Kasab Khana Mosque

This elegant mosque is situated just south of the Pakistan Railways Carriage and Wagon Shops and along the northern boundary of the Royal Palm Golf Club. During the time of Emperor Jahangir, a populous 'mohalla' or neighborhood was established here to settle the butchers, hence the area came to be called Mohalla Kasaban or the Butchers' Quarters. The butchers were settled far out east of the city as the city's Hindu population despised them for their line of work. 

The mosque was built by the mohalla people in 1649 AD. With Mugal's power dwindling in the mid-1700s, the Sikhs targeted the Butchers' Quarters twice and were warded off by the inhabitants. There were numerous smaller skirmishes due to which they eventually abandoned the mohalla to settle within the city walls. During this time, Kabuli Mal, who had been appointed by Ahmed Shah Durrani, was the governor of Lahore. In the time of Ranjit Singh, the mosque was used as a powder magazine and was under the occupation of General Gulab Singh, who divested it of its beautiful tank and used the bricks to build a house just north of the mosque. When the Sikh rule ended and the mosque was emptied of ammunition, it was occupied by Mian Ahmed Din who was the caretaker of Mian Wadda's Shrine and School on the claim that Mian Jan Muhammed, who at one time was the first Imam of the mosque, was a disciple of Maulvi Muhammed Ismail alias Mian Wadda. Jan Muhammed was a learned man of his time who died in 1671 AD and was buried in a walled enclosure to the north of the mosque.

Presently, the mosque is known as Taj Din Mosque (presumably some relation to Mian Ahmed Din).  It has three domes with the central one being significantly larger than the other two. The central arched entrance to the prayer chamber is flanked on either side by smaller ones. The facade has been renovated with modern tiles and on the inside, the domed ceiling has some beautiful cut-glass work of modern vintage. There is a peculiar tower-like structure in the southeastern corner, which was presumably used for announcing the call to prayer.

Smadhi of Mahan Singh father of Raja Ranjeet Singh

Mahan Singh Sukerchakia (d. 1792), was the Son of Sardar Charat Singh Sukkarchakia (d. 1770), and Mai Desan (d. 1778). He had a Sister named Raj Kaur, who later got married to Sardar Sahib Singh Dhillon (d. 1811), of Bhangi Misl.

He was married to Bibi Raj Kaur, the daughter of Rajah Gajpat Singh (d. 1789), a Sidhu Jatt of the royal Phulkian Jind State. His second marriage was to Bibi Mai Kaur, the daughter of Sardar Jai Singh, a Maan Jatt chieftain of village Mughal Chak, near Gujranwala, where the HQ of Mahan Singh was located. Bibi Raj Kaur, gave birth, to Ranjit Singh in 1780, at Gujranwala, who was destined to become the Sikh ruler of the Punjab, in 1799. Bibi Mai Kaur, also gave birth to a Son, he became the foster brother of Ranjit Singh.

Mahan Singh as the new leader of the Sukerchakia Misl he captured the Rohtas Fort from Nur ud-Din Bamezai, a general of Ahmad Shah Durrani. With the help of Jai Singh Kanheya he laid a four month siege to Rasool Nagar and captured the city from Pir Mohammed, its Chattha leader. The reputation he gained as a result of the siege led to Sardars loyal to the Bhangi Misl defecting to him He continued to expand his territory and captured Pindi Bhattian, Sahiwal, Isakhel, Kotli Loharan, and Jhang. In 1784-5, He used a feud between rulers to raid Jammu, but because he gained a great degree of wealth without sharing or informing his partner Jai Singh Kanheya, Jai Singh refused his attempts to reconcile. Maha Singh then created an alliance with Jassa Singh Ramgarhia and defeated the Kanheya Misl at the Battle of Batala. During the Battle of Batala Jai Singh Kanheya's son and successor, Gurbaksh Singh Kanheya, was killed.

His widow, Sada Kaur betrothed her daughter to Ranjit Singh, Maha Singh's Son. Sada Kaur would later succeed to the leadership of the Kanheya Misl and aided Ranjit Singh in his early victories. In 1792, he died during the siege of Sodhra in Gujranwala, which was being occupied by the Bhangi Misl.

Sunset & River Jhelum (Pictorial Blog) 260317

Jhelum River is a river that flows in India and Pakistan. It is the largest and most western of the five rivers of Punjab. It is a tributary of the Indus River and has a total length of about 725 km (450 mi). In its course this river takes the form of a stream, which is a lovely site for camping in the trekking. 

Course of Jhelum River 

Jhelum River originates from a spring at Verinag, which is at the foot of Pir Panjal in the south-eastern part of Kashmir Valley. It then flows through Srinagar and Wular Lake and enters Pakistan through a deep ravine. The largest tributary of the Jhelum is the Kishenganga (Neelum) River, which joins near Muzaffarabad and enters into the Punjab.