(e) Flora
The district includes both hilly tracts and the plains. The
vegetation is varied depending on the soil, topography and elevation. There is considerable biotic influence, the human
agency being particularly conspicuous is bringing about numerous changes in the
vegetation. Many changes have occurred
in the forest area since the publication of the last Gazetteer in 1914. At present, the Reserved Forests occupy an
area of 123.84 hectares. The Protected
Forests include the Block Forests in Shahpur Kandi Range (11,270.34 hectares);
canal strips (2,258.15 hectares); railway strips (874.93 hectares) ; road
strips (534.65 hectares) and unclassed forests (430.30 hectares). The flora of the district may be considered
under the two main divisions, viz. hilly tracts and the plains.
In the Shahpur Kandi Range which lies in the hilly tract, the
forests are mainly of the miscellaneous hardwood species and of the chil
pine. In the former type of forests,
which are generally of the scrub type, the main components are : Acacia
catechu (khair), Albizzia lebbeck (siris), A. odoratissima (karmaru),
Anogeissus latifolia (dhau), Bombax ceiba (B. malabaricum ) (simal), Butea
monosperma (B. frondosa) (palah), Cassia fistula (kariar), Dalbergia sissoo
(shisham), Ehretia laevis (chamror), Elaeodendron roxburghii (E. glaucum)
(marindu), Emblica officinalis
(Phyllanthus emblica (amla), Erythrina suberosa (galleru), Flacourtia
indica (F. ramontchii) (kangu), Kydia calycina (pula), Lannea coromandelica
(Odina wodier) (kaimbal), Mitragyna parvifolia (Stepheygyne parvifolia)
(kalam), Ougeinia ougeinensis (O. dalbergioides) (sandan), and Syzygium
cumini (Eugenia jambolana) (jaman).
The above tree species are generally found mixed in forests
but on exposed slopes, Acacia catechu and Anogeissus latifolia
often from pure patches.
Among the smaller tree and shrubs in the above forests, the
prominent are : Adhatoda zeylanica (A. vasica) (basuti), Carissa spinarum
(garna), Dodonea vicosa (mehndru), Mallotus philippensis (kamal), Mimosa
himalayana (dadrar), Murraya koenigii (gardhela), Nyctanthes arbor-tristis
(huri), Wendlandia heynei (W. exserta) (pansara), Woodfordia fruticosa (W.
floribunda) (dhawi), Zizyphus mauritiana (Z. jujuba) (ber), and Zizyphus
nummularia (malla).
In the forests are also seen many climbers and stragglers
like Abrus precatorius (rattak), Bauhinia vahlii (taur, Celastrus paniculata
(sankhir), Millettia auriculata (solangen), and pueraria tuberosa
(salorh).
In the pine forest, the dominating species is the chil, Pinus
roxburghii (P. longifolia). The pine is associated with a number of other
species among which may be mentioned Acacia catechu, Anogeissus latifolia,
Emblica officinalis, Grewia optiva (dhaman), and pyrus pashia (kainth).
Plantation of the pine, khair and the exotic eucalyptus has also been
undertaken.
Holarrhena antidysenterica (kura), Pistacia integerrima
(kangar) a d Vitex negundo (marwan) are also swwn frequently in the district
and thses find use in local medicine.
The common grasses in the hilly tract are Chrysopogon fulvus
(Andropogon monticola) (dhaulu),
Eulaliopsis binata (Ischaemum amgustifolium) (baggar), Heteropogon contortus
(Andropogon contortus) (lambu), and themeds anathera (lungi).
In the plains, large scale afforestation programme has been
undertaken by the Forest Department.
Canal banks, P.W.D. roadsides, strips along the railway lines and
station yards are also included by the Forest Department in their afforestation
programme. Where water facilities
exist, shisham, mulberry and eucalyptus are being planted. Willow (Salix sp.) and jaman are planted in
water-logged areas. In the kaller area,
Kikar (Acacia nilotica), Prosopis and eucalyptus have been planted. Among the
grasses of the plains, the most prominent are Saccharum bengalense (S.munja)
(kans), Saccharum spontaneum (dab), and Cynodon dactylpn (khabbal)
Among the weeds of crop plants and waste-land plants,
Calotropis (ak) and Asphodelus (bukhat, wild leek) are distributed widely in
the district. Ipomea fisrtula, in
recent years, has been extensively used for hedges.
Acacia nilotica (kikar), A. modesta (phulai), Bauhinia spp.
(kachnaar), Ficus bengalensis (borth), F. racemosa (gular), F. religiosa (papal),
Mangifera (mango), Morus (mulbeery), Melia azedarach (bakain), Pongamia pinnata
(charr) and Toona ciliata (toon) are frequently met with in various places in
the district.
Besides mango and mulberry, other fruit trees cultivated iin
the distrct include various members of the citrus group, viz. sangtra (Citrus
aurantium), mitha (Citrus limetta), khatta (Citrus medica), nimbu (Citrus
acida), chakotra (Citrus decumana),etc. and loquat (Eriobotruya japonica), kela
(Musa paradisiacal), amrund (Psidium guava), anar (Punica grantum) and nashpati
(Pyrus communis). In some of the
chhambs (swamps) in the district, the growth of singhara is luxuriant, and both
fruit and root of the plant are eaten.
(f) Fauna
There are few notable wild animals in the district. Those found are : blue bull (nilgai) in the
jungles between the Beas and the canal north of Gurdaspur and the south-east of
the Pathankot Tahsil, panther (cheeta) also in the same tract as well as in the
hill circle of the Pathankopt Tahsil, wild boar (suar) in the Kahnuwan swamp,
jackal (gidar), hog deer (para), barking deer (kakar), hare (khargosh), monkey
(Bandar), grey ape (langur), etc.
Of the game birds described in Hume and Marshall’s “Game
Birds of India”, the following are found in the district :-
|
English
name
|
Vernacular
name
|
Latin
name
|
|
Common
sand-grouse
|
Bhattitar
|
Pterocled
exustus
|
|
Common
peafowl
|
Mor
|
Pavo
cristatus
|
|
Koklas
|
Kalsa
|
Pucrasia
macrolopha
|
|
White-crested
kal
|
Kalsa
|
Euplocamus
albocristatus
|
|
Red
jungle-fowl
|
Jangli
Murga
|
Gallus
ferrugeineus
|
|
Black
partridge
|
Kala
Titar
|
Francolinus
vulgaris
|
|
Grey
partridge
|
Tittar
|
Ortygornis
pondicerianus
|
|
Common
or grey quail
|
Bater
|
Coturnix
communis
|
|
Rock-bush
quail
|
Bater
|
Perdicula
argoondah
|
|
Saras
|
Saras
|
Grus
antigone
|
|
Commoon
crane
|
Kunj
|
Grus
communis
|
|
Demoiselle
crane
|
Kunj
|
Anthropoides
virgo
|
|
Grey lag
goose
|
Hans
|
Anser
cinereus
|
|
White-fronted or
laughing goose
|
Mag
|
Anser
albifrons
|
|
Bar-headed
goose
|
Mag,
Hans
|
Anser
indicus
|
|
English
name
|
Vernacular
name
|
Latin
name
|
|
Ruddy
sheldrake or Brahminy duck
|
Ratta
Mag Surkhab
|
Casarca
rutila
|
|
Shoveller
|
Tidari
|
Spatula
clypeata
|
|
Mallard
|
Nilsir,
Nila
|
Anas
boscas
|
|
Gadwall
|
Bey
Khur
|
Chaulelasmus
streperus
|
|
Pintail
|
Shinkhpar
|
Dafila
acuta
|
|
Wigeon
|
Peasan
|
Mareca
penelope
|
|
Common
teal
|
Sou-Churka,
Murghabi
|
Querquedula
crecca
|
|
Garganey
teal
|
Chatwa
Khira
|
Querquedula
circia
|
|
Pochard
oro dun bird
|
Lal
Sir
|
Fuligula
ferina
|
|
Res-crested
pochard
|
Lal
Sir
|
Fuligula
rufina
|
|
White-eyed
pochard
|
Kurchiya,
Majitha
|
Fuligula
nyroca
|
|
Tufted
pochard
|
Dubaru
|
Fuligula
cristata
|
|
Common
or fan-tail snipe
|
Chaha
|
Gallinago
coelestis
|
|
Jack
snipe
|
Chaha
|
Gallinago
gallinuia
|
|
Painted
snipe
|
Rajchaha
|
Rhynchaea
capensis
|
The different varieties of fish, found in the Gurdaspur
District, are : Goonch (Bagarius begarius), Bachwa (Clupisoma garua), Bachwa
(Eutropiicyhthys vacha), Mullee (Wallago attu), Singhi (Heteropneustes
fossilis), Shinghari (Mystus aor or Mustus seenghala), Keenger (Mystus
cavasius or Mystus vittatus), Khaga
(Rita rita), Kalehan (Labeo calbasu), Rohu or Dhambra (Labeo rohita), Siriha
(Labeo gonius), Gid (Labeo dero), Butal (Labeo dyocheilus), Mahanseer (Tot tor
to Tor Putitora), Bhangan (Labeo microphathalmus), Mrigal (Cirrhina mrigala),
Sunni (Cirrhina reba), Thail or Thaila (Catla catla), Makni (Amblypharyngondon
mola), Moh or Butt (Notopterus), Pari (Notopterus chitala), Sai; pr Sol (Channa
marulius), Daulla (Channa punctatus, Dauli (Channa gachua), Karrar or Saul
(Channa strioatus).
(g)
Climate
(i)
Climatic divisions and seasons and their duration :
The climate of this submontaneous district is somewhat milder
than that of the neighbouring districts to the south. The year may be divided into four seasons. The cold season is from November to
March. The period from April to June is
the summer season. The south-west
monsson season,which followos, continues up to about the first week of
September. The succeeding period till
beginning of November is the post-monsoon or transitional period.
(ii)
Temperature and
humidity :
Temperature. –
There is a meteorological observatory in the district at Pathankot. The records
of this observatory may be taken as representative of the conditions in the plains
of the district. The description of the
climate of the northern submontane region of the district is based on the
records of observatories of the neighboring districts where similar climatic
conditions prevail. From about the
beginning of March, there is steady increase in the temperatures till June
which is generally the hottest month.
The mean daily maximum temperature in June over the plains in 40.20C
and the mean daily minimum 26.10
C. In the northern parts
of the district, the temperatures are lower by several degrees, the mean daily
maximum and minimum temperatures being of the order of 290 C and 180C,
respectively. On individual days during
the summer, the day temperatures in the plains reach over 440C. The hilly regions are comparatively cooler,
the maximum temperature seldom exceeding 350C. With the onset of the south-west monsoon in
the district early in July, there is appreciable drop in the day temperature
but the nights continue to be as warm as in the latter part of the summer. When the south-west monsoon withdraws early
in September, there is a slight increase in the day temperature in September
but the nights become progressively cooler.
After October, both day and night temperatures decrease in the day
temperature in September but the nights become progressively cooler. After October, both day and night
temperatures decrease rapidly. January
is generally the coldest month with the mean daily maximum at 18.40 C
and the mean daily minimum at 5.6o C. the weather is colder by many
degrees in the hilly parts of the district than in the plains. In association with the passage of western
disturbances during the winter, cold waves affect the district and the minimum
temperatures on such occasions may go down to a degree or so below the freezing
point of water in the plains and some 3 or 4 degrees below zero in the hills.
The highest maximum temperature recorded at Pathankot during
the brief period of 15 years for which records are available was 46.1 0 C on
1960 June 11 and the lowest minimum
-1.8 0 C on 1964 January 28.
Table 1
Normals of Temperature and
Relative Humidity
(PATHANKOT)
|
|
|
|
|
Highest
|
Maximum
ever Recorded
|
Lowest
|
Maximum
ever Recorded
|
Relative
Humidity Hours(Indian Standard Time)
|
|
Month
|
|
Mean
Daily Maximum Temperature
|
Mean
Daily Maximum Temperature
|
|
|
|
|
0830
|
1730
|
|
|
|
|
0C
|
0C
|
0C
|
Date
|
0C
|
Date
|
%
|
%
|
|
|
January
|
..
|
18.4
|
5.6
|
26.1
|
1952
January 23
|
-1.8
|
1964
January 28
|
84
|
61
|
|
|
February
|
..
|
22.2
|
8.4
|
29.4
|
1956
February 28
|
0.6
|
1964
February 3
|
74
|
46
|
|
|
March
|
..
|
27.1
|
13.5
|
35.2
|
1958
March 28
|
6.1
|
1954
March 5
|
56
|
40
|
|
|
April
|
..
|
33.5
|
17.9
|
41.7
|
1958
April 27
|
7.2
|
1954
April 17
|
34
|
24
|
|
|
May
|
..
|
39.0
|
23.2
|
44.9
|
1962
May 30
|
10.4
|
1964
May 16
|
25
|
19
|
|
|
June
|
..
|
40.2
|
26.1
|
46.1
|
1960
June 11
|
18.0
|
1964
June 15
|
35
|
28
|
|
|
July
|
..
|
34.1
|
25.0
|
43.4
|
1957
July 5
|
17.2
|
1955
July 20
|
75
|
61
|
|
|
August
|
..
|
32.5
|
24.0
|
36.5
|
1964
August 5
|
17.9
|
1965
August 28
|
82
|
70
|
|
|
September
|
..
|
32.8
|
22.4
|
36.7
|
1965
September 16
|
15.0
|
1963
September 28
|
74
|
63
|
|
|
October
|
..
|
30.8
|
16.9
|
36.7
|
1952
October 2
|
8.7
|
1964
October 31
|
60
|
52
|
|
|
November
|
..
|
25.9
|
9.8
|
33.3
|
1965
November 2
|
4.1
|
1962
November 29
|
60
|
49
|
|
|
December
|
..
|
21.1
|
6.9
|
27.2
|
1959
December 5
|
- 1.4
|
1964 December 12
|
75
|
58
|
|
|
Annual
|
..
|
29.8
|
16.6
|
|
|
|
|
61
|
48
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(iii) Rainfall
Records of rainfall in the district are available for 6
stations for periods ranging from 90 to 100 years. The details of the rainfall of theses stations and for the
district as a whole are given in the following tables 2 and 3. The average annual rainfall in the district
is 944.1 mm. The rainfall in the
district is greater in the submontane north-eastern parts of the district and
decreases rapidly towards the south-west.
In the plains the rainfall varies from 1320.2 mm at Madhopur near the
north-eastern border to 676.6 mm at Aliwal near the south-western border. About 70 per cent of the annual rainfall in
the district is received during the period July to September. The district receives some rainfall in June
mostly in the form of thundershowers and during the cold season in association
with passing western disturbances. The
variatior in the rainfall from year to year is appreciable. In the 50 year period, 1901 to 1950, the
highest annual rainfall amounting to 188 per cent of the normal occurred in
1950. The lowest annual rainfall which
was 50 per cent of the normal was recorded in 1902. In the same period, the annual rainfall in the district was less
than 80 per cent of the normal in 11 years, two consecutive year occurred two
to four times at 4 out of the 6 plain station and once each at the other two
stations. Three consecutive years of
such low rainfall occurred once at Tibri and four consecutive years once each
at Aliwal, Pathankot and Madhopur. It
will be seen from table 3 that the annual rainfall in the district was between
700 and 1200 mm in 40 years out of 50.
On an average, there are 45 rainy days (i.e. days with
rainfall of 2.5 mm or more) in a year in the district. This number varies from 37 at Aliwal and
Batala to 58 at Madhopur.
The heaviest rainfall in 24 hours recorded at any station in
the district was 495.3 mm at Aliwal on October 5, 1965.
CHAPTER II
HISTORY
(a) Ancient Period
Little is known about the ancient history of the district expect
a few antiquities like the rock-temples at Mukheshwar on the Ravi, some eight
kilometres above Shahpur Kandi. These
are said to date back to the times of the Pandavas. Stories are told of Arjun’s
and Draupadi’s visit to the place : a long cleft in the little way up the river
is known as ‘Arjun’s chula’.
Later, the tribe called Udumbaras lived in the Kangra valley from
Gurdaspur to Pathankot, where their coins have been found. They were a branch of the ancient Malavas,
who played a leading part in the history of Punjab. Alexander Cunningham
identified the Udumbaras with some other tribes mentioned in the Puranas and
inhabiting the neighbouring areas of Kangra, Kulu and inhabitation on the River
Ravi1.
Gurdaspur, along with its neighbouring districts, was the scene of the
explits of Alexander, who had come as far as the River Beas in his grand design
of world conquest. Alexander was engaged in a grim struggle with the Kathaians at
Sangala, which has been located near Fatehgarh in the Gurdaspur District by
some scholars. King Poros arrived with
his army and elephants and tilted the scales of victory in Alexander’s favour.2
The last camp of Alexander before he commenced his return march is
supposed to have been on the bank of the River Beas, probably in this
district. But all traces of the twelve
enormous altars of hewn stone, which he is supposed to have left on the spot,
have unfortunately been irretrievably lost.3
The authority of Alexander retreated with him everywhere like a shadow. As the semblance of Alexander’s influence was
fading and flagging away, the vast mass of displaced mercenaries, decrepit
armies, infuriated rebels and upstart adventurers of the Punjab was being
canalized and organised by Chandragupta Maurya and Chanakya into a tremendous
imperial movement which swept up to Pataliputra in the east and resulted in the
creation of the first unified Indian empire known to history.4
1.
Buddha
Prakash, Glimpses of Ancient Punjab (Patiala, 1966, pp. 35,37 ;
Archaeological Survey Reports, Vol. XIV, p. 115
2.
Buddha
Prakash, Glimpses of Ancient Punjab (Patiala, 1996), p. 27 ; Buddha
Prakash, History of Poros (Patiala, ..), p. 13
3.
Gurdaspur District Gazetteer, 1914, p. 26 ;
Mahammad Latif, History
of Punjab (Reprinted : Delhi, 1964), p. 67
4. Buddha Prakash, Glimpses of Ancient
Punjab (Patiala, 1966), pp. 29-30
The week successors of Ashoka Maurya could not retain the
region. The Greeks of Bactria invaded and occupied thee Punjab in the second
century B.C. About 150 B.C. Demetrius overran Madhyamika, modern Manjher or the
other part of the Bari Doab. Then followed a series of foreign inroads by
Sakas, Kushans, Huns, etc.5
In the 6th century A.D.
arose the great kingdom of Thanesar under Harsvardhan which included only the
Punjab east of the River Jhelum.6
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