Saturday, 19 October 2019

106. A Tour of Bhera City 1: Four Hindu Temples & A Gurdwara in Bhera

Bhera is a very old and important town of Punjab. It has always been an important administrative and commercial centre. In the days of Mahmud Ghaznavi, it was equal to Lahore in importance. In almost all periods since its establishment, it has retained its importance and significance.

The official Gazetteer for the district of Shahpur (1917) gives the following account of the history of modern Bhera:

The original town stood on the right bank of the river, and in former days must have been a place of considerable note, for Babar, in his autobriography, when speaking of his designs on Hindustan, talks of the countries of Bhera, Khushab, etc. and again in describing Hindustan itself he defines the limits of the empire as extending from Bhera to Behar. Some idea of its size may also be gained from the fact that it paid so large a sum as two lakhs of  rupees to purchase its safety, when the troops under Babar, disappointed of expected plunder in Bajaur, arrived before it in A.D. 1519. Soon after this, says tradition, the adjoining hill tribes descended and destroyed the city. The ruins of the old town still remain, and are known by the name of Jobnathnagar. It is identified by General Cunningham as the capital of Sophites, or Sopheites, the contemporary of Alexander the Great. The same author speaks of it as the refuge, and for some time the capital, of the Brahman kings of Kabul, expelled about the end of the 10th century by the Muhammadans. 
The new town of Bhera was founded in A.D. 1540, during the reign of Sher Shah, near a spot where a holy man calling himself Pir Kaya Nath had for some time been established, and where his followers are still residing round the tomb of their spiritual father. The place appears rapidly have attained to its former size and importance, as it is one of the few places mentioned by name in the description of the Lahore Suba given in the Ain-i-Akbari, from which we also learn that it was the centre of a mahal which paid a revenue of nearly five lakhs of rupees, and was one of the few spots in the whole empire where money was coined. After being plundered and laid waste by Nur-ud-Din, as mentioned before, the town was repopulated by the Chiefs of the Bhangi misl, to whose share it fell in the division of the territory acquired by the Sikhs. Its appearance has been greatly improved under British rule. 
Bhera is a place of considerable though now somewhat stagnant trade, its position as the terminus of a branch of the railway making it an emporium for the trade of the country to the south. A large colony of Khojas and Pirachas, Muhammadan converts from Hinduism, are settled here, and carry on a traffic with Kabul and countries beyond it. Rice, gur and sugar are imported from Jullundur Doab; country cloth is exported to Kabul, Multan, Derajat and Sukkur. European cotton goods are brought from Amritsar and Karachi. Henna dye is exported to the value of a lakh of rupees yearly. The town is also famous for ironsmiths and stone-cutters as well as woodcarvers; and excellent felt and soap manufactured, the former being exported in large quantities. 

This long history has left its indelible marks on Bhera, especially on its architecture. Its mosques, shrines, and beautiful houses are remnants of its glorious past. But it is such a vast subject that even a whole book might not cover it fully. In this post, I shall only cover a few religious buildings that still remind us of the multi-religious society of pre-1947 Bhera. According to the census of 1941, Hindus formed about 21.7% and Sikhs 1.66% of the total population of 20,219 persons. Bhera had several temples; I recently visited four of them that are comparatively in better condition.

During my visit to Bhera, my friend Mr. Nayyar Abbas accompanied us and took us on a whirlwind tour of the town, showing us many historical places in a short time. Nayyar sahib has a great interest in the history of Bhera and possesses a wealth of information about its past, architecture, and important personalities. Anyone interested in a tour of Bhera and learning about its architecture would enjoy his company. He can be reached at nayyarabbas25@gmail.com.

To the northwest of Bhera, just outside the town, is a temple known as the Baoli Wala temple. Perhaps a baoli (stepwell) once existed here, but now there are no traces of it. Mr. Nayyar told me that floods in the river destroyed the baoli a long time ago. This temple was constructed about two decades before independence by the Chopra family. Not much is known about them, except that they were big landowners and wealthy people. The temple is located in an open space and is unoccupied, which could be the reason for its reasonably good condition. It is situated towards the river Jhelum at 32°29'24.64"N, 72°54'2.08"E.

Baoli Wala Mandir (22.07.2019.)

An aerial view of the temple. (Photo provided by: Mr Nayyar Abbas, Bhera).

A closer view of the temple.  (22.07.2019.)

Unlike the lower portions, the Spire is still in good condition. (22.07.2019.)

The writer. (22.07.2019.)

A dusty road passes beside the temple. (22.07.2019.)

A view from the south of this temple. (22.07.2019.)

The atmosphere around the Baoli Wala temple is peaceful. (22.07.2019.)

The lower portions are now crumbling in the absence of any repair or maintenance. (22.07.2019.)

A set of stairs leading to the basement, which is now filled with debris. (22.07.2019.)

A corridor surrounds the main room of the temple. (22.07.2019.)

One of the doors of the main hall. (22.07.2019.)

Another corridor around the temple. (22.07.2019.)

One of the four doors of the temple. (22.07.2019.)

The basement of the temple. (22.07.2019.)

Nayyar Abbas. Without his guidance, it was not possible to see so many things in just two hours. 

Another temple that we visited is known as the Gulab Garh temple. Once, this temple must have stood outside the walled city to the east, but now it is surrounded by the houses of an expanding Bhera. Sadly, the temple is in bad condition, and nobody takes any care of it. The temple is located off the Bhera–Malakwal Road at 32°28'47.06"N, 72°55'9.99"E.

Mr. Nayyar informed me that the Sahnis, a prominent family of Bhera, built this temple, probably the sons of Gulab Devi, in honour of their mother. But when exactly it was built is not clear; perhaps it was at the beginning of the last century. However, he provided me with two webpage links where the history of the Sahnis can be read.


On this page, Ms. Indira Parischha tells the story of the Sahnis to her niece, Neera Burra, in Delhi, just five days before her death in May 2017. She was 100 years old at the time.
My Dadaji's (paternal grandfather) family belonged to Bhera in Shahpur district in Punjab; Bhera became part of Pakistan after independence. All of his family called him Lalaji. He was Prof. Ruchi Ram Sahni (5 April 1863 - 3 June 1948), a well known scientist who taught Chemistry in Government College, Lahore. he was best known for popularizing science. He used to given public lectures on street corner and in villages in Punjabi to make ordinary people understand scientific issues. My grandmother was Ishwari Devi, who was called Beji. She was an Anand and belonged to a well known family of bankers in pre-Partition Punjab. 
 In an article in Wikipedia, about Prof. Ruchi Ram Sahni, the following information is given:
Sahni was born on 5 April 1863 at Dera Ismail Khan a city on west bank of Indus River (now in Pakistan). His father's name was Karam Chand Sahni who was a merchant and his mother's name Gulab Devi who belonged to a money-lending family of Pind Dadan Khan. A downfall in the business led to the family being left without much money forced Sahni to strive and fend for himself. While at high school he was influenced by the Brahma Samaj and joined it leading to clash with his mother and estrangement from family. Ruchi Ram Sahni was a brilliant student he completed his matriculation from Government School Lahore in 1881 and BA in 1884 in which he stood first in the University in December 1885. Sahni visited Presidency college, Calcutta as a trainee meteorologist under Henry Francis Blanford and guest student in 1885 where he interacted with leading personalities of Bengal. In 1886 he took up a position of assistant professor of chemistry at the Government College at Lahore and worked there until 1918. 
The above two passages show the close connection of Sahnis with Bhera and also give us an introduction to Gulab Devi, being the mother of Professor Ruchi Ram Sahni. However, I could not find any information about the history of the temple or when it was constructed.  

Gulabgarh Temple, Bhera. (22.07.2019.)

The temple is not in good condition, and the surroundings are also in a state of neglect. (22.07.2019.)

A closer view of the Gulabgarh Temple, from south-west. (22.07.2019.)

A view from the south. (22.07.2019.)

A view from the east. (22.07.2019.)

At the north-eastern edge of the city, another old Hindu temple exists, known as Shiva Temple. Not much is known about it. However, Nayyar Abbas thinks that the temple was constructed in 1897. The temple is located at 32°29'2.05"N, 72°54'42.74"E.

Mr Zulfiqar Ali Kalhoro, in his article "The falling temples of Bhera", provides the following information about this temple:
Another Hindu temple is located in Nagianwala Mohallah. This temple is dedicated to Shiva, the Hindu god of destruction whome the Yogis worship to annihilate their ego. The temple is believed to have been built by the Nath jogis who are the Shivite renouncers and take the Shiva as their first guru. The jogis were famous for their ascetic practices to kill their ardour (tapas).
Shiva Temple in Bhera. (22.07.2019.)

 Another view of the temple. (22.07.2019.)

The main entrance. (22.07.2019.)

The threshold and the geometrical designs at the entrance. (22.07.2019.)


The backside of the octagonal building. (22.07.2019.)

The temple was built with small bricks, which were according to Nayyar Abbas sahib, were used before 1910. 

Steps of the temple. (22.07.2019.)

The more modern design and concrete work, suggests that the entrance was made much later than the original temple. (22.07.2019.)


We have noted above the following details in the Gazetteer of the district Shahpur, 1917:
The new town of Bhera was founded in A.D. 1540, during the reign of Sher Shah, near a spot where a holy man calling himself Pir Kaya Nath had for some time been established, and where his followers are still residing round the tomb of their spiritual father.
Now, luckily, the Smadhi of Pir or Guru Kaya Nath still exists, including some other remnants of this historic Tirath Asthan (place of pilgrimage). Now, a family is living in a house beside this samadhi and apparently, the current occupants take some care of the samadhi. However, I forgot to ask about their views on this shrine. This shrine is located at 32°28'49.62"N, 72°53'59.10"E

Samadhi of Pir Kaya Nath, Bhera. (22.07.2019.)

تعمیر کردہ
موتی لعل سبھروال سکنہ بھیرہ
     بکرمی  ۱۹۸۱        1924 AD
Constructed by
‏Moti Lal Sabharwal, resident of Bhera
Bikrami 1981 - 1924 AD

Nayyar sahib sent me two pages of an Urdu book "Tarikh-e-Bhera", the book provides the following information about this Tirath:

Tirath (holy site) or Marhi (samadhi):- Near present-day Bhera lies the famous pilgrimage site of Pir, or Guru Kainath. It is commonly believed that he was the son of Pir Ratan Nath, whose shrine is located at Jalalabad.

A well-known legend about him says that around 2,100 years ago, Ratan Nath went on a pilgrimage to visit the source of the River Godavari, where many companions were present. When the food was about to be distributed, Ratan Nath demanded a double share. All the pilgrims present refused. At this, he caressed his body, and suddenly a child appeared. This miraculous child came to be known as Baba Kainath. He grew up to acquire fame greater than his father, who had created him.

At this site, a fair began to be held twice a year,  once on the 14th day of the moon in the month of Phagun, and again on Shivratri (22 March). On both occasions, people came from Multan, Lahore, Peshawar, Jalalabad, and even Kabul to pay homage. The custodian of this holy site was Laher Nath.

He led a life of comfort and luxury, wearing a robe embroidered with gold thread and necklaces of gold and diamonds. People of all castes and creeds respected him. This holy site is located near Paracha Rice Mills, outside the Haji Gulab Gate.

Inside the city is another sacred place known as Jhuggi Jogian (Cottage of Jogis). Its custodian was Pir Gopal Nath, and after him, Pir Bhopal Nath took over the custodianship.

A very special feature of this Hindu holy site, is a Shiv Ling, beside the samadhi(22.07.2019.)

The samadhi inside the tomb. (22.07.2019.)

Trees near the asthan, a big pond existed here in the past. (22.07.2019.)

Traces of a well. (22.07.2019.)

A view of the samadhi and the adjoining house. (22.07.2019.)

Unlike Hindus, who formed nearly a quarter of the population of Bhera in 1941, Sikhs, just 335 in number, formed less than two percent of the total population. But they also constructed a beautiful gurdwara for their small community. It is located in the centre of the town in the main bazaar. It is located at  32°28'56.50"N, 72°54'41.15"E

Currently, this building is being used as an Imam Bargah. Its history is not known, but the caretaker of the Imam Bargah informed me that their elders told him that the building was still under construction when they arrived here in 1947. The floors were incomplete, and the walls were not painted. 

The main entrance of the Imam Bargah, formerly a gurdwara. (22.07.2019.)

ਧਨ ਗੁਰੂ ਗੋਬਿੰਦ ਸਿੰਘ
دھن گرو گوبند سنگھ

Dhan Guru Gobind Singh

ਧਨ ਸਤਿ ਗੁਰ ਨਾਨਕ
دھن ستًِ گرو نانک

Dhan Satt Guru Nanak

A lofty tower on the roof of gurdwara. (22.07.2019.)

A cupola on the two-way stairs. (22.07.2019.)

A complete view of the tower. Such a tower is unusual in a gurdwara. (22.07.2019.)

Another view of the tower. (22.07.2019.)

A closer view of the upper portion of the tower. (22.07.2019.)

Cupola above the main entrance. (22.07.2019.)

The darbar hall of the gurdwara. Now it is used for majalis (gatherings to hear sermons)(22.07.2019.)

A gallery above the main hall. (22.07.2019.)

Another view of the hall. (22.07.2019.)

Beautiful decorations in typical Shia traditions. (22.07.2019.)

Another gallery above the hall. (22.07.2019.)

A view of the first floor from the roof. (22.07.2019.)

View from the gallery. (22.07.2019.)

A taazia in the gallery. (22.07.2019.)

One of the caretakers of the Imam Bargah with children. (22.07.2019.)

View of Bhera from the roof of the gurdwara. (22.07.2019.)

Another view of the town. (22.07.2019.)

A narrow street in front of the gurdwara. (22.07.2019.)

Bhera is such a wonderful town that one needs many days and the help of a person fully acquainted with its past and present, and, above all, one should have an eye for its architectural beauty. Without exaggeration, there are dozens of buildings worthy of preservation and study. I saw a few, which I shall share with you in my next post.

Tariq Amir

October 19, 2019.
Doha - Qatar.

For related posts, visit:




2 comments: