Shahpur was named after the progeny of Syed Abdul Wahab son of Ghaus ul Azam Shaikh Abdul Qadir Jillani who settled in Shahpur in 17th Century. The Syeds who settled in Shahpur were God fearing, pious and spiritually blessed. Syed Meeran Shah is believed to be the one who settled here first. Meeran Shah was survived by Syed Baraat Ali Shah, Syed Fazal Ali Shah, Syed Sardar Ali Shah, Syed Nazir ul Hassan and Syed Iftikhar Ahmad who were known for their piety and philanthropic work. Syed Iftikhar Ahmad also became Deputy Attorney General for Pakistan. It is narrated that before the advent of Syeds there was no permanent settlements. The lands were largely untilled but were quite fertile. Subsequently Sikhs and Hindus were encouraged to settle in Shahpur. The life in the village was very simple then. There was no dispensary or health unit. Even there was no school in the village till 1947. The students who were desirous to acquire education used to attend school at Dasuya. Students seeking higher education proceeded to Hoshiarpur and Lahore. Sikhs in the locality were engaged in politics while the Lambardar (Nambardar) managed the village lands and state dues. The village was occasionally visited by Mughal notables in Mughal era and then by Tehsildars who were Britishers. The village was largely peaceful except a few land disputes which mostly went up for adjudication in Lahore High Court. The recession badly hit the villagers in the early quarters of twentieth century and the people had to lead a very difficult life and many failed to pay the village cess and forced to borrow money. Wheat and sugar cane were the common crops. The Hindus celebrated Diwali with much fan fare while the Muslims celebrated their festive occasions like Eid and Shabraat. There was complete harmony amongst the villagers and there was no religious dispute of any notoriety. People in village largely used carts and tongas for going to Hoshiarpur and also traveled on train.
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