From the beginning of the 7th century Rajput Bhatti kingdoms dominated eastern portions of Pakistan and northern India. In 997 CE, Sultan Mahmud Ghaznavi, took over the Ghaznavid dynasty empire established by his father, Sultan Sebuktegin, In 1005 he conquered the Shahis in Kabul in 1005, and followed it by the conquests of some western Punjab region. Eastern Regions of Punjab from Multan to Rawalpindi in north remained under Rajput rule until 1193. The Delhi Sultanate and Mughal Empire later ruled the region. The Punjab region became predominantly Muslim due to the missionarySufi saints work among the people of Punjab. Sufi dargahs dot the landscape of Punjab region today. After the decline of the Mughal Empire, the Sikh Empire invaded and occupied Sahiwal District. During the British Raj, Chichawatni was reputedly transformed from a small Punjabi village into a relatively modern city by infrastructure investment and planning decrees, starting after the First World War. At the time of independence of Pakistan in 1947, most Indian Muslim families migrated from Punjab towns like Ludhiana, Jallandhar, Amritsar and Firozpur, and settled in towns like Chichawatni, shaping the city's present-day Muslim population. The predominantly Muslim population supported Muslim League and the Pakistan Movement. After the independence of Pakistan in 1947, the minority Hindus and Sikhs migrated to India from the old northwestern Punjab areas, while the Muslim refugees from the northeastern Punjab areas of India migrated to the northwestern Punjab areas including to the Sahiwal District area as one of them, between the newly-drawn national boundaries of Pakistan and India by the departing British. In other words, old British Punjab province was divided into 2 new Punjabs - 'Muslim-majority Punjab' and 'Sikh and Hindu majority Punjab' in 1947.
Chichawatni city is the headquarters of a Pakistani forest division. The local forested area is called Chichawatni Reserved Forest. During the War of Independence of 1857, local people fought against the British in this forest. In Second world war, many foreign prisoners were brought and confined here in this forest. Dating back to 1923, the Chichawatni Plantation covered a total forested area of approximately, constituting the second-largest forest plantation in Pakistan, the largest being the 'Changa Manga Forest'. The Peregrine Fund, a U.S.-based avian conservation organisation, conducted research in Chichawatni's forests in the early 2000s.
Cattle market
Chichawatni's cattle market, known as Mandi Muwaishiyan, is among the largest in Pakistan. Typically, the market runs from the 21st of each month to the end of the month.
Kabbadi stadium
– a team sport similar to wrestling – is popular in Chichawatni, which is home to one of the few flood-light Kabbadi stadiums in Pakistan. The town has played host to numerous Kabbadi championships.
Rail links
In 1918, Chichawatni's first railway station was constructed, but its position – in the largely impassable forest to the north of the town – made it difficult to reach, despite the expansion of the station in 1927. In July 2007, a new and more accessible railway station was constructed in Chichawatni, with the sanction of then Prime MinisterZafarullah Jamali.
Government investment
In recent years, the Government of Punjab has invested significantly into education in Chichawatni, leading to a rapid increase in the local literacy rate. In partnership with private interests, local authorities have also invested into ICT education, improving the computer skills of school and college students in Chichawatni. Numerous municipal parks and museums have also been constructed with government aid.
