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Kasur (Urdu/Punjabi: قصور), the capital of Kasur District and one of the oldest cities in Pakistan, is located 55 km southeast of Lahore. Kasur is adjacent to the border of Ferozepur between Pakistan and the India, and is a tourist attraction because of the guard changing ceremony.
It is known for its very spicy fish, a sweet dish called Andrassay, Falooda and Kasuri methi. It is the birthplace of Noor Jehan, the Pakistani singer and actress who gained popularity in the 1950s. The city is also the resting place of Sufi poet Bulleh Shah.
There are different traditions about the name of Kasur. One is that the town was founded by Kasur/ Kasu the son of King Ram and named after him as Kasurpur. (One of Kasu's brothers was Loh and the City of Lahore was named after him.) According to another tradition the town was founded by Pashtun families from Kabul (today the capital of Afghanistan) during the period of Mughal emperor Akbar. The Pashtuns constructed 12 small forts called as "Qasar" in Persian language so the city was later on named as Qasoor (A city of Qasars(Forts)) There were about twelve Kots named after the heads of various families.
Early History
Historically the Kasur of City was named by ancient Aryan tribe of Kambojas who migrated from Mittani and Kussara and belonged to Ancient King Pithana of Mesopotamian Kussara. This fact is also endorsed by renowned folk Baba Bulay Shah that all Pathans of Kasur would become Weavers very soon.
The town of Khudian was built by ancient Aryan Iranian Kambojas of Kasur who claim descent from Saman Khuda. A village Khoda near Khudian is also inhabited by Kambojah Clan.
The same clan Kambojas also claims to be offsprings of Kumbakarna and Rama. Ancient town of Rajowal of Kambojas is also related to Kambojas of Khemkaran.
According to traditional belief, Kasur was founded by Prince Kusha[1], the son of Lord Rama, while Lahore, called Lavapuri in ancient times[2], was founded by his brother Prince Lava.
Kasur had been allotted by the Mughals to Pashtuns or Afghans of Kabul and still contains a colony of Pashtuns. However the site was occupied by a Rajput town long before the period of Muslim rule.
According to some historians, the name Kasur is derived from Kashawar, the same way Lahore is said to be taken from Lahawar. Kush, the son of Ram Chander or Rama, is said to have founded Kasur like his brother Loh or Lav is said to have founded Lahore. However, some historians opine that Kasur is a Persian word and a plural of “Kasr” or “Qasr” (meaning palace), which was the name given during the times Kasur was a remarkable colony of Pathans, perhaps the most remarkable on this side of Indus. There is said to be seven tribes of Pathan who settled here sometimes during the reign of Moghal king Baber but more probably in 1560, during the times of his grandson Akbar. At that time the town is said to have a population of about 3,500. Among the Pathans who settled here were certain Hasanzais, whose descendents became the chiefs of the town and founded a considerable principality, including territory on both banks of the Sutlej River.
When the Sikhs rose to power, they experienced great resistance from Kasur. In 1763 and again in 1790, a large number of Pathans embraced martyrdom while defending their territory. In 1794, two Pathan brothers, Nizam ud Din and Kutab ud Din expelled the Sikhs from Kasur and reestablished the Pathan rule until 1807 when at last, Kutab ud Din was forced to give way to Ranjit Singh and retire to his territory at Mamdot, beyond the Sutlej River. The town of Kasur was then incorporated into the dominion of Ranjit Singh. After the Sikhs, this area was taken over by the British.
In 1867, the British constituted the Municipality of Kasur. It remained a tehsil of Lahore District with an Extra Assistant Commissioner in-charge of the sub division until 1st July 1976 when it was made a district. Initially, the district comprised two sub divisions namely Kasur and Chunian. Later on in 1992, the Government of Punjab created a third sub division called Pattoki.
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