Pakpattan
Pakpattan Sharif
پاکپتّن شریف | ||
---|---|---|
Dialling code 0457[2] | |
Pakpattan (
Etymology
Pakpattan was known as Ajodhan until the 16th century.
History
Early
Pakpattan was founded as a village by the original Hindu name of Ajodhan (अजोधन).
Medieval
Turkish settlers also arrived in the region as a result of pressures from the expanding Mongol Empire,[5] and so Ajodhan already had a mosque and Muslim community by the time of the arrival of Baba Farid,[5] who migrated to the town from his native village of Kothewal near Multan around 1195. Despite his presence, Ajodhan remained a small town until after his death,[9] although it was prosperous given its position on trade routes.[10]
Baba Farid's establishment of a Jama Khana, or convent, in the town where his devotees would gather for religious instruction is seen as a process of the region's shift away from a
Upon Baba Farid's death in 1265, a shrine was constructed that eventually contained a mosque, langar, and several other related buildings.[5] The shrine was among the first Islamic holy sites in South Asia.[5] The shrine later served to elevate the town as a centre of pilgrimage within the wider Islamic world.[11] In keeping with Sufi tradition in Punjab, the shrine maintains influence over smaller shrines throughout the region around Pakpattan that are dedicated to specific events in Baba Farid's life.[12] These secondary shrines form a wilayat, or a "spiritual territory" of the Pakpattan shrine.[12]
The Arab explorer Ibn Battuta visited the town in 1334, and paid obeisance at its shrine.[5] The town was besieged by Shaikha Khokhar, in 1394.[13] Tamerlane visited Pakpattan's shrine in 1398 in order to pray for increased strength,[14] and spared the town's inhabitants that had not fled his advance, out of respect for the shrine of the saint Baba Farid.[13][15] Khizr Khan defeated the armies of Firuz Shah Tughlaq of the Delhi Sultanate in battles outside of Pakpattan between 1401 and 1405.[13]
Mughal
The town continued to grow as the reputation and influence of the Baba Farid shrine spread, but was also bolstered by its privileged position along the Multan to Delhi trade route.[16] The shrine's importance began to outweigh that of Ajodhan itself, and the town was subsequently renamed "Pakpattan" in honour of a ferry service over the Sutlej River.[6] The founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak, visited the town in the early 1500s to collect compositions of Baba Farid's poetry.[17]
The shrine was extended royal patronage from the Mughal court, while Emperor
Pakpattan state (1692–1810)
Following the disintegration of the Mughal Empire, the shrine's Diwan was able to forge a political independent state centred on Pakpattan.[5] In 1757, the territory of the Pakpattan state was extended across the Sutlej River after the shrine's head raised an army against the Raja of Bikaner.[5] The shrine's army was able to repel a 1776 attack by the Sikh Nakai Misl state, resulting in the death of the Nakai leader, Heera Singh Sandhu.[5]
Sikh rule
Maharaja Ranjit Singh of the Sikh Empire seized the city in 1810, removing the political autonomy of the Baba Farid shrine's chief.[5] He did, however, bestow the shrine with an annual nazrana allowance of 9,000 rupees, and granted tracts of land to his descendants.[18] By patronizing the shrine, Ranjit Singh increased his legitimacy of a non-Muslim ruler, and helped spread his influence through the network of smaller shrine through the Pakpattan shrine's spiritual wilayat territory.[18]
British rule
Following the establishment of British rule in Punjab after defeating the Sikh Empire, Pakpattan in 1849 was made district headquarters, before it was shifted in 1852, and finally to Montgomery (now Sahiwal) in 1856.[19] The Pakpattan Municipal Council was established in 1868,[19] and the population in 1901 was 6,192. Income in the era chiefly derived from transit fees.[8]
Between the 1890s and 1920s, the British laid a vast network of canals in region around Pakpattan, and throughout much of central and southern Punjab province,
Partition (1947)
Just prior to the partition of 1947, the city's population included a substantial number of Hindus and Sikhs.[22][23] Some well-known local residents at the time included Bhasheshar Nath (a major land owner), Dr. Ram Nath (MBBS doctor), and Lala Ganpat Rai Dhawan (local businessman and patwari). The Hindus of the city controlled much of the commerce and banking.[22] On August 15 a major communal clash was supposed to take place but the Hindus left Pakpattan a few days later through the Sulemanki route.[22] On August 23 and 24, looting had begun, and more of city's Hindus and Sikhs left the next day.[22] Overall, the deaths were minimal in the city.[22] The city's Hindu and Sikh population fled to various areas in India (notably Fazilka) and was replaced by Muslim migrants from India (notably from towns such as Hoshiarpur and Fazilka).
The stories of partition as told by the city's elderly residents who lived through the partition, have been extensively documented by Ahmad Naeem Chishti, in the social media page Partition Diary.[24]
Modern
Pakpattan's demography was radically altered by the Partition of British Raj, with the vast majority of its Sikh and Hindu residents migrating to India. Several Chisti scholars and notable families also settled in the city, having fled from regions that were allocated to India. Pakpattan thus increased in importance as a religious centre, and witnessed the development of pir-muridi shrine culture.[25] The influence of the shrine's caretakers grew as Chistis and their devotees congregated in the city to such a degree that the shrine caretakers are regarded as "kingmakers" for local and regional politics.[25] Pakpattan's shrine continued to grow in influence as Pakistani Muslims found it increasingly difficult to visit other Chisti shrines that now lay in India,[25] while Sikhs in India commemorate Baba Farid's urs in absentia at Amritsar.[26] Pakpattan continues to be a major pilgrimage centre, drawing up to 2 million annual visitors its large urs festival.[4]
Geography
Pakpattan is located about 205 km from Multan.[27] Pakpattan is located roughly 40 kilometres (25 mi) from the border with India, and 184 kilometres (114 mi) by road southwest of Lahore.[28] The district is bounded to the northwest by Sahiwal District, to the north by Okara District, to the southeast by the Sutlej River and Bahawalnagar District, and to the southwest by Vehari District.
Demographics
According to the
Language
Punjabi is the native spoken language but Urdu is also widely understood and spoken. Haryanvi also called Rangari is spoken among Ranghars . Meo have their own language which is called Mewati.
Famous Food
Tosha is a special sweet which was produced first in Pakpattan.[30] It is also sold in India as a delicacy originally made in Pakpattan.[31]
Dhakki (old city) area
Pakpattan’s landmark ancient Dhakki (meaning a mound, small hill, or high place) lies at an elevated level; the city was first established here and then expanded outward.[32][23] This area is filled with history as it is thousands of years old.[23] The Dhakki is filled with narrow, crooked streets and had six large doors or gates that closed at nighttime; only a few still stand today.[23] The area also contains a wall remnant of the "Kacha Burj," a defensive fort built by Sher Shah Suri, who after conquering the city in 1541, commissioned his general Haibat Khan to construct it in order to keep an eye on invaders.[32][33]
Prior to the 1947 partition, the Dhakki was inhabited by nearly all Hindu families, particularly Khatris, including the Dhawan, Handa, and Chopra families. Several pre-partition houses still stand in the Dhakki today. Just at the foot of the Daki is an area called Smadhan Walla Mohalla, which contained many "smadhs" of the Hindus before partition.
The Dhakki area is the site of the famous Shrine of Baba Farid.
Shrine of Baba Farid
The Shrine of Baba Farid is one of Pakistan's most revered shrines. Built in the town that was known in medieval times as Ajodhan, the old town's importance was eclipsed by that of the shrine, as evidenced by its renaming to "Pakpattan," meaning "Holy Ferry" - referencing a river crossing made by pilgrims to the shrine.[34] The shrine has since been a key factor shaping Pakpattan's economy, and the city's politics. [34]
Other Shrines in Pakpatan
- Darbar Hazrat Khawaja Aziz Makki Sarkar [35]
- Khawaja Amoor ul Hasan
References
- ^ "PAKISTAN: Provinces and Major Cities". PAKISTAN: Provinces and Major Cities. citypopulation.de. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
- Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
- ^ "Between pirs and politicians | TNS - The News on Sunday". tns.thenews.com.pk. Archived from the original on 2019-05-27. Retrieved 2018-01-22.
- ^ a b "Spiritual ecstasy: Devotees throng Baba Farid's urs in Pakpattan - The Express Tribune". The Express Tribune. 2014-10-23. Retrieved 2018-01-22.
- ^ ISBN 9780520046603. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
- ^ ISBN 9781135455965. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
- ISBN 9781134370061. Retrieved 20 April 2017.
- ^ a b Pakpattan - Imperial Gazetteer of India, v. 19, p. 332
- ^ Panjab University Research Bulletin: Arts. The University. 1975.
- ISBN 9781136790362.
- ISBN 9780230605725.
- ^ ISBN 9789351505044. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
- ^ a b c Imperial gazetteer of India: provincial series. Supt. of Govt. Print. 1908.
- ^ Hamadani, Agha Hussain (1986). The Frontier Policy of the Delhi Sultans. Atlantic Publishers & Distri.
- ISBN 9780520046603.
- ISBN 9780195648607.
- ISBN 9780199087723.
- ^ ISBN 9789351505044.
- ^ ISBN 9789695032831.
- ISBN 9781452913384.
- ^ ISBN 9781136790362.
- ^ ISBN 978-9355205780.
- ^ a b c d "Our History Old City". Retrieved December 3, 2023.
- ^ Chishti, Ahmad (August 11, 2022). "Partition Diary – a longing for revisiting hometown". The Dawn. Retrieved December 3, 2023.
- ^ ISBN 9781317380009.
- ^ "Celebrating Urs in Amritsar". The Tribune.
- ^ "Pakpattan". Archived from the original on 2017-10-29. Retrieved 2017-11-28.
- ^ Maps (Map). Google Maps.
- ^ "Pakistan: Provinces and Major Cities - Population Statistics, Maps, Charts, Weather and Web Information". www.citypopulation.de.
- ^ "About Pakpattan". Pakpattan Social Media.
- ^ "Tosha from Pakpattan". punjabtourism.gov.in.
- ^ a b Chishti, Ahmad (December 3, 2023). "Pakpattan Dhakki Ancient & Historical City of Punjab". YouTube. Retrieved December 3, 2023.
- ^ "Historical places in Pakpattan Kacha Burj Dhaki". YouTube. December 3, 2023. Retrieved December 3, 2023.
- ^ ISBN 978-1317379997.
- ^ "Pakpattan Sharif (Pakistan): History of Pakpattan". 12 December 2009.