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GUJRANWALA – TRAVEL THROUGH PAST
2
INTRODUCTION
An imp landmk on the crossrds of history which witnessed vast armies
traversing their way to Nortern India
Fermenting ground to the establishment of the first Punjabi Kingdom of
modern times- the Sikh Kingdom of 18th and 19th centuries
INTRODUCTION
Archaeological and Historical sites are spread all over the Distt
Old name of Gujranwala is Khanpur Shansi
INTRODUCTION
Due to increasing caste of Gujjars its name changed to Gujranwala
After independence this place progressed due to its agricultural and
industrial envmt
“Lying as it does on the highway by which the successive hordes of invaders
from the north marched down to the struggle for the empire of Hindustan,
and by which they returned victorious or defeated; closely identified also
with the stirring events which led to the rise of the Sikh monarchy on the
ruins of the old Mughal empire, few tracts in the Central Punjab have had a
more unsettled history than the Gujranwala District. One result of the chaos
and confusion that prevailed is the absence of any authentic information as
to the history of the district prior to Mughal rule to the early days of
which most of the present tribes date their settlement in the district.”
(Gazetteer of the Gujranwala District 1935)
6
GUJRANWALA - HISTORY
7
GUJRANWALA - HISTORY
According to the Imperial Gazetteer of India, Gujranwala was founded by
Gurjars and renamed Khanpur by the Sansi Jatts of Amritsar
Many historians also note that the place was named for the Gurjars who
ruled the Gurjara-Pratihara
8
GUJRANWALA - HISTORY
In 997 Sultan Mahmud Ghaznavi succeeded his father, Sultan
Sebuktegin, as ruler of the Ghaznavid dynasty
The Delhi Sultanate, later, the Mughal Empire ruled the region
The Punjab became predominantly Muslim, due to missionary Sufis whose
dargahs dot the landscape
9
GUJRANWALA - HISTORY
Gujranwala evolved as a medieval town
Sufi missionaries converted the local Gurjar population to Islam
Under Muslim rule the district flourished and then declined
The district gazetteer dates the name "Gujranwala" to about the mid-16th century
10
• After the decline of the Mughal
Empire, the Sikhs occupied
Gujranwala and the Muslims were
allowed to practice Islam freely under
sikh rule
• The Sikhs dominated the Punjab after
the death of Mughal Emperor
Aurangzeb Alamgir in 1707
GUJRANWALA - HISTORY
11
• The area was conquered by the British
Empire in 1848
• In 1881, a railway line was built along the
Grand Trunk Road to connect Gujranwala
with other cities in the Punjab
• After Pakistan attained independence in
1947, Hindus and Sikhs moved to India
and Indian Muslims settled in the district
GUJRANWALA - HISTORY
12
GUJRANWALA A JOURNEY TO THE PAST
• GT Rd• Suri Mosque• Sialkoti Darwaza• Haveli of Ranjit Singh• Samadi of Mahan Singh
• Chaki Sahib• Rori Sahib
• Suri’s Mail Sta• Saman Burj• Guru Kotha• Sheesh Mahal• Tomb of Molana Zafar
• Sakhi Sarwar Mosque
• Sakhi Sarwar Mosque
• Summer Residence ofRanjit Singh
13
GT ROAD
• Grand Trunk road, first built by Raja Vikramaditya
in first century BC
• Renovated by Sher Shah Suri and ordered building
of Sarais and Baolis (stepped wells)
• GT road entered present day Gujranwala District
near Wazirabad, passed through the village of
Dhaunkal and fol the same alighnment as Chaman
Shah road today reached Eminabad then to the
village of Wahndo and Kali Suba on it’s way to
Amritsar and eventually Delhi
14
GT ROAD
15
• Not far from Satellite Town, Suri Mosque
is loc outside the graveyard of Chamman
Shah
• Originally a small structure to suit the
needs of few travellers, forced to
overnight in the attached Sarai
• This was Sarai Kachi, construction was of
sun dried bricks
SURI MOSQUE/SARAI KACHI – CHAMAN SHAH
16
• Brandreth Gate or Sialkoti Darwaza,
only surviving gate of the eleven
that once afforded entrance to the
walled city
• Charrat Singh took possession of
this collection of Gujjar villages and
raised a fortification around it in the
year 1756 and called it Gujraoli
BRANDRETH/ SIALKOTI GATE
17
• Persecuted for their religious beliefs
Sikhs had to abandon their homes
and take refuge in the wild and
intractable forests
• Many a good men were obligated to
resort to brigandage
• This persecution gave birth to a
savage hatred against Muslims
TURNING OF SIKHS INTO MILITANT FORCE
18
• Aurangzeb died in 1707 and his sons fell
into discord
• Country saw a series of governmental
changes that steered it into the depths of
anarchy
SPREADING OF ANARCHY IN MUGHAL EMPIRE
19
• Afghans watched these developments
and Nadir Shah descended in 1738
• Looted and sacked the great cities and
returned home, neither Muslim nor
Hindu / Sikh were spared
• After each visit as the Afghans,
encumbered by the weight of plunder,
would make their way back across the
Punjabi Plains
DEVELOPMENTS CASHED BY AFGHANS
20
• Lightly armed and wide ranging squads
of Sikh daredevils would fall upon them
• Twelve misls or confedacies, headed by
independent chieftain and confined to
it’s own tract of land
• Chief of each misl ensured, returning
Afghans didn’t pass through his domain
safely
EMERGENCE OF SIKH MIGHT
21
• Depredations didn’t cease and in 1747
Ahmad Shah Abdali, took them up
with undiminished vigour and
ruthlessness
• Sikhs on their part kept up marauding
raids on the departing Afghans
EMERGENCE OF SIKH MIGHT
22
• One such man was Charrat Singh, the
founder of modern Gujranwala
• Chief of Khiali, Mohammad Yar joined
Charrat Singh and strength increased
to more than one hundred and fifty
• Soon other chiefs were paying rakhi ‘
protection money’ to Charrat Singh for
defense against savagery of Afghans
CHARRAT SINGH (1763-1774)
23
• These proceeds led Charrat Singh
fortify Gujjar villages into mud fortress
in 1758
• Charrat Singh died in 1774 and
succeeded by Mahan Singh(1763-
1792),than by most brilliant leader;
Ranjit Singh
CHARRAT SINGH (1763-1774)
24
RANJIT SINGH (1792-1849)
A short statured man, addicted to strong drink unlettered
blind in one eye and face deeply pitted with a childhood attack of small pox
who united Punjab under one flag
25
Sultanate stretched from the banks of the Jamuna to the Khyber and from
Kashmir to Multan
RANJIT SINGH (1792-1849)
26
• Legacy of Ranjit Singh had to take up
when he was only twelve years old, in
1792 after the death of his father,
Mahan Singh
• Deep inside the old city, in Purani
Mandi, a haveli, birth place of Ranjit
Singh
BIRTH PLACE OF RANJIT SINGH
27
SAMADH MAHAN SINGH
In Sheranwala Bagh, is the crumbling samadh of Mahan Singh, now part of
girls school, was built on the orders of Maharaja Ranjit Singh
28
• Maharaja of Punjab Ranjit Singh shifted his
Headquarters to Lahore in 1799
• Hari Singh Nalwa the only Punjabi, in history
who was to ever subdue the wild and intractable
Pathans
• Pathan mothers would frighten naughty children
for more than a century and a half
GEN HARI SINGH NALWA (1791-1837)
29
• The house that Hari Singh lived in now
serves as a mosque
• Maulvi Yasin who runs it, once had hordes
of blind students, called ‘ Anyan di Masjid’
GEN HARI SINGH NALWA (1791-1837)
30
• In 1842 the Sikh armies of the ruler of Gilgit attacked and destroyed the
town of Yasin
• Returned with immense plunder and innumerable slaves
• The army was led by a General Nathu Shah, born to a syed family of
Gujranwala
• Had been recruited by the Dogras for his outstanding prowess as a soldier
and administrator
• In Gujranwala of today, not even possible to trace any descendents of this
Muslim general
NATHU SHAH
31
• Mortal that he was, Ranjit Singh died on
27 June, 1839
• In next two and half years the country saw
intrigue, perfidy and three governmental
changes
• The heartless murders of the agents Vans-
Agnew and Anderson at Multan by the
Sikh Governor, Mool Raj
FADING AWAY OF SIKH EMPIRE
32
• British descended on the Punjab
with a fury, disintegrating Sikh
empire
• Battle of Ramnagar was lost in 1848
and Sikhs were expelled to the west
of Chenab and received crushing
blow at Chilianwala
• In 1849 the British army captured
Punjab and Sikh rule came to an end
BRITISH ERA (1849-1947)
33
• Deputy Commissioners, Colonel Clark Escourt
and Arthur Brandreth, gave a new impulse to
the town
• Ghanta Ghar named after Mr Escourt, DC,
erected to mark the center of new city
• Deputy Commissioner Sir Brandreth Rebuilt
the "Sialkoti Gate" , "Lahore Gate" and
"Khiyaaly Gate“
BRITISH ERA (1849-1947)
34
Railway line was built along G.T. Road in 1881, interconnected Gujranwala with
other cities of Punjab and made commercial trade
between cities more convenient
BRITISH ERA (1849-1947)
35
• In first century BC, Raja Salvahan, the
Rajput ruler of Sialkot, is said to have
founded Saidpur Town
• In 1525 Babur arrived in this part of
Punjab and was resisted by the locals
• Town was subjugated; males were
ruthlessly killed; women and children
were taken prisoner
EMINABAD - SAIDPUR
36
• One of the older male prisoners was
condemned to work at corn grinding mill
• Soon it became common knowledge that
the mill was turning by itself while the old
man simply added the corn
• Babur came to see it and was deeply
impressed by the holy man, Babur set him
free
• This holy man was Baba Guru Nanak
CHAKI SAHIB-EMINABAD
37
On the request of holy man, rest of the prisoners also set free
Mill of his imprisonment is venerated
CHAKI SAHIB-EMINABAD
38
• In 16 century Sher Shah Suri ousted
Hamayun and destroyed the town of
Saidpur, as residents showed loyalty for
the Mughals
• New settlement named Shergarh was built
• Sher Shah Suri was arrested in his career
by an explosion outside the battlements
of the fort of Kalanjar
DISTRUCTION OF SAIDPUR
39
• Within 12 years of his death his
empire had weakened, Hamayun
returned to claim
• Shergarh resisited and a long seige
ensued under the command of
Emin Beg; Afghans eventually
submitted and Shergarh was put to
the torch
• Today only a windswept mound
DISTRUCTION OF SHERGARH
40
• In 1556 Hamayun died and the empire fell
to the young Akbar
• General Emin Beg was ordered to restore
the old town of Saidpur, true to form the
new settlement was named Eminabad
• Mughals made it a pargannah in the
province of Lahore
• Paid Rs 900,000 in yearly taxes to the
Mughal Court and anarchy followed the
death of Aurangzeb Alamgir in 1707
EMERGENCE OF EMINABAD
41
• In year 1760, Sardar Charrat Singh
dispossessed the Mughal Governor of
Eminabad
• Ranjit Singh on assuming power gave the
town as jagir to Raja Dhyan Singh of
Jammu
• For several decades after that the prime
ministers for the state of Kashmir came
from the rich Hindu families of Eminabad
SIKHS CON OVER EMINABAD
42
In Mohallah Havelian one can see three or four storey buildings with facades
that simply dazzle the eye
EMINABAD
43
• In early 16 century, Guru Nanak
benighted near a heap of shattered
bricks and pottery( Rori)
• Small Gurdawara built to mark the
exact spot of Nanak’s night of
penance and largest congregation in
all of India started
• In 2nd decade of 20th century, rich
and powerful Sikhs decided to
enlarge and embellish the Gurdwara
RORI SAHIB-EMINABAD
44
Sher Shah’s mail station still stands by the side of the G T road opposite to
Wazirabad Railway Station
SURI’s MAIL STATION-WAZIRABAD
45
• Shah Jehan’s (1627- 1666), governor of Lahore,
Hakim Ilmudin, known as Wazir Khan, built
Wazirabad
• In 1760 Sardar Charrat Singh captured it during his
tussle with the Afghans and didn’t maintain his
hold
• Maharaja Ranjit Singh won it permanently for the
Sikhs in 1809
• In 1829, he appointed Paolo de Avitabile, an Italion,
it’s governor and he ruled with proverbial iron hand
WAZIRABAD
46
• Punjabi empire fell to pieces and was supplanted by the British who made
it a district headquarter with Sialkot and Gujranwala
• In April 1860 Wazirabad forfeited this status to Gujranwala in exchange of
another restitution
• Railway junction where trains from Peshawar and Multan were to divert for
Jammu
• Partition in 1947 changed all that and the train that once reached Jammu
now terminates at Sialkot
WAZIRABAD
47
• Avitabile constructed a beautiful palace on the site of
Wazir Khan’s palace, called Musaman Burj or The
Octagonal Tower
• Ranjit Singh on his way to Kashmir or to troubled
Frontier passed through Wazir Abad and stayed at
this palace
• Saman Burj is now the residence of Raja Family of
Wazirabad, who claims that their ancestors were the
Rajas of Rajori, Kashmir and they purchased this
palace in 1855
SAMAN BURJ-WAZIRABAD
48
• Harbal Gobind, sixth guru of Sikhism
(1595-1640), on his way back from
Kashmir, stayed at the house of one of his
devotees by the name of Bhai Khem
chand Ji at Wazirabad
• Ranjit Singh ordered the building of an
unusual Gurdwara called Guru da Kotha
GURU KOTHA - WAZIRABAD
49
• Not very far is the once resplendent Shish Mahal, built in 1705 as a humble
copy of the real thing in Lahore Fort
• Owned by Diwan Hikmat Rai, rich and powerful nobleman in the
government of Ranjit Singh but now serves as a private residence
SHISH MAHAL - WAZIRABAD
• Tomb of Maulana Zafar Ali Khan(1873-1956) located
in the lawn of ancestral house
• After death of his father, Maulvi Sirajuddin Ahmad,
the founder of weekly newspaper ‘ZAMINDAR’ of
Wazirabad, Maulana Zafar Ali Khan took over it’s
editorship
• Maulana was a rather unusual man with a brashly
forthright manner, both in speech and in writing, his
vocal opposition of the Raj won him many a Muslim
admirer
50
TOMB OF ZAFAR ALI KHAN - WAZIRABAD
51
• Dhaunkal has been built by Raja Dharekal in
the days of Mehmud Ghaznavi
• Had no significance untill briefly visited by
Ahmad Sultan, Sakhi Sarwar
• Married to daughter of Raja Ghanno of
Multan, plentiful dowry was distributed
among the poor, earned him title of Sakhi
Sarwar
SAKHI SARWAR MOSQUE - WAZIRABAD
52
• His wandering brought him to Dhaunkal
where he is believed to have miraculously
procured a spring fresh water that is even
today the site of an annual fair during the
Punjabi months of Chait and Haar
• On the exact spot where he engaged in
prayers a mosque was built in the reign of
Shah Jehan
SAKHI SARWAR MOSQUE - WAZIRABAD
53
• Malik Ayaz, favourite slave who rose to eminence under Mahmud Ghaznvi,laid out a rich and opulent Sodhra city
• Malik called city Sud - Darra, City of hundred gates, a title that evolved intothe modern name of the Town
• After Ghaznavides the town fell into decay and was rebuilt on the direction ofAli Mardan under Shah Jehan
• Great revenue that Sodhra could muster, was made a pargannah and soon itwas submitting Rs 1,200,000 to the Mughal Court
• Names that have survived the passage of time are delightfully evocative:Chah Hammam Wala and Chah Baghan Wala
SODHRA
• Baba Rama Nand born in 1504, from his early years he showed signs ofgreat piety
• At the age of seven began to tend his father’s cattle and routinely allowedthem to feed in the corn fields
• Owners remonstrated with his father, boy would ask to be shown thedamaged fields, the fields would be more fruitful than ever before
• On the day of the betrothal Rama Nand went, walking stick in hand, to thevillage pond to bathe
• Left the staff sticking in the mud and disappeared into the pond, villagersnever found any trace of the man again except his staff which by and byturned into a beri tree
54
TEMPLE OF BADOKI GOSIAN
55
RASULNAGAR
• In 1799 Ranjit Singh captured
Rasulnagar after a gallant
resistance made by Ghulam
Mohammad, Chieftain of
Chattah family and renamed it as
Ramnagar
• Battle of Ramnagar fought
between British and Sikh Forces
on 22 Nov 1848
56
RASULNAGAR
Famous Abdal’s cannon, Zamzama, was also retrieved by Bhangi’s at the Ford of
Rasulnagar
57
RASULNAGAR
Ranjit Singh built a palace where he could while away the long days of summer
Known as summer palace of Ranjit Singh
58
59
60
GUJRANWALA – TRAVEL THROUGH AGES
61
INTRODUCTION
An imp landmk on the crossrds of history which witnessed vast armies
traversing their way to Nortern India
Fermenting ground to the establishment of the first Punjabi Kingdom of
modern times- the Sikh Kingdom of 18th and 19th centuries
INTRODUCTION
Archaeological and Historical sites are spread all over the Distt
Old name of Gujranwala is Khanpur Shansi
INTRODUCTION
Due to increasing caste of Gujjars its name changed to Gujranwala
After independence this place progressed due to its agricultural and
industrial envmt
“Laying as it does on the highway by which the successive hordes
of invaders from the north marched down to the struggle for the empire of
Hindustan, and by which they returned victorious or defeated; closely
identified also with the stirring events which led to the rise of the Sikh
monarchy on the ruins of the old Mughal empire, few tracts in the Central
Punjab have had a more unsettled history than the Gujranwala District.
One result of the chaos and confusion that prevailed is the absence of any
authentic information as to the history of the district prior to Mughal rule
to the early days of which most of the present tribes date their settlement
in the district.’ Gazetteer of the Gujranwala District 1935 65
GUJRANWALA - HISTORY
66
GUJRANWALA - HISTORY
According to the Imperial Gazetteer of India, Gujranwala was founded by
Gurjars and renamed Khanpur by the Sansi Jatts of Amritsar
Many historians also note that the place was named for the Gurjars who
ruled the Gurjara-Pratihara
67
GUJRANWALA - HISTORY
In 997 Sultan Mahmud Ghaznavi succeeded his father, Sultan
Sebuktegin, as ruler of the Ghaznavid dynasty
The Delhi Sultanate, later, the Mughal Empire ruled the region
The Punjab became predominantly Muslim, due to missionary Sufis whose
dargahs dot the landscape
68
GUJRANWALA - HISTORY
Gujranwala evolved as a medieval town
Sufi missionaries converted the local Gurjar population to Islam
Under Muslim rule the district flourished and then declined
The district gazetteer dates the name "Gujranwala" to about the mid-16th century
69
• After the decline of the Mughal
Empire, the Sikhs occupied
Gujranwala and the Muslims were
allowed to practice Islam freely under
Sikh rule
• The Sikhs dominated the Punjab after
the death of Mughal Emperor
Aurangzeb Alamgir in 1707
GUJRANWALA - HISTORY
70
• The area was conquered by the British
Empire in 1848
• In 1881, a railway line was built along the
Grand Trunk Road to connect Gujranwala
with other cities in the Punjab
• Pakistan attained independence in
1947, Hindus and Sikhs moved to India
and Indian Muslims settled in the district
GUJRANWALA - HISTORY
71
GUJRANWALA A JOURNEY TO THE PAST
• GT Rd• Suri Mosque• Sialkoti Darwaza• Haveli of Ranjit Singh• Samadi of Mahan Singh
• Chaki Sahib• Rori Sahib
• Suri’s Mail Sta• Saman Burj• Guru Kotha• Tomb of Molana Zafar
• Sakhi Sarwar Mosque
• Temple Rama Nand
• Summer Residence of Ranjit Singh
72
GT ROAD
• Grand Trunk road, first built by Raja Vikramaditya
in first century BC
• Renovated by Sher Shah Suri and ordered building
of Sarais and Baolis (stepped wells)
• GT road entered present day Gujranwala District
near Wazirabad, passed through the village of
Dhaunkal and fol the same alignment as Chaman
Shah road today, reached Eminabad then to the
village of Wahndo and Kali Suba on it’s way to
Amritsar and eventually Delhi
73
• Not far from Satellite Town, Suri Mosque
is loc outside the graveyard of Chamman
Shah
• Originally a small structure to suit the
needs of few travellers, forced to
overnight stay in the attached Sarai
• This was Sarai Kachi, construction was of
sun dried bricks
SURI MOSQUE/SARAI KACHI – CHAMAN SHAH
74
• Brandreth Gate or Sialkoti Darwaza,
only surviving gate of the eleven
that once afforded entrance to the
walled city
• Charrat Singh took possession of
collection of Gujjar villages and
raised a fortification around it in the
year 1756 and called it Gujraoli
BRANDRETH/ SIALKOTI GATE
75
• Persecuted for their religious beliefs
Sikhs had to abandon their homes
and take refuge in the wild and
intractable forests
• Many a good men were obligated to
resort to brigandage
• This persecution gave birth to a
savage hatred against Muslims
TURNING OF SIKHS INTO MILITANT FORCE
76
• Aurangzeb died in 1707 and his sons fell
into discord
• Country saw a series of governmental
changes that steered it into the depths of
anarchy
SPREADING OF ANARCHY IN MUGHAL EMPIRE
77
• Afghans watched these developments
and Nadir Shah descended in 1738
• Looted and sacked the great cities and
returned home, neither Muslim nor
Hindu / Sikh were spared
• After each visit, the Afghans,
encumbered by the weight of plunder,
would make their way back across the
Punjab Plains
DEVELOPMENTS CASHED BY AFGHANS
78
• Lightly armed and wide ranging squads
of Sikh daredevils would fall upon them
• Twelve Misls or Confedacies, headed by
independent chieftain and confined to
it’s own tract of land
• Chief of each Misl ensured, returning
Afghans didn’t pass through his domain
safely
EMERGENCE OF SIKH MIGHT
79
• Depredations didn’t cease and in 1747
Ahmad Shah Abdali, took them up
with undiminished vigour and
ruthlessness
• Sikhs on their part kept up marauding
raids on the departing Afghans
EMERGENCE OF SIKH MIGHT
80
• One such man was Charrat Singh, the
founder of modern Gujranwala
• Chief of Khiali, Mohammad Yar joined
Charrat Singh and strength increased
to more than one hundred and fifty
• Soon other chiefs were paying Rakhi ‘
protection money’ to Charrat Singh for
defense against savagery of Afghans
CHARRAT SINGH (1763-1774)
81
• These proceeds led Charrat Singh
fortify Gujjar villages into mud fortress
in 1758
• Charrat Singh died in 1774 and
succeeded by Mahan Singh(1763-
1792),than by most brilliant leader;
Ranjit Singh
CHARRAT SINGH (1763-1774)
82
RANJIT SINGH (1792-1849)
A short statured man, addicted to strong drink unlettered
blind in one eye and face deeply pitted with a childhood attack of small pox
who united Punjab under one flag
83
Kingdom stretched from the banks of the Jamuna to the Khyber and from
Kashmir to Multan
RANJIT SINGH (1792-1849)
84
• Legacy of Ranjit Singh had to take up
when he was only twelve years old, in
1792 after the death of his father,
Mahan Singh
• Deep inside the old city, in Purani
Mandi, a haveli, birth place of Ranjit
Singh
BIRTH PLACE OF RANJIT SINGH
85
SAMADH MAHAN SINGH
In Sheranwala Bagh, is the crumbling Samadh of Mahan Singh, now part of
girls school, was built on the orders of Maharaja Ranjit Singh
86
• Maharaja of Punjab Ranjit Singh shifted his
Headquarters to Lahore in 1799
• Hari Singh Nalwa the only Punjabi, in history
who was to ever subdue the wild and intractable
Pathans
• Pathan mothers would frighten naughty children
for more than a century and a half
GEN HARI SINGH NALWA (1791-1837)
87
• The house that Hari Singh lived in, now
serves as a mosque
• Maulvi Yasin who runs it, once had hordes
of blind students, called ‘ Anyan di Masjid’
GEN HARI SINGH NALWA (1791-1837)
88
• Mortal that he was, Ranjit Singh died on
27 June, 1839
• In next two and half years the country saw
intrigue, perfidy and three governmental
changes
• The heartless murders of the agents Vans-
Agnew and Anderson at Multan by the
Sikh Governor, Mool Raj
FADING AWAY OF SIKH EMPIRE
89
• British descended on the Punjab
with a fury, disintegrating Sikh
empire
• Battle of Ramnagar was lost in 1848
and Sikhs were expelled to the west
of Chenab and received crushing
blow at Chilianwala
• In 1849 the British army captured
Punjab and Sikh rule came to an end
BRITISH ERA (1849-1947)
90
• Deputy Commissioners, Colonel Clark Escourt
and Arthur Brandreth, gave a new impulse to
the town
• Ghanta Ghar named after Mr Escourt, DC,
erected to mark the center of new city
• Deputy Commissioner Sir Brandreth Rebuilt
the "Sialkoti Gate" , "Lahore Gate" and
"Khiyaaly Gate“
BRITISH ERA (1849-1947)
91
Railway line was built along G.T. Road in 1881, interconnected Gujranwala with
other cities of Punjab and made commercial trade
between cities more convenient
BRITISH ERA (1849-1947)
92
• In first century BC, Raja Salvahan, the
Rajput ruler of Sialkot, is said to have
founded Saidpur Town
• In 1525 Babur arrived in this part of
Punjab and was resisted by the locals
• Town was subjugated; males were
ruthlessly killed; women and children
were taken prisoner
EMINABAD - SAIDPUR
93
• One of the older male prisoners was
condemned to work at corn grinding mill
• Soon it became common knowledge that
the mill was turning by itself while the old
man simply added the corn
• Babur came to see it and was deeply
impressed by the holy man, Babur set him
free
• This holy man was Baba Guru Nanak
CHAKI SAHIB-EMINABAD
94
On the request of holy man, rest of the prisoners were also set free
Mill of his imprisonment is venerated
CHAKI SAHIB-EMINABAD
95
• In 16 century Sher Shah Suri ousted
Hamayun and destroyed the town of
Saidpur, as residents showed loyalty for
the Mughals
• New settlement named Shergarh was built
• Sher Shah Suri was arrested in his career
by an explosion outside the battlements
of the fort of Kalanjar
DESTRUCTION OF SAIDPUR
96
• Within 12 years of Suri’s death his empire
had weakened, Hamayun returned to
claim
• Shergarh resisited and a long seige ensued
under the command of Emin Beg; Afghans
eventually submitted and Shergarh was
put to the torch
• Today only a windswept mound is present
DESTRUCTION OF SHERGARH
97
• In 1556 Hamayun died and the empire fell
to the young Akbar
• General Emin Beg was ordered to restore
the old town of Saidpur, true to form the
new settlement was named Eminabad
• Mughals made it a Pargannah in the
province of Lahore
• Paid Rs 900,000 in yearly taxes to the
Mughal Court and anarchy followed the
death of Aurangzeb Alamgir in 1707
EMERGENCE OF EMINABAD
98
• In year 1760, Sardar Charrat Singh
dispossessed the Mughal Governor of
Eminabad
• Ranjit Singh on assuming power gave the
town as jagir to Raja Dhyan Singh of
Jammu
• For several decades after that, the Prime
Ministers for the state of Kashmir came
from the rich Hindu families of Eminabad
SIKHS CON OVER EMINABAD
99
In Mohallah Havelian one can see three or four storey buildings with facades
that simply dazzle the eye
EMINABAD
100
• In early 16 century, Guru Nanak
Benighted near a heap of shattered
bricks and pottery( Rori)
• Small Gurdawara built to mark the
exact spot of Nanak’s night of
penance and largest congregation in
all of India started
• In 2nd decade of 20th century, rich
and powerful Sikhs decided to
enlarge and embellish the Gurdwara
RORI SAHIB-EMINABAD
101
Sher Shah’s mail station still stands by the side of the G T road opposite to
Wazirabad Railway Station
SURI’s MAIL STATION-WAZIRABAD
102
• Shah Jehan’s (1627- 1666), governor of Lahore,
Hakim Ilmudin, known as Wazir Khan, built
Wazirabad
• In 1760 Sardar Charrat Singh captured it during his
tussle with the Afghans and didn’t maintain his hold
• Maharaja Ranjit Singh won it permanently for the
Sikhs in 1809
• In 1829, he appointed Paolo de Avitabile, an Italian,
it’s governor and he ruled with proverbial iron hand
WAZIRABAD
103
• Punjabi empire fell to pieces and was supplanted by the British who
made it a district headquarter with Sialkot and Gujranwala
• In April 1860 Wazirabad forfeited this status to Gujranwala in
exchange of another restitution
• Railway junction where trains from Peshawar and Multan were to
divert for Jammu
• Partition in 1947 changed all that and the train that once reached
Jammu now terminates at Sialkot
WAZIRABAD
104
• Avitabile constructed a beautiful palace on the site of
Wazir Khan’s palace, called Musaman Burj or The
Octagonal Tower
• Ranjit Singh on his way to Kashmir or to troubled
Frontier passed through Wazir Abad and stayed at
this palace
• Saman Burj is now the residence of Raja Family of
Wazirabad, who claims that their ancestors were the
Rajas of Rajori, Kashmir and they purchased this
palace in 1855
SAMAN BURJ - WAZIRABAD
105
• Harbal Gobind, sixth Guru of Sikhism
(1595-1640), on his way back from
Kashmir, stayed at the house of one of his
devotees by the name of Bhai Khem
Chand Ji at Wazirabad
• Ranjit Singh ordered the building of an
unusual Gurdwara called Guru da Kotha
GURU KOTHA - WAZIRABAD
• Tomb of Maulana Zafar Ali Khan(1873-1956) located
in the lawn of ancestral house
• After death of his father, Maulvi Sirajuddin Ahmad,
the founder of weekly newspaper ‘ZAMINDAR’ of
Wazirabad, Maulana Zafar Ali Khan took over it’s
editorship
• Maulana was a rather unusual man with a brashly
forthright manner, both in speech and in writing, his
vocal opposition of the Raj won him many a Muslim
admirer
106
TOMB OF ZAFAR ALI KHAN - WAZIRABAD
107
• Dhaunkal built by Raja Dharekal in the days of
Mehmud Ghaznavi
• Had no significance untill briefly visited by
Ahmad Sultan, Sakhi Sarwar
• Married to daughter of Raja Ghanno of
Multan, plentiful dowry was distributed
among the poor, earned him title of Sakhi
Sarwar
SAKHI SARWAR MOSQUE - DHAUNKAL
108
• Sakhi Sarwar’s wandering brought him to
Dhaunkal where he is believed to have
miraculously unearthed a spring of fresh
water that is even today the site of an
annual festival during the Punjabi months
of Chait and Haar
• On the exact spot where he engaged in
prayers, a mosque was built in the reign of
Shah Jehan
SAKHI SARWAR MOSQUE - DHAUNKAL
109
• Malik Ayaz, favourite slave who rose to eminence under Mahmud Ghaznvi,laid out a rich and opulent Sodhra city
• Malik called city Sud - Darra, City of hundred gates, a title that evolved intothe modern name of the Town
• After Ghaznavides the town fell into decay and was rebuilt on the direction ofAli Mardan under Shah Jehan
• Great revenue that Sodhra could muster, was made a pargannah and soon itwas submitting Rs 1,200,000 to the Mughal Court
• Names that have survived the passage of time are delightfully evocative:Chah Hammam Wala and Chah Baghan Wala
SODHRA
• Baba Rama Nand born in 1504, from his early years he showed signs ofgreat piety
• At the age of seven began to tend his father’s cattle and routinely allowedthem to feed in the corn fields
• Owners remonstrated with his father, boy would ask to be shown thedamaged fields, the fields would be more fruitful than ever before
• On the day of the betrothal Rama Nand went, walking stick in hand, to thevillage pond to bathe
• Left the staff sticking in the mud and disappeared into the pond, villagersnever found any trace of the man again except his staff which by and byturned into a beri tree
110
TEMPLE OF BADOKI GOSIAN
111
• At Rasulnagar from ancient times a busy ford on the Chenab handled the traffic
of salt coming down from the Salt Range mines
• Noor Mohammad Chattha of the nearby village of Munchar Chattha moved to
this site and set up his family home in 1732, he too entertained vision of
aggrandisement
• The business of the ford and staging post benefited Noor Mohammad, his son
Pir Mohammad was prosperous enough to build a battlement around his
father’s castle
• Pir Mohammad renamed his father’s stronghold and called it Rasulnagar after
his religious mentor Pir Abdur Rasul
RASULNAGAR
112
RASULNAGAR
• In 1799 Ranjit Singh captured
Rasulnagar after a gallant
resistance made by Ghulam
Mohammad, Chieftain of
Chattah family and renamed it as
Ramnagar
• Battle of Ramnagar fought
between British and Sikh Forces
on 22 Nov 1848
113
RASULNAGAR
Famous Abdal’s cannon, Zamzama, was also retrieved by Bhangi’s at Ford of
Rasulnagar
114
RASULNAGAR
Ranjit Singh built a palace where he could while away the long days of summer
Known as summer palace of Ranjit Singh
115