Jalalabad Town
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.
Jalalabad Town
The only town in the Jalalabad district of Afghanistan, situated in 34 26' N. and 70 27' E., 79 miles from Peshawar, and 101 from Kabul ; 1,950 feet above the sea. The town, which was at one time the favourite winter residence of the Amirs, is an irregular quadrilateral, surrounded by walls extending for 2,100 yards. It is a squalid place, presenting few features of interest. It is divided into four irregular parts by streets which, starting from the various gates, meet in the centre. The permanent population is about 2,000 ; but this number increases tenfold in the winter, when the tribes from the neighbouring hills flock into it on account of its warmer climate. It is advantageously situated for trade, being on the main route between Peshawar and Kabul, while roads lead from it to Ghazni, and, through Laghman, to Badakhshan and Y&rkand. The trade consists chiefly in the export of fruit and timber to Peshawar. Two hundred yards from the west gate of the city is a palace belonging to the Amir, but now rarely occupied by him. It is a striking building, constructed about 1892, in a garden 200 yards square, surrounded by high walls. The palace measures about 135 by 144 feet, has large underground rooms for use in the hot season, and a wide veranda all round, from which a charming view is obtained of the valley and adjacent hills. The climate of Jalalabad is similar to that of Peshawar ; the heat for two months in the summer is excessive, and the autumn is the unhealthy season.
Jalalabad was founded in 1570 by the emperor Akbar. The modern history of the town dates from 1834, when it was seized and sacked by Amir Dost Muhammad. It was occupied by the British during the Afghan War of 1839-43, when Sir Robert Sale held it, in the face of extraordinary difficulties, against the Afghan leader, Muhammad Akbar Khan, from November, 1841, to April, 1842. The British forces had practically no stock of provisions, and the small garrison had to make constant sallies. Hardly had the town been made defensible, in February, 1842, when an earthquake rendered the previous work ineffectual. The ' illustrious garrison,' however, held out, and in April an attack was made on the enemy which had the effect of raising the siege. A week later General Pollock's force gave permanent relief. Jalalabad was again occupied by British troops during the Afghan War of 1879-80. The British built a fort, called Fort Sale, about a mile east of the town. In this were hospitals and quarters, and these buildings, which are still kept in repair, are now occupied by Afghan troops.
Head-quarters of the tahsil of the same name in Shahjahanpur District, United Provinces, situated in 27 degree 43' N. and 79 degree 40' E., at the junction of the roads from Bareilly and Shah- jahanpur to Farrukhabad. Population (1901), 7,017. Jalalabad is an old Pathan town, said to have been founded by Jalal-ud-din Firoz Shah. Its importance has decreased owing to its distance from the railway. The houses are chiefly built of mud, and none of the mosques and temples is of special interest The Government offices stand on the site of an old fort, and the town also contains a dispensary and a branch of the American Methodist Mission. The town is administered under Act XX of 1856, with an income of about Rs. 2,500. Trade is only local. The tahisil school has about 211 pupils.
