Date of Visit: 21-01-2018
All pictures are owned
Historical writings taken from Majid Sheikh article
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| The Gate way of Gari Shahu Constructed some 350 years back |
In past, my father's eldest
sister had a home in the narrow streets of Gari Shahu. We used to visit this place
from childhood. I have a long list of relatives who work in Pakistan railways. My maternal and paternal grandfather worked in this department. I have been visiting Gari Shahu and its surroundings from mid-'80s Lahore definitely has a rich historical past, and when
talking about Garhi Shahu, one cannot forget but mention the railway station,
or the Christian community, or the Burt Hall, that wonderful dance club (Nautch
Ghar) that no longer functions. Then there are also the Convent of
Jesus and Mary, the Jamia Naimia Mosque, and the Taj and Crown cinemas but
surely there is much more to this place than we have ever cared to explore.
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| Mosque of Shah Abu Alkhair |
During the reign of Emperor
Aurangzeb, the fame of Abul Khair had spread far and wide. The emperor,
wishing that the maximum number of people should benefit from the sage, ordered
that a madrassah be built for Abul Khair and a suitable residence be arranged
for the scholar. A fireman or a Royal Order was also issued
instituting a maintenance allowance for the upkeep of the house and the
madrassah and so Abul Khair’s institution was founded. A domed
mosque was also built along with rooms for students and dervishes. For some
time after that, the area was also known as Khairgarh.
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| The area is lost with new construction, these are supposed to be constructed over old 350 years old construction. luckily we found remains of an old hujra constructed of an old Mughal era bridge, In the present picture, we are standing in the drawing-room of the house the openings visible is the entrance of the hujra. |
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| Chamber of student now used as store |
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| Another Chamber |
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| There is house constructed above this chmaber, no light could not take clear pictures |
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| Another view of dome |
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| The Dome Ceiling |
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| With my friend Kashif Gurki inisde the chamber on my birthdday |
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| Another view of adjoining chamber |
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| These chambers have still remains of students |
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| Another view of Dome |
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| The Chamber converted into new houses |
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| 3 ft wide walls old construction converted into new houses |
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| The connection between two chambers could not travel more |
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| There was fortress and minarets around Gari Shahu, remains of an old wall |
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| Remains of Old Wall |
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| Remains of an Old Wall |
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| Remains of an old Wall |
Abul Khair taught in his madressah till the
age of 105, and on his death, during the reign of Muhammad Shah, he was buried
here. As the Mughal Empire was folding and anarchy was slowly settling in,
scholarship and learning were no longer on a premium. Before
Maharaja Ranjit Singh came to power in 1799 and finally managed to bring order
for 40 odd years. During this period, anarchy reigned
supreme and the madressah was taken over by a khalifa by the name of Muhammad
Naeem, who taught there but on his death there was a void.
Nearby this madressah, there was a
famous mohallah named Thathi Gagga. When the marauders ransacked it, its
inhabitants ran off and took shelter in a neighborhood called Fata Shah. Then
one day, Abul Khair’s madressah also came under attack by a roaming band of
thieves. They had figured that since the madressah was quiet large
and had bricked dwellings, there must be some treasure here. But the students
and the dervishes had nothing except the clothes on their backs and they were
stripped of even these meager belongings as they escaped with their lives.
Then came a gangster by the name of Shahu,
and along with his gang of rustlers, he took possession of the buildings meant
to accommodate Abul Khair and his scholars. His gang went on a rampage,
stealing cattle and other valuables from the area which they then hid in the
madressah for safekeeping. If the owners demanded their possessions
back, they would return them for a small price otherwise, they would sell their
goods.
This was the age when Lehna Singh, Suba
Singh, and Gujjar Singh (the three rulers of Lahore) were restricted to their
small domains. In between there was no law. The
gang of Shahu ruled supreme, and it was from him that the name Garhi Shahu
(Fortress of Shahu) came. Shahu died five years later and his men took control
of the land. They did not have the same influence as Shahu did so the residents
of mohallah Thathi Gagga, who had earlier taken shelter in Fata Shah, found an
opportune time and managed to kick Shahu's men out and occupied the buildings
for themselves. But Shahu’s name forever remained attached to it and was never
changed, even by the British.
The actual fortress building itself had a
solid brick boundary wall with towers in all four corners. Portions of the
original wall and the towers still exist, incorporated in walls of some of the
houses. The entrance is through a large arched gateway to the north, which
still exists, although the original door is long gone. Beside the western wall
is the domed mosque with its tall minars. It is still known as Abul Khair's
Mosque. Some of the original rooms, built for the students are still intact
under the modern houses that have sprung up everywhere. Once all the land
inside the fortress was built upon, people started building outside the
boundary walls and so a number of havelis sprung up all around the original
fortress. Then the British came and expanded it even further by laying out the
Mayo Road (now renamed Allama Iqbal Road) and establishing residential colonies
for the railway employees. Today, the area known as Garhi Shahu is much larger
than the original fortress that was built for Abul Khair and then subsequently occupied by Shahu and his
gang.
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| Gari Shahu still was a village in times of British, still found the remains of original wall of fort |
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| Remains of Fort Wall |
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| Grave of Shah Abul Khair |
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| Baba Inyat Shah Wali another Saint burried in Gari Shahu |
