History Of Renala Khurd 


History

Renala Khurd city was established in 1914. Before that time, Mughal king Akbar along with his son Saleem and the royal entourage stayed in Dipalpur and passed through this region to pay homage to saint Farid Ganj Shakar in 1578. Akbar named the corridor as 'Bari Doab' by combining the syllables of the names of two rivers, Beas and Ravi, that bounded the belt.
Previously in this region, there were acres of barren and unirrigated land with trees of malah, and it was formerly known as Malah Walah. A part of Renala Khurd is naturally deprived of the underground sweet water. People in this region rely on canals as the main source of irrigation, as tube-wells, unlike other parts of the district, only pour out salty water which spoils the land. Traces are also found of a long range of ruins, called dhaya in the local language, which, according to popular myth, are the remains of some unknown ancient city which may have been engulfed by the river Biyas. These ruins give a mysterious look – something like a blend of desert and tiny hills, and also serve as the hideout for thieves and robbers
In 1849, the British occupied this area. The British Indian army built Canal Loar-Bari-Doo-Aab and colonies with the help of imported migrant labour employed to clear and develop the forest and scrubland. In the era of the British Raj, a brilliant irrigation network of canals was established all over Punjab and extending into Sindh.
After the 1947 partition, the Pakistani Army took control of the major portion of irrigated land left by the army of the British Raj on which it established its own farms and maintaining the tenants. One of the largest of these farms is that in Okara, spread over 17,000 acres (69 km2) of prime land.
The peasant migrants were promised ownership once it was rendered arable, but as it turned out to be the most fertile and rich of the provinces; the army reconsidered, retained ownership of the land and settled the migrants as tenants. In 1913, Renala Khurd Stud State Farm leased out 5,000 acres (20 km2) of land to the Punjab government to cater to the needs of the army for horses, fodder and dairy products, and the tenancy agreements continued. Renala Khurd is famous for its horses, and horses from Renala Khurd Stud State Farm have won international [[Horse racing |derby races]] many times.

Administration

The city of Renala Khurd serves as the headquarters of Renala Khurd Tehsil, the city of Renala Khurd itself is administratively subdivided into two Union councils 

Agriculture

Renala Khurd is home to the food processing company "Mitchell's Fruit Farms Limited". It has orchards of guava & citrus running b/w the lower bari doab canal and the Multan Road, for about 8 miles all the way up to Okara bypass. This region is also well known as a major producer of sugarcane & rice. These crops can be cultivated due to the abundance of water supplied by the lower bari doab canal & smaller water channels.
In winter many small farmers set up traditional ways of processing sugar cane. They extract its juice and add soda to produce molasses.

Demographics

Renala Khurd, encompassing a radius of 7 km, is home to 72,724 people.[2] The population of Renala Khurd is over 99% Muslim with a Sunni majority and Shia minority; there are also small non-Muslims groups of Christians, Hindus and Sikhs. Because of its strategic location in the Indian sub-continent, wave after wave of migrants poured into the area and settled on its fertile lands and today, although originally belonging to the Aryan stock, the people of Renala Khurd are descendants of the Iranians, Turks, Afghans and Arabs who came individually or in groups.
The major language spoken in the Renala Khurd is Punjabi (which is written in Perso-Arabic script, known as Shahmukhi in Pakistan) and Punjabis make up the largest ethnic group (overlap into neighbouring India). Punjabies themselves are a heterogeneous group comprising different tribes and communities, although caste in Renala Khurd has more to do with traditional occupations such as blacksmiths or artisans as opposed to rigid social stratifications.
The most important tribes within Renala Khurd include Kharals, Rajputs, Syed, Jats, the Arain, Kamyana, Gujjars and Gakhars. Smaller tribes include the Awans, Rawns, Kamboh and Maliks. In addition, there is a significant shift towards the usage of Urdu by the educated classes of the province.
The Punjabi dialects spoken in this region of the land have a common vocabulary and a shared heritage. The shared heritage also extends to a common faith, Islam. The people of Renala Khurd have also a shared spiritual experience, which has been disseminated by Tassawwaf and can be witnessed on the occasion of the Urs (remembrance fairs) held for the Sufi Saints Syed Abul Hassan Bin Usman Bin Ali Al-Hajweri (also known as Data Ganj Bukhsh) at Lahore, Mian Mir at Lahore, Shaikh Farid Shakar Ganj at Pakpattan, Bahaudin Zakria at Multan, Sakhi Sarwar Sultan at Dera Ghazi Khan, Shah Hussain at Lahore, Bulleh Shah at Kasur and Imam Bari (Bari Shah Latif) at Rawalpindi-Islamabad.

University Of Okara

University of Okara -Previously known as University of Education Okara campus- is situated in Renala Khurd 1  km away from the city towards West, it was inaugurated in 2005 by -then- Prime Minister of Pakistan Mr Shaukat Aziz. it offers various programs in education aspect which is a great opportunity for the poor people of District Okara.

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