Born of clay, fading into the sands of time

 It is possible that soon, pottery-making will be nothing more than part of a curriculum restricted to art schools.

In this part of the world, where the remains of Moenjedaro and Harappa provide the world with glimpses of centuries-old craftsmanship, the tradition of pottery is still deeply rooted. However, the market for clay items, while it does exist, is not large enough to accommodate potters, leaving traditional pottery-making to wither into a dying art.

It is possible that soon, pottery-making will be nothing more than part of a curriculum restricted to art schools.

Amidst the old quarters of Rawalpindi in Gawalmandi, surrounded by auto repair shops, there is a small market colloquially known as “kumhaaron ki gali”, or Potters’ Street, which specialises in items made of clay. Historically inhabited by non-Muslims, Muslim immigrants from Eastern Punjab moved to the area after the Partition, replacing the existing Hindu and Sikh population.

“We migrated from Amritsar, and pottery has been our family business for several generations,” Mohammad Ishaq Butt, who owns a pottery shop in the market, said. He explained that following the Partition, several potters’ families settled in the area and resumed their old trade.

Along Potters’ Street, a customer can find household items and crockery fashioned out of play. The items range from water tumblers, to water coolers, oil lamps, piggy banks and gardening pots, amongst many others.

However, despite the existing market, and the centuries’ old tradition, several shop owners say pottery is a lost art.

“Traditional pottery is long gone,” one shop owner and clay artisan said. He added that clay pots now are manufactured in factories in Lahore, Gujranwala, and other industrial sites in the country. The pots are then brought here and sold.

The shop owner’s father, who was present at the shop quipped, “We haven’t made pottery for the last three decades – now we just sit here.”

According to many vendors, the present generation has abandoned the profession entirely, choosing instead to purchase factory-made clay items and sell them. However, there are still some items that are made locally. Amongst them is the traditional clay oven – the tandoor, or huqqa.

Potters' street, Rawalpindi

These tandoors, which are made from a mixture of black clay and sheep hair, cost between Rs200 and Rs1,500. He said despite gas loadshedding facing many households and restaurants, no one is interested in buying these ovens.

In Rawalpindi, there are still some spots where one can witness pottery in its traditional form.

Hasan Ali is a craftsman who still uses traditional methods to make his clay huqqa, in a small compound in Gawalmandi. Ali explained that he learnt the art of pottery from his forefathers. “The art is dying, but we cannot do much,” he added.

A VIEW of one of the few clay workshops at the Potters’ Street in Rawalpindi.

According to Shahid Waheed, Associate Professor at the National College of Arts (NCA) Ceramics’ Department, “The reason behind the decline of traditional pottery is that many potters are not educated, and have limited exposure to the commercial market.”

Waheed said that since demand in the market has changed, new techniques more suited to meet the new demand, have evolved, leaving little space for traditional potters and their art.

“The survival of traditional pottery-making and its craftsmen will be difficult without the government’s support.”

Published in Dawn, July 6th, 2014

'Jab We Met' Again in Rawalpindi

Maijnjit Singh Ahluwalia and Haji Gul Zaman in Rawalpindi

This is the voice of Rawalpindi – a city which has a lot to tell about its history and heritage— but only to those who commit themselves to the listening to the tales of this old city.

And I am one of those lucky souls of this city.

Mainjit Singh Ahluwalia and Haji Gul Zaman standing at the top of an old haveli somewhere in a narrow street of Bhabhra bazaar, Rawalpindi. But this is the climax of the story.

Mainjit Singh was just three at the time of partition. He visited his ancestral house and city 30 years ago and he is visiting his ancestral house once again.

We started out journey from Saidpuri gate, moving towards Chan bazaar and then Bhabhra bazaar. Maihnjit Singh randomly asked me how much is the distance from Saidpuri gate to Bhabhra bazaar. I said 'quite a distance' and he replied "aewein marda minnu pata" and started quickly moving towards the bazaar.

He kept on moving, taking quick steps. People were amused to see a Sardar ji with blue turban moving around like a kid in the streets. Whoever asked him "kidhar jana Sardar ji?' and he replied "apnay kaar jaana" and then started explaining him his family history..."Koocha Tara Singh ch kar ae, Parchhatti alli galli ch, kithay ae?"

And it happened again and again. Finally near Sujan Singh Haveli, a middle aged lady helped us. She was so nice and I am really thankful to her. She knew where we really wanted to go. She not only told the way but walked with us around 500 meter till the corner of the street.

In a street of Bhabhra bazaar area, Rawalpindi

As we enter entered narrow lanes, which were so complex I lost contact with Mainjit Singh, he was moving so fast. Now my quest began to relocate him as he didn't has any contact number or mobile. I asked people in street about Sardar ji and each person told me he went this way, he went that way... and finally a man on bike told me that he dropped him at the haveli with a parchatti, connecting both parts of haveli with a bridge.

At the gate of haveli I asked the man did you see him and man told that 'he is sitting inside", I mean what?

When I went upstairs Haji Gul Zaman and Mainjit Singh were gossiping like school fellows. Amazing!

Words are not enough to explain the feelings. They laughed, cried and hugged.

They went on the roof and here they were pointing at different areas and buildings, who were who and who lived where. "Eh Koocha Tara Singh, Eh Boota Singh da kaar, Eh Bhagat Chand da, Eh oh, Ethay oh" etc etc.

And then Haji Gul Zaman presented a brick of haveli to Mainjit Singh Ahluwalia and I believed this brick is not just a piece of stone.

Mainjit Singh Ahluwalia and Haji Gul Zaman

Vachhowali: This narrow lane has many tales to tell

Interior view of the temple complex

To be fair, it was not the first time when my hands shook while clicking a photograph.

I was roaming around in the walled city of Lahore with Sohail Abid, the dark and narrow lanes, the busy bazaars and a lot of noise. That's what I like about the walled city. Then, we came across a street, a bazaar, known as Vachhowali bazaar. It’s one of the several streets that connect Rang Mahal to Lohari Gate area.

The bazaar's width is not more than 4 feet. It has jewelry shops, embroidery and wedding dresses and some other stuff like plastic materials used in furnishing houses.

While walking down the Vachhowali street, Sohail pointed out a sign board, a marble plaque erected at the top of a huge wooden gate, "Sanatana Dharma Sabha, Lahore" was the text, in Devanagari and English.

The marble plaque "Sanatan Dharm Sabha, Lahore"

It was fascinating to see such a huge gate, around 12 feet in such a narrow bazaar, it was surely a huge complex I assumed. We did Salam/Dua to the persons sitting just inside the gate; they were tailors if I remember correctly.  We exchanged some words:

"Eh mandir aey?" [Is this a temple?]
"Haan ji" [Yes]
"Kithay hai mandir?" [Where is the temple?]
"Idher, hun muk gya, karr ae hun" [Here, now finished, it’s a home now]

I moved towards the courtyard of the complex, which is no more a courtyard now, the residents of this place have built new rooms here, those newly constructed walls were also in dilapidated condition. It appeared like that there are several families living inside this complex and had made divisions to adjust, accordingly.

The huge wooden gate of the temple

While Sohail was chatting with the guys at the gate, I was looking for the architecture of temple, a dome or any sign.

Then I saw at my right side, it was this narrow lane, and just at the end of lane there was a temple standing there, hidden among the walls, around twenty feet tall dome, I took out the camera and focused the architecture. But I couldn't press the button. I tried once again. It was just matter of a click. I didn't take the picture. I don't know what was stopping me from taking the picture of this old temple. The situation became disturbing for me. I shook my head. Took a deep breath. Waited for few seconds. Then a little kid appeared from this door and I took this picture promptly. And we left the place.

Stepping out of this complex, I was satisfied. It made me feel that I didn't break someone's trust. Don't know whose and why.

Vachhowali. The narrow lane. From Lohari Gate to Rang Mahal.

Now let’s see what does history say about this area. Kanhiya Lal Hindi, the historian, writes about it. In his book "History of Lahore" (Published 1884), he has mentioned four huge Hindu temples in Vachhowali bazaar and Mohallah Vachhowali. These are "Thakurdwara Jawala Dai", "Makaan Ram Dawara", "Bhero Ji ka Sthan" and "Mandir Bawa Mahr Das"

There were several other temples too in the area constructed later. One famous temple was Krishna Mandir which has been demolished recently.

Vachhowali bazaar, a portion of bazaar which is relatively wide. 

Three of these old temples were located in streets of Mohalla Vachhowali, but one temple, according to Kanhiya Lal Hindi, was located in the Main Bazaar of Vachhowali and that was "Thakurdawara Jawala Daii". The description he mentioned is his book is quite similar to what we saw at Sanatana Dharma Sabha complex. The huge gate, the high doorsteps and the huge complex.

I am not sure if it is the same temple. The Sanatana Dharma movement was started in 1921, almost 40 years after this book was published.

It's an interesting fact that Vachhowali area was also home of migrant Kashmiri Pandits who settled here in mid-1800s. Among prominent figures, the first Indian Judge of Lahore Chiefs Court, Justice Pandit Ram Narain Dar was born in 1849 in his ancestral house in this area.

It is clear that it was a Hindu dominated area before the partition and surely this temple or complex at Vachhowali had a vital role. I haven't heard or read anything about Vachhowali, but now this is a new chapter I want to explore. A chapter, which remained ignored and abandoned for many years, just like this temple.

This temple of Vachhowali has many stories to tell of several generations. The Hindu generations who lived here and the Muslim generations who are living here now. The stories of love, hate, violence and survival...

us gali ne ye sun ke sabr kiya
jane wale yahan ke thay hee nahi
[Jaun Eliya]

Do our hands also shiver while writing the stories of the past?

Dina... Waiting for Gulzar

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Gulzar at Dina Railway Station. Picture Courtesy: Mirza Baig

About a hundred kilometers from the capital city of Islamabad in Pakistan, by the G.T.Road, in district Jhelum, sits the historic town of Dina.

The same Dina, on whom Gulzar penned his immortal lines:

Zikr Jhelum ka, baat ho Dine ki. 
Chand Pukhraj ka, raat Pashminey ki

Dina is the birthplace of renowned south Asian poet Sampooran Singh Kalra. Popularly known as Gulzar, he was born in Kurla, a village some 3 kilometers away from Dina, on the 18th of August in the year 1936. Gulzar’s father Makkhan Singh, set up his business and home in the main market of Dina and settled here with his family.

The house where Gulzar spent most of his childhood and the shop attached to it still stands as a witness to history. Here in Dina, the square on which Gulzar’s home is located and once called Purana Dakkhana Chowk, is known today as Pakistani Chowk.

The Return Home

Gulzar was born in Dina, of Jhelum, Pakistan

Last year, when Gulzar returned to visit his birthplace, for the first time after the Partition, he could not hold back his tears on seeing the home he had left many years ago, and broke down. The ancestral home of Gulzar now belongs to one Sheikh family and the members of this family say that they were tenants of the Kalra’s before Partition and was allotted the house post Partition.

An elderly member of the Sheikh family, advocate Sheikh Abdul Qayum, who is of the same age as the poet was Gulzar’s childhood friend as well. He reminisces, “our homes stood side by side and we went to the same school”.  Sheikh Abdul Qayum further adds “when Gulzar came down here, I suggested this lane be named as Gulzar Street, to which Gulzar responded that it would be really great if that did happen!”

According to Sheikh Abdul Qayum, this lane has remained unchanged for the last seventy years and a part of the Kalras’ house still remained in its original condition. This is where Gulzar’s father Makkhan Singh had once set up his textile shop.

This is where Gulzar started his primary education. The school has a block named after him too.

The ancestral home is located in a lane about 4 feet wide.  In the other part of this house, new buildings have been constructed. Residents of Dina comment that when Gulzar came visiting, there was a suggestion to buy this building and turn it into a library, but in the long run, nothing could be done about it. However, after his visit, this street is addressed as Gulzar Street nowadays.

The government run high school, where Gulzar received his primary education is located in Miyan Mohallah of Dina. Unfortunately, his classroom no longer exists! Javed Ahmed, the current headmaster of the school informs that the part of the old structure which housed Gulzar’s classroom no longer exists. However, he adds that there is a new school block built on what was earlier(during the time Gulzar studied here) the school playground and has been named Gulzar Kalra Block.

He says “we wish Gulzar to visit again and spend more time with us at the school.” Stating that the school is proud that a student from this institution has won such accolades all over South Asia, Javed goes on to add “the academic records of this school have always been superb but at the same time students from the school have also excelled in the fields of Literature, Art and Sports at the district level.”

The Good Old School Days

This lane, the location of Gulzar’s ancestral home, is now known as Gulzar Street

The Government High School of Dina had initially started off as a primary school in 1921. It was later converted into a middle school in 1941. It was during this time that Gulzar studied here. Finally, in 1989, the school was awarded the status of a high school.

Sheikh Abdul fondly remembers that during his Pakistan Yatra(tour), while Gulzar went visiting his alma mater with some of his friends, he was in very high spirits and led the way. To Abdul Qayum, he seemed almost like a little boy happily trotting off to his school. Qayum quipped “ I told him you forgot to carry something, and when Gulzar asked “what?” I replied “your satchel”, to which he smiled ”

The relation between Gulzar and Dina is a well-known fact today. But it is also equally true that the literary heritage of Dina and the district Jhelum goes a long way back in history. Speaking of the literary scholars, poet Shahzad Qamar from Dina told me that this area had gifted us with some of the most amazingly talented writers and the specialty of these authors lied in the literature of resistance.

The Literature of Resistance

Starting from the revolutionary poet and trade union leader Darshan Singh Awara to contemporary poets like Tanveer Sapra, Iqbal Kausar and other writers, the literary style is that of resistance. Through their works, they had always raised their voices against all forms of injustice.

In Qamar’s view, even today, many a poet and writer from Dina are still related to the literature of resistance. When asked about Gulzar’s popularity in Dina, poet Siddique Suraj replied that though everybody knew about Gulzar, his connection to Dina has came into light only after his recent visit to the town.

In naming a school block and a street after her famous son, Dina and her people express their love for Gulzar. The people of Dina look forward to another trip from the poet, sometime soon. With hope in their hearts and a fervent wish, they eagerly wait for Gulzar!


This article was originally published in  BBC Hindi and BBC Urdu

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Banni Mai Veero and Muhammad Ishaq: “No I don’t want to visit Ambala”

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Muhammad Ishaq

The history of Rawalpindi is a scattered one spread across a vast area. To draw a complete picture of our history, one has to collect the scattered pieces and put them together. No doubt it’s quite a difficult task and takes time and patience.

Most of us know that Rawalpindi was used as a convenient route by the invaders coming from North Western regions and later British Army used the city as one of the most important cantonments in North Western region of British India in the days of The Great Game.

Before the Partition, Rawalpindi was an urban center mainly populated with Hindus and Sikhs. Even today, one can see the old remnants of their existence in the old areas of the city in the form of houses, abandoned temples and gurdwaras.

However, during the last 60 years post partition, the city has undergone a lot of changes. The Hindu and Sikh population migrated to India in 1947 and the city provided shelter to the Muslim migrants from Punjab, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh.

The city of Rawalpindi, home to several Hindu temples and Sikh Gurdwaras, was also renowned for some other historic landmarks, be a Dhobi Ghaat, a Haveli or a public space. With the passage of time and the increase in population the demography of the city changed gradually. Most of the old and historic places fell victim to the advent of modernization and gave way to countless commercial buildings, markets and concrete matchbox structures.

Mai Veero di Banni (The Abode of Lady Veero) is one such victim.

Video Market where there was a pool.

Video Market where there was a pool

It is said that Mai Veero was an aged Hindu lady, who was saintly in her behavior others and respected among the masses. Banni Mai Veero was built by her, for the benefit of the people where they could bathe, swim and rest and freshen up. It was a sort of a gathering spot, much like the Greek Agora, for the public in the very heart of the city. The water source of the pool was from a clean water stream nearby (an area on the opposite side known as Kartarpura).

Some old residents of Rawalpindi say that the area around Banni Mai Veero was densely populated by Khatri Hindus.

Marks of a stream between Kartarpura and Emanabad Mohallah

While hunting for Banni Mai Veero I managed to reach the exact spot where the pool once had been. Today, it is a market housing video shops. I met the president of the market who, on my request introduced me to the oldest living person of the area.

That is how I met Muhammad Ishaq, popular in the area as Bhiyya ji, a Fruit-Chaat seller in this market.

Born in Ambala Cantonment area (now in Indian Punjab) in 1936, Muahmmad Ishaq migrated to Rawalpindi in 1947 along with his family.

“I remember it very clearly; there was a pool here, I used to take bath and swim in it” says Ishaq.

“When we came from Ambala we lived in Bazaar Talwaraan, near Raja Bazaar” he added. He goes on to further narrate that one of his elder brothers was a government employee working in the Railways and other had a shop of shoes in Ambala.

“I also worked for the Pakistan Railways as porter after partition, for some 20 years” Muhammad Ishaq tells me while showing his old employee’s identity card.

Railways Identity Card of Muhammad Ishaq

Muhammad Ishaq in his good old days

Initially, Ishaq started his Fruit Chaat business in Raja bazaar, as a part time engagement later shifting his shop to the newly built market where the government allotted stalls to the street vendors. This market, he adds, was built in 1980s right on the same spot where the pool of Banni Mai Veero’s once had been.

Needless to say, today there are no traces of any pool anywhere near the market that was built in 1982 and inaugurated on May 5, 1982.  The market has more than one hundred shops, most of them selling CDs and DVDs and a few repairing shops for electronic appliances.

So, what happened to the pool? Muhammad Ishaq recalls confidently that back when the pool did exist, the water had been clean and fresh, there had been stairs on all sides of the pool. People used to take bath and women washed clothes there. There were even fresh water fish in water!

Unfortunately people eventually started polluting it. The link to the stream that was the source of the water to the pool was cut off; new houses were built and the pool slowly dried up. It did not take much time for the locals to turn the place into a garbage dump.

Probably that was how Mai Veero di Banni made a silent exit from the history of Rawalpindi.

Much later, the city district government planned to use this place for commercial purposes and built the market in 1982. But the businesses that initially set up shop here didn’t really flourish. It was only in the late 80’s when the VCR culture was “exported” to Pakistan (mostly by the overseas Pakistanis in Middle East) the market gradually became the hub for VCR and video films, as there was a huge demand for VCR and Indian film VCD rentals.

The main square outside the “video market” still goes by the name of “Banni chowk”, though some people tried their best to change its name to “Sunni Chowk” (Why Sunni Chowk? Because the main procession of Ashura Juloos ends here with Zanjeer-zani: hope you will get the hint).

Banni chowk, Rawalpindi

Flowers shops out side Video Market (or Mai Veero's pool)

Once, there used to be a Tonga stand outside the market at Saidpur Road, which is now turned into a Qingqi (Motorcycle Rickshaw) stand. Added to this crowd are numerous shops selling flowers and materials for wedding decorations. This area is also known for its desi food culture.

Muhammad Ishaq looks back at the past and reminisces that he has seen the changing demographics of the city. “The city wasn’t this noisy, but now it’s traffic and people everywhere”, he almost laments.

When I asked him why his family chose to settle down in Rawalpindi and not in any other city, he replied that they had some relatives in Rawalpindi, so they came here.

“Do you want to see Ambala once again?” I asked him as I was preparing to leave.

“No, I don’t want to go to Ambala. Everything has changed. We have some relatives in Delhi and some other cities in India, but the elders have all passed away and their children don’t know us”, he answered ruefully.

“But there would be no Visa issue for you, you know that… “

“I know visa restrictions are relaxed for senior citizens (above 65), but why would I go there? Nobody knows me there. That was in the past and that time has passed” he replied this time, almost matter-of-factly.

Then I hugged and thanked him and walked away, promising to meet him again, very soon. 

Current map: Source Google Maps

Pre-partition map. Source: The Survey of Pakistan

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Kalyan Das Temple: Blindfolded Heritage Sees Humanity Eye-to-Eye

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Kalyan Das Temple: Government Qandeel Secondary School, Rawalpindi

Blindfolded Heritage Sees Humanity Eye-to-Eye

A trek through the old areas of Rawalpindi reveals to us many examples of old architecture: silent testimonies of our heritage, narrating tales of our past, stories of our land. Unfortunately, these exponents of our history are in a state of utter neglect and cry out for immediate attention by the authorities.

In the middle of the area that is commonly known as Kohati Bazaar, one can see the dome of a temple which is almost blinded by the high walls of an academic institution. Here stands one of the beautiful, historic landmarks of the city: Kalyan Das Temple.

Outside this building, you can see the board of Government Qandeel Secondary School for visually impaired children. On entering the main gate of the school, one is at once confronted with the sight of a magnificent architectural form which stands right in the middle of the school courtyard

As I entered the building, I turned to the security guard, and queried him casually, "I just want to see." He nodded his head in agreement and asked me to go ahead.

This temple was named after a generous resident of Rawalpindi, Kalyan Das, who laid its foundation stone in 1850s, and it is said that it was completed in 1880. The Kalyan Das temple is believed to have had more than 100 rooms and was spread over an area of about seven acres, besides a vast pond around the main temple building.

According to some reports, Kalyan Das had no children but his brother had. One of the grandchildren of his brother is Saghir Soori, the owner of Saghir Apartments — the tallest residential tower in Delhi. Kalyan Das’ family had a residence by the name Soori Building in Kartarpura (a locality near Kohati Bazaar), which is now known as Noori Building.

One of the significant facts of the Kalyan Das Temple is linked to the Amarnath Yatra, which is an important religious ritual in Hinduism. Hindu pilgrims used to stay at this temple en route to Amarnath in the mountains of Jammu and Kashmir, making it a very important place for Hindu worshippers

Like many other temples of the city, in 1947, during the partition of India, Kalyan Das temple was also left abandoned as the Hindu population left the city. Today this magnificent architectural piece still stands tall but the complex has been brutalised and vandalised over decades and is in a state of decay.

The beautiful paintings engraved on the walls of the temple are fading away; the damp roof of the main architecture pours in rainy days. The rooms of the main complex are used as store rooms and are kept locked. The idols are missing but their marks attract the attention of visitors. The many spires in the temple complex are still imposing but 60 years of neglect has made them colourless. The white paint used to brighten a canopy inside the complex has, in fact, buried its original floral work.

After the partition and migration of the Hindu population from Rawalpindi, the temple remained functional. In 1956, it was taken over by the Auqaf Department and survived as a place of worship until 1958 when a school for the blind, started by Begum Farooqi, was shifted into the complex. At that time it had a Baradari with rooms for worshippers, a pond and an Ashram.

In 1973, the school was taken over by the Punjab government. A new building was erected for the school in 1986 during the time of General Mohammad Zia-ul-Haq, when the wave of Islamisation was in full boom. It was the time when the original buildings surrounding the temple, the rooms and the pond were demolished and deprived of their beauty. A seminary nearby acquired almost half of the temple land.

The security guard at the school’s gate said that Muslims vandalised the temple at the time of partition. In 1992, in the wake of the demolition of the historic Babri Mosque in Ayodhya (Uttar Pradesh) by Hindus, when several Hindu temples were demolished across Pakistan, luckily the school administration prevented this temple from meeting the same fate.

"Its our national heritage and we should preserve it," the security guard asserted!

According to him, some people in the school’s administration are thinking of demolishing the temple to increase the space for the school. But there are some good people too who do not wish so, he added, urging that this heritage building should be renovated so that it doesn’t meet any mishap.

The Punjab government has constructed some new rooms and hostels for the visually impaired students of the school in the complex. It can be claimed that despite its decaying condition, this temple is still much better preserved as compared to other abandoned temples of the city.

I saw some visually impaired kids playing cricket in the school yard. I asked one of them named Mustansir, “What are you doing here?” He said, "I am studying." On asking what he was studying, he said, "ABC and 123." It made me smile.  When I was leaving, he urged me, "Where are you going, stay here!"

In my view, this is the best use that an abandoned temple can be put to: for providing shelter and home for visually impaired kids. And I think Kalyan Das will also not be annoyed with us, seeing this magnificent building being used for a good cause.

That said, it is also true that this architectural marvel is in desperate need of renovation and restoration work and the government must take notice of this need; this is not just an abandoned place of worship, but also an important heritage site of the city. And given the noble cause that it endorses now, this place serves to provide a huge symbolic impetus to people to open up their eyes blinded by hatred. 

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The pearl of Hasan Abdal: Gurdwara Panja Sahib

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گوردوارہ پنجہ صاحب

حسن ابدال کا حسنِ بے مثال

تحریر و تصاویر: شیراز حسن

قدرتی حُسن سے مالا مال حسن ابدال کی حسین وادی امن و محبت کا آفاقی درس دینے والے صوفیاء اور سورماؤں کی سرزمین کے طور پر اپنی شناخت رکھتی ہے۔ حسن ابدال، راولپنڈی کے شمال مغرب میں تقریباً 50کلومیٹر کے فاصلے پر واقع ضلع اٹک کی ایک پر فضا سیر گاہ ہے۔ شمالی علاقہ جات کوملانے والی قدیم شاہراہِ ریشم، لاہور سے پشاور جانے والی جرنیلی سڑک کو حسن ابدال کے مقام پر ہی ملاتی ہے۔ حسن ابدال کا شہر قدیم زمانے سے ہی بین الاقوامی شاہراہوں کے اتصال پر واقع ہونے کی وجہ سے عروس البلاد کی شکل اختیار کر چکا تھا۔ کاروباری سرگرمیاں نقطہ عروج پر تھیں کیونکہ اطراف کے قصبوں اور بیرونی ممالک سے آنے والے قافلے یہاں ٹھہرتے اور درآمدو برآمد کیا جانے والا تمام مال مقامی منڈی سے ہو کر گزرتا تھا۔ شاید یہی وجہ تھی کہ گردشِ ایام ہررنگ و نسل کے لوگوں کو کھینچ کر یہاں لے آئی۔ آج اس پر امن شہر کی آبادی مختلف نسلوں اورمذاہب کے رنگا رنگ خوشنما گلدستے کا نمونہ پیش کرتی ہے۔

حسن ابدال اپنے خوبصورت تاریخی مقامات اور سکھ مذہب کی ایک اہم عبادت گاہ گردوارہ پنجہ صاحب کی وجہ سے بین الاقوامی شہرت کا حامل ہے۔ ہر سال دنیا بھر سے ہزاروں سکھ زائرین بیساکھی کے میلہ اور دیگر اہم مذہبی تہواروں کے موقع پر گردوارہ پنجہ صاحب پر حاضر ہو کر اپنی مذہبی رسومات ادا کرتے ہیں۔  حسن ابدال کے دیگر اہم تاریخی مقامات میں مقبرہ لالہ رخ کے نام سے مشہور مغلیہ دور کا ایک مقبرہ اور بابا ولی قندھاری کی چلہ گاہ شامل ہیں۔ 

حسن ابدال مذہبی و تاریخی حوالوں سے دو اہم شخصیات کے باعث منفرد اہمیت کا حامل ہے۔ یہ دوشخصیات بابا ولی قندھاری اور سکھ مذہب کے بانی بابا گرو نانک ہیں۔ مورخین کے مطابق بابا ولی قندھاری کا اصل نام حسن تھا اور حسن ابدال شہر انہی کے نام سے منسوب ہے۔بابا ولی قندھاری مرزا شاہ رخ ابن تیمور کے ہمراہ تقریباً 1408ء میں قندھار، افغانستان سے تشریف لائے تھے۔ اس شہر کی تاریخی اور سیاسی حیثیت کے پیش نظر انہوں نے یہیں رشد و ہدایت کا سلسلہ شروع کرنے کا فیصلہ کیا اور اپنے قیام کے لیے قریبی پہاڑی چوٹی کا انتخاب کیا۔ ان کے حسنِ اخلاق نے بہت سارے مقامی افراد کو ان کا گرویدہ بنادیا اور لوگ دور دور سے آ کر کسبِ فیض کرتے اور علم و حکمت کے گراں بہا موتی سمیٹتے۔بابا ولی قندھاری ایک طویل عرصہ یہاں قیام کے بعد قندھار واپس لوٹ گئے اور وہیں ان کا وصال ہوا، جہاں آج بھی ان کا مزار مرجع خاص و عام ہے۔

موجودہ دور میں حسن ابدال کی گوردوارہ پنجہ صاحب کے حوالے سے دنیا بھر کے سکھوں کے لیے مقدس مقام کے طور پر اپنی شناخت ہے۔ سکھ مذہب کے بانی اور پہلے گرو بابا گورنانک دیو، شیخوپورہ کے گاؤں بھوئے دی تلونڈی (موجودہ ننکانہ صاحب) میں 1469ء میں پیدا ہوئے۔ اس وقت ہندوستان پر سلطان لودھی کی حکومت تھی۔ بابا گورو نانک بت پرستی کے خلاف تھے اور فلسفہ وحدانیت کے قائل تھے۔ انہوں نے بلا تفریقِ قوم و مذہب، امن و محبت اوربھائی چارے کے پیغام کو عام کیا۔ وہ اپنے دو چیلوں مردانہ مطرب اور بالا کے ہمراہ دنیا کی سیرکونکلے اور مکہ مکرمہ کی زیارت سے بھی مستفید ہوئے۔ بابا گورونانک اسلامی تصوف اورہندو یوگ سے متاثر تھے۔ آپ کے عقیدت مندوں میں ہندو اور مسلمان دونوں شامل تھے۔ یہی وجہ تھی کہ جب آپ کا انتقال ہوا تو ہندوؤں اور مسلمانوں میں تنازعے نے سر اٹھایا۔ ہندو ان کی ارتھی جلانا چاہتے تھے اور مسلمان دفن کرنے پر مصر تھے۔ چنانچہ بابا گرونانک کی وصیت کے مطابق ان کی آخری رسومات کو اگلے دن تک مؤخر کر دیا گیا۔ دوسرے روز جب ہندو اور مسلمان موقع پر پہنچے تو دیکھا کہ پھول تو بدستور تازہ تھے مگر جسد خاکی غائب تھا، یوں امن پسند اور محبت کے داعی نانک نے مرنے کے بعد بھی لوگوں کو کشت و خون سے بچا لیا۔

سکھ روایات کے مطابق بابا گرونانک اپنے مرید بھائی مردانا جی کے ہمراہ جب حسن ابدال میں قیام کے لیے آئے تو پہاڑی پر قیام پذیر بابا ولی قندھاری سے پانی طلب کیا ۔ سکھ روایات کے مطابق بابا گرو نانک نے تین بار بابا ولی قندھاری سے پانی طلب کیا جس پر بابا ولی قندھاری نے انکار کر دیا۔ جس کے بعد بابا گرو نانک نے زمین پر سے ایک پتھر ہٹایا تو پہاڑی کے دامن سے ایک چشمہ بہہ نکلا اور دوسری جانب پہاڑی پر بابا ولی قندھاری کا چشمہ سوکھ گیا۔ اس پر بابا قندھاری نے طیش میں آ کر ایک وزنی چٹان نیچے لڑھکا دی جسے بابا گورونانک نے روکنے کی کوشش کی اور ان کے ہاتھ کا نشان اس پتھر پر ثبت ہو گیا۔ یہ وزنی پتھر آج بھی گور دوارہ کے صحن میں موجود ہے اور یہاں آنے والے سکھ یاتری اس اس پتھر کو مقدس سمجھتے ہوئے اس کی زیارت کرتے ہیں اور اس کے ساتھ بہنے والے چشمے کا پانی پیتے اور اس سے اشنان کرتے ہیں۔

کچھ مورخین اس واقعہ کی صداقت کے حوالے سے سوال بھی اٹھاتے ہیں۔ بدھ ادب میں بھی ایسا ہی ملتا جلتا واقعہ مہاتما گوتم بدھ کے ساتھ منسوب ہے۔ جب ان کے چچا زاد بھائی دیودت نے انہیں قتل کرنے کی سازش کی اور مہاتما بدھ نے پہاڑی کی چوٹی سے لڑھکائی جانے والی چٹان ہاتھ سے روک لی۔ اس جاتک کہانی کی حجری تختی آج بھی ٹیکسلا کے عجائب گھر میں محفوظ ہے، ہو سکتا ہے کہ اس تاریخی قصے کے کرداروں کے نام بابا گرونانک اور ولی قندھاری کے رنگ میں رنگ دیئے گئے ہوں یا پھر دونوں مختلف روایات بھی ہو سکتی ہیں۔

حسن ابدال کا پرانا گوردوارہ انیسویں صدی کے شروع میں پنجاب میں سکھ دور حکومت کے دوران 1830ء میں ہری سنگھ نلوہ (تاریخ وفات 1837ء)نے تعمیر کرایا تھا جس میں بعد ازاں گوردوارہ پر بندھک کمیٹی نے توسیعی کام انجام دیا۔ تحصیل حسن ابدال سے متصل ہری پور قصبے کی بنیاد بھی ہری سنگھ نلوہ نے ہی رکھی تھی اور آج بھی یہ شہر ان کے نام سے مشہور ہے۔

گوردوارہ پنجہ صاحب کی عالی شان عمارت ولی بابا قندھاری کی چلہ گاہ کے سامنے واقع ہے۔ اس گوردوارہ کی مرکزی عمارت سفید اور پیلے رنگوں سے آراستہ ہیں۔ مرکزی عمارت کے ساتھ ہی پنجہ صاحب کے نشان والا پتھر اور وسیع تالاب ہے جہاں سکھ یاتری اشنان کرتے ہیں۔ اس کے علاوہ وسیع صحن ہے اور چاروں جانب یاتریوں کے مہمان خانے اور لنگر خانے تعمیر کیے گئے ہیں۔ ہر سال یہاں آنے والے سکھ یاتریوں کے لیے حکومت پاکستان کی جانب سے خصوصی اقدامات کیے جاتے ہیں ۔

گوردوارہ کے سامنے پہاڑی کبھی بابا ولی قندھاری کی اقامت گاہ رہی تھی۔ اب یہاں آس پاس بکریاں، مور، بطخیں، مرغیاں اور کبوتروں کے غول کے غول منڈلاتے نظر آتے ہیں۔ یہ چرند پرند زائرین سے بھی خاصے مانوس ہیں اور ان کی آمد سے بے نیاز اپنے آپ میں مگن رہتے ہیں۔ منتوں اور مرادوں کے ضمن میں عقیدت مند پانی سے بھرے گھڑے اٹھا کر پہاڑی پر لاتے ہیں۔ بجلی کے آ جانے سے برقی روشنیوں اور رنگ برنگے قمقموں نے بھی رونق دوبالا کر دی ہے۔ خدام الفقراء کی جانب سے لنگر و نیاز کا باقاعدہ انتظام ہوتا ہے۔ گاہے گاہے قوالیاں بھی سننے کو ملتی ہیں۔

حسن ابدال کا یہ حُسن ہے کہ فطرت کے حسین نظاروں سے مالا مال ہے، سرسبز ہریالی اور قدرتی چشمے جہاں آنے والے سیاحوں کو خوش آمدید کہتے ہیں وہیں یہ شہر مذہبی ہم آہنگی کا بھی ایک دلکش امتزاج پیش کرتا ہے۔

یہ مضمون روزنامہ جہان پاکستان میں شائع ہوا تھا

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