Gawalmandi is a residential town located in central Lahore, in Pakistan's Punjab province.[1]
It is regarded as the cultural centre of Lahore. The famous Gawalmandi Food Street of Lahore is located here.[2][3][4] Gawalmandi is a fusion of two words: Gawala, meaning milkman and Mandi, the Urdu word for market. Gawalmandi used to be one of the largest buffalo milk producing markets in Punjab, until a large number of Punjabi Gujjar started settling here after 1947. Hindus used to have the largest number of shops in Gawalmandi area.[4]
Gawalmandi is the hub of Gujjar family and many UK Gujjar nationals can derive their ancestry directly from these families. Formerly known for wrestlers and thugs, the culture in Gawalmandi shifted highly after the Zia regime as more and more people started pursuing higher and even post graduate education. Gawalmandi has significantly high literacy rate now.