Rawalpindi | City, Pakistan, & Population
Rawalpindi, city, Punjab province, northern Pakistan. It was the capital of Pakistan from 1959 to 1969. The city lies on the Potwar Plateau 9 miles (14 km) southwest of Islamabad, the national capital. Rawalpindi (“Village of Rawals”) occupies the site of an old village inhabited by the Rawals, a group of yogis (ascetics). Certain ruins on the site are identified with the ancient city Gajipur, or Gajnipur, the capital of the Bhatti tribe before the Common Era. Destroyed during the Mongol invasion (14th century ce), the town was restored by the Gakhar chief Jhanda Khan, who gave it its pre...
Source: britannica.com