During my exploratory excursions, I have had the opportunity to visit many Gurdwaras. These were all abandoned after the upheavals of 1947. After all these years of neglect, many are in poor condition and occupied by families. However, quite a few are still in remarkably good condition and could easily be repaired, if someone takes the initiative. The topic is indeed very complex.
As I mentioned, many of these Gurdwaras are still in good shape, for example, the ones near Rohtas Fort, Mangat, Bhoman Shah, etc., unlike those at Wazirabad or Jaisak, which are now occupied by many families. However, I recently visited a small town, Makhdoom Pur Pahuran, and was pleasantly surprised. The Gurdwara located here is known as Gurdwara Pehli Patshahi, meaning it was built in memory of the First Guru, Nanak Dev Ji. The following details are available online about this Gurdwara, taken from the book Historical Sikh Gurdwaras of Pakistan by Iqbal Qaiser:
This holy shrine is located between Kabirwala and Khanewal. One can get a train Khanewal and a bus from Kabirwala or Mian Channu to reach this place. Makhdoom Pur Pahuran a well known town on the Multan-Delhi road built by Sher Shah Suri. The, town of Tulamba is at very short distance from Makhdoom Pur Pahuran.
Sat Gur Nanak Dev Ji set out from Pakpattan and reached a place near Tulamba where Sajjan and Gajjan (uncle and nephew) had set up a trap in the form of a caravan inn. They used to rob and kill the travellers. They made an attempt to trap Guru Nanak Dev Ji but failed. Sat Gur Nanak Dev Ji created this Shabd here. Bronze is bright and shiny, but when it is rubbed, its blackness appears. Washing it, its impurity is not removed, even i f it is washed a hundred times.
Hearing this Shabd Sajjan, a cut throat, became a friend of Guru. Sajjan's inn was converted into a Gurdwara to commemorate this event. This place is beautifully built. Its boundary runs around in area of two ghumaon with Gurasthan at its centre: There used to be a big tank west of it which has now been levelled. Rooms for the stay of Sangat have been built along the boundary wall. There are green trees, flowery creepers, rose, jasmine and other plants whose flowers blossom all around .
At present Govt Higher Secondary School is housed in this building which enlighten the ignorant. Bhai Judh Singh, disciple of Sat Guru Har Rai Ji was a resident of this village. This new and beautiful Gurdwara was built by one of his descendants in Samvat 1970. 20 squares of land is endowed to the shrine. Visakhi fair is held.
Makhdoompur Pahuran is located on the ancient Jarnaili road, from Lahore to Multan. Which is an important town. Here once existed a dak post, during the reign of Sher Shah Suri, ruins of which have now fallen apart. A primary school was established here in 1874, which made progress and attained the status of lower middle in 1919, vernacular middle in 1937 and English middle in 1947. In 1961 it was given the approval of being MDC High School. In 1989, it was given the status of Higher Secondary School. This school has donated 18 Kanal (2.25 acres) of its land for the new building of the Girls High School.
It is evident that the establishment of a school, instead of handing the Gurdwara over to private individuals, saved it from destruction. The office of the principal is now housed within the Gurdwara building. I reached there at 3:00 PM, but the school had already closed by then. Fortunately, I found a few teachers still present, who kindly showed me around the Gurdwara. Unfortunately, the peon who had the keys had already left, and his phone was switched off. As a result, I was unable to enter the building, which is said to be as beautiful from the inside as it is from the outside.
The Sarovar (sacred pool) of the Gurdwara once existed on the western side of the central building. Today, the rooms on all four sides serve as classrooms. The atmosphere inside was very pleasant, and the surrounding trees enhanced the beauty of the building even more. I truly wished I could have gone inside, maybe next time.
Tariq Amir
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