SIALKOT, or Sealkote, a district of British India, in the Amritsar division of the lieutenant-governorship of the Punjab, with an area of 1959 square miles. It lies between 31° 44' and 32’ 50' N. lat. and 74° 12' and 75° 3' E. long., and is bounded on the N.E. by the Jamu state of Kashmir, on the N.W. by the Chénab, on the E. by Gurdaspur, on the S.E. by the RAvi, and on the W. by Lahore and Gujránwála. Sialkot is an oblong tract of country occupying the submontane portion of the Rechna (Rávi-Chenáb) Doab, and is fringed on either side by a line of fresh alluvial soil, above which rise the high banks that form the limits of the river-beds. The Degh, which rises in the Jámu Hills, traverses the district parallel to the RAvi, and is likewise fringed by low alluvial soil. The north-eastern boundary of SiAlkot is 20 miles distant from the outer line of the Himálayas; but about midway between the Rávi and the Chenab is a high dorsal tract, extending from beyond the border and stretching far into the district. Sialkot is above the average of the Punjab in fertility: three-fourths of its area have already been brought under the plough, and a third of the remainder is reported to be capable of improvement. The upper portion of the district is very productive; but the southern portion, farther removed from the influence of the rains, shows a marked decrease of fertility. The district is also watered by numerous small torrents; and several swamps or jhils, scattered over the face of the country, are of considerable value as reservoirs of surplus water for purposes of irrigation. Sialkot is reputed to be healthy; it is free from excessive heat, judged by the common standard of the Punjab; and its average annual rainfall is about 37 inches....
The district possesses a total length of 790 miles of road; and a branch line of the Punjab Northern State Railway, from Wazira-bad in the north-west corner of the district to Sialkot town (28 miles), was opened in January 1884. In 1881 the population was 1,012,148 (males 539,661, females 472,487), of whom Mohammedans numbered 669,712, Hindus 299,311, Sikhs 40,195, and Christians 1535. The only town of any importance is Sialkot (q. v.). The principal agricultural products of the district are wheat, barley, rice, maize, millets, pulses, oil-seeds, sugar-cane, cotton, and vegetables. The local commerce centres in the town of Sialkot, which gathers into its bazaars more than half the raw produce of the district. Its surplus stock finds a ready outlet in the markets of Lahore and Amritsar, while the great rivers on either side form natural channels of communication with the lower parts of the Punjab. The native manufactures comprise silk, saddlery, shawledging, coarse chintzes, pottery, brass vessels, country cloth, cutlery, and paper. The gross revenue of the district in 1883-84 amounted to £145,531, of which the land-tax contributed £111,713.
The early history of SiAlkot is closely interwoven with that of the rest of the Punjab. It was annexed by the British after the Second Sikh War in 1849; since then its area has been considerably reduced, assuming its present proportions in 1867. During the mutiny of 1857 the native troops stationed in the cantonments of SiAlkot besieged the European residents in the fort, and remained masters of the whole district; they also plundered the treasury and destroyed all the records.
SIALKOT, the capital and administrative headquarters of the above district, is situated in 32° 31' N. lat. and 74° 36' E. long., on the northern bank of the Aik torrent. It is an extensive city with handsome and well-built streets, and contains several shrines and buildings of historical interest. In 1881 its population was 39,613.
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