RAJGAN MOSQUE (2018)

RAJGAN MOSQUE

—All photos by the author

Date of Visit: -      29-03-2018

Masjid Rajgan, renowned for its name and historical significance, was constructed in 1872 by Raja Sultan Jehandad Khan, who happened to be the grandfather of the esteemed senior parliamentarian and former Chief Minister of NWFP, the late Raja Sikandar Zaman Khan. Raja Sultan Jehandad, also known as the founder of the old Khanpur Town, faced a challenging situation when the town was eventually submerged by the creation of Khanpur Lake in the late 70s, leading to the resettlement of its inhabitants in the newly established Khanpur and nearby areas.

According to the accounts of local elders and members of the Khan family, Jehandad Khan invited skilled architects specializing in Islamic Art from Delhi to undertake the construction of the mosque nestled in the picturesque valley. These architects skillfully employed bricks and exquisitely carved black stones in the construction process, lending the mosque its aesthetic allure. The wood used for the doors, cupboards, and roof was imported from the scenic Leepa Valley. The historic mosque, an emblem of ancient Islamic architecture, boasts two prominent minarets and two smaller ones, with a charming dome-shaped minaret gracing its center.

Four of the mosque's arched entrances, along with the main gate, bear striking resemblance to the Jamia Masjid in New Delhi, a masterpiece commissioned by Emperor Shah Jehan during the period of 1650-1656 AD. According to local elders, the finely chiseled black stones utilized in constructing the main boundary wall of Masjid Rajgan were imported from India. However, there are conflicting beliefs among some individuals who contend that the stones may have originated from the ancient city of Taxila, a renowned center of craftsmanship.

Initially designed to accommodate approximately 1,000 worshippers, the mosque now stands abandoned, witnessing the gradual deterioration of its walls with the passage of time. In its prime, the mosque served as a spiritual sanctuary for the local community, attracting devotees and scholars alike.

The palace associated with the mosque was a remarkable architectural marvel in its own right. Crafted with the same skill and precision, the palace featured intricately chiseled stones and timber sourced from the enchanting Leepa Valley. The windows were adorned with exquisite Belgian glass, while Italian tiles embellished the interiors, and French door knobs added a touch of elegance. The construction of this grand palace, complementing the magnificence of Masjid Rajgan, spanned ten years and incurred a total cost of Rs1.2 million in 1872.

 

My Visit to Hari Mandir, Hazro (2018)

My Visit to Hari Mandir, Hazro

—All photos and text by the author

Date of Visit: -      29-03-2018

Hazro is a town located in the north-west of Pakistan in the Attock District of the Punjab province Pakistan. According to the Gazetteer of Rawalpindi, Hazro was the scene of the great battle in which, in AD 1008, Sultan Mahmud Ghaznawi defeated the united forces of the Rajas of Hindustan and the Hindus of Punjab with a slaughter of 20,000 men, it was afterward fixed upon by some of the Pathan followers of that chieftain to be the site of the colony

The population according to the 1901 census of India was 9,799. According to the Gazetteer of Rawalpindi, Hazro had a significant Hindu population which was "half Pathan, half Hindu".

Long ago, I have seen a picture of this town. A large complex of Hindu Temple, with amazing Jharoka’s, wooden balconies, and paintings at the facade.  That made me travel from Lahore to visit this magnificent architecture. The temple is named 'Hari Mandir’ and located in the middle of town. After all this travel, when I reached this place, I came to know that this Hindu temple is occupied by an Afghan refuge family and they were very much reluctant to show this building.

In fact, they did not open the door and asked me from the inside to run away.  I was standing in despair when I told by local boys that the first floor of this temple has been occupied by some other family. I found that family very welcoming and they allowed me to visit their portion of the building. Narrow damage stairs took me to sikhara (tower of the temple). On the lower part of Sikhara, few lines in Hindi script have been carved on the surface. Thanks to my friend Rohit Bhat from Mumbai, India, who has translated these for me:-

OM

Shree Ganeshay Namah

Shrimaan Bhagat

Vishandas Swargwasi ji ki Mitrawari

Shrimaan Swami

Dayanand Saraswati

Babu Ramdasji mandir banwaya.

Mahina Falgun (Feb- March basically Holi)

The last lines are blurred

That temple is constructed for Hindu deity Vishnu. Most of the rooms of that portion were locked and their keys are with the owner.

I again came outside the complex and started taking photographs of elevations. Then, I saw another inscription present above the main entrance:-

The temple was built in memory of Bhagat Bishandas Vekanth by Swami Diyanand of the Sarswati Sabhapati Harri Mandir committee of Hazro in vikram sambat (Indian calendar) 1989 that is, circa 1928 A.D.

So, it means that this temple is constructed nineteen years before the partition of British India.

The mandir is connected with an adjacent building with a bridge and might be served as the living quarters for the pilgrims at that time.

The photograph of the front facade and floral painting which I have seen some years back is sadly disappeared now.

My task of visiting the ground floor of this complex was still left and I was standing in chaos what to do next? I have no energy left to knock the door again and to request the Afghan family to permit me to visit this place. I was about to leave, then suddenly somebody called me from behind, it was an old Pathan lady from a neighboring house. She already came to know from street children that a guy comes from a Lahore and leaving the place because of not getting the permission. But she still inquired me my purpose of visit and asks me to wait outside. She went inside the Afghan family living portion and came after five minutes and asks me, "Son, I took the permission but took photos as earliest as u can."

Earlier, I read an article by prominent writer Zulfiqar Ali Kalharo about this place that there were floral paintings in every room of this temple, but the current owner whitewashed them. Unfortunately, Zulifqar not able to take any picture of inside of this building

I hastily went inside the Afghan living portion of the building, found a rectangular roof supported by two-story motifs-column and arch frame. That roof luckily still has floral patterns and landscape paintings on its surface.

I thank the old Pathan lady and left the place.

It is very sad to see the current depilated state of this amazing historical and religious architecture. Old edifices like these are representations of the true heritage of any place. But the concerned department's negligence brought it to total vandalism. 

A forgotten 15th-century mosque in outskirts of Khanqah Dogran (2018)

Following the foot steps of Alexander Cunningham 

Date of Visit: - March, 08, 2018

All Pictures are owned

Asarur near Khangah Dogran (also known as Masrur), was the capital of a kingdom stretching from the Indus to the Beas. Huen Tsang calls the town he visited as Tse-kia, and describes it as the capital of a kingdom embracing the whole of the plains of the Punjab from the Indus to the Beas, and from the foot of the mountains to the junction of the five rivers below Multan. The site of this town, with a near approach to certainty, is identified by Genral Cunningham with a mound in this district near the modern village of Asarur. Popular tradition is si lent as to the history of Asarur. The people merely state that it was originally called Udamnagar or Uda Nagari and that it was deserted for many centuries until Akbar's time when Ugah Shah a Dogar, built the mosque which still exists on the top of the mound. In construction of this mosque bricks extracted from the mound have been used. The mosque is in dilapidated state and roof beam has fallen at many places. Also, currently it is not used for offering prayers. 

The antiquity claimed for the place is further confirmed by the unusually large size of the bricks 18" x 10" x 3", which are found all over the ruins, and also by the Indo-Scythian coins which until the recent past used to be found in great numbers after rains. Its history, therefore, certainly reaches back to the first century before the Christian era.