Changing view of Gujrat
The city epitomises clutter and more clutter
By S A J Shirazi
Pass the River Chanab and one starts thinking of romantic folklore Sohni Mahinwal, the last and decisive battle fought between British and Sikh forces, the saints who left their marks in this part of the world, micro encephalic children called Daulay Shah kay Choohay (rats of Shah Daula) or world class industries that are Gujrat’s claims to fame.
History has it that Gujrat was founded by Bacchan Pal who migrated from the Ganga valley and settled in Jhelum and Chenab corridor in 460 BC. Later, Raja Bahadar Sen’s wife Rani Gujjran rebuilt the old city and gave it the name of Gujjar Nagar. However, General Cunningham I was of the opinion that Ali Khan, who was the chief of the Gujjar clan, rebuilt Gujjar Nagar which was later destroyed by Shankar Verma between 888 and 901 AD. Mehmood Ghaznavi during his sixth attempt also invaded and destroyed the city.
Gujrat was again rebuilt by Bhalole Lodhi in 1453 AD. During Mughal era, King Akbar laid the foundation for Gujrat city in 1580 and appointed Dasnat Roy and Wazir Khan Mughal to supervise the construction work.
Another historian Ganesh Das Wadera in his book Chahar Bagh Punjab says that Gujrat was founded in 1589 and Nadir Shah destroyed the city in 1738. Ahmed Shah Durrani subdued Gujrat in 1741 and appointed Muqarrab Khan as its governor. After that Kaka Singh, Charhat Singh and Gujjar Singh ruled Gujrat from 1765 to 1787. Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the Sikh ruler of Punjab, captured Gujrat in 1810 and carried out some renovation in the city in 1835.
Now what remain of the glorious past are dilapidated relics of the Gujrat Fort and various other buildings — like the public bath, Akbari Hamam, constructed near the fort and are reflective of neglect on part of the Archaeology Department and the city government.
Gujrat is changing slowly. Two things are clear: Gujrat has matured as an industrial city — exports of wood and leather products are showing an increase; and with the establishment of a public sector University of Gujrat in 2004, the only one between Lahore and Rawalpindi, the city is attracting large numbers of students from all over Pakistan. The unprecedented growth of the student body in the university shows that such an institute was much-needed in the industrial triangle of Gujranwala, Gujrat and Sialkot.
Legend has it that saint Hafiz Muhammad Hayat came to Wazirabad from Delhi during the Mughal rule. Here, he met another saint Hazrat Baqi Shah, who asked him to cross the river Chanab and settle near the fort of Raja Kaladhvi. The mound on which he settled belonged to the Raja and was surrounded by a dense forest. The Mughal administrators of that time granted him several acres of land which the saint donated for the cause of education and prayed that this place became a seat of learning one day.
The main campus of the university has been constructed on the very land donated by Hafiz Muhammad Hayat more than three centuries ago.
Another landmark of Gujrat is the Service Chowk. Now, I have known this chowk all my adult life. The chowk has developed into a shopping centre for people from nearby villages. Transport to different villages in suburbs of Gujrat passes from here. Almost all the shops play loud music. People from surrounding districts stop here to shave, bathe in one of the garam hamams and move on — some to the district courts to attend to their business.
On the section between the Service Chowk and the university via the district courts, a commuter has to muscle the way through waves of tongas, rickshaws and animal-drawn carts. A little beyond this clutter, and Punjab transforms into low hills known as Pabbi — for Gujrat is the last fertile district in the area.
But the single-carriage metallic Jalalpur Jattan road is unique. Plied mainly by overloaded old buses, tractors, animal carts and milkmen on motorbikes — and endless fields of crop, tiny villages and deras… the scene is a typically rural.
When you travel on one rural road in Punjab, you have travelled on all, except the Jalalpur Jattan road. Since the construction of the university, the road has witnessed excessive construction and growing traffic. Perhaps the university needs an independent access route.