PAKLINKS BANNER EXCHANGE
Chiniot is at present the sub-division Headquarters of Chiniot Tehsil of Jhang District in Faisalabad Division of the Punjab. According to the older and classical District Gazetteer of jhang "the surface of the district presents three levels on the extreme west the high sand dunes of the Thal. In the center the two low-lying river valleys and on the extreme east a portion of the Sandal Bar".
Chiniot is situated on the left bank of the river Chenab. It is the richest Jewel set in one of its most picturesque valleys. It stands on a rock related to an outcrop of rocks barely two miles away where the Chenab pierces its way through and in the process splits up into two giving rise to an island of unsurpassed beauty and grandeur. A shade. To view the rising sun from any of the surrounding rocks is an un-forget-table experience.
On the hill of the river bank is a temple said to have built by Maharaja Gulab Singh of Kashmir. The most conspicuous building in the town is pillars constructed of sang-i-larzan are exceptionally beautiful.
The origins of the town might go back to remote antiquity. But. unfortunately, no full-fledged archaeological excavations have ever been undertaken. It would, therefore, be fairly safe to assume that Chiniot may have been the cradle of some ancient civilization under a Sanskrit name or at least formed part of it. The name Chiniot is a corruption of the name Chandan, a king s daughter who used to hunt in men's clothing while out hunting, she saw the site of Chiniot and was so impressed that she ordered a town to be built there. A reference in Rig Veda to a place is construed by some scholars as implying the town now known as Chiniot. Channiwat is said to have been mentioned in Ramayan and subsequently by Alberuni in his Kitab-ul-Hind.
Channiwat, popularly known as Ajhan, housed one of the three ancient Universities in the Punjab, the other two being at Ajodhan and Taxila. Professor Lakshami Narain is credited with the theory that the Ajhan University was situated among the rocks on the bank of the River Chenab near Chiniot
Specimens of wood-carving include decorated doors, carved and foliated tracery for balconies and window frames. Inlay of brass is also wrought in Shisham wood of dark hue which provides an excellent base for the contrast of brass. All varieties of furniture of fine quality and requisite design are undertaken at Chiniot.
Carpentry like masonry is an hereditary profession there. It has evolved into a fine art which is second to none in the world. The wonder of wonders is that Chinioti artists and craftsmen are generally illiterate. The tradition is confined to certain families who carry it on as a sacred trust.