Jhelum (
Urdu, ) is a city on the right bank of the
Jhelum River, in the district of
the same name in the north of
Punjab province,
Pakistan. Jhelum is known for providing a large number of soldiers to the British Army before independence and later to the
Pakistan armed forces due to which it is also known as
city of soldiers or
land of martyrs and warriors. Jhelum is a few miles upstream from the site of the
Battle of the Hydaspes between the armies of
Alexander of Macedonia and Raja
Porus. A city called Bucephala was founded nearby to commemorate the death of Alexander's horse,
Bucephalus. Other notable sites nearby include the 16th-century
Rohtas Fort, the
Tilla Jogian complex of ancient temples, and the 16th-century
Grand Trunk Road which passes through the city. According to the 1998 census of
Pakistan, the population of Jhelum was 145,647 and in 2012 its population is 188,803. The name of the city is derived from the words Jal (pure water) and Ham (snow), as the river that flows through the river originates in the Himalayas. There are a number of industries in and around Jhelum city, including a tobacco factory, wood, marble, glass and flour mills.