226. Arya Samaj School, Chakwal.

As I mentioned in my previous post, my quest to visit old schools with historical significance took me to Chakwal on 14 May 2026. After visiting High School No. 1, formerly Munshi Sant Singh Khalsa School, I went to Chakwal University, located nearby. Besides meeting my old friend, Professor Nasir Mustafa, who is currently teaching Arabic at the university, my purpose was to visit an old school established by the Hindu community of the city in the 1930s under the umbrella of the famous Hindu reform movement called Arya Samaj.

According to the 1941 census, Hindus constituted 23.65% of the population of Chakwal city. In my previous post on Munshi Sant Singh Khalsa School, I provided a detailed account of the history and religious demographics of the region.

Arya Samaj Movement:

The Arya Samaj was a Hindu reform movement founded by Swami Dayanand Saraswati in 1875. Punjab soon emerged as one of its strongest centres, where the movement played an important role not only in religious and social reform but also in the promotion of modern education.

The leaders of the Arya Samaj believed that education was the key to the progress of society. As a result, they established a large network of schools and colleges throughout Punjab under the Dayanand Anglo-Vedic (DAV) system. Among the most prominent institutions were DAV College, Lahore, founded in 1882, and DAV High School, Lahore, both of which became leading centres of learning in northern India. Similar institutions were established in towns such as Jalandhar, Amritsar, Multan, Rawalpindi, and Sialkot. Besides these major institutions, local Arya Samaj branches also founded schools in smaller towns, providing modern education to thousands of students.

These institutions combined English and scientific education with the study of Hindi, Sanskrit, and Vedic literature. They produced many teachers, lawyers, administrators, and political leaders who later played important roles in public life. By the 1930s and 1940s, Arya Samaj schools had become an integral part of Punjab’s educational landscape. The school discussed in this article was one such institution, established by the local Arya Samaj to serve the educational needs of the Hindu community of Chakwal.

Location of the School:

The school is now located within the premises of Chakwal University. Most of the blocks and buildings are still under construction; consequently, the campus currently presents a rather chaotic scene. My friend and host, Professor Nasir Mustafa, took me to the school, which now houses the Law Department of the university. It was a warm and humid day, and the walk at noon was far from pleasant. However, two things immediately raised my spirits. First, the entire building has been completely and beautifully renovated. Second, the block has been named Arya Block.

The school is located at 32°56’7.17″N, 72°51’27.14″E. At the end of this article, I shall provide a Google Maps link to help readers reach the university and locate the school.

History of the School:

The school building has eight well-preserved plaques fixed at different locations. These plaques provide considerable information about the timeline of the construction of this school and the persons who contributed to its construction. Unfortunately, no plaque mentions the date of the laying of the foundation stone or the person(s) who established it. Therefore, its official name is also not known with certainty. However, we can safely guess that the foundation of the school was laid in 1930 or a little earlier. Out of the eight plaques, five provide different dates from 1930 to 1935. Thus, we can understand that the construction continued during this period.

The school was based in Chakwal, but people from other places also contributed to its construction. Besides Chakwal, Vahali is prominent, with two plaques mentioning the village and the names of the contributors. It was a prosperous village of Hindus and Sikhs, located about 30 kilometres southeast of Chakwal in a picturesque valley of the Salt Range. I also came across an article in the Dawn newspaper describing the tragic incidents that took place in this village in 1947. The article is well worth reading.

This brief visit to this place proved to be very fruitful and satisfying. It was great to see the building recently repaired and renovated so beautifully and expertly. This step deserves to be highly appreciated. It was also a pleasant feeling to note that the block has been named Arya Block, thus keeping alive the original history of the building and the memory of those who built it. In the same spirit, the plaques have been preserved and remain intact.

At the end, I want to thank my friend, Professor Dr. Nasir Mustafa Sahib, for his company and hospitality.

Tariq Amir

Islamabad
July 1, 2026.