Jalalpur Sharif () is a town located in the Jhelum district in Punjab, Pakistan.Tehsils & Unions in the District of Jhelum – Government of Pakistan
History
Jalalpur's modern name came from the renaming of its ancient name, , by Malik Darwesh Khan Janjua who was a high-ranking general of the Mughal Army in Emperor Jalaluddin Muhammad Akbar’s reign.
It is stated that Malik Darwesh ordered the renaming of Girjak (part of his extended kingdom) to Jalalpur, when Emperor Akbar visited him.Evaluation of District Council, Jhelum by Nasir Ahmad, Abdul Aziz Awan, Noor Mohammad, Pub.Pakistan Academy for Rural Development, 1989, p16 This was done in honour of the Emperor.Panjāb Under the Great Mughals, 1526-1707 Bakhshish Singh Nijjar, Thacker 1968, p191 Jalalpur at this point was a flourishing centre of trade for the region.The Ancient Geography of India, Sir Alexander Cunningham, Adamant Media 1871, p163
The history of the region dates back to 326 BC when Alexander the Great and his troops camped at Jalalpur Sharif, located on the right bank of the Jhelum River, prior to the Battle of the Hydaspes. During this battle, Alexander’s horse Bucephalus was severely injured and he was reportedly buried close to Jalalpur Sharif, where subsequently Alexander built the city of Bucephalia named after his horse.
A notable landmark of the town is the Shrine of Pir Syed Ghulam Haidar Ali Shah, a prominent leader of the Chishti order.Muslim Networks from Hajj to Hip Hop (Islamic Civilization and Muslim Networks), Miriam Cooke & Bruce B. Lawrence, University of North Carolina Press 2005, p235 It is this association with the shrine of one of the most well known Chishti spiritual leaders of the subcontinent that the title of Sharif is pronounced together with Jalalpur. Ghulam Haidar Ali Shah and his descendants, including his grandson Syed Fazal Shah were influential in the spiritual development of the Muslims of Punjab, and also in the political movement that eventually led to the creation of Pakistan.Religious Leadership and the Pakistan Movement in the Punjab, David Gilmartin, Modern Asian Studies, Vol. 13, No. 3 (1979), pp. 485-517
The Khewra Salt Mines, the world's second largest salt mine, is located 37 km west of Jalalpur Sharif in Khewra.
References
External links Wikimapia map History of Jalalpur Sharif Local Photos More Local Photos