Jhelum Town

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This article has been extracted from THE IMPERIAL GAZETTEER OF INDIA , 1908. OXFORD, AT THE CLARENDON PRESS.

Note: National, provincial and district boundaries have changed considerably since 1908. Typically, old states, ‘divisions’ and districts have been broken into smaller units, and many tahsils upgraded to districts. Some units have since been renamed. Therefore, this article is being posted mainly for its historical value.

Jhelum Town

Jehlam

Head-quarters of the District and tahsil of Jhelum, Punjab, situated in 32 degree 56' N. and 73 degree 47' E., on the right bank of the Jhelum river and on the North-Western Railway ; distant by rail 1,367 miles from Calcutta, 1,403 from Bombay, and 849 from Karachi. Population (1901), 14,951. The present town is of modern origin, the old town, which may have been the Bucephala of Alexander, having been on the left or opposite bank of the river. Under Sikh rule the place was quite unimportant, being mainly occupied by a settlement of boatmen, and at the time of annexation contained about 500 houses. It was then chosen as the site of a cantonment, and as the head- quarters of the civil administration. For some years it was the seat of the Commissioner of the Division, but in 1859 his head-quarters were transferred to Rawalpindi. Under British rule Jhelum has steadily advanced in prosperity ; and it is the entrepdt for most of the trade of the District, though, since the completion of the Sind-Sagar branch of the North-Western Railway, the salt trade no longer passes through it It is an important timber ddpot, the timber from the Kashmir forests which is floated down the river being collected here. A good deal of boat-building is carried on. The cantonment, which is 3 miles from the civil station, contains the church and post office. The normal strength of the garrison is one Native cavalry and four Native infantry regiments. The municipality was founded in 1867. During the ten years ending 1902-3 the receipts averaged Rs. 32,100, and the expendi- ture Rs. 31,900. Receipts and expenditure from cantonment funds in the same period averaged Rs. 5,900 and Rs. 6,100, respectively. The income of the municipality in 1903-4 was Rs. 34,200, chiefly from octroi ; and the expenditure was Rs. 41,000. The town possesses two Anglo- vernacular schools, a municipal high school, and a middle school maintained by the American Presbyterian Mission. Besides the civil hospital, the mission also maintains a hospital.