For Muslims across the globe, Eid-ul-Fitr, or Meethi (Sweet) Eid as it is known in Pakistan and India, is one of the favourite celebrations of the Muslim calendar.
1st Shawwal: Muslims Mark the End of Holy Ramadan and Celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr
Eid-ul-Fitr, is a Muslim holiday that marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan, the Islamic month of fasting. Eid is an Arabic word meaning “festivity”, while Fitr means “charity” and so the holiday symbolises the breaking of the fasting period. It is celebrated starting on the first day of the Islamic month of Shawwal.
New Dresses, Matching Shoes, Mehndi (Henna), Bangles (Churiyan) All Are Part of Eid and Chand Raat Festivities
Festival before Eid-ul-Fitr – Chand Raat:
'Chand Raat' is considered to be the eve of Eid Moon or the night of the sighting of the new moon. The term Chand Raat refers to the evening on which first lunar crescent of the month of Shawwal is sighted. Chand Raat (pre-Eid night) is celebrated as a very special occasion by Muslims all over the world.
Chand Raat: A Festival Night Before Eid-ul-Fitr
Chand Raat (pre-Eid night) is a multicultural Islamic celebration/event. Chand Raat which means 'night of the moon ' in the Urdu language marks the end of Ramadan and the start of month of Shawwal and Eid-ul-Fitr falls on 1st of Shawwal (10th month of Islamic/lunar calendar).
For Muslims across the globe, Eid-ul-Fitr, or Meethi (Sweet) Eid as it is known in Pakistan and India, is one of the favourite celebrations of the Muslim calendar.
Happy Eid to All ..
If not impossible then it is very rare that majority of the Muslims across the globe celebrating Eid ul-Fitr on the same day and this rarity is just about to happen this year.
Reportedly, astronomical data hints that there is a possibility for sighting the new moon of Shawwal, 1432 AH in Pakistan on the evening of August 30, stated Pakistan Meteorological Office.
On the other hand; the Islamic Crescent Observation Project (ICOP) is expecting that Eid-ul-Fitr this year will be celebrated in most of the Muslim countries on August 31 (Wednesday), a UAE-based newspaper reported. Although ICOP excluded few Muslim countries from this assumption based on the starting of Ramadan in these countries on August 1, including some countries in the Middle East, north and central Asia and northern Africa; but even then most of the Muslims will be celebrating Eid ul-Fitr on the same day, Wednesday (August 31).
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The sport of free style polo had its beginnings in Baltistan Northern Area of Pakistan. Baltistan's princely kingdoms adopted the sport and made it their own, with their natural proclivity for riding. Kingdoms kept special stables for polo ponies, and their teams included among the very best in the world. Very often, the players were the rulers and members of their families, though their armies also encouraged the sport. In fact, if the sport has a presence in the country today, it is because the former royal families have continued to provide encouragement for it.
Polo continues, as it has done for so long, to represent the pinnacle of sport, and reaffirms the special bond between horse and rider. The feelings of many of its players are epitomized by a famous verse inscribed on a stone tablet next to a polo ground in Gilgit, Pakistan: "Let others play at other things. The king of games is still the game of kings."
History of Polo:
Polo is possibly the oldest recorded team sport in known history, with the first matches being played in Persia over 2500 years ago. Initially thought to have been created by competing tribes of Central Asia, it was quickly taken up as a training method for the King’s elite cavalry. These matches could resemble a battle with up to 100 men to a side.
As mounted armies swept back and forth across this part of the world, conquering and re-conquering, polo was adopted as the most noble of pastimes by the Kings and Emperors, Shahs and Sultans, Khans and Caliphs of the ancient Persians, Arabs, Mughals, Mongols and Chinese. It was for this reason it became known across the lands as "the game of kings".
British officers themselves re-invented the game in 1862 after seeing a horsemanship exhibition in Manipur, India. The sport was introduced into England in 1869, and seven years later sportsman James Gordon Bennett imported it to the United States. After 1886, English and American teams occasionally met for the International Polo Challenge Cup. Polo was on several Olympic games schedules, but was last an Olympic sport in 1936.
Valentine's Day - - History, Traditions and Religious Views
What is Valentine's Day??
Valentine's Day is a celebration of romantic love occurring annually on February 14.
Although it is associated by legend with a Catholic saint named Valentine, Valentine's Day is not a religious holiday and never really has been. Valentine's Day has historical roots mainly in Greco-Roman pagan fertility festivals and the medieval notion that birds pair off to mate on February 14.
The custom of exchanging cards and other tokens of love on February 14 began to develop in England and France in the 14th and 15th centuries and became especially popular in the United States in the 19th and 20th centuries. Over the last decade or so, Valentine's Day observance has even spread to the Far East, India, and the Middle East.
History of Valentine's Day
The association of the middle of February with love and fertility dates to ancient times. In ancient Athens, the period between mid-January and mid-February was the month of Gamelion, which was dedicated to the sacred marriage of Zeus and Hera.
In ancient Rome, February 15 was Lupercalia, the festival of Lupercus (or Faunus), the god of fertility. As part of the purification ritual, the priests of Lupercus would sacrifice goats and a dog to the god, and after drinking wine, they would run through the streets of Rome striking anyone they met with pieces of the goat skin. Young women would come forth voluntarily for the occasion, believing that being touched by the goat skin would render them fertile. Young men would also draw names from an urn, choosing their "blind date" for the coming year. In 494 AD the Christian church under Pope Gelasius I appropriated the some aspects of the rite as the Feast of the Purification.
In Christianity, at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of them martyrs, are mentioned in the early lives of the saints under the date of February 14. Two of the Valentines lived in Italy in the third century: one as a priest at Rome, the other as bishop of Terni. They are both said to have been martyred in Rome and buried on the Flaminian Way. A third St. Valentine was martyred in North Africa and very little else is known of him.
Several legends have developed around one or more of these Valentines, two of which are especially popular. According to one account, Emperor Claudius II outlawed marriage for all young men because he believed unmarried men made better soldiers. Valentine defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young couples and was put to death by the emperor for it. A related legend has Valentine writing letters from prison to his beloved, signing them "From your Valentine."
However, the connection between St. Valentine and romantic love is not mentioned in any early histories and is regarded by historians as purely a matter of legend. The feast of St. Valentine was first declared to be on February 14 by Pope Gelasius I around 498. It is said the pope created the day to counter the practice held on Lupercalia, but this is not attested in any sources from that era.
The first recorded association of St. Valentine's Day with romantic love was in the 14th century in England and France, where it was believed that February 14 was the day on which birds paired off to mate. Thus we read in Geoffrey Chaucer's (c. 1343-1400) Parliament of Fowls, believed to be the first Valentine's Day poem:
For this was on saint Valentine's day,
When every fowl comes there to choose his mate.
It became common during that era for lovers to exchange notes on Valentine's Day and to call each other their "Valentines." The first Valentine card was sent by Charles, duke of Orleans, to his wife in 1415 when he was a prisoner in the Tower of London. Valentine's Day love notes were often given anonymously. It is probable that many of the legends about St. Valentine developed during this period (see above). By the 1700s, verses like "Roses are red, violets are blue" became popular. By the 1850s, romantics in France began embellishing their valentine cards with gilt paper, ribbons and lace.
Valentine's Day was probably imported into North America in the 19th century with settlers from Britain. In the United States, the first mass-produced valentines of embossed paper lace were produced and sold shortly after 1847 by Esther A. Howland (1828 - 1904) of Worcester, Massachusetts. Her father operated a large book and stationery store, and she took her inspiration from an English valentine she had received.
In the 19th century, relics of St. Valentine were donated by Pope Gregory XVI to the Whitefriar Street Carmelite Church in Dublin, Ireland, which has become a popular place of pilgrimage on February 14.
But in 1969, as part of a larger effort to pare down the number of saint days of legendary origin, the Church removed St. Valentine's Day as an official holiday from its calendar.
To be found in the Suleiman Hills, Khyber Pass is one of the most famous passes in the world. The Khyber Pass is situated about 16 kilometers west of Peshawar and extends to Afghanistan border.
The Khyber Pass is a 53-kilometer (33-miles) passage through the Hindu Kush mountain range. It connects the northern leading edge of Pakistan with Afghanistan. At its narrowest point, the pass is only 3 meters wide. On the north side of the Khyber Pass rise the towering, snow-covered mountains of the Hindu Kush. The Khyber Pass is one of the most famous mountain passes in the World. It is one of the most important passes between Afghanistan and Pakistan. It is the best land route between India and Pakistan and has had a long and often violent history. Conquering armies have used the Khyber as an entry point for their invasions. It was also been a major trade route for centuries.
Importance:
Khyber Pass, mountain pass in western Asia, the most important pass with reference to Afghanistan and Pakistan, controlled by Pakistan. The Khyber Pass winds northwest through the Sefid Koh Range near Peshawar, Pakistan to Kabul,Afghanistan, varying in width from 3 to 137 m. The mountains on moreover side can be climbed only in a few places. The pass is walled by precipitous cliffs that vary in height from about 180 to 300 m. The pass reaches its highest elevation at the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan. The area of the Khyber Pass has been connected with a imitation arms industry, making various types of weapons known to gun collectors as Khyber Pass Copies, using local steel and blacksmith forges. During the current war in Afghanistan, the Khyber Pass has been a most important forward for re supplying NATO forces in the Afghan theater of conflict. Recognizing this, the Taliban attempted to choke off the route in late 2008 and early 2009, bringing the Taliban into conflict with the Pakistani government.
In February 2009, a bridge 15 miles northwest of Peshawar was blown up by militants presumably sympathetic to or sponsored by the Taliban. While it was not considered to be a major strategic blow to the allied war effort, it invigorated hard work to secure additional supply routes, some of which may ultimately run through Iran. However, the current general consensus is that the new supply route will pass through various central Asian republics to the north of Afghanistan.
History:
The history of the Khyber Pass as a strategic doorway dates from 326 B.C., when Alexander the Great and his army marched through the Khyber to reach the plains of India. From their, he sailed down Indus River and led his army across the desert of Gedrosia. In the A.D. 900s, Persian, Mongol, and Tartar armies forced their way through the Khyber, bringing Islam to India. Centuries later, India became part of the British Empire, and British troops defended the Khyber Pass from the British Indian side. During the Afghan Wars the pass was the scene of numerous skirmishes between Anglo-Indian soldiers and native Afghans. predominantly well known is the battle of January 1842, in which about 16,000 British and Indian troops were killed. The British constructed a road through the pass in 1879 and rehabilitated it into a highway during the 1920s. A railroad was also built here in the 1920s.
The Khyber, in its plaid history, has seen countless invasions. It witnessed the march of Aryans and victorious move forwards of Persian and Greek armies. It also saw the Scythians, White Huns, Seljuks, Tartars, Mongols, Sassanians, Turks, Mughals and Durranis making successive inroads into the territories beyond Peshawar Valley and Indus. The very sight of the Khyber reminds one of the conquerors who forced their way through its dangerous defiles. It is this Pass through which the subcontinent was invaded time and again by conquerors like Timor, Babar, Nadir Shah and Ahmad Shah Abdali. Again, it was through this Pass that the Russian invasion of the subcontinent was feared by the British in the 19th century. The story of Khyber Pass is composed of such colour and romance, such tragedy and glory that fact really looks stranger than fiction in this case. The Khyber Pass has been a silent witness to countless great events in the history of mankind. As one drives through the Pass at a leisurely pace, imagination unfolds pages of history.
The Aryans descending upon the fertile northern plains in 1500 BC subjugating the indigenous Dravidian population and settling down to open a glorious episode in history of civilization. The Persian hordes under Darius (6 century B.C.) crossing into the Punjab to annex yet another province to the Archaeology Empire. The armies of Alexander the Great (326 BC) marching through the rugged pass to fulfill the requirements of a young, ambitious conqueror. The terror of Genghis Khan unwrapping the majestic hills and turning back towards the trophies of ancient Persia. The White house bringing fire and destruction in their wake, the Scythian and the Parthians, the Mughals and the Afghans, conquerors all, crossing over to leave their impact and add more chapters to the diverse history of this subcontinent.
The Muslim armies first passed through in 997 AD under the command of Subuktagin and later his celebrated son, Mahmud of Ghaznawi, marched through with his army as many as seventeen times between 1001-1030 AD. Some of his campaigns were directed through the Khyber Pass. Shahabuddin Muhammad Ghaur, a renowned ruler of Ghauri dynasty, crossed the Khyber Pass in 1175 AD to consolidate the gains of the Muslims in India. He used Khyber Pass again in 1193 to measure strength with Pirthvi Raj Chouhan and shows his mettle on the field of Tarain. This battle helped Muslims carve out a Muslim Kingdom in India. In 1398 AD Amir Timur, the firebrand from Central Asia, invaded India through the Khyber Pass and his descendant Zahiruddin Babur made use of this pass first in 1505 and then in 1526 to establish a powerful Mughal empire. In 1672, it was the Khyber Pass where the Afraid under the able leadership of Ajmal Khan defeated Muhammad Amin Khan's army and besides inflicting losses, both in men and material, on the enemy; the Afraid captured about 10,000 Mughal soldiers. Nadir Shah Afshar of Iran used the Khyber Valley in 1739 AD to put together Delhi. The famous Afghan King, Ahmad Shah Abdali, crossed the Khyber Pass in 1761 AD and crushed the Marattha association on the field of Panipat (India). The Khyber Valley saw a great deal of fighting between 1839-1919. During the First Afghan War (1839-42) General Pollock used the Khyber Pass on his way to Afghanistan to retrieve the British honour. Again, in 1878, the British forces marched through the Khyber Pass to launch an offensive against the Afghans in the Second Afghan War (1878-79). In 1897 a revolt flared up on the frontier region and the valleys of Khyber started vibrating with the echoes of war.
The year 1919 again saw the pressure group of British troops through the Khyber during the Third Afghan War. The valiant sons of Khyber converged upon Peshawar in 1930 to give vent to their feelings of resentment against the indiscriminate firing of the British troops on freedom lovers in the famous Qissa Khawani Bazaar. The chapter of fighting in Khyber, however, came to a put up the shutters with the dawn of Independence in August, 1957. Since the establishment of Pakistan, the situation has changed when all's said and done and the sentinels of Khyber are now interested in the welfare of their country-Pakistan - with which is linked their own future. But one thing remains unchanged. The attack of the Khyber Pass is still on. Conquerors no longer traverse it, tourist do. The Khyber Pass is attracting thousands of tourists every year, in addition a large number of foreign dignitaries, including Heads of States and Government leaders.
Ranikot Fort is the world’s main and biggest fort with a circumference of about 29 km or 18 miles. Since 1993, it has been on the list of unsure UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Location:
It is situated in the Kirthar Range, about 30 km southwest of Sann, in Jamshoro District, Sindh, Pakistan. It is approximately 90 km north of Hyderabad. Fort Ranikot is located in Lakki Mountains of the Kirthar choice on the right side of the mighty River Indus at a distance of about 30 kilometers from the present day town of Sann. A mountainous ridge, Karo Takkar(Black Hill), running north to south, forms its western boundary and the ‘Lundi Hills’ forms its eastern boundary. Mohan Nai, a rain-stream enters the fort from its rarely used western ‘Mohan Gate’, where it is guarded by a small fortification, changes its name to ‘Reni’ or ‘Rani Nai’ or rain-stream and gives the fort its name. Ranikot is thus the ‘fort of a rain stream’ – Rani. It runs through it, tumbles in a string of turquoise pools to irrigate fields and leaves the fort from its most used ‘Sann Gate’ on the eastern side. It then movements about 33 kilometers more to enter the Lion River – Indus.
Structure:
Most of the twenty kilometers long wall is made of natural cliffs and barricades of mountainous rocks which at places rise as high as two thousand feet above sea level! Only about 8.25 km portions of its wall are man-made, built with yellow sandstone. This was first measured on foot by Badar Abro along with local direct Sadiq Gabol. As one enters the fort, one can find hills, valleys, streams, ditches, ponds, pools, fossils, building structure, bastions, watchtowers, ammunition depots, fortresses – all inside Ranikot, adding more to its beauty and mystery. A spring budding from an underground water source near the Mohan Gate is named as ‘Parryen jo Tarr’ (the spring of fairies).
According to a saga told by the local inhabitants, fairies come from far and wide on the Ponam Nights (full moon) to take bath at this spring near ‘Karo Jabal’! Splashing sounds of water falling on the rocks can be heard at another spring, Waggun jo Tarr or “the Crocodile Spring”, named so as crocodiles once lived there.
Bridge:
Within Ranikot, there are two more fortresses – Meeri and Shergarh, both have 5 bastions each. Meerikot takes its name from the word ‘Mir’ meaning top (for instance the peak of a hill, chief of any Baloch tribe, etc.). Both the main Ranikot and the inner Meerikot have similar entrances – bowed, angulated with a safe tortuous path. “The bridge in front of Ranikot resembles to a smaller bridge in front of a fortress in Verona, Italy” writes Ishtiaq Ansari, the writer of ‘Sindh ja koat aaein qillaa’ (Forts and Fortresses of Sindh) and a affiliate of Sindh Exploration and Adventure Society. From the military point of view, Meerikot is located at a very safe and central place in the very heart of the Ranikot with inhabited arrangements including a water-well.
Beside the Mohan Gate and the Sann Gate, there are two more gates, rather pseudo gates. One is towards the side of ancient town of Amri. This ‘gate’ is called the ‘Amri Gate’. Certainly it takes its name from the prehistoric ruins of Amri, but it must have taken this name much later than the times of Amri as the fort itself doesn’t appears to be as old as the Amri itself. In statement there is a bridge over rain stream ‘Toming Dhoro’ exiting from the fort called ‘Budhi Mori’. The breach in fort wall due to the river stream has been referred as a gate. Similarly, the Shahpir Gate to the south also appears to be a pseudo gate taking its name from a limestone rock with a rough shape of foot imprinted on it. The sacred footprint supposedly belongs to Hazrat Ali or some other religious personality and is venerated by locals. It seems to be a later breach in the fort wall instead of a formal gate because one can’t find any defender or watchtower or their remains at the site, needed to guard any proper entrance or exit points.
Mosque:
A mosque found in the fort appears to be a later alteration of a watch tower or a later construction. Scattered animal skeletons and prehistoric fossils can be found on the top of Lundi Hills. One of the three graveyards has about four hundred graves made of Chowkundi like sandstone with engraved motifs of sunflowers and peacocks. Whether we can call them as thermophilic and phytomorphic motifs is an open question. Another one appears to be a graveyard of Arabs. The third one, about a mile away from the Sann Gate, had sixteen or seventeen graves earlier but now there are only four graves. The local inhabitants call it the Roman’s graveyard.
HISTORY:
Who constructed it first and why? Is an riddle yet to be resolved by researchers. Some archaeologists attribute it to Arabs, possibly built by a Persian decent under the Abbasids by Imran Bin Musa Barmaki who was the Governor of Sindh in 836 CE. Others have not compulsory a much earlier period of construction attributing to at times the Sassanians Persians and at times to the Greeks. Despite the fact that a prehistoric site of Amri is nearby, there is no trace of any old city within the fort and the there structure has little evidence of prehistoric origins.
Archaeologists point to 17th century CE as its time of first construction but now Sindh archaeologists agree that some of the present structure was reconstructed by Mir Karam Ali Khan Talpur and his brother Mir Murad Ali in 1812 CE at a cost of 1.2 million rupees (Sind Gazetteer, 677).
Talismanic Wonder:
Ranikot is the most talismanic wonder of Sindh. Visible from five kilometers away its massive undulating walls twist and dip over the hills. With the circumference of more than twenty nine kilometers, its walls, built with dressed sandstone and reinforced with 45 bastions along the outer wall, of which 7 are rectangular and the remaining are round. All modified through the ages to accommodate the use of gunpowder, this perhaps makes it the largest fort in the world. Who constructed it first and why? Is an enigma yet to be resolved by researchers. Some historians attribute it to Arabs, built by Imran Bin Musa Barmaki, the Governor of Sindh in 836 A.D., some to Sassanians, and some to the Greeks or Romans and some to the Persians, and some even to the Great Wall of China! Though the prehistoric site of Amri (Aamri) is nearby, and fossils and animal skeletons are found inside the fort on the Lundi Hills, there is no trace of any old city inside the fort. The present structure doesn't appear to be 'prehistoric'. Some historians point to 17th century AD as its time of first construction but most agree that some of the present structure was constructed or reconstructed by Mir Karam Ali Khan Talpur and his brother Mir Murad Ali in 1812 AD at a cost of 1.2 million rupees (Sind Gazetteer, 677).
About thirty miles south-west of the city of Lahore, the capital of the Punjab, and on the borders of the civil districts of Gujranwala and Faisalabad (formerly called Lyallpur), stands the town of Nankana Sahib. In the 15th century, this town was called Talwandi and was surrounded by a deep and lonely Bar or raised forest tract in the centre of the Punjab (or Panjab as it was called then). The town is now girdled by a broad expanse of agriculture and vegetation, which, wears through all seasons a cheerful appearance. The jal (Salvadora Persica) predominates, except there are also found the phulahi (Acacia modest a) and the jand (Prosopis spicigera). The wild deer though not seen any longer were seen irregularly to come out startled at the travellers who uneasy the solitude of its domain, and the hare and the partridges used to cower cautiously among the thickets, deprecating molestation.
History:
Talwandi is said to have been originally built by a Hindu king called Raja Vairat. It was sacked and shattered by fire and crowbar. The Punjab was parceled out to Muslim warrior chiefs in switch over for peace by the sovereigns of Delhi (Delhi Sultanate). One of these chiefs was Rai Bhoi Bhatti, a Muslim of the Bhatti Rajput tribe. Rai Bhoi along with his son salvaged Talwandi and restored it and built a fort on the summit of the tumulus, in which he lived the secure and happy ruler of his estate with quite a lot of thousand acres of educated land, and a boundless wilderness. Nankana was subsequently known then as Rai-Bhoi-Di-Talwandi (or Rai Bhoi's Talwandi). After Rai Bhoi's death, his heritage descended to his only son Rai Bular Bhatti , who governed the land and town at the birth and for the duration of the youth of Nanak.
During Rai Bular's rule, Talwandi did not share the tumults and excitement of the outer political world. Rai Bular was a 'gentle giant', immense in stature, but quiet and private. Talwandi became a reflection of his individuality. It was a quiet place for the training of a prophet or religious teacher who was to lead his countrymen to the sacred path of truth, and disenthrall their minds from the superstitions of ages. In this retreat was born Guru Nanak, the founder of the Sikh belief. His birth took place on the third day of the light half of the month of Baisakh (April–May) in the year 1526 of the Vikramaditya period, corresponding to A.D. 1469.
Holy places:
Nankana Sahib being most sacred Sikh place; the position of the birth of the Sikh initiator, Guru Nanak is one of the fastest growing towns in Punjab, Pakistan. It is a fashionable place for Sikhs from all over the world. At the time of Guru Nanak's birth the town was called Rai Bhoe's Talwandi and was also referred to as Raipur. Rai Bular Bhatti was the ruler of this part and Baba Nanak's father was Rai Bular's worker. The discover qualities of Baba Nanak were first exposed by his sister Nanaki and Rai Bular Bhatti . Rai Bular gifted approx. 20,000 acres (81 km2) of land all around the city of Talwandi to Guru Nanak and the town began to be called Nankana Sahib. The town currently has nine gurdwaras as one with the Gurdwara Janam Asthan which marks the birth place of Guru Nanak Dev. Each of the gurdwaras is related with important events in Guru Nanak's life. Annually, just about 30,000 Sikh pilgrims visit the town, with about 15,000 gathering during the peak season around the birthday celebrations of Guru Nanak.
In 2006 a bus service between the Sikh consecrated city of Amritsar in India and Nankana Sahib was inaugurated by Manmohan Singh, India's Prime Minister, who himself is a Sikh.
Historical Background:
The Sikh trust was founded by Guru Nanak in the fifteenth century and his divine torch was carried on by nine gurus who followed in sequence. The concepts of Sangat, Pangat, Dharamshala (an early word for Gurdwara) and Kirtan took firm roots during this period and became important constituents of Sikhism. Congregations in Gurdwaras had played crucial roles in the religious and social affairs of the early Sikhs.
Later, they assumed wider dimensions by transforming into a religion-political organisation. The peaceful and non-political budding Sikh brotherhood was misshapen into a proud and fiercely martial nation through the baptismal.
process of Amrit-pan. After a long and continuous resistance of several decades against the tyrannies of Mughal rule, the brave Sikhs finally emerged victorious and succeeded in carving out 12 Khalsa principalities in Punjab which soon led to the creation of a unified Khalsa kingdom with Ranjit Singh at the helm.
Maharaja Ranjit Singh reconstruct the Gurdwaras prior destroyed by the Moghuls and also raised many new ones at the sacred places related with the Sikh Gurus. For the sustenance of the Mahants, Maharaja Ranjit Singh had friendly handsome landed properties too many of these Gurdwaras. The earlier Mahants were devoted Sikhs and true missionaries who did a lot for the spread of Sikhism. As the times rolled by, the Gurdwara incomes swelled enormously and the enormous money corrupted and degenerated the later-time Mahants into slack lived folks. They started treating the Gurdwara properties as if they were their personal fiefs. This changed the things for the Sikh Panth.
Dissolute Activities with in Nankana:
Gurdwara Nankana Sahib was managed by Mahant Narayan Das in the in the early hours 20th century. This Gurdwara had a huge property of over 19000 acres of highly fertile land fond of to it which yielded enormous income per year. Money-power made the Mahant corrupt and him in full swing using the Gurdwara's money for wrongful deeds. The Mahant was a very desolate and wicked person who also used Gurdwara premises for immoral and highly objectionable activities. He had kept a Muslim girl as his mistress and all kinds of possible debauchery were committed within the Gurdwara premises. Dance girls were brought to the Gurdwara and dances were held and obscene songs were sung within the holy property. In 1917, he arranged a dance-show by a prostitute near the holy Gurdwara. In 1918, a retired A.A.C. officer paid a visit to the Gurdwara with his 13 years old daughter to offer prayers to the Guru. As the Rehraas was being read in the Gurdwara, a Pujari rogue was raping the minor girl in another room within the Gurdwara premises. When the father lodged a complaint with the Mahant to take action against the Pujari rogue, the Mahant simply ignored his request. In the same year, six young female devotees from Jaranwal village (Lyallpur) visited the Gurdawara on Puranmashi (full Moon) to pay their offerings at Gurdwara and they too were similarly raped.
Sikhs Nation Awakens:
All this went on before the very eyes of the Sikhs which had sent surprise waves across Punjab. The issue was effectively raised in the The Akali (Punjabi), in print from Lahore by Master Sunder Singh Lyallpuri (q.v.), a true patriot and the founder-father of the Akali Movement and Shiromani Akali Dal . Lyallpuri belonged to Bohoru village close to Nankana Sahib and he personally preached against the shamelessness of the Mahant in the nearby villages and also continued to organise the Sikhs for a dynamic movement to bring reforms into the Gurdwaras.
In October 1920, a worshipper was held at Dharowal in Sheikhupura for reform in Gurdwara Nankana Sahib. The misdeeds committed within Gurdwara by Mahant were made known to the Sangat. On January 24, Shiromani Committee held a general meeting and took decision to hold a Dewan in Nankana Sahib on March 4, 5 and 6 and advise Mahant to mend his ways.
Mahant's Feedback:
Mahant was a very shrewd and sneaky person. He tried to play politics. Publicly, he wanted to leave the thought that he was very peace-loving person and anxious to settle the issues with the Panth. On February 14, Mahant held a surreptitious meeting with his associates to chalk out a secret plan to kill the Sikh leaders on March 5 at Nankana Sahib. Mahant recruited 400 hooligans including fierce Pathans paid at twenty Indian rupees per month to oppose the Sikhs. With government's help, Mahant also collected guns, pistols and other arms and bullets. He also arranged and stored fourteen tins of paraffin and further got the Gurdwara gate strengthened and the holes made in it so that he could use them for firing bullets at the Sikhs.
Mahant Narayan Das had the full help from the Mahants of other Gurdwaras in Punjab. The Bedi Jagirdars who had homeward bound Jagirs from the English Government by virtue of their past connections with Guru Nanak also supported the Mahant. Sardar Sunder Singh Majithia also maintained double standards. But Maharaja of Patiala flatly refused to back Mahant and offered him a healthy advice not to rebel against the Panth. He further advised the Mahant to create a committee of prominent Sikhs and hand over the Gurdwara charge to them. But Mahant uncared for the well-intentioned advice of Patiala Royal house. The Shiromani Committee extended request to Mahant for talks at Gurdwara Khara Sauda to resolve the issue but he did not show up at the given time. Then he offered to hold talks with the Sikh leaders in Sheikhupura on February 15, 1921, but again he disastrous to show up. Third time he promised to meet the Shiromani Committee leaders at the dwelling of Sardar Amar Singh Lyall Gazette on February 16, but once again he failed to turn up.
Nankana Sahib Bloodbath:
The Nankana Sahib Massacre refers to the grim affair during the Gurdwara Reform Movement/Akali Movement in which a peaceful batch of reformist Sikhs were subjected to a murderous assault on 20 February 1921 in the holy shrine at Nankana Sahib, the birthplace of Guru Nanak Dev Ji.
In October 1920, a congregation was held at Dharowal, area Sheikhupura to inform the sangat of the misdeeds being dedicated inside Gurdwara Nankana Sahib. This shrine along with six others in the town had been under the control of Udasi priests ever since the time the Sikhs were driven by Mughal oppression to seek safety in remote hills and deserts. The priests not only treated the Gurdwaras as their secret properties but had also introduced practices and ceremonial which had no sanction in Sikhism.
At the meeting, it was commonly resolved that the Mahant be asked to mend his ways. When Mahant Narian Dass was asked upon to do so, he in full swing making preparations to oppose the Panth instead. He did not feel it necessary to pay heed to the suggestions of the Committee. He was the owner of the estate attached to the Gurdwara with an income of one hundred thousand rupees besides the offerings of the Gurdwara.
Almost at the same time a Sikh shrine, Gurdwara Babe di Ber, at Sialkot, was free-thinking from priestly control and taken over by the Sikhs on 5 October 1920, which marked the beginning of the Gurdwara Reform movement. Darbar Sahib and the Akal Takht were occupied on 13 October 1920.
Narain Das, with the help of the Government started recruiting a private army and laying in arms. The Government was using every available weapon to make Akali movement of Gurdwara reform, a failure. Narain Das got the Gurdwara gate strengthened and got holes made in it so that bullets could be fired through them.
In the meeting of Parbhandak Committee on 17 February 1921, it was decided that two jathas one led by Bhai Lachhman Singh and the other by Bhai Kartar Singh Virk (alias Jhabbar) should meet at Chander Kot on 19 February. From there they were to reach Nankana Sahib early in the morning of 20th February, to talk to the Mahant, Narain Das. Upon seeing the preparation of the Mahant, the Parbhandak Committee held a meeting on 19th February, in which it was, set on that the jathas should not be taken to Nankana Sahib on the 20th February. Bhai Kartar Singh Jhabbar was present in the meeting. He was informed about the changes and was told to inform Bhai Lachhman Singh. Bhai Kartar Singh Jhabbar immediately dispatched Bhai Waryam Singh to Chander Kot so that other jatha could be stopped.
Bhai Lachchman Singh, in accordance with the original programme had reached Chander Kot on the night of 19th February with his jatha of 150 Singhs and waited for Bhai Kartar Singh Jhabbar and his jatha.
Bhai Waryama Singh arrived with news not to lead the jatha to the Gurdwara; Bhai Lachchman Singh said to the Singhs of his jatha, “When we have started for a good cause, we should not waste time.” All members of the jatha agreed. Bhai Lachhman Singh got a undertake from the Singh’s not to strike and stay put peaceful no matter what. After that the jatha prayed for their success of their noble resolve. After the prayer, as the jatha was about to move forward, Bhai Waryam Singh arrived. He showed them the letter about the new judgment of the Committee. Bhai Tehal Singh Said, “Dear Khalsa, we have taken our resolve at the prayer (Ardaas) and cannot turn back now. It is imperitive for us to move forward.” The jatha as a whole moved forward following Bhai Tehal Singh.
Thus on the morning of 20 February 1921, the jatha of 150 Sikhs lead by Bhai Lachhman Singh entered the sacred precincts. The Mahant had got the news of their arrival at Chander Kot on the evening of 19th February. He had gathered his men at night and briefed them about their duties.
After the jatha of Singh’s had sat down, the Mahant signalled his men to carry out the prearranged plan. The Sikhs were chanting the sacred hymns when the attack started. Bullets were mercilessly rained on them from the roof of an adjoining building. Bhai Lachhman Singh was struck down sitting in attendance of the Guru Granth Sahib. Twenty-six Singhs became martyrs to those bullets in the courtyard while another sixty or so sitting inside the Darbar Sahib became targets of bullets. When the Mahant’s men saw no one moving, they came down with swords and choppers. Any Singh they found breathing was cut to pieces.
Outside the main gate, Narain Das, pistol in hand and his face quiet up, pranced up and down on horseback directing the operations and all the time shouting, “Let not a single long-haired Sikh go out alive.” Bhai Dalip Singh, a much-respected Sikh who was well known to him, came to intercede with him to stop the bloody carnage. But he killed him on the spot with a shot from his pistol. Six other Sikhs coming from outside were butchered and thrown into a potter’s kiln. Firewood and kerosene oil were brought out and a fire lighted. All the dead and injured were piled up on it to be consumed by the flames. The body of one a live Singh said to be Bhai Lachhman Singh was fastened to a tree near by and burnt alive. The total number of Sikhs killed has been variously estimated between 82 and 156.
As news reached back to Panjab, 20 pathans had been arrested, the Gurdwara had been locked and the city was handed over to Army which cordoned it to restrict any Akali movement to take over Gurdwara. Sardar Kartar Singh Jhabbar arrived with his jatha on 21st February. Commissioner, Mr. King, informed him that if he tried to enter city with his jatha army will open fire. Kartar Singh Jhabbar and his jatha of twenty two hundred Singhs did not listen to the Commissioner and kept on moving towards city. At end, Commissioner Mr. Curry handed over the keys of Gurdwara to Bhai Kartar Singh Jhabbar.
On the 22nd/23rd February, the bodies were cremated according to Sikh tradition. Charred, mutilated bodies were collected and torn limbs and pieces of flesh picked from wherever they lay in the blood stained chambers. A huge memorial service pyre was erected. Bhai Jodh Singh, in a calculated oration, advised the Sikhs to remain cool and patient and endure the catastrophe with the fortitude with which their ancestors had faced similar situations. The Sikhs, he said, had cleansed by their blood the holy precincts so long exposed to the impious influence of a corrupt regime.
An urdu newspaper called ‘Zamindara’ wrote in its editorial of 23 February 1921, “what more proof of shamelessness of muslims is required than that they have helped the Mahant. O, Shameless Muslims, isn’t the cup of your shamelessness and impudence full as yet? You used your guns and swords against those who went to Nankana Sahib to perform religious duties. You are not fit to be called Muslims. You are worse than infidels.”
Mahant, 20 Pathans and other of his group were sentenced by British. Only Mahant and couple of Pathans got death decree for this crime of more than 50 murders. (The High Court delivering on 3 March 1922, its judgement on Narain Das’s appeal, reduced his sentence to life imprisonment.)
News of the Nankana Sahib carnage shocked the country. Sir Edward Maclagan, Governor of the Punjab, visited the site on 22nd February. Mahatma Gandhi, along with Muslim leaders Shaukat ‘Ali and Muhammad ‘Ali, came on 3rd March. Princess Bamba Duleep Singh, daughter of Maharaja Duleep Singh, came accompanied by Sir Jogendra Singh, to offer her homage to the memory of the martyrs.
Bhambore, is the name of the city tinkles the renowned love tale of Sassi and Punnu. The passage of time has left the city in ruin but the everlasting love of Sassi and Punnu has recorded its name in all historical travel permit of the subcontinent.
Location:
Sindhi is the ruins of the ancient port city of Debal from the 7th century, located near modern Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan, at the base of the Indus River. The ruins are located in the region of 60 km between Dhabeji and Gharo on the N-5 National Highway. Its population was mainly Hindu with a Buddhist minority. It is largely known for the ruins of a castle destroyed by Muhammad bin Qasim during the invasion of Sindh and—on a different note—the legendary love story of Sassi Punnu.
Bhambore signifies the trading links between Arab and South Asian nations of its times. The new city of Bhambore came into being because pirates had kidnapped a ship. A plea was filed with the Arab rulers in Baghdad (then a major economic and military power) to rescue the people from the kidnapped ship. When diplomacy failed to release those people, an expedition was sent to the area under the command of Muhammad bin Qasim . With better-quality military might and planning he was able to make an amphibious landing and establish his presence here. One of the reasons cited for the success of this trip is the sorrow of the Buddhist population; it is believed they may have helped the coming invaders.
Bhambore was later abandoned due to a change in the river's course. Substantiation of earthquakes and regional invaders is also cited as an explanation for the population's movement away from the area and the crumbling of the castle. The former river delta is now a creek.
History:
The old name of Bhambore was Deibal. It is whispered to have been built by Alexander the Great in 325 BC. However, no bona fide record of the early history of Deibal is found anywhere. The only reliable sources of its history are the ruins of the city. Experts divide the history of Deibal into three periods i.e., the Scytho-Parithan Period (starting from the 1st century BC), the Hindu-Buddhist Period and the Muslim Era (ending in the 13th century AD).
The Scytho-Parithan Period coincides with the fall of Greeks and rise of Buddhism and Gandhara Civilization in ancient Taxila. The Scythians and Parthian were intruders from the west. They defeated the Greeks but could not retain their dominance for a long time. They captured Taxila and settled in many places like Bhambore. The antiquities, especially pottery, of this period show great influence of the Greek civilization. The Scytho-Parithan Period was followed by the Hindu-Buddhist Period. Bhambore became an important center of religious activities in this era. The remains of Shiva Temple suggest that Bhambore was once an important middle of Hindu civilization in Sindh. However, the city remained aloof from main political and enlightening stream until 712 A.D.
This was the time when India was indulged in gloom and unawareness. There existed political and social bedlam in the country. The mighty state of King Ashoka had broken into fragments. India was divided in small states of Kashmir, Kanuj, Asam, Nepal, Sindh, Bengal and Malwa in south, Chalukyas, Cholas and Pallavas in north and many ship states. Deibal was one of them. It was ruled by Raja Dahir.
Once it so happened that a band of sea pirates plundered a fleet of ships passing through the Indian Ocean. They captured many Muslim women as well. The ships were transport some Arab families from Ceylon to Iraq. The news reached Hajjaj bin Yousaf, the governor of Baghdad. He asked Raja Dahir to release the prisoners and castigate the pirates. Dahir showed ignorance of the incident and refused to take any action. In fact, he used to support the pirates and rebel tribes. They created disturbance in Muslim occupied areas of Makran and found refuge in Sindh. Raja even paid them for looting trade caravans and innocent citizens. Dahir's reply aroused the anger of Hajjaj. He sent Ubaidullah and then flower ail to get back the Muslim prisoners from Dahir but these expeditions failed when they had to face armed forces. Hajjaj now decided to launch a full fledge military expedition. He sent Muhammad bin Qasim along with 6000 cavalrymen, 6000 camel riders, 3000 camels loaded with baggage and five catapults.
Muhammad bin Qasim reached Makran in the spring of 712 A.D. Haroon, the governor of Makran provided him a badge of fresh soldiers. Some Jets and Meds also joined the army due to their discontentment with the Hindu rulers. Daibul was the target. The Muslim army dug trenches round the fort of Daibul and fixed their catapults. The siege continued for three days without any response from the Hindu army. A local man advised Muhammad din Qasim to pull down the red flag of the fort. Qasim used Al-Uroos, the best catapult of his armaments, to knock down the flag. The Hindus took it for a bad omen and immediately surrendered. Raja Dahir lost his life. His wife, Rani Bai, performed ritual suicide by throwing herself into fire. The Muslims passed victoriously through the city and captured the whole Sindh. Sindh became the gateway of Islam (Bab-e-Islam). Thus, Bhambore can exactly be called the birthplace of Islam in the sub-continent.
This was the beginning of the new period. The Muslims were admirable generals and rulers as well. They established a new society based on the principles of the Holy Quran and Sunnah. A large number of Hindus embraced Islam. The Arabs extended their rule over large parts of Sindh. Bhambore was given to local chiefs. However, the Muslim rule did not last long after the death of Muhammad bin Qasim. Somehow, the Muslim rule in Bhambore continued during the days of Umayyad and Abbasid line. The city disappeared in 13th century due to some indefinite reasons.
Historical Sites:
Bhambore remained unknown for a long time until General Cunningham excavated its remains for the first time in 1910s. Henry Cousins and then N. G. Majumdar from the Archaeological Survey of (British) India continued his work. However, they did not find it worthwhile to explore the site. After independence, Leslie Ad cock of the Pakistan Department of Archaeology worked for a succinct time on limited excavations. He too abandoned his work very soon. Consistent work started in 1958 for the next eight years. These excavations brought a wealth of knowledge abut the broke city.
Stature:
The present site of the town consists of a bastion. It is 610 meters in length and 365 meters in breadth. Once, the town was classified within the boundaries of the citadel. However, the growth of population caused the town to expand north and eastwards outside the citadel. The deep trenches laid inside the citadel reveal three different periods of history i.e. the Scytho-Parithan, Hindu-Buddhist and the Muslim Period. The earliest period appears in the pieces of pottery recovered from the position. These pieces are exact imitation of Greek pottery. The second period is reflected in ruined temples. The most chief of them is Shiva Temple, which is made of mud-bricks. Traces of Muslim Period can be seen on stone sculptures, ceramic works, terra cotta specimens and inscriptions in proto-Nagri style.
Once, the town had a self-protective wall made of boulders and blocks of limestone. It was supported by circular bastions at regular intervals. There were many gateways in the wall as well. One of them opened at the waterside. Remains of an waterfront and broad steps point out the city being a port in past. Inside the citadel, there are remains of a mosque. This was, undoubtedly, the first mosque of the subcontinent. The features of the mosque resemble the Jamia' Mosque of Kufa built in 670 A.D.
Others antiquities improved from the site are shell and ivory objects, pendants in terra cotta and semi-precious stones, iron objects, pottery and Kufic inscription of the Muslim era. These matter clearly show that Bhambore was a modern city of its time. Human skeletons, rubble of buildings and layers of ashy charcoal and stones indicate some natural calamity or war that destroyed the city forever in the 13th century. Most in all probability, it was during the invasions of King Jalal Uddin Khawarizm Shah of Afghanistan that the city was demolished ceaselessly. Today, a little museum preserves coins, pottery and other objects recovered from the site.
Nothing can endure the way of time. The city has vanished but the never-ending lovers of Bhambore will always remind us of this land of love.
Legend of Sassi Punnu:
Sassi was the daughter of King Adam Khan of Bhambore. At her birth, the astrologers predicted that she was a curse for the noble family's prestige. The king ordered that the child be put in a wooden chest with a 'taweez' (amulet) tied on her neck and thrown into the river Chenab. The chest was seen buoyant by Atta, a poor washer man. The washer man believed that the child was a blessing from God and took her home and adopted her as his child. Many years passed by and the king did not have another child. He strong-willed to marry again. He had heard the tales of the beauty of Sassi so he summoned her to the palace.
Sassi was still exhausting the amulet, which the queen mother had put in the region of her neck. The king recognized his daughter immediately on seeing the amulet. The pent-up sufferings of the parents flowed into tears. They wanted their lost child to return to the palace and bring joy and brightness to their lives. However, Sassi refused and preferred to live in the house where she had grown up.
Sassi did not go to the fort but the king presented her with abundant gifts, lands and gardens where she could breed and blossom like a flower. As all the rare things of the world were within her reach, she wanted to acquire knowledge and sent for cultured teachers and scholars. She made sincere efforts to increase her knowledge. During this time, she heard about the trader from Gajni, who had a garden with a gravestone, the inner portion of which was enriched with exquisite paintings. When Sassi visited the place to offer her tributes and admire the rich art, she instantly fell in love with a painting, which was a masterpiece of heavenly creation. This was the portrait of Prince Punnu, the son of King Ali Hoot of Kech.
. Baltistan's princely kingdoms adopted the sport and made it their own, with their natural proclivity for riding. Kingdoms kept special stables for polo ponies, and their teams included among the very best in the world. Very often, the players were the rulers and members of their families, though their armies also encouraged the sport. In fact, if the sport has a presence in the country today, it is because the former royal families have continued to provide encouragement for it.
