Ali Usman Baig : In memory of Sir Donald McLeod, & Mcloed Gunj a town with similar names in Pakistan and India

22nd January 2023

Brief Introduction about Sir Donald Mcleod

Sir Donald McLeod was a British colonial administrator who served as the Lieutenant-Governor of the Punjab in British India from 1865 to 1870. He was born at Fort William, Calcutta, then part of the Bengal Presidency. His father was Duncan McLeod (1780-1856), a Scotsman who later became lieutenant general of the Bengal engineers and achieved distinction designing the Hazarduari Palace. His mother was Henrietta Friell, who descended maternally from the Boileau of Castelnau family.

In 1814 McLeod was sent to stay with his grandfather in Scotland. He was educated at schools in Edinburgh, Dulwich and later Putney where Charles Canning was also a student. In 1826 he was enrolled at East India Company College in Hertfordshire, where he became a friend of John Lawrence

McLeod joined the Indian Civil Service in 1854 and served in various administrative capacities in India, including as Commissioner of the Central Provinces and as Chief Commissioner of British Burma. In 1865, he was appointed as the Lieutenant-Governor of Punjab, succeeding Robert Montgomery.

During his tenure in the Punjab, McLeod implemented a number of reforms aimed at improving the administration of the province. He established a system of district boards to promote local government and encourage public participation in decision-making, and he also initiated reforms in the areas of education and public health.

A devout Christian, McLeod committed his life to various philanthropic projects including helping to establish the University of Punjab (Lahore), also known as the Lahore Oriental University. Punjab had been annexed by the East India Company in 1849 after the 2nd Anglo-Sikh War (1848-1849).

McLeod was also known for his efforts to improve relations between the British and the native population of the Punjab. He encouraged the participation of Indians in the civil service and supported the development of local industries, including the cotton trade.

McLeod resigned as Lieutenant-Governor of the Punjab in 1870 and returned to Britain, where he continued to serve in various administrative roles until his retirement in 1889. He died on November 17, 1914, in Edinburgh, Scotland.

His tenure was marked by the development of roads, railways, and canals in the province.

Sir Donald McLeod's burial was done in Lahore, the city where he spent most of his life, his grave is present at Cathedral Church of the Resurrection Lahore.

The town of McLeod Ganj in India

McLeod Ganj is a suburb of Dharamshala in the Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh, India. It is named after Sir Donald McLeod, a British colonial administrator who served in the Punjab region during the 19th century. The town is also known as "Little Lhasa" because of its large population of Tibetan refugees who settled there after the Chinese invasion of Tibet in 1959.

In 1855, the British established a military garrison in Dharamshala, which was later converted into a summer residence for British colonial officials. Sir Donald McLeod, who was the Lieutenant Governor of Punjab, visited Dharamshala in 1860 and was so impressed by the natural beauty that he decided to make it his summer capital. He then built a bungalow there, which became the town's nucleus.

After India gained independence from British rule in 1947, the town of McLeod Ganj became a part of the newly formed state of Himachal Pradesh. In 1959, the Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibet, along with thousands of Tibetan refugees, fled to India after a failed uprising against the Chinese government. The Indian government granted asylum to the Dalai Lama and the refugees and provided them with land in McLeod Ganj to build a settlement.

Over the years, McLeod Ganj has become a center of Tibetan culture and Buddhism in India. It is home to several important Tibetan institutions, including the Tibetan government-in-exile, the Dalai Lama's residence and monastery, and several Tibetan schools, temples, and cultural centers. The town also attracts a large number of tourists who come to experience its scenic beauty and learn about Tibetan culture and history.

The town of Macloed Ganj in Pakistan

A small town with a similar name is also present in the Bahawalnagar district in Punjab, Pakistan. The town is located eighteen kilometers east of Minchin Abad on Minchin Abad Sulmenki road.