102. Gurdwara Bhai Karam Singh Ji Ahluwalia – Jhelum City
Jhelum is an ancient city on the banks of a river of the same name. Its history goes back to the times of Alexander the Great and has witnessed many dynasties rise and fall over the centuries. After the collapse of Mughal power in Punjab, the Sikhs rose rapidly and, in a short time, conquered…
101. Lajpat Rai Library: Jhelum
About two or three years ago, I read on the internet about a library in Jhelum city named after Lala Lajpat Rai. But no picture or details were given. So when I reached there on August 14, 2019, I was not sure what to find, but was very happy to see the beautiful building of…
100. Monument To Major Muhammad Akram Shaheed, Nishan-e-Haider in Jhelum.
Thousands of sons of this land have sacrificed their lives to defend the honour and integrity of this country. Ten of them were awarded the Nishan-e-Haider and one of them the Hilal-e-Kashmir, the highest military awards of Pakistan and Azad Kashmir, in recognition of their great courage, bravery, and supreme sacrifice. Two of them are…
099. A Baoli At Khura (Soon Valley), District Khushab
A Baoli is a stepwell, where steps lead to the water level, so man or beast can reach the water directly without using any mechanism to draw the water to the surface. Stepwells are found almost all over the world, especially in Asia, the Middle East, and Europe, but are most popular in South Asia….
098. Nawab Sar Buland Khan And His Fort At Mankera
By 1750, Mughal power in Punjab was rapidly collapsing, and within a few years, the Mughals lost their control over Punjab completely, to the Sikhs in central and eastern Punjab and to the Afghans in western and southern Punjab. The whole area between the Jamuna and Indus rivers fell into anarchy and was divided into…
097. Haveli of Diwan Amar Nath Chopra (Eminabad, district Gujranwala)
If you visit the old part of any town in Pakistan, it is certain that in the narrow, winding streets, you will find some old houses with beautiful wooden doors and balconies hovering over the lanes. It is quite probable that a few of them are so big and imposing in their size and grandeur…
096. An old garden at Qila Mian Singh, Gujranwala. (Qila Mihan Singh)
About ten kilometers from Gujranwala, there is a village known as Qila Mian Singh. The word Qila in Arabic, Urdu, and Punjabi means “fort,” so I assumed there might be a fort or at least remnants of one. An internet search revealed some old structures in the village. To explore further, I marked the location…
095. Gurudwara Bhai Lalu Ji, Tatlay Aali, Gujranwala
ِIn my quest for forgotten or “lost” places, I reached a small town called Tatlay Aali, district Gujranwala, on July 22, 2018. I was looking for a Gurdwara known as Gurdwara Bhai Lalu Ji, in Tatlay Aali. But I was told that the gurdwara is in a nearby small locality, called Dinpur. It is a…
094. Butala Sardar Jhanda Singh
The Gujranwala region was one of the earliest strongholds of the Sikhs in Punjab during the 18th century. Its foundations were laid sometime around 1760 as the capital of the Sukerchakia Misl by Sardar Charat Singh, the grandfather of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. During the long struggle of the Sukerchakias, spread over three generations, many soldiers…
093. Kot Shera: Haveli Sardar Mangal Singh
The countryside of Pakistan is dotted with many archaeological sites or buildings having historic, religious, or cultural value. One such building is a beautiful mansion that exists in Kot Shera, just outside the sprawling city of Gujranwala. This house was constructed by a big landlord of the area, Sardar Mangal Singh. The haveli is located…