

                    SOURCE : - District Census Report Of Jhelum