Qila Didar Singh


Qila Didar Singh , is a town of Gujranwala District, Punjab, Pakistan. It is located at 32°8' N 74°1' E, west of Gujranwala city - the district capital. Its population was estimated to be 54,849 in 2005. Qila Didar Singh lies on the Gujranwala-Hafizabad Road, 17 km west of Gujranwala. The town's rice market is one of the largest in the Punjab.
In 2007, Qila Didar Singh was administratively upgraded to City Town, one of four in the Gujranwala District.
Affiliated with the University of the Punjab, there are two Govt colleges in town, one each for boys and girls, which offer BA and BSc degrees, among others. Qila Didar Singh is center of education and shopping for nearby villages. There are also many other educational institutions in the town.

History

The origin of the town is related to a Sikh land owner called Didar Singh. When Didar Singh was married, his father gave him the lands surrounding the part of Qila Didar Singh that is currently known as "Old/Inside part of Qila". The name Qila implies a fort; this name originates in the fact that Didar Singh's family had a very large and tall mansion, which was surrounded by smaller houses. Because there was a wall surrounding the whole town with several gates, the town had the appearance of a fort.
During the Indian rebellion of 1857, British troops during chase of the rebels, arrived at the Qila and surrounded it, believing it to be a fort. Representatives of the townpeople however managed to convince the troops that the town was not in fact a fortification.
In 1947, the year of Pakistan's independence from the British Indian Empire, Qila Didar Singh was a very small town with mainly Sikh and Hindu population. Most of the Sikhs and Hindus living in the town moved to the Indian part of the Punjab and many Muslim immigrants moved to the area from the East Punjab, Haryana.

Nearby villages

Qila Dev, *Kot Pero Shah*,Chak Umer, Chahil Kalan, Thatha Basao, Noor Pur, Juana, Khaliqpur, Hager, Uggu Chak, Herdo Deuory, Jodeh Pur, Kot Shah Muhammad, Bair Wala Botala Janda Singh, Wazir ke Chattha, Papnakha, SaahnKy, Ball, Kalowali, Nokhar, Qalla Diwan Singh, Philoki, Musa Duggal Sago Pago, Panj Graïn, Chugian, KamoMalhi.,tedo duggal, Kheewa, Mosa, Chak Jaid, Herdoopur, Maan, Qazi Kot, Kot Ladha, Abdullah pur and Nawan Pind are villages surrounding Qila Didar Singh.Qazi Kot, Madni pur And Thari Gillan.