Showing posts with label sikh history. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sikh history. Show all posts

Sunday, 6 August 2023

Gurudwara Lal Khoo Mochi Gate Lahore

"Reshaping Sikh Legacy: The Journey from Peace to Protection"

A momentous event reshaped the entire Sikh history and legacy, which had long embraced the peaceful teachings of Guru Nanak and thrived under the leadership of Guru Arjan, the fifth Sikh Guru. However, when Guru Arjan was executed, his son, Guru Hargobind, took a pivotal step to safeguard the Sikh community by introducing militarization to Sikhism.

As you enter Mochi Gate, the main road splits into two narrow streets. You'll find the historical 17th-century Saleh Kamboh Mosque standing at this junction. If you turn right, you'll be on Laal Khoo Bazaar. Just 200 meters down this street, across from the famous Rafiq Sweets (one of the oldest sweet shops in Lahore), you'll notice a small structure that appears to be a shrine named "Mai Beri Wala Khoo." The shrine's plaster surface is adorned with Quranic verses, and a Beri tree is right above it.

However, this place has a more significant history, here once lies the revered Khoo, an ancient well of great significance. Nearby, there used to be Chandu's haveli, owned by a Hindu named Chandu Shah, who served as the Diwan in Mughal emperor Jahangir Darbar. During the year 1606 AD, a significant event occurred in the life of Sri Guru Arjan Sahib Ji at this location. Chandu wanted to marry his daughter to the son of Sri Guru Arjan Saheb's son Guru Hargobind the sixth Sikh Guru. He invited Guru Arjan Sahib to his haveli and tell him his reason for inviting him, however, The Guru refused to marry Chandu's daughter with his son. Chandu arrested the Guru and kept him in one of the dingy cells here. At his imprisoned location there was a well and a “bairi”

It is said that every Thursday famous Saint and Muslim preacher Mian Mir Saheb every Thursday came to visit Guru Arjan Sahib in captivity he blessed the tree, so that I might bear sweet fruits and also blessed the water of the well to remain sweet to provide the nourishment for Guru Arjan. He also brought sweets for Guru and secretly gave them to him.

The Guru was tortured by Chandu at this very place. The dark pages of history reveal that it was at this very site where Guru Arjan faced unimaginable trials and tribulations. He endured tortures that would test the soul of any mortal. Later this well name become “Laal Khoo” as it has seen the last hardships of Guru.

Meharban informed Chandu Shah, another enemy of Guru Arjan, falsely telling him that the Guru had blessed Prince Khusrau and promised him he would become Emperor. Chandu informed Jahangir and represented to the emperor that, if he did not have Prince Khusrau quickly arrested, the pretender would receive great military assistance from the followers of the Guru. The people of the Panjab, he said, were all highway robbers.



Historical records and the Sikh tradition are unclear as to whether Guru Arjan was executed by drowning or died during torture.

On 25 May 1606 Guru Arjan, five days before his own death, selected his son Hargobind as his successor and instructed his son to start a military tradition to protect the Sikh people and always keep himself surrounded by armed Sikhs for protection.

Fast forward to 1619 AD, when Sri Guru Hargobind Sahib Ji arrived in Lahore. The Sikh Sangat, fiercely loyal to Guru Arjan, led Chandu on a humiliating procession through the city's bazaars. Fate came full circle, and it was near the sacred well where a "Bharbhonja" – a seller of poached grams – struck Chandu with a deadly blow, putting an end to his malevolence.

Sikhs started to visit this site to pay their respects to the well and the bairi tree that sustained Guru Arjan's life during his several months in prison. Eventually, a shrine was built at this sacred location.

Over time, the sacredness of this place grew in the hearts of the Sikh Sangat. They unitedly invested resources, purchasing neighboring houses, and constructing a magnificent Gurdwara to honor Guru Arjan's legacy.

Through the annals of time, the custodianship of the Gurdwara shifted hands. From 1927 to 1947 AD, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee dutifully cared for it, and presently, the esteemed responsibility rests with the Pakistan Waqf Board.

The well dried up around a century ago and the Gurdwara was illegally converted into a shrine with no burial inside. Yet, people of different faiths, including Muslims, still visit the site, lighting oil lamps and offering prayers. The historical value of this place demands better preservation and attention from concerned authorities.



Tuesday, 15 November 2022

Chattar Plain of Manshera which was named after Sikh General Raja Chattar Singh Attariwalla

April 29, 2014






The journey along the Shinkiari-KKH route takes travelers through serene pine plantations, gradually ascending into a captivating bowl-shaped region known as Chattar Plain. This picturesque area derives its name from Sikh General Raja Chattar Singh Attariwalla, who once served as the Governor of Hazara province and held a prominent military position within the Sikh Empire during the reign of Maharaja Duleep Singh in Punjab.


Raja Chattar Singh actively participated in the Second Anglo-Sikh War, bravely leading Sikh forces against the British. Born to Jodh Singh Attariwalla, he had two sons named Raja Sher Singh Attariwalla and Avtār Singh. Raja Sher Singh notably dealt a devastating blow to the army of the British East India Company during the Battle of Chillianwala. Interestingly, Raja Chattar Singh's daughter, Tej Kaur, was betrothed to Maharaja Duleep Singh. However, after the conclusion of the First Anglo-Sikh War, the British Resident, Sir Frederick Currie, failed to honor the betrothal agreement.


Upon the passing of his father in August 1815, Chatar Singh inherited substantial estates and dedicated himself to farming and managing his properties. In 1843, after the assassination of Maharaja Sher Singh, he rose to political prominence. Additionally, his daughter Tej Kaur was betrothed to Maharaja Duleep Singh. In the same year, he assumed the role of Governor of Peshawar, and the following year, the Council of Regency recommended him for the title of Raja. However, Raja Chattar Singh graciously requested that the title be conferred upon his son, Sher Singh.


Appointed as the Governor of the Hazara province in 1848, Raja Chattar Singh found himself in conflict with Captain James Abbott, the British Deputy Commissioner of the Hazara District. Captain Abbott accused Raja Chattar Singh of conspiring against British authority in Punjab. Sir Frederick Currie, the British Resident in Lahore, responded by commissioning an investigation led by Captain John Nicholson. The investigation not only exonerated Raja Chattar Singh but also justified the defensive measures he had taken to protect the besieged capital of Hazārā from Abbott's Muhammadan mercenaries. Despite this vindication, Currie effectively dismissed Raja Chattar Singh and confiscated his estates. Moreover, the failure of the British Resident to honor the betrothal between Raja Chattar Singh's sister and Maharaja Duleep Singh prompted Raja Sher Singh to change sides. In the Second Anglo-Sikh War, Raja Sher Singh inflicted a significant blow upon the British during the Battle of Chillianwala but was ultimately defeated in the subsequent Battle of Gujrat. Following these events, Raja Chattar Singh and his sons, Raja Sher Singh and Avtār Singh, were first imprisoned in Allahabad and later at Fort William in Calcutta.


The decline of the Durranis cleared the path for the rise of the Sikhs under Ranjit Singh. The Sikhs invaded Mansehra in 1818, facing resilient resistance from its inhabitants. When the Sikhs gained control over Mansehra, it became annexed to Punjab. Ultimately, in 1831, during a fierce battle at Balakot, Syed Ahmad Shaheed lost his life, solidifying Sikh control over Mansehra. However, with the demise of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the Sikh Empire began to disintegrate.


During the Sikh invasion of Hazara, Painda Khan Tanoli, the tribal chief of the Tanolis, valiantly rebelled against the governors appointed by Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Painda Khan's rebellion against the Sikhs persisted from around 1813 until Sikh power declined in 1845. During this time, his son Jehandad Khan blockaded no less than 22 Sikh posts in Upper Tanawal, ultimately sparing the lives of the surrendering soldiers as the servants of a fallen empire.


Simultaneously, other chiefs of Hazara also rose in arms against the Sikh presence in their land. The Muslim population faced severe restrictions under Sikh rule, leading them to invite Syed Akbar of Sitana to become the King of Hazara and wage a holy war against the Sikh invaders. Nuvab Khan of Shingri and Sardar Ghulam Ahmad Khan Tarin joined as Syed Akbar's "Wazirs," while Pir Khan united with the Jaduns, Khan-i-Zeman brought the Tarkheylies, and the Swatis of Publi, along with the Mushwanis, contributed to the battle. For two months, they besieged Diwan Mulraj, the Kardar, in the fort of Harkishengarh (at Haripur). Eventually, after several valiant repulses, they forced the garrison to surrender by cutting off their water supply.


On March 19, 1846, a peace treaty was signed between the Sikhs and the British, resulting in Raja Gulab Singh acquiring Kashmir and Hazara from the British in exchange for 7,500,000 rupees. However, due to widespread civil disorder, Raja Gulab Singh requested the British government to take over Hazara in exchange for the Jammu-Jhelum belt. The British accepted this proposal and assumed control of Hazara. James Abbott was appointed to restore peace in Hazara, and upon his arrival, he defeated Sikh General Chuttar Singh, completely removing Sikh influence from the region. In 1849, as part of the ex-Sikh Lahore/Punjab kingdom, Hazara was formally annexed to British India.