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.

The Ancient Buddhist Capital of Punjab, Taki also named Asarur (2018)

Following the footsteps of Alexander Cunningham 

Date of visit: - March 08, 2018

All Pictures are owned

Reference is taken from the book ‘The Ancient Geography of India’ by Sir Alexander Cunningham.

A few years back, I read notes of Sir Alexander Cunningham on Asarur the probable ancient Buddhist capital in Panjab before the Muhammadan period, which was visited by famous Chinese pilgrim Huen Tsang in 633 AD.

I want to visit this site of great historical importance for quite some time but know very little about the exact location of this place.  However, with this incomplete information about the location, I decided to visit Khanqah Dogran to find this site. Fortunately able to find it after a few hours of wandering and with help of a local's guidance. 

The View of Mound

Sir Alexander Cunningham was known as the father of the Archaeological Survey of India which he founded and served as the first director between 1861 to 1865. He spent sixty years in India in the Army and achieved distinction as an archaeologist and scholar of the ancient history and geography of India.

Cunningham was a keen student of Huen Tsang and Fa Hein(Chinese monks who came to India in the 7th and 5th centuries CE, respectively, in search of Buddhist scripture) and decided to retrace the journey of Huen Tsang to identify every single place mentioned by him.

His book, ‘The Ancient Geography of India’ refers here to India's Buddhist period up to the seventh century CE, during which time Buddhism was the subcontinent's dominant religion. In this work, he draws on material ranging from the campaigns of Alexander the Great to the travels of the seventh-century Buddhist pilgrim Huen Tsang, who recorded much about India's geographical, political, religious, and cultural landscape.

A mound near the modern village of Asarur (Now Khangah Dogran tahsil of Gujranwala District, Punjab has been identified by Cunningham as the site of the ancient capital of Panjab. It is visited by Hiuen Tsiang in 630 AD.

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 the ruins still existing. The antiquity claimed for the place is confirmed by a large number of bricks, 18 by 10 by 3 inches, which are found all over the ruins, and by the great numbers of Indo-Scythian coins discovered after heavy rain. Its history therefore indeed reaches back to the beginning of the Christian era. The ruins consist of an extensive mound, 15,600 feet, or nearly 3 miles, in the circuit. The highest point is in the northwest 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 surrounded by a line of large mounds about 25 feet in height, and 8,100 feet, or \\ miles, in the circuit, which were the strongholds or citadel of the place. The mounds are round and prominent, as 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.

The Mound where once citadel present 

Clearly can see old bricks in mound walls

Old Bricks of the Buddhist Era

Old Bricks of the Buddhist Era at the mound 

Debris at Mound

Another picture of Debris

Another Scene of Mound from fields

Mound

Mound

Mound

Mound

Most of  part of mound now converted into fields and residential areas of the village

Mound

An unknown Shrine was constructed on top of the Mound

Another view of Mound

There are no visible traces of any ancient buildings, as all the surface bricks have been long ago carried off to the neighboring shrine of Ugah Shah at Khangah Masrur on the road from Lahore to Pindf Bhattian; but among the old bricks forming the surrounding wall of the mosque, Cunningham found three molded in different patterns, which could only have belonged to buildings of some importance.

Mosque constructed of old bricks extracted from Ancient Mound. The mosque is not in used now

Another view of Mound 

View of Mosque from Inside

Another view of the Mosque 

Another View of Mosque 

Another View of Mosque 

Another View of Mosque 

He found also a wedge-shaped brick, 15 inches long and 3 inches thick. This must have been made for a stupa, or 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- maniacal gods. North-east of the town, at 10 //, or nearly 2 miles, was a stupa 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.

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.