| Kasur قصور |
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| Country |  Pakistan |
| Province | Punjab |
| District | Kasur District |
| Government | |
| - M.P.A | Nadeem Sethi |
| - President Of Bulleh Shah Naat Council | Haji Manzoor Baggar |
| Area | |
| - Total | 3,995 km2 (1,542.5 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 218 m (715 ft) |
| Population (2007) | |
| - Total | 288,181 |
| - Density | 595/km2 (1,541/sq mi) |
| Time zone | PST (UTC+5) |
| Calling code | 049 |
| Number of towns | 12 (Kots) |
| Number of Union councils | 11 |
| Government website | |
Kasur (Urdu/Punjabi: قصور), the capital of Kasur District and one of the oldest cities in Pakistan, is located 55 km southeast of Lahore. Kasur is adjacent to the border of Ferozepur between Pakistan and the India, and is a tourist attraction because of the guard changing ceremony.
It is known for its very spicy fish, a sweet dish called Andrassay, Falooda and Kasuri methi. It is the birthplace of Noor Jehan, the Pakistani singer and actress who gained popularity in the 1950s. The city is also the resting place of Sufi poet Bulleh Shah.
There are different traditions about the name of Kasur. One is that the town was founded by Kasur/ Kasu the son of King Ram and named after him as Kasurpur. (One of Kasu's brothers was Loh and the City of Lahore was named after him.) According to another tradition the town was founded by Pashtun families from Kabul (today the capital of Afghanistan) during the period of Mughal emperor Akbar. The Pashtuns constructed 12 small forts known as Kot. There were about twelve Kots named after the heads of various families.
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History
Early history
Historically the city of Kasur was named by ancient Aryan tribe of Kambojas who migrated from Mittani and Kussara and belonged to Ancient King Pithana of Mesopotamian Kussara. This fact is also endorsed by renowned folk Baba Bulay Shah that all Pathans of Kasur would be become Weavers very soon.
The town of Khudian was built by ancient Aryan Iranian Kambojas of Kasur who claims descent from Saman Khuda. A village Khoda near Khudian is also inhabited by Kambojah Clan.
The same clan Kambojas also claims to be offsprings of Kumbakarna and Rama. Ancient town of Rajowal of Kambojas is also related to Kambojas of Khemkaran.
According to traditional belief, Kasur was founded by Prince Kusha[1], the son of Lord Rama, while Lahore, called Lavapuri in ancient times[2], was founded by his brother Prince Lava[3].
Kasur had been allotted by the Mughals to Pashtuns or Afghans of Kabul and still contains a colony of Pashtuns. However the site was occupied by a Rajput town long before the period of Muslim rule.
Modern history
On July 1, 1976 the city of Kasur became the capital of Kasur District after the area was detached from Lahore District.
Kasur as a district headquarters town is the most important after Lahore. It is built upon the high bank which marks the termination of the Majha and looks down upon the lowlands of the Satluj Hither. It is a place of great antiquity and is identified by the historians as one of the place visited by the Chinese pilgrim, Howang Tsang in the 7th century CE but it does no appear in history until late in the Muslim period when it was settled as a Pashtun colony from east of the Indus. These migrants entered the town either in the reign of Baber or in that of his grandson Akbar and founded a considerable principality with territory on both sides of the Satluj. When the Sikhs rose to power, they met great opposition from the Pashtuns of Kasur. The chiefs of the Bhangi confederacy stormed the town in the 1763 and again in 1770 and although they succeeded in holding the entire principality for a while, the Pashtun leaders re-established their independence in 1794 and resisted many subsequent attacks. The town of Kasur was incorporated in the Kingdom of Lahore by Ranjit Singh in 1807 and had been a municipality since 1885.
Customs and traditions
Kasur past has been nurtured by Sufi Saints like Baba Bulleh Shah, Baba Kamal Chishti,Imam Shah Bukhari, on one hand and by musicians, singers like Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, Ustad Barkat Ali Khan, Ustad Amanat Ali Khan, Malka-e-Tarrannam Noor Jehan etc. on the other hand. The important cultural events in the district are the Urs of Baba Bulleh Shah and Urs of Baba Imam Shah Bukhari as well as the Urs of Baba Sheikh Bhago. Kasur is also known in folklore for its slippers. A famous Punjabi folk song is :"Jutti Kasuri, Paire na puri, hai rabba ve sahnu turna paya." (The slippers of Kasur don't fit me, Oh God, I had to walk!)
Hazrat Baba Bulleh Shah
Bulleh Shah was a Punjabi Sufi poet, believed to have lived from 1680 to 1758.As is a common practice in South Asian poetry, his poems include a signature line which contains his name. Bulleh Shah was settled in Kasur, now in Pakistan. His spiritual master was Shah Inayat Qadiri of Lahore. The ancestral village of Bulleh Shah was Uch Gilaniyan in Bahawalpur, now a part of Pakistan, though his ancestors had migrated from Bukhara in modern day Uzbekistan. From there his family first shifted to Malakwal (Multan District, Pakistan) and then to Pandoke, which is about 14 miles southeast of Kasur, Pakistan. Bulleh's real name was Abdullah Shah, but Bulleh was his nickname at home, and that is the name he chose to use as a poet. His family background was religious, his father being a highly religious person. Bulleh wrote primarily in Punjabi, but also in the locally spoken language, Siraiki, which is often considered a dialect of Punjabi. His style of poetry is called Kafi, which was already an established style with Sufis who preceded him. Several of his songs are regarded as an integral part of the traditional repertoire of Qawwali, the musical genre which represents the devotional music of the Sufis. The tomb of Bulleh Shah is in Kasur, and he is held in reverence by all Sufis of India and Pakistan.
Kots (residential areas)
The city of Kasur is an aggregation of fortified hamlets, called kots, small in themselves, but together forming a considerable town. In 1592 12 principal residential colonies were built by Mughal Emperor Jalaluddin Muhammad Akbar. The names of 12 kots are:
- Kot Pacca Qila
- Kot Nawan Qila
- Kot Azam Khan
- Kot Ghulam Mohammad Mohayyudin Khan
- Kot Murad Khan
- Kot Haleem Khan
- Kot Peeraan Mohammad Khan
- Kot Fateh Din Khan
- Kot Usman Khan
- Kot Badar-ud-Din Khan
- Kot Ruken Din Khan
- Kot Nawab Hussain Khan
These residential areas were built later on.
- Tariq Bin Ziad Road
- Khara Road
- Pakeeza Colony
- Bhatta Gorian Wala
- Munir Shaheed Colony
- kot Muhammad Ishaque Khan,Atari Karam Singh,Adda Talwandi
- Kot Ghulam Muhammad Khan
- Kot Mir Baz Khan
- Kot Sherbaz Khan
- Kot Abdul Qadir
- Rod Kot
- Dhoor Kot
- Jinnah Colony
- Baghdadia Colony
- Bulley Shah Colony
- Mushtaq Colony
- Ghosia Colony
- Gulberg Colony
- Sanwat Colony,Qadiwind
- Gora Nagar
- Fazal Colony
- Roshan Colony
- Shakoor Colony
- Bhasar Pura
- Sheikh Bhago
- Rukan Pura
- Mohala Peer bulanda
- Salamat Pura
- Din Garh
- Ali Garh
- Niaz Nagar
- Mushtaq Nagar
- Wylie Pur
- Jamat Pura
- Kirshna Nagar
- Syed Chiragh Shah Town
- Basti Venayekan Wali
- Basti Sabir Wali
- Basti Barat Shah
- Basti Qadir Abad
- Basti Babian Wali
- Basti Noor Shah Wali
- Gali Chaki Wali Kot Murad Khan
Weather
The city has extremes of climate; the summer season begins from April and continues till September. June is the hottest month. The mean maximum and minimum temperature for this month are about 40 and 27 degree Celsius respectively. The winter seasons lasts from November to March. January is the coldest month. The mean maximum and minimum temperatures for the coldest month are 20 and 6 degree Celsius respectively.
Rainfall
Towards the end of June monsoon conditions appear and during the following two and a half months the rainy season alternates with sultry weather. The winter rain falls during January, February and March ranging from 23 to 31 millimetres.
Banks
- Bank Alflah Limited Railway Road Kasur
- Bank Al Habib Railway Road Kasur
- Habib Bank Limited(2 branches)
- National Bank (2 branches)
- Muslim Commercial Bank Limited (8 branches)
- United Bank Limited
- Allied Bank Limited (2 branches)
- Meezan Bank Limited Railway Road Kasur
- Habib Metro Bank Railway Road Kasur
- Picic Commercial Bank Limited Railway Road Kasur
- Askari Bank Chok Chandni Railway Road Kasur
Schools and colleges
- The Learning School, Kot Radha Kishen (Kasur)
- Allama Iqbal Cadet Chhoti Dunya School Khara Road Kasur
- Educare Public School And Academy Mohalla chaudrian Mustafa Abad, Kasur
- Allama Iqbal Cadet Public High School Kasur
- Allama iQbal Public Girls Higher Secondary School Riewind Road Kasur
- Paragon Public High School Patoki
- Punjab Model High School Khara Road Kasur
- Pakistan English Model School, Kasur
- Pakistan Model High School, Kasur
- Government Islamia College, Kasur
- Moon Star Public High School Krishna Nager Kasur
- Saint Paul Joseph Christen School
- Reading Public School Terkhanawali, Mewat Kasur
- Kasur Model High School
- Govt. High School Kacha Pacca
- District Public School and College Kasur, Kasur
- Bhatti International Public School]
- Dhing Shah Model High School, Khudian
- Sadiq Memorial High School (boys and girls), Khudian
- Government Higher Secondary School, Khudian
- Government Model High School, Kasur
- Government Degree College for Women, Kasur
- Bank Model High School, Kasur
- Sharif Model High School (campuses in Bhatta Gorian Wala, Kot Rukin Din Khan Kasur, Muhalla Haji Shah Sharif, Near Khan Mehal Cinma Raiwind Road and Kot Usman Khan)
- Al-Madina Ideal High School Khara Road Kasur
- Pappa Educational Academy of Literature And Sciences Kasur
- Shamas Pilot High School sheikh Bhago near Bhasar pura Kasur
- Beaconhouse Educators, a franchise of the Beaconhouse group
- Khawaja Abdul Hayee Model High School Usman wala, Kasur
Famous & Special Product of Kasur
- Kasuri Methi is used as vegetable in various eatables. Fresh Methi herb does not contain any smell but after drying, it becomes fragrant and possesses a specific type low grade smell. Methi from Kasur / Qasoor in Punjab (Pakistan) is very famous in its fragrance throughout the country and known as Kasurii Methi.
Kasuri Methi leaves are also used as a condiment for flavoring and giving special delicious taste. Steaming is considered the best method of cooking leaves; in this the vitamins are retained and the vegetable become palatable. The dried leaves can be composed to pulses for their protein content. They supplement the lysine-deficient cereal diets. They have an aromatic odor and agreeable spicy taste. Kasuri Methi leaves is an important ingredient of curry powder and juicy and fry vegetables.
Historically, fenugreek was used for a variety of health conditions, including menopausal symptoms and digestive problems. It was also used for inducing childbirth.
Today, it is used for diabetes and loss of appetite, and to stimulate milk production in breastfeeding women. It is also applied to the skin to treat inflammation.
Health
Very few specialist doctors are available and most of the people resort to the adjacent city of Lahore for their health care needs.
Food industries
Kasur is well-knowned as the city of foods, there are so many foods industries are working with the best quality like: Kasuri Methi, Rice, Corn, Potatoes and many other vegetable & fruits products.
Radio
- Radio channel in Kasur City. (FM 99)
- Radio channel in Kasur City. (FM 92)[4]
Sui gas supply
In 2004 the work for laying a gas pipe line from Lahore to Kasur was completed, allowing the residents of Kasur access to a gas supply for domestic purposes. However, most of the city area has not yet received the gas.
Kasur-Lahore Motorway
The Kasur-Lahore Motorway, a 6-lane highway inaugurated by President Pervez Musharraf is under construction and is expected to be completed by the end of 2007. This is particularly important for Kasur as many people commute from Kasur to Lahore. Recently DCO, Abdul Jabbar Shaheen is doing a memorable tasks regarding Administration, Roads, and land encroachment. He has became the Hero and legend of Kasur City. He has done marvellous jobs and really done the impossibles. People of Kasur is saluting his extra-ordinary work in Kasur.[citation needed].
Tanneries
Kasur produces leather and leather made-ups.
References
- ^ Nadiem, Ihsan N. "Kasur ancient name". Punjab, Pg.111. Google Books. http://books.google.com/books?id=pyFuAAAAMAAJ&q=Kasur+Kusha&dq=Kasur+Kusha&ei=9rwgSritBZWQyASHk7maDw&pgis=1. Retrieved 2009-05-29.
- ^ Bombay Historical Society. "Lahore known as Lavapuri". Annual bibliography of Indian history and Indology, Pg.257. Google Books. http://books.google.com/books?id=FAS2AAAAIAAJ&q=Lahore+Lavapuri&dq=Lahore+Lavapuri&ei=Fb8gStypC5byygSTlt27Dw&pgis=1. Retrieved 2009-05-29.
- ^ Baqir, Muhammad. "Lahore founded by Prince Lava". Lahore, past and present. Google Books, Pg.19 & Pg.20. http://books.google.com/books?id=-pAcAAAAMAAJ&q=Lahore+Lava&dq=Lahore+Lava&ei=x78gSqXAIYWKygTqtNXmAg&pgis=1. Retrieved 2009-05-29.
- ^ [1]List of FM radio licenses issued by PEMRA
External links
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Coordinates: 31°07′01″N 74°27′01″E / 31.1170277778°N 74.4502222222°E
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