MULTAN, a city in the Panjab, which gives its name to a revenue division and district. The city is in lat. 30° 12' N., and long. 71° 30' 45' E., and is now 4 miles from the present left bank of the Chenab. Cunningham thinks it is the Kas yapapura of Ptolemy, and that it was situated on the bank of the Ravi in the 2d century A.D.
At the capture of Multan by Chach, in the middle of the 7th century, the waters of the Ravi were still flowing under the walls of the fortress ; but in A.D. 713, when the citadel was besieged by Muhammad-bin-Kasim, it is stated by Biladuri that the city was supplied with water by a stream flowing from the river. Muhammad cut off the water, and the inhabitants, pressed by thirst, surrendered at discretion.
The population in 1881 was 68,674. Multan division lies between lat. 29° 1' and 32° 4' N., and between long. 70° 33' and 74° 10' 30" E., and comprises the four districts of Multan, Mang, Montgomery, and Muzaffargurh. The Multan district is, on the whole, an arid, sandy country, about 110 miles in length, and 70 in its greatest breadth. Multan town has had its name repeatedly changed. It is supposed to be the capital of the Malli of Alexander's historians, the place where Alexander was wounded. At an interval of 1300 years, two conquerors, Alexander and Mahmud, were opposed by a race of this name. In A.D. 1000, Mahmud entered Hindustan, but in the course of eight years he made no farther progress than Multan. The Malli and Catheri (that is the Khatry or Rajput tribe) of Alexander must have preserved their ancient spirit, to be able to oppose, for so long a time, such formidable armies, headed by so furious an enthusiast as Mahmud.
!Julian city was conquered by Shahab-ud-Din in 1171. After the invasion of Timm., it fell into the hands successively of an Afghan, of the Argbuns of Sind, of the Moghul emperors of India, of Nadir Shah, of the Sikhs, and now of the British. Its local name is still Mallitham Miami fortress, with Mulraj and garrison, after a pro longed siege, surrendered unconditionally to the investing Indian army on the 22d January 1849.
Malian and Tatta were the ancient seats of the Balla or Balli-ka-putra race, and to the present the blessing or byrd of the bards is Tatta Multan-ka-Rao.
There are in the Multan and Dehrajat divisions 42 castes returned as Jat, in number about 100,000 souls, engaged in gardening and other trades,— Arain, bazigar, bhatiara, Baluch, charlion, Chuhra, darzi, dhobi, Dum, fakir, Gujar; julaha, jogi, kallal, kamangar, Kahar, kutana, khoja, kumhar, Labana, lobar, inachhi, mall, mahar, mochi, mujawar, Moghul, mallah, mirasi, Pathan, paoli, pung,ar, qassab, qazi, Qureshi, Rajput, Shaikh, saiklgar, Tarkhan, teli, zargar. Multan town in 1881 had Hindus, 29,962; Muhatnmadans, 36,294; Sikh, 661; Jain, 46; unspecified, 174. The city of Multan forms the great commercial centre of the district, but there are also bazars at Shuj abad, Kahrur, Sarai Sidhu, Tulamba, Lodhran, Jalalpur, and other smaller towns.
Turkestan, and especially the city of Bokhara, supplies Multan with silk of.three kinds, namely, Lab-i-abi, Charkhi, and Hoshkari. These are purchased in Bokhara from 7, 9, to 12 rupees per seer, and sold in Multan from 10, 12, to 15 rupees. One camel-load of the first kind of silk, which is equal to 61 maunds in weight, costs at Bokhara 440 tila, or 2837 rupees 8 annas. Each tila makes 6 Nanakshai rupees and 6 or 7 annas. The trade of Bokhara to Multan is generally con ducted by the Lohani and Shikarpuri on camels. Multan indigo is of good colour.
In the citadel is the shrine of Baha-u-Din, Rukn-i-Alam. North of the city is the shrine of the martyr Shams Tabreezi. Burton states that the people of Multan murdered Shams of Tabreez, a celebrated Murshid or spiritual teacher, in order to bury him in their town. The Afghan Hazara, he says, made a point of killing and burying in their own country, any stranger who is indiscreet enough to commit a miracle or show any particular sign of sanctity.