Advsunilnshah: place

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{{Short description|District of British India}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2025}}



{{Infobox Former Subdivision
| conventional_long_name = Gurdaspur District
| common_name = Punjab Province
| nation = [[British Raj|British India]]
| subdivision = [[Districts of British India|District]]
| era =
| year_start = 1849
| date_start = 29 March
| event_start = [[Second Anglo-Sikh War]]
| year_end = 1947
| date_end = 14–15 August
| event_end = [[Partition of India]]
| capital = [[Gurdaspur]]
| p1 = Sikh Empire{{!}}'''1849''': Sikh Empire
| s1 = Gurdaspur district{{!}}'''1947''': Gurdaspur district
| s2 = Shakargarh Tehsil
| flag = Star of India (flag)
| flag_p1 = Sikh Empire flag.svg
| border_p1 = no
| flag_p2 = Flag of the British East India Company (1801).svg
| flag_s1 = Seal of the Government Of Punjab (Black On White).svg
| flag_s2 = Flag of Punjab.svg
| flag_type =
| motto =
| image_map = {{Switcher|[[File:Punjab 1909.jpg|upright=1.15|frameless]]|Show detailed map of Punjab in 1909|[[File:Pope1880Panjab3.jpg|upright=1.15|frameless]]|Show map of Punjab in 1880|default=1}}
| image_map_caption = Maps of the Punjab Province
| government_type =
| title_leader =
| title_deputy =
| stat_area1 =
| stat_year1 =
| stat_pop1 =
| political_subdiv = *[[Gurdaspur district|Gurdaspur Tehsil]]
*[[Batala|Batala Tehsil]]
*[[Shakargarh Tehsil]]
*[[Pathankot district|Pathankot Tehsil]]
| today = [[India]] [[Pakistan]]
| footnotes =
| demonym =
| date_pre =
| anthem =
}}

'''Gurdaspur District''' was a district in the [[Lahore Division]] of the [[Punjab Province (British India)|Punjab Province]] of [[British India]] with its headquarters at [[Gurdaspur]]. It lay between 31°35' and 32°30′ N. and 74° 52′ and 75° 56′ E., with an area of 1,889 square miles(4892 sq. km). It was bounded north by the [[Jammu division|Jammu province]] of [[Jammu and Kashmir (princely state)|Kashmir]]; on the west by [[Sialkot District]]; on the south-west by [[Amritsar District]]; on the south-east and east by the [[Beas River]], which separated it from the [[Kapurthala State]] and [[Hoshiarpur District]], and also by [[Kangra District]]; and on the north-east by the [[Chamba State]].<ref>[https://dsal.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/reference/gazetteer/query.py?object=396&bookid=DS405.1.I34_V12&display_type=page_display#gsc.tab=0 Gurdaspur Distract - Imperial Gazetteer of India, volume 12: p. 390]</ref>

== Geography ==
The District occupied the flat-land area of the [[Bari Doab]], together with a triangular wedge of territory west of the [[Ravi River]]. It included the hill stations of [[Dalhousie, India|Dalhousie]] and [[Bakloh]], two isolated pieces of hill territory acquired from the Chamba State, together with a strip of territory on which the [[wikt:cart road|cart road]] ran connecting these outlying stations with the main body of the district. The [[Pathankot district|Pathankot Tehsil]] ([[tehsil]] means subdistrict) comprised 130 miles of hilly country between the Ravi and the [[Chakki river|Chakki]] torrent, which divided it from [[Kangra District]].<ref>[https://dsal.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/reference/gazetteer/query.py?object=397&bookid=DS405.1.I34_V12&display_type=page_display#gsc.tab=0 Gurdaspur District]</ref>

West of the Ravi is a small tract between that river and the [[Pir Panjal Region (Jammu Division)|Jammu hills]], watered by numerous flowing streams and of great fertility; but the rest of the District west of the Ravi was, with the exception of the riverain strips, an arid expanse of rolling downs intersected by sandy torrent beds.
The Chakki River (a tributary of river Beas River), formed the eastern border of the Pathankot Tehsil, - the Beas river then formed the boundary separating Gurdaspur from [[Hoshiarpur District]] on the east. On the west, the Ravi River formed the border between Gurdaspur and the [[Jammu and Kashmir (princely state)|Jammu State]] for about 25 miles and then further south formed the boundary between [[Sialkot District|Sialkot]] and [[Amritsar District|Amritsar Districts]].

== History ==
The chief historical importance of the district lay in its connexion with the rise of the [[Sikhs]]. [[Dera Baba Nanak]] on the Ravi was named after the founder of Sikhism, who died in 1538 on the opposite bank. Both [[Guru Amar Das]] and [[Guru Har Rai]] were also connected with the district. In 1710 the Sikh leader [[Banda Singh Bahadur|Banda]] captured [[Batala]] and [[Kalanaur, Gurdaspur|Kalanaur]], and made the district the headquarters of his raids on the neighbourhood. Driven into the hills by [[Bahadur Shah I|Bahadur Shah]] in 1711, he returned and built a fort at Lohgarh, identified with the modern [[Gurdaspur]], and defeated Islam Jang, [[Subah of Lahore|viceroy of Lahore]]. In 1713 [[Abd al-Samad Khan|Abdus Samad Khan]] drove him back to the hills, and, though he again returned and recaptured Kalanaur, finally took him prisoner at Lohgarh in 1716.<ref>[https://dsal.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/reference/gazetteer/query.py?object=399&bookid=DS405.1.I34_V12&display_type=page_display#gsc.tab=0 Imperial Gazetteer of India, volume 12: p. 393]</ref>

The next period in the history of the District is closely connected with [[Adina Beg Khan]]. At first governor of Bahrampur and subsequently of the [[Jalandhar Doab]], he founded [[Dina Nagar|Dinanagar]] in 1730, which he seems generally to have made his headquarters. This ruler is chiefly remarkable for the astuteness with which he played off [[Ahmad Shah Durrani|Ahmad Shah]], the Mughal emperors, and the [[Maratha Empire|Marathas]], one against the other, until he was installed by the last-named power as governor of Lahore with head-quarters at Batala. His death in 1758 removed the main obstacle to the spread of the Sikh power, which was only temporarily checked by their defeat at [[Barnala]] in 1762.

The Sikh [[Ramgarhia Misl|Ramgarhia confederacy]], under the famous [[Jassa Singh Ramgarhia|Jassa Singh]], then occupied Batala, Dinanagar, Kalanaur, [[Sri Hargobindpur]], and other places, the rest of the [[Bari Doab]] south of Dinanagar falling into the hands of the [[Kanhaiya Misl|Kanhaiyas]], while west of the [[Ravi River]] the [[Bhangi Misl|Bhangi confederacy]] rose to power. The rival confederacies soon fell out, and a struggle for supremacy ensued between the Ramgarhias and Kanhaiyas; the Bhangis, who supported the former, lost their power in these parts in 1774, and Jassa Singh himself was expelled by the Kanhaiyas. He returned in 1783, but again lost Batala to the Kanhaiyas in 1786; and two years after his death, in 1806, all the remaining possessions of the Ramgarhia confederacy were annexed by [[Ranjit Singh]]. The Kanhaiya estates were confiscated in 1811, and later on Batala and its dependencies were assigned to [[Sher Singh]], a putative son of Ranjit Singh by his Kanhaiya wife, [[Mehtab Kaur]]. Dinanagar was a favourite resort of Ranjit Singh, and it was there that in 1838 he received the [[William Hay Macnaghten|Macnaghten mission]] which negotiated the proposed alliance for placing [[Shah Shuja Durrani|Shah Shuja]] on the throne of Kabul.

[[Pathankot]] and a few neighbouring villages in the plains, together with all the hilly portion of the district, formed part of the country ceded by the Sikhs to the British after the [[First Anglo-Sikh War]] in 1846. Under the original distribution of the new territory they were attached to [[Kangra State|Kangra]]; but after the final [[Second Anglo-Sikh War|annexation in 1849]], the upper portion of the Bari Doab became a separate district, with its head-quarters at Batala. In 1852 the headquarters were moved to Gurdaspur, and in 1853 the district received was expanded gaining the [[Shakargarh Tehsil|Shakargarh tahsil]] from [[Sialkot District]]. After the 1947 [[Partition of India]], Gurdaspur would lose this Shakargarh subdivision as the [[Partition of Punjab|district was split]] between India and Pakistan.

During the [[Indian Rebellion of 1857]] no outbreak took place in the district, in spite of the large number of Indians then employed on canal works. In 1853 the site for the new sanitarium of Dalhousie, together with the strip of hill road connecting it with the plains, was purchased by the [[British Raj|British government]] from [[Chamba State]] and in 1862 the further transfer of hill country between the Ravi and the [[Chakki river|Chakki rivers]] brought the district into its final shape before partition.<ref>[https://dsal.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/reference/gazetteer/query.py?object=400&bookid=DS405.1.I34_V12&display_type=page_display#gsc.tab=0 Imperial Gazetteer of India, volume 12: p. 394]</ref>

== Demography ==
Gurdaspur contained 11 towns and 2,244 villages in 1901, its population at the [[Census in British India|last three enumerations were]]:
* (1881) 823,695
* (1891) 943,922
* (1901) 940,334.

The fall in the decade to 1901 was largely due to emigration, some 44,000 settlers leaving the district for the [[Chenab Colony]], that year the population was distributed between the tehsils (subdistricts) as follows:

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Tahsil !! Area (Sq mi) !! Towns !! Villages !! Population !! Population per sq mi !! % Change since 1891 !! People who were literate
|-
| [[Gurdaspur district|Gurdaspur]]|| 496 || 3 || 668 || 238,379 || 520.9 || + 2.5 || 7,478
|-
| [[Shakargarh Tehsil|Shakargarh]]|| 485 || .. || 703 || 234,465 || 483.4 || -6.3 || 4,789
|-
| [[Pathankot district|Pathankot]]|| 367 || 5 || 395 || 141,623 || 385.9 || +0.5 || 5,250
|-
| [[Batala]]|| 476 || 3 || 478 || 305,867 || 642.6 || +1.7 || 9,262
|-
| District total || 1,889 || 11 || 2,244 || 940,334 || 497.8 || +0.4 || 26,779
|}

Muslims numbered 463,371, or over 49 per cent of the total population; Hindus, 380,636, or over 40 per cent.; and Sikhs, 91,756, or 10 per cent. [[Mirza Ghulam Ahmad]] of [[Qadian]], who claimed to be the [[Mahdi]] and the [[Messiah]], founded a sect known as the [[Ahmadiyya]]s. The district contained several important Sikh shrines, especially at [[Dera Baba Nanak]], and a large number of Hindu and Sikh religious houses. The density of the population was high. The language of the District was chiefly [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]], but a good deal of [[Dogri language|Dogri]] was spoken on the [[Jammu division|Jammu]] border. <ref>[https://dsal.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/reference/gazetteer/query.py?object=401&bookid=DS405.1.I34_V12&display_type=page_display#gsc.tab=0 Imperial Gazetteer of India, volume 12: p. 395]</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Religious groups in Gurdaspur District ([[British Punjab province]] era)
! rowspan="2" |[[Religion in India|Religious]] group
! colspan="2" |1881<ref name="Census1881A">{{cite web|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/saoa.crl.25057656 |jstor=saoa.crl.25057656 |access-date=24 June 2025 |title=Census of India, 1881 Report on the Census of the Panjáb Taken on the 17th of February 1881, vol. I. |year=1881 }}</ref><ref name="Census1881B">{{cite web|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/saoa.crl.25057657 |jstor=saoa.crl.25057657 |access-date=24 June 2025 |title=Census of India, 1881 Report on the Census of the Panjáb Taken on the 17th of February 1881, vol. II. |year=1881 |pages=14 }}</ref><ref name="Census1881C">{{cite web|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/saoa.crl.25057658 |jstor=saoa.crl.25057658 |access-date=24 June 2025 |title=Census of India, 1881 Report on the Census of the Panjáb Taken on the 17th of February 1881, vol. III. |year=1881 |pages=14 }}</ref>
! colspan="2" |1891<ref name="Census1891">{{cite web|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/saoa.crl.25318669 |jstor=saoa.crl.25318669 |access-date=24 June 2025 |title=The Punjab and its feudatories, part II--Imperial Tables and Supplementary Returns for the British Territory |year=1891 |pages=14 |last1=Edward Maclagan |first1=Sir |volume=2 }}</ref>
! colspan="2" |1901<ref name="Census1901">{{cite web|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/saoa.crl.25363739 |jstor=saoa.crl.25363739 |access-date=24 June 2025 |title=Census of India 1901. [Vol. 17A]. Imperial tables, I-VIII, X-XV, XVII and XVIII for the Punjab, with the native states under the political control of the Punjab Government, and for the North-west Frontier Province. |year=1901 |pages=34}}</ref>
! colspan="2" |1911<ref name="Census1911">{{cite web|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/saoa.crl.25393788 |jstor=saoa.crl.25393788 |access-date=24 June 2025 |title=Census of India 1911. Vol. 14, Punjab. Pt. 2, Tables. |year=1911 |pages=27}}</ref><ref name="Census1911B">{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.62718 |access-date=24 June 2025 |title=Census Of India 1911 Punjab Vol XIV Part II |year=1911 |pages=27 |author=Kaul, Harikishan}}</ref>
! colspan="2" |1921<ref name="Census1921">{{cite web|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/saoa.crl.25430165 |jstor=saoa.crl.25430165 |access-date=24 June 2025 |title=Census of India 1921. Vol. 15, Punjab and Delhi. Pt. 2, Tables. |year=1921 |pages=29}}</ref>
! colspan="2" |1931<ref name="Census1931">{{cite web|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/saoa.crl.25793242 |jstor=saoa.crl.25793242 |access-date=24 June 2025 |title=Census of India 1931. Vol. 17, Punjab. Pt. 2, Tables. |year=1931 |pages=277}}</ref>
! colspan="2" |1941<ref name="Census1941">{{cite web|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/saoa.crl.28215541 |jstor=saoa.crl.28215541 |access-date=24 June 2025 |title=Census of India, 1941. Vol. 6, Punjab |year=1941 |pages=42 |author1=India Census Commissioner |volume=6 }}</ref>
|-
!{{abbr|Pop.|Population}}
!{{Abbr|%|percentage}}
!{{abbr|Pop.|Population}}
!{{Abbr|%|percentage}}
!{{abbr|Pop.|Population}}
!{{Abbr|%|percentage}}
!{{abbr|Pop.|Population}}
!{{Abbr|%|percentage}}
!{{abbr|Pop.|Population}}
!{{Abbr|%|percentage}}
!{{abbr|Pop.|Population}}
!{{Abbr|%|percentage}}
!{{abbr|Pop.|Population}}
!{{Abbr|%|percentage}}
|-
! [[Islam]] [[File:Star and Crescent.svg|15px]]
| 391,400
| {{Percentage | 391400 | 823695 | 2 }}
| 459,039
| {{Percentage | 459039 | 943922 | 2 }}
| 463,371
| {{Percentage | 463371 | 940334 | 2 }}
| 408,216
| {{Percentage | 408216 | 836771 | 2 }}
| 422,877
| {{Percentage | 422877 | 852192 | 2 }}
| 493,216
| {{Percentage | 493216 | 970898 | 2 }}
| 589,923
| {{Percentage | 589923 | 1153511 | 2 }}
|-
! [[Hinduism]] [[File:Om.svg|15px]]{{efn|name=ad-dharmi|1931-1941: Including [[Ad-Dharmi]]s}}
| 359,329
| {{Percentage | 359329 | 823695 | 2 }}
| 396,582
| {{Percentage | 396582 | 943922 | 2 }}
| 380,636
| {{Percentage | 380636 | 940334 | 2 }}
| 284,017
| {{Percentage | 284017 | 836771 | 2 }}
| 258,823
| {{Percentage | 258823 | 852192 | 2 }}
| 255,949
| {{Percentage | 255949 | 970898 | 2 }}
| 290,774
| {{Percentage | 290774 | 1153511 | 2 }}
|-
! [[Sikhism]] [[File:Khanda.svg|15px]]
| 72,395
| {{Percentage | 72395 | 823695 | 2 }}
| 85,837
| {{Percentage | 85837 | 943922 | 2 }}
| 91,756
| {{Percentage | 91756 | 940334 | 2 }}
| 121,078
| {{Percentage | 121078 | 836771 | 2 }}
| 137,625
| {{Percentage | 137625 | 852192 | 2 }}
| 178,471
| {{Percentage | 178471 | 970898 | 2 }}
| 221,261
| {{Percentage | 221261 | 1153511 | 2 }}
|-
! [[Christianity]] [[File:Christian cross.svg|15px]]
| 463
| {{Percentage | 463 | 823695 | 2 }}
| 2,400
| {{Percentage | 2400 | 943922 | 2 }}
| 4,471
| {{Percentage | 4471 | 940334 | 2 }}
| 23,365
| {{Percentage | 23365 | 836771 | 2 }}
| 32,832
| {{Percentage | 32832 | 852192 | 2 }}
| 43,243
| {{Percentage | 43243 | 970898 | 2 }}
| 51,522
| {{Percentage | 51522 | 1153511 | 2 }}
|-
! [[Jainism]] [[File:Jain_Prateek_Chihna.svg|15px]]
| 108
| {{Percentage | 108 | 823695 | 2 }}
| 64
| {{Percentage | 64 | 943922 | 2 }}
| 72
| {{Percentage | 72 | 940334 | 2 }}
| 73
| {{Percentage | 73 | 836771 | 2 }}
| 20
| {{Percentage | 20 | 852192 | 2 }}
| 15
| {{Percentage | 15 | 970898 | 2 }}
| 25
| {{Percentage | 25 | 1153511 | 2 }}
|-
! [[Zoroastrianism]] [[File:Faravahar.svg|15px]]
| 0
| {{Percentage | 0 | 823695 | 2 }}
| 0
| {{Percentage | 0 | 943922 | 2 }}
| 28
| {{Percentage | 28 | 940334 | 2 }}
| 22
| {{Percentage | 22 | 836771 | 2 }}
| 12
| {{Percentage | 12 | 852192 | 2 }}
| 2
| {{Percentage | 2 | 970898 | 2 }}
| 6
| {{Percentage | 6 | 1153511 | 2 }}
|-
! [[Buddhism]] [[File:Dharma_Wheel_(2).svg|15px]]
| 0
| {{Percentage | 0 | 823695 | 2 }}
| 0
| {{Percentage | 0 | 943922 | 2 }}
| 0
| {{Percentage | 0 | 940334 | 2 }}
| 0
| {{Percentage | 0 | 836771 | 2 }}
| 3
| {{Percentage | 3 | 852192 | 2 }}
| 2
| {{Percentage | 2 | 970898 | 2 }}
| 0
| {{Percentage | 0 | 1153511 | 2 }}
|-
! [[Judaism]] [[File:Star_of_David.svg|15px]]
| {{N/a}}
| {{N/a}}
| 0
| {{Percentage | 0 | 943922 | 2 }}
| 0
| {{Percentage | 0 | 940334 | 2 }}
| 0
| {{Percentage | 0 | 836771 | 2 }}
| 0
| {{Percentage | 0 | 852192 | 2 }}
| 0
| {{Percentage | 0 | 970898 | 2 }}
| 0
| {{Percentage | 0 | 1153511 | 2 }}
|-
! Others
| 0
| {{Percentage | 0 | 823695 | 2 }}
| 0
| {{Percentage | 0 | 943922 | 2 }}
| 0
| {{Percentage | 0 | 940334 | 2 }}
| 0
| {{Percentage | 0 | 836771 | 2 }}
| 0
| {{Percentage | 0 | 852192 | 2 }}
| 0
| {{Percentage | 0 | 970898 | 2 }}
| 0
| {{Percentage | 0 | 1153511 | 2 }}
|- class="sortbottom"
! Total population
! 823,695
! {{Percentage | 823695 | 823695 | 2 }}
! 943,922
! {{Percentage | 943922 | 943922 | 2 }}
! 940,334
! {{Percentage | 940334 | 940334 | 2 }}
! 836,771
! {{Percentage | 836771 | 836771 | 2 }}
! 852,192
! {{Percentage | 852192 | 852192 | 2 }}
! 970,898
! {{Percentage | 970898 | 970898 | 2 }}
! 1,153,511
! {{Percentage | 1153511 | 1153511 | 2 }}
|- class="sortbottom"
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+Religion in the [[Tehsil|Tehsils]] of Gurdaspur District (1941)<ref name="Census1941"/>
! rowspan="2" |[[Tehsil]]
! colspan="2" |[[Hinduism]] [[File:Om.svg|16x16px]]{{efn|name=ad-dharmi}}
! colspan="2" |[[Islam]] [[File:Star_and_Crescent.svg|15x15px]]
! colspan="2" |[[Sikhism]] [[File:Khanda.svg|19x19px]]
! colspan="2" |[[Christianity]] [[File:Christian_cross.svg|21x21px]]
! colspan="2" |[[Jainism]] [[File:Jain_Prateek_Chihna.svg|26x26px]]
! colspan="2" |Others{{efn|Including [[Anglo-Indian people|Anglo-Indian Christians]], [[British Christianity|British Christians]], [[Buddhism]], [[Zoroastrianism]], [[Judaism]], [[Tribal religions in India|Tribals]], others, or not stated|name=othersB}}
! colspan="2" |Total
|-
!{{abbr|Pop.|Population}}
!{{Abbr|%|percentage}}
!{{abbr|Pop.|Population}}
!{{Abbr|%|percentage}}
!{{abbr|Pop.|Population}}
!{{Abbr|%|percentage}}
!{{abbr|Pop.|Population}}
!{{Abbr|%|percentage}}
!{{abbr|Pop.|Population}}
!{{Abbr|%|percentage}}
!{{abbr|Pop.|Population}}
!{{Abbr|%|percentage}}
!{{abbr|Pop.|Population}}
!{{Abbr|%|percentage}}
|-
!Gurdaspur Tehsil
|57,281
|{{Percentage|57281|328819|2}}
|171,498
|{{Percentage|171498|328819|2}}
|76,695
|{{Percentage|76695|328819|2}}
|22,506
|{{Percentage|22506|328819|2}}
|22
|{{Percentage|22|328819|2}}
|817
|{{Percentage|817|328819|2}}
!328,819
!{{Percentage|328819|328819|2}}
|-
!Batala Tehsil
|33,610
|{{Percentage|33610|380053|2}}
|209,277
|{{Percentage|209277|380053|2}}
|116,413
|{{Percentage|116413|380053|2}}
|20,670
|{{Percentage|20670|380053|2}}
|0
|{{Percentage|0|380053|2}}
|83
|{{Percentage|83|380053|2}}
!380,053
!{{Percentage|380053|380053|2}}
|-
!Pathankot Tehsil
|83,330
|{{Percentage|83330|153134|2}}
|59,548
|{{Percentage|59548|153134|2}}
|7,580
|{{Percentage|7580|153134|2}}
|2,307
|{{Percentage|2307|153134|2}}
|3
|{{Percentage|3|153134|2}}
|366
|{{Percentage|366|153134|2}}
!153,134
!{{Percentage|153134|153134|2}}
|-
!Shakargargh Tehsil
|116,553
|{{Percentage|116553|291505|2}}
|149,600
|{{Percentage|149600|291505|2}}
|20,573
|{{Percentage|20573|291505|2}}
|4,779
|{{Percentage|4779|291505|2}}
|0
|{{Percentage|0|291505|2}}
|0
|{{Percentage|0|291505|2}}
!291,505
!{{Percentage|291505|291505|2}}
|- class="sortbottom"
| colspan="15" |{{small|Note1: British era tehsil borders are not an exact match in the present-day due to various bifurcations to tehsil borders — which since created new tehsils — throughout the historic [[Punjab Province (British India)|Punjab Province region]] during the post-independence era that have taken into account population increases. Note2: [[Tehsil]] religious breakdown figures for Christianity only includes local Christians, labeled as "Indian Christians" on [[Census in British India|census]]. Does not include [[Anglo-Indian people|Anglo-Indian Christians]] or [[British Christianity|British Christians]], who were classified under "Other" category.}}
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+Religion in the [[Tehsil|Tehsils]] of Gurdaspur District (1921)<ref name="Census1921"/>
! rowspan="2" |[[Tehsil]]
! colspan="2" |[[Hinduism]] [[File:Om.svg|16x16px]]
! colspan="2" |[[Islam]] [[File:Star_and_Crescent.svg|15x15px]]
! colspan="2" |[[Sikhism]] [[File:Khanda.svg|19x19px]]
! colspan="2" |[[Christianity]] [[File:Christian_cross.svg|21x21px]]
! colspan="2" |[[Jainism]] [[File:Jain_Prateek_Chihna.svg|26x26px]]
! colspan="2" |Others{{efn|Including [[Buddhism]], [[Zoroastrianism]], [[Judaism]], [[Tribal religions in India|Tribals]], others, or not stated|name=othersC}}
! colspan="2" |Total
|-
!{{abbr|Pop.|Population}}
!{{Abbr|%|percentage}}
!{{abbr|Pop.|Population}}
!{{Abbr|%|percentage}}
!{{abbr|Pop.|Population}}
!{{Abbr|%|percentage}}
!{{abbr|Pop.|Population}}
!{{Abbr|%|percentage}}
!{{abbr|Pop.|Population}}
!{{Abbr|%|percentage}}
!{{abbr|Pop.|Population}}
!{{Abbr|%|percentage}}
!{{abbr|Pop.|Population}}
!{{Abbr|%|percentage}}
|-
!Gurdaspur Tehsil
|46,297
|{{Percentage|46297|234146|2}}
|122,606
|{{Percentage|122606|234146|2}}
|48,817
|{{Percentage|48817|234146|2}}
|16,406
|{{Percentage|16406|234146|2}}
|20
|{{Percentage|20|234146|2}}
|0
|{{Percentage|0|234146|2}}
!234,146
!{{Percentage|234146|234146|2}}
|-
!Batala Tehsil
|45,129
|{{Percentage|45129|275695|2}}
|145,672
|{{Percentage|145672|275695|2}}
|73,212
|{{Percentage|73212|275695|2}}
|11,682
|{{Percentage|11682|275695|2}}
|0
|{{Percentage|0|275695|2}}
|0
|{{Percentage|0|275695|2}}
!275,695
!{{Percentage|275695|275695|2}}
|-
!Pathankot Tehsil
|76,752
|{{Percentage|76752|129502|2}}
|48,431
|{{Percentage|48431|129502|2}}
|3,293
|{{Percentage|3293|129502|2}}
|1,011
|{{Percentage|1011|129502|2}}
|0
|{{Percentage|0|129502|2}}
|15
|{{Percentage|15|129502|2}}
!129,502
!{{Percentage|129502|129502|2}}
|-
!Shakargargh Tehsil
|90,645
|{{Percentage|90645|212849|2}}
|106,168
|{{Percentage|106168|212849|2}}
|12,303
|{{Percentage|12303|212849|2}}
|3,733
|{{Percentage|3733|212849|2}}
|0
|{{Percentage|0|212849|2}}
|0
|{{Percentage|0|212849|2}}
!212,849
!{{Percentage|212849|212849|2}}
|- class="sortbottom"
| colspan="15" |{{small|Note: British era tehsil borders are not an exact match in the present-day due to various bifurcations to tehsil borders — which since created new tehsils — throughout the historic Punjab Province during the post-independence era that have taken into account population increases.}}
|}

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+Mother Tongue (MT) statistics from 1931 Census, Gurdaspur District<ref name="census-source">Source: Page 284, [[iarchive:in.ernet.dli.2015.56041|Census of India 1931, Volume XVII: Punjab, Part I & II - Report and Statistical Tables]], Published by the Government of India, Census Commissioner's Office; [https://www.jstor.org/stable/saoa.crl.25793222?searchText=1931+census&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3D1931%2Bcensus%26so%3Drel&ab_segments=0%2Fbasic_search_gsv2%2Fcontrol&refreqid=fastly-default%3A5c54b3a3a539b8fd6e54b368a65e7260&seq=1 Census of India 1931: Punjab - Mother Tongue Statistics], Available at JSTOR</ref>
! rowspan="2" |District
! colspan="2" |[[Punjabi language|Punjabi]]
! colspan="2" |[[Hindustani language|Hindustani]]
! colspan="2" |[[Western Pahari languages|Western Pahadi]]
! colspan="2" |Others
|-
!Total
!MT only
!Total
!MT only
!Total
!MT only
!Total
!MT only
|-
|[[Gurdaspur district|Gurdaspur]]
|98.94%
|98.91%
|0.34%
|0.20%
|0.27%
|0.11%
|0.45%
|0.78%
|}

== Administration ==
The district was divided into the four [[tehsil|tehsils]] these were:
* [[Gurdaspur district|Gurdaspur]]
* [[Batala]]
* [[Shakargarh Tehsil|Shakargarh]]
* [[Pathankot district|Pathankot]]

These were the municipalities of the District (besides the administrative headquarters of the District at Gurdaspur):
* [[Dalhousie, India|Dalhousie]]
* [[Batala]]
* [[Dina Nagar|Dinanagar]]
* [[Kalanaur, Gurdaspur|Kalanaur]]
* [[Pathankot]]
* [[Sujanpur]]
* [[Dera Baba Nanak|Dera Nanak]]
* [[Sri Hargobindpur]]
The district also contained two [[Notified area|notified areas]]:

* [[Fatehgarh Sahib|Fatehgarh]]
* Bahrampur

== Missionaries ==
The [[American Presbyterian Mission|American United Presbyterian Mission]] was established in Gurdaspur in 1872,<ref>[https://pcusa.org/historical-society/collections/research-tools/guides-archival-collections/rg-500 Guide to the India-Pakistan Mission Records, Presbyterian Church USA]</ref> and occupied the Pathankot and Shakargarh tahsils. The Church Missionary Society had an important station at Batala, established in 1878, where it maintained the Baring High School. In 1901, the District contained 4,198 native Christians.

== Transport ==
Opened in 1894, a branch of the [[North Western State Railway|North-Western Railway]] from [[Amritsar]] passed through the district, with its terminus at Pathankot,<ref name=punjabrailway>{{cite web | url= http://punjabrevenue.nic.in/gaz_gdr16.htm | title= Chapter VII | access-date= 10 February 2014 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090410022057/http://punjabrevenue.nic.in/gaz_gdr16.htm | archive-date= 10 April 2009 | url-status= dead | df= dmy-all }}</ref> from which a [[metalled]] [[wikt:cartroad|cart-road]] ran to [[Dalhousie, India|Dalhousie]] and another to [[Palampur]] in [[Kangra District]], with a branch to [[Dharamshala|Dharamsala]]. The most important unmetalled roads were the [[Hoshiarpur]]-[[Sialkot]] road, which passed through Gurdaspur and Sialkot, and the road from Pathankot passing through Gurdaspur to Amritsar. The Hoshiarpur-Sialkot road was split by an international border once India and Pakistan became separate independent states, the total length of metalled roads was 59 miles and of un-metalled roads 608 miles.

== District officials ==
A [[Deputy commissioner (India)|Deputy-Commissioner]] ran the district - aided by six [[Assistant commissioner (administration)|Assistant]] or Extra-Assistant Commissioners, of whom one was a [[Sub-divisional magistrate|sub-divisional]] officer in charge of Dalhousie during the summer months, and another in charge of the administration. Each tehsil of the district was under a [[tehsildar]] assisted by a naib-tehsildar (deputy tehsildar).

=== Law ===
The Deputy-Commissioner as [[District magistrate|District Magistrate]] was responsible for criminal justice. The civil judicial work was under a [[District courts of India|District Judge]], both supervised by the Divisional Judge of the Amritsar Civil Division (also the [[Sessions Court|Sessions Judge]]). There were five [[District Munsiff Court|munsifs]], one at mead-quarters, two at Batala, and one at each of the other tehsils. There were also Cantonment Magistrates at [[Dalhousie Cantonment|Dalhousie]] and [[Bakloh]], and two honorary magistrates. The predominant form of crime was burglary.

==== Police ====
The regular police force consisted of 566 of all ranks, including 5 cantonment and 147 [[municipal police]], in charge of a [[Superintendent of police (India)|Superintendent]], who usually had 4 inspectors under him. The village watchmen numbered 1,957. There were 18 police stations and 12 outposts. The [[District Jail]] at Gurdaspur could accommodate 287 prisoners.

==Education==
Gurdaspur stood twenty-fourth among the twenty-eight Districts of the Punjab Province in respect of the literacy of its population. In 1901 the proportion of literate persons was 2.8 per cent. (5.1 males and 0.2 females). The number of pupils under instruction was 5,697 in 1880-1, 10,631 in 1890-1, 8,790 in 1900-1, and 8,323 in 1903-4. In 1904, there were 15 secondary and 142 primary (public) schools, and 5 advanced and 58 elementary (private) schools, with 258 girls in the public and 76 in the private schools. The District possessed 3 [[English-medium education|Anglo-vernacular]] high schools, one of which contained only Christian boys. It also possessed 2 public schools for girls, the most important of which was the Dalhousie Convent School. The total expenditure on education in 1903-4 was Rs. 92,000, to which Government contributed Rs. 7,000, and local funds Rs. 27,000, while fees brought in Rs. 28,000.

==Health==
Besides the Gurdaspur civil dispensary, the district had twelve outlying dispensaries, these in 1904 treated a total of 208,766 out-patients and 1,537 in-patients, and 7,268 operations were performed. The income and expenditure were Rs. 30,000, local and municipal funds contributing Rs. 12,000 and Rs. 15,000 respectively.
The number of successful vaccinations in 1903-4 was 28,641, representing 30.6 per 1,000 of population, the [[Vaccination Act]] was in force at Dalhousie - this was to inoculate children against smallpox.<ref>[https://www.rfhha.org/images/law/8.34%20The-Vaccination-Act-1880.pdf The Vaccination Act, 1880]</ref><ref>[https://digital.nls.uk/indiapapers/vaccination.html Vaccination - Medical History of British India]</ref>

== Maps ==
<gallery>
File:Map of Gurdaspur District, surveyed by R. Shortrede, T. C. Blagrave, and J. W. B. Blagrave, 1850–52 (F.5-12).jpg|Map of Gurdaspur District, surveyed by R. Shortrede, T. C. Blagrave, and J. W. B. Blagrave, 1850–52 (F.5-12)
File:Map of Gurdaspur District, 1881 (F.5-34).jpg|Map of Gurdaspur District, 1881 (F.5-34)
File:Map of Gurdaspur district of Punjab Province, British India, published in 'The Panjab, North-West Frontier Province and Kashmir' (1916).jpg|Map of Gurdaspur district of Punjab Province, British India, published in ''The Panjab, North-West Frontier Province and Kashmir'' (1916)
</gallery>

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}
{{IGI}}

{{coord missing|India}}
[[Category:Gurdaspur]]
[[Category:Punjab Province (British India)]]
[[Category:Districts of British India]]
[[Category:1849 establishments in British India]]
[[Category:1947 disestablishments in British India]]

Gurdaspur District (British Punjab) - Revision history

Advsunilnshah: place