Pakpattan District (Punjabi and ), is a district of Punjab province in Pakistan, Pakpattan city is the district capital.
Administrative division The district is divided into two tehsils, which contain a total of 63 Union Councils: TehsilDivisions/Districts of Pakistan Note: Although divisions as an administrative structure has been abolished, the election commission of Pakistan still groups districts under the division namesArea (km2)Pop. (2023)Density (ppl/km2)
(2023)Literacy rate (2023)Union CouncilsArifwala1,6411,999,278805.2258.24%33Pakpattan1,4831,136,892766.6256.11%30
Location The capital Pakpattan is located about 179 km from Lahore and 205 km from Multan. The district is bounded to the northwest by Sahiwal District, to the north by Okara District, to the southeast by the Sutlej River and Bahawalnagar District, and to the southwest by Vehari District.
Demographics
As of the 2023 census, Pakpattan district has 344,546 households and a population of 2,136,170. The district has a sex ratio of 103.30 males to 100 females and a literacy rate of 57.13%: 64.70% for males and 49.27% for females. 613,557 (28.73% of the surveyed population) are under 10 years of age. 472,575 (22.12%) live in urban areas.
+ Religion in contemporary Pakpattan DistrictReligiousgroup194120172023 Islam 214,9661,818,3242,124,641 Hinduism 61,1979761 Sikhism 54,04722 Christianity 3,2345,74110,655Ahmadi5851 Others31881Total Population333,4751,824,2282,135,511
Languges
At the time of the 2023 census, 95.42% of the population spoke Punjabi and 3.50% Urdu as their first language.
According to the 1998 census, the predominant first language"Mother tongue": defined as the language of communication between parents and children, and recorded of each individual. is Punjabi, spoken by 95.9% of the population, followed by Urdu with 3.7%.Haryanvi, also called Rangari, is spoken among Ranghar, Rajput.
Etymology Pakpattan was originally known as Ajodhan (Hindi: अजोधन) until the 16th century. Ajodhan may be a Sanskrit term that can be interpreted as "eternal wealth" or "eternal prosperity," with Aja meaning "unborn" or "eternal" and Dhana meaning "wealth" or "prosperity." It is believed that the name of the city has changed over time, and anecdotally, it may have been known by various names prior to being called Ajodhan.
Pakpattan derives its current name from the combination of two Punjabi words: Pak, meaning "pure," and Pattan, meaning "dock"; this name references a ferry service across the Sutlej River, frequented by pilgrims visiting the Shrine of Baba Farid. The ferry symbolized a metaphorical journey of salvation, with the saint’s spirit guiding believers across the river.
During the Delhi Sultanate and Mughal eras, including the reigns of Akbar and Aurangzeb, the city continued to be known as Ajodhan. However, as the shrine of Baba Farid grew in significance, the name "Pakpattan" gained popular use and eventually eclipsed the older name. Akbar’s Ain-i-Akbari mentions the region, indicating that both names—Ajodhan and Pakpattan—were likely used interchangeably in local and administrative records.
Education Notable educational institutes in the city include:
Government Faridia Degree College Pakpattan Ibadat International University Pakpattan Campus Virtual University Pakpattan Campus Punjab College Pakpattan Campus Superior College Pakpattan Campus Cambridge College Pakpattan Abaid Ullah Group Of Colleges
Notable personalities
Rana Iradat Sharif Khan
Iqbal Tikka
Hamid Rana Azhar Rangeela
Villages Chak 87 EB Chak Shafi Chak Kalyana Chak Bodla Chak 16/SP
See also Pakpattan Canal
Notes
References
External links Pakpattan District website