Shakargarh Tehsil (Urdu: شکرگڑھ },
is a subdivision (tehsil)
of Narowal
District in
the Punjab province
of Pakistan. The tehsil is administratively subdivided into 35 Union
Councils,
three of which form the tehsil capital Shakargarh.
Before the independence of Pakistan, Shakargarh was
the headquarters of Shakargarh Tehsil, which formed part
of Gurdaspur
district (now
in
India).
Under the Radcliffe
Award,
Shakargarh tehsil was transferred to Pakistan and attached with
Sialkot District. However with the creation of Narowal District on 1
July 1991, Shakargarh became tehsil headquarters
was included as one of its tehsils. Shakargarh was the gateway of
Mughals entering Gordaspur and going to Delhi. Shakargarh is also
was the gateway to Kashmir and regarded as the rest point for
travellers. One of
the main reason for its popularity was and still is its rich and
fertile land for wheat and top quality rice cultivation. One of the
superior land for rice cultivation in world.
During British Rule Shakargarh Tehsil was an
administrative subdivision of Gurdaspur District, in 1947 the
majority of the district went to India with Pakistan retaining the
tehsil of Shakargarh which then became a subdivision of Sialkot
District.
The Imperial Gazetteer of India, written over a
hundred years ago during British rule, describes Shakargarh as
follows;
Shakargarh.-Tahsīl of Gurdāspur District, Punjab,
lying between 32°2' and 32° 30' N. and 74° 57' and 75° 23' E., with
an area of 485 square miles (1,260 km2). The Ravi divides
it from the rest of the District to the south, while on the north it
touches Jammu territory. West of the narrow lowlands along the Ravi,
the country is an arid expanse of rolling downs intersected by
torrent beds. The population in 1901 was 234,465, compared with
250,336 in 1891. It contains 703 villages, of which Shakargarh is
the head-quarters. The land revenue and cesses in 1903-4 amounted to
Rs. 4,29,000.Majority of people belongs to Gujjar,Rajpoot and Ansari
tribes also some other tribes Malik and mughals.
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