Lahore Cantonment

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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.

Lahore Cantonment

Cantonment and head-quarters of the third or Lahore division of the Northern Command in the District of the same name, Punjab, situated in 31° 31' N. and 74*^ 22' E., 3 miles east of the civil .station of Lahore. It has two railway stations : Lahore Cantonments East, on the branch of the North-Western Raihvay to Delhi ; and Lahore Cantonments West, on the branch to Multan. Population (1901), 16,080. Till 1906 the cantonment was called Mian Mir. The troops were moved here from the Anarkali quarter of Lahore in 1 85 1-2 on account of the unhealthiness of the latter; but the new site is, partly on account of its defective water-supply, a notoriously unhealthy station. The ordinary garrison consists of two batteries of field artillery, one regiment of native cavalry, and two battalions of native inftintry. The cantonment stands on an open and arid plain, originally bare of trees, but now gradually growing greener as canal-irrigation extends and the avenues of trees along the roadside grow up.

The site is said to have been at one time named HaslTmpur. Prince Dara Shikoh, brother of Aurangzeb, who was put to death by that emperor on ascending the throne, was a disciple of a famous Muhammadan saint or pir, Mullan Shah, known as Mian Mir. He purchased the village of Haslimpur, and bestowed it on his religious preceptor, after whom it was renamed. The mausoleum of the holy man is a hand- some domed building of white marble and red Agra sandstone, with a mosque in the courtyard. The income and expenditure from canton- ment funds during the ten years ending 1902-3 averaged Rs. 50,000. The Punjab Banking Company has a branch here.