Footloose, NOS, The News International
The town’s got history
From temple to gurdwara to mosque… Few people are familiar with the inter-mix of various religions in the past of Bhera
By Haroon Khalid
A cousin of mine, on return from Europe, told me that Barcelona reminded him of Bhera. Yes, our very own Bhera. Narrow and curvy streets, old houses, and buildings were the reasons he quoted. Then and there, I decided to visit the city.
The Chinese traveller Fa Heins records Bhera as a Buddhist cultural and educational centre like Taxila. The city was on the other side of river Jhelum before Sher Shah Suri shifted it to this location. The mosque of the Regal, also known as the Sher Shahi Masjid, just a little outside of the walls of the city is a symbol of the significance of Sher Shah in the modern city with a madrassa inside.
On the eastern side of the city is the tomb of the Saint Hazrat Meeran Sahib. According to folk tradition, Bhera, at that time, suffered from a devastating flood from river Jhelum, flowing next to it. The Saint came and settled under a berry tree at this spot, and the water retreated. The tomb was built under that tree.
On the western side of the city, towards the river, as one crosses the embankment meant to protect the city from flood, one catches the sight of a tall cone-shaped Hindu temple. Once a religious sanctuary, the temple is now home to drug-addicts, lovers, and schoolboys escaping schools.
Bhera has played an important role in the development of Hinduism in India. If one visits the Lahore museum one would find a lot of idols that were discovered from Bhera. The temple has a ground floor and a basement. It stands, around 400 metres from the city, in the middle of fields, with just a few buildings at some distance from it.
The rather new tomb of Justice (r) Pir Muhammad Karam Shah Al-Azhari is an example of the possible shape of modern architecture in Pakistan if it draws inspiration from the rich repertoire of its past. It is a small white building composed in three floors and followed by a dome on the top. The frescoes inside and especially on the dome is extremely colourful and exquisite. Typical of Islamic architecture, the anatomy of the building is different from the skeleton, both operating differently. The mirror work inside the tomb also epitomizes how glass should be used to embellish historical tombs in Pakistan, instead of putting them all over the place, giving it a ghastly appearance.
Adjoining the tomb was a mosque Shiekhan Wali Masjid. Like most of the mosques in Bhera, the entrance is a separate complex. The only minaret flanking the entrance has strange architectural features. It ends as a terrace with no dome as is the case most of the times. One such minaret is also present at the Masjid Qasaba in Lahore, near the Railway line, at Gadi Shahu.
The Shiekhan Wali Masjid is on a small mound. Next to the mound is a building with a highly ornate wooden door. The basic theme prevalent in the embellishment is depiction of bells driving me to the conclusion that this was probably a Hindu temple before the Partition. Now the building is a government office.
Bhera is also famous for its carved wooden doors. An aspect of Bhera, which has inspired me, is the woodwork at the city. This is perhaps one of those things that have helped the city retain its cultural garb. Ornate woodwork on doors and windows can be found in the city in much profusion. There are various motifs that these designs follow. Mostly they are floral, with intricate designing, but at times one finds other motifs like bells. However at Bhera, doors of such nature are actually being wasted, found in debris or on buildings, which have not been used for years.
In the historical mohalla, Sheesh Mahal, there is a structure that rises in a cone-like shape. This signifies that the edifice must have also been a temple once. This is a four-floor building, with the last floor in a shape of a cone, and the first three in vertical rectangular shape. On the cone of the temple, one notices an interesting sculpture. It is the motif of a bell, akin to the one found at the door near the Shiekhan Wali Masjid. Below the sculpture are the remains of blue frescoes, part of a sequence that must have covered the entire building once. These are symmetrical patterns. Colour scheme once again includes blue, green and brown. In almost all of the frescoes found in the city, these three colours have been most prevalent.
As a part of our ‘encounter’ with the building we expressed our desire to visit the temple from the inside. The shopkeeper sitting in front of the temple told us that we couldn’t enter the house because there was no man inside and only women. When we returned he said that it is a temple still occupied by a Hindu priest and we can’t be allowed in for his safety. Ultimately we weren’t allowed in.
Another temple lies further east from this sanctuary. In this case, the temple itself is not as aesthetically ‘pleasing’ as is the entrance to the temple. The door, of the entrance is adorned with intricate woodwork. However, this marvel of woodwork is disappearing as nobody occupies the building, expect animals. The motifs on the door are mostly floral, but on the top of the frame, motif of the head of a cobra standing is found.
On the backside, one faces a temple similar in architecture to the previous temple. The plinth upon which the temple was standing has been reduced greatly and now the platform has become part of the structure. The date on the temple read 1349 AH, but one doesn’t see what the significance of the date is. The writing next to it was a name, Hafiz Muhammad Din, written in Urdu. Maybe a Muslim made this temple in 1349 AH, by the name of Hafiz Muhammad Din. Around the writings were floral patterns in red, green and blue.
A famous building in Bhera is the Markazi Imaam Bargah. This is a sanctuary of its own kind – with a tall minaret, unlike any Islamic minaret I have seen. The architecture of the building is a little too western for an Imaam Bargah. On some research I found out that the Imaam Bargah was actually a Gurdwara building in Italian architectural-style during the years close to Partition. After Pakistan came into being, the Gurdwara was converted into an Imaam Bargah. Prevalence of Udasi motifs on the building can mean that the building was either a Gurdwara, or it is a Samadhi of an Udasi Sadhu.
The main building is locked, and appears to be out of use for a long time now. Yet, it is a beautiful structure, and a must visit for anyone who happens to visit this historical city.
Bhera is in so many ways different from the Walled City of Lahore. Firstly, Lahore is too commercialised to be a repository of tradition and heritage. On the other hand, the city of Bhera has disappeared from the mental map of the people after the creation of the country, and that is why the city is in a desperate need for an infrastructure development. It is for this reason, fortunately or unfortunately, the city has managed to retain its appearance as an ancient city. One still finds old houses, havelis, temples, doors, balconies, etc. here, which are being replaced in Lahore for modern developments. Bhera is far richer than what most people in the country think about it. A visit to the city will change that image for sure.