University of Gujrat

The University of Gujrat is one of the new major public sector universities in Punjab. It was established under Act IX of 2004 by Government of Punjab, Pakistan on 23 February 2004 to cater for the higher education needs of the population of Central Punjab which includes districts of Gujrat, Sialkot and Gujranwala in addition to cities of Wazirabad and Jhelum. These districts are popularly known as the Export Triangle of Pakistan due to manufacturing industries operating in the area.HistorySir Syed Ahmad Khan (1817–1898) founder of Aligarh Muslim University had named the region around Gujrat as "Khita-e-Younan" ("territory resembling ancient Greece") in reference to the high number of educational institutes in the area in the 19th century. The main campus has been named after a local Sufi saint Hafiz Muhammad Hayat. Placed prominently in the University of Gujrat campus, the shrine of Hafiz Hayat is an exquisite complex in terms of its architecture, site planning and landscape design. It is on a mound six feet high above the Terre plain. The site contains a haveli, summerhouse (baradari), mosque, four tombs of varying dimensions, several graves, seven wells and numerous old trees. The mound on which the construction was carried out belonged to the Raja Kaladhvi and was surrounded by a dense forest. Hafiz Hayat settled in the area and helped people with his spiritual charisma. Although the exact dates are not known, it was at the time of Emperor Jahangir. The saint donated his entire land holding to the state authorities for the cause of education. The main campus of UOG was constructed on the land donated by Hafiz Muhammad Hayat.