Gurdwara at Model Town Lahore with Unknown History

03-08-2018

31°29'27.87"N,  74°19'56.50"E

Somebody had conceived the idea in 1925 of acquiring a big tract of jungle wasteland, a few miles out of Lahore and develop a Town, dividing it up into plots, and constituting it as The Model Town Co-operative Society. Everyone who bought a plot became a member with a vote in the Society. The plan of the town was completely geometrical. It had a series of concentric circular roads, crossed by four main roads at right angles, and smaller roads in between, all beginning from the inner circle and dividing the area into equal segments. The roads had no name, but the blocks were alphabetically numbered. Along, with mosque and temple a Gurdwara complex was also constructed near to B Block market.

I tried to find authentic references from which I could able to trace the historical background of this Gurdwara but not much is available on internet. The Sikhiwiki website has lists of all Gurdwara’s constructed in Lahore.  According to Sikhiwikhi there were 36 Gurdwara’s present in Lahore before 1947 partition, however, interestingly the name of this Gurdwara’s is missing in that list.

Recently, I visited the site of this Gurdwara construction; and found that the architecture of this Gurdwara is quite modern, kiln bricks were used in column beams construction. In roof wooden girders were placed to support brick reinforced slab. We are not allowed to visit or photographed the abounded Gurdwara building from inside as migrant families are living in it. They have already changed the architecture according to modern requirement of living, Lime plaster removed with cement. Arched windows fallen with time.

Remnants of Fort in Khanqah Dogran

Remnants of Fort in Khanqah Dogran, which supposed to be Constructed from Bricks Taken from Ancient city of Asarur

References taken from the Archaeological Survey of India

08-03-2018

Hussain Dogar was my host in Khanqah Dogran. We both were in search of an old mosque of 17^th Century.  The only source of information about that mosque was a picture that earlier, I have seen on flicker.  We walked for hours in streets of Khanqah Dogran but could not able to find that mosque, may be that mosque location was wrongly marked.

We abandoned our exploring journey after reaching at Tomb of “Haji Dewan Namet Ullah Suharwardi”. It is said that, Khanqah Dogran was populated some five hundred years agok, when “Haji Dewan Namet Ullah Suharwardi” settled in this area.  Before him it was found in books by name of “Cha Masroor” and “Khitah Dogran”.  Neighboring to the tomb of Dewan Sahib there are remnants of an old fort. Locals only know that some Hindu family was living here before Indo-Pak partition. Well that fort has something which has history more than two thousand years old.   In order to understand it we have to go some fourteen hundred years back, Villages in the Khangah Dogran tahsil of Sheikhupura District, Punjab, situated in 31 47' N. and 73 42' E. It is identified by Cunningham with the ancient city of Tse-kie or Taki, which was visited by Hiuen Tsiang in a. d. 630. The city was then one of great importance, and is said by the Chinese pilgrim to have been 3 miles in circuit, a measurement which agrees well enough with that of the ruins still existing. The antiquity claimed for the place is confirmed by the large size of the bricks, 18 by 10 by 3 inches, which are found all over the ruins, and by the great numbers of Indo-Scythian coins that are discovered after heavy rain. Its history therefore certainly reaches back to the beginning of the Christian era. The ruins consist of an extensive mound, 15,600 feet, or nearly 3 miles, in circuit. The highest point is in the north-west quarter, where the mound rises to 59 feet above the fields. This part, which Cunningham takes to have been the ancient palace, is 600 feet long and 400 feet broad, and quite regular in shape. It contains an old well, 21 feet in diameter, which has not been used for many years and is now dry. The place is com- pletely surrounded by a line of large mounds about 25 feet in height, and 8,100 feet, or \\ miles, in circuit, which was evidently the strong- hold or citadel of the place. The mounds are round and prominent, like the ruins of large towers or bastions. On the east and south sides of the citadel the mass of ruins sinks to 10 and 15 feet in height, but it is twice the size of the citadel, and is no doubt the remains of the old city. There are no visible traces of any ancient buildings, as all the surface bricks have been long ago carried off to the neighbouring shrine of Ugah Shah at Khangah Masrur on the road from Lahore to Pindi Bhattian ; but among the old bricks forming the surrounding wall of the mosque, Cunningham found three moulded in different patterns, which could only have belonged to buildings of some importance.

He found also a wedge-shaped brick, 15 inches long and 3 inches thick, with a breadth of ro inches at the narrow end and nearly 10^ inches at the broad end. This must have been made for a stupa, or for a well, but most probably for the latter, as the existing well is 2 1 feet in diameter. The modern village of Asarur contains only forty-five houses. At the time of Hiuen Tsiang's visit there were ten monasteries, but very few Buddhists, and the mass of the people worshipped the Brah- manical gods. North-east of the town, at 10 //, or nearly 2 miles, was a stTlpa of Asoka, 200 feet in height, which marked the spot where Buddha had halted, and which was said to contain a large number of his relics. This stupa General Cunningham identifies with the little mound of Salar, near Thatta Saiyidan, just 2 miles to the north of Asarur.

Now come to the fort which I have found in Khanqah Dogran that looks to be constructed of surface bricks taken from the ancient town of Asarur.  

Asarur, The Buddhist town which exists on land of Khanqah Dogran some  fifteen hundred to two thousand years back. 

REMNANTS OF ARCH BRIDGE of MUGHAL ERA on CHHOTI DEGH & ITS STORY of DEMISE

 February 26, 2018

by Ali Usman Baig

A few years ago, I had the opportunity to visit a remarkable bridge that dated back 400 years to the Mughal Era. This architectural marvel was situated on Degh Nala and captured my interest after reading an extensive article about it by Sir Salman Rasheed. Intriguingly, Sir Salman Rasheed's article also mentioned another Mughal-era bridge located on a branch of the Degh known as the Chhoti or Lesser Degh, not far to the west.

For a considerable period, I struggled to pinpoint the exact location of this place. However, after much effort, I finally succeeded and visited the site last Sunday. As I arrived, I noticed the remnants of the collapsed bridge scattered across the stream, a stark reminder of its former grandeur.

The length of the bridge was measured to be 30 meters, identical to the Mughal Era Bridge situated on the main Degh River. It was an arch bridge, featuring four arches with a center-to-center distance of 7.5 meters. Construction of the bridge is believed to have taken place in the later decades of the sixteenth century.

An analysis of the chemical and mineral composition of the Mughal mortar renders, and plaster from the seventeenth century revealed the presence of coarse materials such as bricks, kankar pieces, and slag, along with fine aggregates like river sand. These materials were typically combined with a calcite lime binder. The specific ratio of binder to aggregate varied depending on the functional requirements of each masonry unit. The chemical composition, both major and trace elements, indicated the use of locally available raw materials in the construction of these historical monuments. In the current bridge, the construction comprised Nanak Shahi bricks internally reinforced and filled with calcite lime mortar.

Arch bridges, which have been utilized for over 3000 years, remain one of the most popular bridge designs. During the Roman Empire, stone and wood arch bridges gained significant popularity, with architects successfully constructing over 1000 stone arch bridges across Europe, Asia, and North Africa. Remarkably, many of these bridges have endured to this day. Contrary to the belief that the 1976 flood led to the collapse of the bridge I visited, it appeared that the disintegration of the arch members originated from the top crown. Arch bridges primarily rely on compression to bear loads. The failure I observed seemed to result from overloaded vehicles frequently crossing the bridge, ironically serving as a common route for heavily loaded tractor trolleys for decades. Evidently, the Mughal architects did not anticipate such substantial wheel loads when designing the bridge.

The remnants of the bridge include the remains of 2-foot-high, 40-meter-long roadside wing walls that run on both ends of the bridge along the road. These walls are accompanied by columns at the beginning of each wing wall, making the bridge visible from a distance. It is worth noting that the length of the bridge is nearly double the current width of the Nala, indicating that the Nala has significantly narrowed over time due to reduced water flow in the River Ravi. Presently, a new bridge has been constructed over the debris of the collapsed one.

In the past, this bridge served as a crucial crossing point for the military troops of the Mughal and Sikh armies. It witnessed the passage of numerous centuries. Sadly, no relevant authority has ever taken the initiative to restore or protect this historical gem, instead attributing its destruction to floods.

It is disheartening to witness the fading away of such a significant piece of history, lost forever to the sands of time.

  Looking towards Debris

 Wing Walls

 new bridge & old bridge

 Another view

 Disintegration from Crown

 Pillars at crown wall

 view of debris from new bridge

 wing wall

 Debris

 Another view of wing wall

 Wing Wall

 Arch

Google earth view 

Haveli of Bhumman Shah (2016)

November 27, 2016

Few months back, I saw a picture of fort like architecture. It was so splendorous view that I was totally spellbound. The only question revolving in my mind was why I had never known anything before about this marvelous architecture? I wished to visit this place but was unable to find the exact location of it at that time.

That view is of the shrine of Bhumman Shah. The shrine is built in the style of a big fort and inside this fort-like structure the Gurdwara of Baba Sri Chand, the residence of Baba Bhuman Shah, the Samadh of various Mahants are located along with hundreds of rooms for visitors, langarkhana, and the tank.

This village called Bhuman Shah is in the Jurisdiction of P.S. and Tehsil Dipalpur of district Okara. It is located at a distance of 24 kilometers from Dipalpur on the Dipalpur-Haveli Lakha road. According to Bhai Kahan Singh Ji, Dashmesh Ji had given blessing to Bhai Bhuman, Shah that his langar would continue serving.

There are four big gates to enter this shrine and the walls are decorated with colorful pictures of the sayings of Gurus. More than 1000 Ghumaon of agricultural land is endowed to the shrine. This building is now in charge of the Evacuee Waqf Board. The present condition of the building is miserable, the walls have developed cracks and the roofs have collapsed. In case this building collapses in the time to come an invaluable treasure of art will also be destroyed with it.

Baba Bhumman Shah, (also known as Baba Bhuman Shah, born Bhumia Hassa) is counted among the top Udasi saints of India. He was born on April 14, 1687 CE at Behlolpur village, Deepalpur Tehsil, Okara District, Punjab (Pakistan), in a family reportedly coming from Kamboj lineage. His father Chaudhury Hassa Ram was a Numbardar and a well-known landlord of Behlolpur. Hassa Ram and his wife Mata Rajo Bai were known to be deeply religious and devotees of Guru Nanak as well as of Baba Sri Chand, the founder of the Udasi Panth.

There are several legends and myths connected with Bhumia's early childhood. The story goes that once as a kid when he was sleeping in his cradle, a cobra came and sat over his chest with his hood spread wide-apart. Mother Rajo was stunned at the scene but as she dared to approach the cradle, the cobra disappeared slowly with no harm to the sleeping kid. Another myth relates to the revival of the dead sparrows; and yet another one deals with restoring to health the lost crops of a poor farmer......so forth and so on. These were taken to be miracles and the people from far and wide started to crowd Bhumia's house to have his darshan.

Bhumia went for his schooling at the age of seven. He was a very sharp and intelligent student and imbibed the essentials of Hinduism, Sikhism, and Islam at a very young age. Besides attending to his religious lessons, Bhumia also performed the worldly chores like grazing cows in the company of other boys of his village. He would take his cows to the forest where he would also carry plenty of food and Jal (water) to run a free kitchen (Langar) for the passers-by including the ascetics, saints, the poor, and the orphans.

Little later, the family would move from Behlolpur to Deepalpur.Jai Jai baba bhuman shah Ji

By the age of fifteen, Bhumia had developed a strong aspiration to become a monk. With the permission of his parents he approached Baba Pritam Das of Pakpattan, the prominent Saint of Udasin Panth who initiated him into a Guru-mantra. On being formally initiated and baptized by Baba Pritam Dass, Bhumia himself became Baba Bhumman Shah. Soon afterwards, he started to preach the religious messages which were always accompanied by Kirtan and free-kitchen (Langar).

It is stated that Chaudhury Lakha Wattu, a Muslim Rajput landlord of village Kutub Kot had been arrested for some reasons and was put behind the bars in Lahore by the orders of the Governor of Punjab. Bibi Bakhtawar, Lakha's mother, was a staunch devotee of the Baba. She solicited Baba's blessings for the release of her son and it so happened that Chaudhury Lakha was released from jail within a couple of days. As a result, Lakha and his numerous Muslim relatives from the Wattu tribe also became devoted followers of the Baba. In addition, the tribe also surrendered a village named Kutub-Kot to the Baba which the latter made the center of his religious activities. dhan baba bhuman shah ji

Baba Bhumman Shah travelled from village to village to preach his message of love, peaceful coexistence, universal brotherhood, religious-tolerance and equality. He had followers from many denominations including Hindus, Sikhs, and Muslims.

Baba also visited the Dargah of Sufi Saint BabaFarid, the Golden Temple at Amritsar, and numerous other Sikh and Hindu shrines during his religious itineraries. At village Kutub-Kot, which later became renowned as Dera Baba Bhumman Shah, Baba permanently established the maryada of Kirtan and a free kitchen (Langar).

Baba was also a very dedicated Sikh of Guru Gobind Singh. It is told that once, Dashmesh Guru and his Sikh followers were going to Nili Bar when they visited Baba Bhumman Shah and took Langar at the Dera; pleased with Shah's noble mission, Gobind Singh blessed him that his Langar would continue to grow with no shortage of any kind

After carrying out his religious mission for well over 50 years, Baba died in 1762 CE. He was succeeded by Mahant Nirmal Chand who continued his work.

During the times of sixth Mahant Baba Darshan Dass, a British Divisional Commissioner visited the Dera. Impressed by Mahant's personality as well as the Dera-complex and the free-kitchen service (Langar), the Commissioner attached 3000 acres (12 km²) of agricultural land as fief to the shrine (Baba Bhuman Shah by Sant Chandra Swami).

Total landed property in the name of Shrine grew well over 18,000 acres (73 km²) of agricultural land (cf: 18700 acres (76 km²) in the name of Gurudwara Sri Nankana Sahib in Sheikhupura). Besides landed property, there was other moveable/immoveable property in the name of the Dera.

After partition, due to compulsions of politics, Mahant Girdhari Dass, the Mukh Sewadar of the Dera, shifted his religious headquarters from Pakistan to India. A new Shrine and Dera was established in Sangar Sadan in Sirsa District in Haryana. The total land transferred to the Dera from Pakistan was a meagre 1600 acres (6.5 km²) compared to over 18000 acres (73 km²) in Montgomery. After Mahant Girdhari Dass's death, Baba Mahant Amar Nath Bawa was the mahant of the shrine in Sangar Sadan. At present Baba Braham Dass is the mahant (Gaddinasheen). Mahant Baba Braham Dass Ji is the 12th Mahant of Dera Baba Bhuman Shah Ji Sangar Sarista (Sirsa).

Besides Sangar Sadan, the Hindu devotees of the Baba have also built several temples in his memory in a number of states of northern India as well, where daily worship unto Babaji is offered with faith and love (Baba Bhuman Shah by Sant Chandra Swami).

In Pakistan, this Dera was considered the richest with huge property attached to it in pre-partition times.

The spiritual and pragmatic teachings of Baba Bhuman Shah have been presented in the form of aphorisms in a booklet by his ardent devotee, Sage Chandra Swami, with a focus on the true goal of life as well as the right means for its achievement. These teachings are in complete concordance with Baba's own divine life.