Memories, Mystics and Monuments of Pothohar

Memories, Mystics and Monuments of Pothohar

Not much is written on the heritage of the Pothohar region in Punjab. Keeping this in mind, I travelled extensively in this region to recollect additional legacy of history to authenticate the hidden treasures of Pothohar. This region abounds in the heritage sites which I have been documenting since 2000. While documenting the cultural heritage of Pothohar, an idea struck my mind that there should be a series of books on the various aspects of the heritage, culture, religion and history of this region. I decided to venture out in search of a new literary horizon to investigate and compose a series of books on the history, culture, and heritage of Pothohar. The current book is the first in the series of ten books that I plan to write on the heritage of this region. I would like to inform my readers that before the publishing of this book, I have already written one book on Pothohar heritage titled “Reflections on the Pothohar Heritage.”

In my endeavor to collect background stories and facts for the current book, I visited the villages, and towns extensively and met with oral historians and village intellectuals. They generously spared their priceless moments with me and extended invaluable assistance in long sessions on the history, culture, and heritage of their respective villages and towns. I have shared the photos of some oral historians in this book for the record. This book comprises 16 articles; which were first published in The Friday Times. All the information comes from the interviews with the oral historians and village elders who were driven by intellect instead of emotion. I have also relied on secondary sources where it was deemed necessary.

Broadly speaking this book is about the intangible and tangible cultural heritage of different villages and towns in Chakwal, Rawalpindi, and Attock districts. Some of the prominent villages and towns whose history and heritage has been discussed in the book include- Narali, Sukho, Dora Budhal, Dhamali, Sarai Kharbuza, Kuri, Shah Allah Ditta, Nara, Domel, Saghri, Makhad, Maira Sharif, Pindigheb, Munday, Chwali, Ranjha, Fim Kassar, Kot Iqbal, Muna, and Siral.

This book gives a brief introduction to each village and town and discusses not only built heritage but also castes and clans that inhabit there. While discussing the villages and towns, I also shared the names of the eminent nobles, elites, and merchants who built havelis, gurdwaras, shrines, mosques, temples, tanks, and wells. Some of the merchants of Pothohar were known for their welfare and philanthropic activities, which I have also mentioned in the book.

While reading this book, one gets to know about the various Muslim, Hindu, and Sikh families who were influential in their respective villages and towns. The Hindus of Nara, Domel, and Saghri villages in the Jandal area were known for their business skills. The Jandal area comprises 13 villages – Nara, Nathiyal, Pari, Kundrala, Pindi Sirhal, Pind Sultani, Garhi, Basal, Mithiyal, Kahal, Domel, Thatta, and Saghri. The Hindus of Nara, Domel, and Saghri not only expanded their business networks in Jandal and Pindigheb but also built impressive, havelis, temples, Janj Ghars (wedding halls), and bazaars. The Hindus of Nara operated their business in different cities of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The havelis of Hindus still dominate the landscape of Nara village which are located in different mohallas of the village. A posh locality of the Hindus of Nara was called Mohalla Bhagatan Wala. There were seven to eight imposing havelis of Hindus in Bhagatan Wala Mohalla also called ‘Sethian Mohalla’ – now known as Lari Ada. Apart from Nara, Hindus of Domel were also known for their business skills. They also expanded their business from Domel to other towns and cities of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. One of the most well-known merchants of Domel village was Ganga Ram who owned a marketplace in Mardan which was called Domel Ganj – named after his native village. He expanded his businesses from Punjab to KP with Mardan as the center of his business activities.

Apart from merchants and elites of the Janadal area, merchants and elites of Pindigheb town also built splendid havelis and temples. Makhad town was another famous town in the then Pindigheb tehsil Makhad was the hub of economic activities and many mystics settled in the town. The eminent Sufis saints of Makhad include Syed Noori Badshah, Pir Syed Shah Muhammad Ghaus, Syed Qasim Ali Gilani Lucknow Wale, and Moulana Muhammad Ali Makhad. There are also historic mosques in Makhad town which were built in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries by not only the notables of Parachas, Awans, Arians, Qazis, Qureshis, and Saghri Pathans but also by the eminent mystics of the region, notably Moulana Muhammad Ali Makhadi, Pir Syed Chan Badshah, Syed Qasim Ali Gilani Lucknow Wale alias Haji Pir, etc.

The Sufi shrines are located almost in every village and town in Pothohar. Like Makhad town, Maira Sharif, a center of Chishti Nizami in Pindigheb tehsil, is known for the shrine complex of Khwaja Ahmed Mairvi. Like other districts of Punjab, Attock is also home to many shrines of Chishti Nizami Sufis who traced their spiritual ancestry back to Khawaja Noor Muhammad Muharvi (1730-1790), the prominent khalifa of Fakhiruddin Dehlavi (1717-1785). He was also believed to have been an initiator of the Nizamiya branch of the Chishtiya order in Punjab and Sindh. He founded his Khanqah at the small village of Muhar near Bahawalpur in the mid-eighteenth century. There are two articles in this book that mainly deal with the mystics of Pothohar. I have also briefly discussed the history and contributions of mystics in a few other articles.

I have also discussed some historical mosques of Makhad, Chawli, Ranjha, Fim Kassar, Kot Iqbal, Siral, Muna, and other villages as well as their art and architecture of the mosques in this book.
I hope that this book will be equally helpful for archaeologists, anthropologists, historians, heritage lovers, and laymen.