043. Rohtas: Gurdwara Choa Sahib, Gurdwara Mata Kaur ji & Tomb Of Khair un Nissa

Rohtas is a village in district Jhelum, just 10 kilometers south of Dina a town on GT road. It is famous for the fort built here my great king Sher Shah Suri in mid 16th century. I too knew Rohtas only for this fort. While trying to find more about the fort I found that besides this great fort, Rohtas has some other historic monuments as well. 

Two of those three sites are historically and religiously very important Gurdwaras of Choa Sahib and Mata Kaur Ji. Hence it is a significant place for Sikhs from religious point of view. The third is a tomb built during the Mughal era of a princess, Khair un Nissa. 

After entering the fort through Khwas Khani gate I and my cousin Nasir Mehmood reached the populated part of the fort. Here, we asked people about a Sikh Gurdwara, they told us to see Bhola, who runs a tyre repair shop under a tree, near a mosque. Bhola turned out to be the caretaker of Gurdwara Mata Kaur ji. It is a small beautiful gurdwara, it has recently been renovated by a persona Gurbachan Singh. Who lives in some foreign country but frequently visits this place. He has appointed Bhola as the caretaker. The gurdwara is small one room building but very beautifully decorated. 

Now something about Mata Kaur ji. She was born in Rohtas in 1681, into a religious family and had great devotion for Guru Gobind ji. Her father wanted her to marry guru ji. But as Guru Gobind ji was already married, so she decided to serve and accompany him throughout his life. Observing her great devotion, Guru ji declared her the mother of all Khalsa. Thus she has a very respectful position in Sikh faith and all Sikhs consider her as the mother of their nation. She led them through many crises and died in 1747. (For more details, see Sikhiwiki)

Gurdwara Mata Kaur ji, before renovation. (Picture: Sikhiwiki.org)

Entrance of the Gurdwara Mata Kaur ji, (18.08.2015.)

Ceiling of the gurdwara Mata Kaur ji. (18.08.2015.)

Engraving of Hamandir Sabhib. (18.08.2015.)

Decoration on the left wall. (18.08.2015.)

A picture of ten Sikh Gurus. (18.08.2015.)

A picture of ten Sikh Gurus. (18.08.2015.)

Ghulam Mustafa, aka Bhola, the caretaker of the Gurdwara Mata Kaur ji. (18.08.2015.)

Bhola opened the door of the gurdwara and let us enter and take pictures. He took off his shoes at the door and we also followed him and entered the room after removing our shoes. The gurdwara is a small but very beautifully decorated room. With beautiful tile works on the walls and roof, and also many pictures of Sikh holy places and gurus. The gurdwara is located at  32°58'5.66"N,   73°34'41.48"E.

Now something about Bhola (in Urdu and Punjabi means, simple or naive). Though not rich or well educated, he is a gentleman. I did not see an iota of greed or cleverness in his conduct. He performs his duty of taking care of the gurdwara Mata Kaur ji, with honesty and sincerity. But I shall write more about him later on. He can be contacted at

Our next point of interest was an old historic gurdwara associated with Baba Guru Nanak Dev ji, who was born in Nankana Sahib in 1469 and died at Kartarpur, near Shakargarh in 1539. Guru Ji spent his whole life in preaching love of humanity, tolerance and harmony between the followers of different religions. To learn and preach he travelled extensively all of India and beyond. He is said to even visited Makkah and Medina also. During one of those travels he came to Rohtas. The place where he stayed and prayed became holy for Sikhs and they constructed a gurdwara to commemorate his visit. Sikhs occupied Rohtas in 1765 and probably they constructed a simple gurdwara soon after that. But the current building was constructed in 1834, during the rule of Maharaja Ranjit Sikh (https://www.allaboutsikhs.com/gurudwaras-in-pakistan/gurudwara-chowa-sahib-at-rohtas-distt-jhelum). 

Gurdwara Choa sahib is located just outside the Talaqi gate of Rohtas Fort, at  32°58'16.49"N;  73°34'23.75"E. So when we reached the fort. We told our guide, who was lurking in the parking lot and immediately offered his services to us, to cut his lecture on the legends of Rotas fort short and take us straight to the gurdwara. While passing through Chand Wali gate and seeing the haveli of Man Singh and Rani Mahal we proceeded towards Talaqi gate. The whole path from Rani Mahal on wards to the gate, almost half a kilometer was totally covered with wild thorny plants and bushes. I expressed my doubt and repeated my intended destination, but the guide assured me that we were on the right path. When we reached Talaqi gate, we indeed saw the gurdwara right in front of us. But there was a precipice staring at us with sheer fall of at least 30 meters or perhaps more. We had no other option but to return back. The return journey in the hot suffocating weather itself was a big challenge. 

After seeing a few more parts of the fort, we again came to Bhola and asked him to take us to the Gurdwara Choa sahib. He readily agreed. We came out of the fort through Khwas Khani Gate and turned left on a track, along the walls of the fort. The gurdwara is exactly 1 kilometer from the gate. The path is very bad and stony. Bhola told us that it was reasonably good, but recent heavy rains have damaged it. We had to park our car half way to the gurdwara. The building of the gurdwara is in a reasonably good condition. Bhola told us that Sikh Yatrees occasionally come to visit this place. Especially on a annual festival they come in hundreds. 

The gurdwara is located between river Ghan and the Rohtas fort. It has three storeys. Though there are no religious articles of Sikh faith in gurdwara but it is in good condition and sometimes Sikhs come here to visit it and offer their prayers. However, the sarovar beside the gurdwara is not in a very good shape. Bhola holds the keys of this gurdwara and took us inside. 

View of the Gurdwara Choa Sahib from Talaqi gate. (18.08.2015.)

Three storey building of gurdwara Choa sahib. (18.08.2015.)

View of Talaqi gate from the gurdwara. (18.08.2015.)

Sarovar (sacred pond) of the gurdwara Choa sahib. (18.08.2015.)

View of the sarovar from the roof of the gurdwara. (18.08.2015.)

Ground floor of the gurdwara. (18.08.2015.)

View from the first floor. (18.08.2015.)

After the partition, a water pump was installed here. Now that has been shifted to its own building nearby. (18.08.2015.)

A closed door of the gurdwara Choa sahib. (18.08.2015.)

A corridor on first floor. (18.08.2015.)

 A view of upper floors. (18.08.2015.)

 A view of upper floors. (18.08.2015.)

A view of upper floors. (18.08.2015.) 

 

North eastern corner of the gurdwara. 

View from the north. (18.08.2015.)

View from the north. (18.08.2015.)

Gurdwara Choa sahib with Talaqi gate in the background. (18.08.2015.)

Now it was almost 1230 and the real feel temperature was 48° C. By then I and my companion Nasir, were so completely exhausted that it became extremely difficult for us to go back to our car just half a kilometer away. A little ascend of 25 meters became a big challenge for us. Bhola was just smiling at our condition and advising us not to go on an adventure in such a weather. But that advice came too late. We twice sat under the shadows of bushes and drank whatever little water we had. 

To drop Bhola, we again entered Rohtas and asked Bhola to find cold lemon water for us. As I was not in a mood to drink just water or even my favourite drink Pepsi. He said in that case we should go to his home. After a little hesitation and on his insistence we went to his home which was close by. It was a loadshedding (power cut) time, but the interior of the house was more comfortable than outside. Luckily power came in ten minutes and in the meanwhile Bhola's wife brought a jug full of cold Rooh Afza with the addition of lemon. Needles to say that that was the most delicious drink that I ever have had in my life. We stayed there for almost half an hour. Bhola and his wife insisted on preparing lunch for us, but after thanking them properly for their hospitality we took our leave. If anybody go to Rohtas, I suggest to take Bhola as a guide and I also request the visitor to thank Bhola on my behalf and give him a message that I have not forgotten his hospitality. Ghulam Mustafa (Bhola) can be contacted at +92 332 583 2019.

Though by this time little strength was left in our lazy bodies, but I thought it would be a mistake not to touch our third and the last target and that was the tomb of Khair un Nissa. To our good luck that was the easiest to reach. As our small car easily reached the tomb. I could not find much detail about the tomb of Khai un Nissa, except that she was a princess of the ruling Mughal family and died on a journey and was buried here. The tomb is located at  32°58'40.43"N;  73°34'51.30"E

 .

Entrance of the Tomb of Khair un Nissa. (18.08.2015.)

View of the tomb from the south side. (18.08.2015.)

A tower beside an old graveyard. (18.08.2015.)

 View from the south east. (18.08.2015.)

View of the grave yard from the platform of the tomb. (18.08.2015.)

A distant view of the Rohtas Fort. (18.08.2015.)

One of the four cupolas. (18.08.2015.)

A cupola and the stairs passage. (18.08.2015.)

Another view of the tomb. (18.08.2015.)

A closer view of the tomb. (18.08.2015.)

The first look of the tomb completely surprised me. First I was not expecting to find such a great building and the second surprise was that such a magnificent building has been completely abandoned by the concerned government departments. Perhaps that is the reason that this tomb draws so little an attention of the general public. The building is is in a reasonably good condition but due to the negligence of the authorities is occupied by squatters. Who have put an rusting iron gate on the main entrance and locked it. Other passages are also blocked. Once there must have been a beautiful garden around the tomb. Its boundary wall is still visible around it. All I can say is that please someone do something to preserve it. 

Please comment and if possible provide some details about the tomb of Khair un Nissa. 

Tariq Amir

October 28, 2015.

Doha - Qatar. 

041. Tomb Of Abd un Nabi in District Gujranwala

The tomb of Abd un Nabi is a majestic building located in, ahm, somewhere in the district Gujranwala, near a small village called Kotly Maqbara at 32°2'0.81"N, 74°30'39.27"E. It is situated in such a remote countryside that even describing its location is not easy. You can see the map given below to find its exact spot. The huge tomb is a grand structure standing tall in the green fields and visible from a long distance. Its sheer size and architectural beauty are simply marvelous. I am surprised that such a lofty building has not drawn the attention it deserves—and due to this negligence, it is fast approaching a stage where repair or restoration might become difficult. Already, huge cracks have appeared in one of the four cupolas of the tomb. The main structure is also eroding at the lower parts.

When I approached the tomb, I was awestruck by its sheer size and its location on such a vast plain, far away from any big city or town. I had read that local people call it a work of jins, and the same story was told to me by three wandering boys lurking in and around the tomb. For a moment, the story seems credible.

 Tomb of Abd un Nabi at Kotly Maqbara, Southern side. (12.08.2015.)

 Tomb of Abd un Nabi at Kotly Maqbara, view from the East. . (12.08.2015.)

 Tomb of Abd un Nabi at Kotly Maqbara. (12.08.2015.)

Tomb of Abd un Nabi at Kotly Maqbara. (12.08.2015.)

Though it is clear from historical references that Abd un Nabi was a prominent courtier of Akbar, during the early decades of his rule. But it cannot be said with certainty that the same person is buried in this tomb. I found the following references about Abd un Nabi on the net, which I would like to share with you.

On 28 May, 2015, an article by Aown Ali was published in Dawn. It is a good article on Abd un Nabi and his tomb and gives following information:

This idea is based on the research of some of our renowned archaeologists, for example Ihsan H. Nadiem in an article on historic monuments in Gujranwala writes:

"The tomb is associated with Sheikh Abdul Nabi who was a tutor of the great Akbar. The Sheikh reached the status of Sadrus Sudur but was exiled to the holy places (Makkah and Madina) when the emperor was poisoned by Sheikh Faizi and Abdul Fazal."
"He was ordered not to return to his country unless called by the emperor. On receiving rumors of disturbed conditions in India under Akbar he, however, came back without the permission of the emperor and settled in Ahmadabad in Gujarat in 1583. He was, therefore, arrested by Akbar and sent to prison under the charge of his old rival, Abul Fazal.  

"Another version tells of his having been murdered, while yet another attributes it was a natural death. But both accounts agree that it happened in 1584."

Furthermore, in the same article, the veteran archaeologist says that there is no dated inscription record about the monument yet the architectural features on comparative basis suggests it dates back to the early 17th century of Shahjahan’s rule (1628-1658).
However, the comparative historical notes suggest that Sheikh Abdul Nabi was imprisoned and died in Fatehpur Sikri in 1583. It seems strange that the body of a person who was oppressed by the emperor was shifted so far away, and for what reason? Why was he buried in this great wilderness, as it surely has been towards the end of 16th century when the sheikh died.

 Our archeologists do not accommodate this query. But the historic record that we do have is a testament to the fact that Sheikh Abdul Nabi, the Sadrus Sudur, was buried in Narnaul in the Indian state of Haryana. This place is not too far from Fatehpur Sikri where the sheikh died while in prison. The other school of thought regarding the tomb relates it to the Diwan Abdul Nabi Khan who is said to be the governor of Wazirabad under Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb’s era. Dr. Saif ur Rahman Dar the archeologist and Salman Rashid the travel writer are leading on this thought. Dr. Dar even establishes that Diwan Abdul Nabi Khan was a tutor of the grandchildren of Nawab Saad Ullah Khan, the prime minister, under Shah Jahan.

 A closer view of the tomb. (12.08.2015.)

 Eastern side of the tomb. (12.08.2015.)

اس مقبرہ کے نیچے تین مزار ہیں. درمیان میں شیخ عبدالنبي جانب مغرب ان کا بیٹا اور جانب مشرق ان کے مرید خاص آرام فرما ہیں.

 The board reads: There are three graves under this tomb. In the centre, Sheikh Abd un Nabi, on the west side his son, and on the east side his disciple lie buried.  

 Passage to the lower chamber containing graves. (12.08.2015.)

Grave of Sheikh Abd un Nabi. (12.08.2015.)

http://www.columbia.edu/itc/mealac/pritchett/00islamlinks/ikram/part2_12.html

On the above link I found the following incidents about the life of Abdul Nabi. It shows that he was an important person in the court of Emperor Akbar.

The assemblies in the Ibadat Khan had been arranged by Akbar out of sincere religious zeal, but ultimately they were to drive him away from orthodoxy. This was partly the fault of those who attended the gatherings. At the very first session there were disputes on the question of precedence, and when these were resolved, a battle of wits started among the participants. Each tried to display his own scholarship and reveal the ignorance of the others. Questions were asked to belittle rivals, and soon the gatherings degenerated into religious squabbles. The two great theologians of the court, Makhdum-ul-Mulk and Shaikh Abdul Nabi, arrayed on opposite sides, attacked each other so mercilessly that Akbar lost confidence in both of them. His disillusionment extended to the orthodoxy they represented.
Shaikh Abdul nabi, although not personally accused of graft, is said to have had corrupt subordinates. He was a strict puritan, and his hostility toward music was one of the grounds on which his rival attacked him in the discussions in the House of Worship. The petty recriminations of the ulama disgusted the emperor, but probably a deeper cause for his break with them was an issue that is comparable in some ways to the conflict between the church and the state in medieval Europe. The interpretation and application of Islamic law, which was the law of the states, was the responsibility of the ulama. Over against this, and certain to come in conflict with it, was Akbar's concentration of all ultimate authority in himself. Furthermore, with Akbar's organization of the empire on new lines, problems were arising which the old theologians were unable to comprehend, much less settle in a way acceptable to the emperor.
One such problem brought matters to a climax in 1577. A complaint was lodged before the emperor by the qazi of Mathura that a rich Brahman in his vicinity had forcibly taken possession of building material collected for the construction of a mosque and had used it for building a temple. "When the qazi had attempted to prevent him, he had, in presence of witnesses, opened his foul mouth to curse the Prophet, …. and had shown his contempt for Muslims in various other ways." The question of suitable punishment for Brahman was discussed before the emperor, but, perplexed by conflict considerations, he gave no decision. The Brahman languished in prison for a long time. Ultimately Akbar left the matter to Shaikh Abdul Nabi, who had the offender executed. This led to an outcry, with many courtiers like Abul Fazl expressing the view that alghough an offense had been committed, the extreme penalty of execution was not necessary. They based their opinion on a decree of the founder of the Hanafi school of Islamic law. Abddul Nabi's action was also severely criticized by the Hindu courtiers and by Akbar's Rajput wives.

A similar incident is mentioned in a book Themes in Indian History by Raghunath Rai, in the following words:

The king (Akbar) listened to the view points of all the scholars and sometimes asked very intelligent questions. But he was much disgusted with the orthodox Muslims religious leaders like Makhdum ul Malik, Abdul Nabi and others as they showed obnoxious intolerance of another's views.

Again in another book titled Domesticity and Power in the Early Mughal World by Ruby Lal, our Abdul Nabi is not mentioned in good words:

One one occasion, even the Sadr (chief Judge) of the empire Shaykh Abd un Nabi has sought "protection from secluded ladies". Abd un Nabi was the grandson of Abdul Qaddus Gangohi, a great saint of his time. Akbar had appointed Abd un Nabi the Sadr of the empire but found cases of bribery and murder against him, and therefore gave his position to Sultan Khvajeh. Abd un Nabi was banished to Mecca. It was after his return that he sought refuge with the women. In due time Akbar gave orders for his arrest "in such manner that the ladies should not know of it."Abd un Nabi was later put to death: but it is interesting that Akbar had to do all this quietly, without crossing swords with the senior women of his haram.

Even his famous contemporary historian Abdul Qadir Badayuni, also seems to be not happy with the gentleman and his opinion is expressed in the following words:

Badauni not only has his complain only for Shias or Hindus, he too has reservations for many people fro among Sunni faith. Shaikh Abd un Nabi, the chief Sard, a bigoted Sunni is great target of him, in spite of his being good terms with Sadr, he related too many 'infamous' act of the Sardr.

The above information I took from the blog:
http://indianhistory4scholars.blogspot.qa/2009/04/mughal-historian-abdul-qadir-badauni.html

Cracks are visible in this cupola. (12.08.2015.)

This beautiful cupola may not survive for long. (12.08.2015.)

 One of the four cupolas. (12.08.2015.)

 

Another cupola. (12.08.2015.)

 Except one cupola, the other three are in a very bad shape. (12.08.2015.)

A view of Kotly Maqbara. (12.08.2015.)

 Western side of the tomb. (12.08.2015.)

Southern side of the tomb. (12.08.2015.)

Interior of the huge dome. (12.08.2015.)

View of the tomb from the South. (12.08.2015.) 

 A parting shot of the tomb.  (12.08.2015.)

While looking for some material for this post, I found that Abd un Nabi had constructed a beautiful mosque in Delhi. It was constructed in 1575/76 and is located at  28°37'42.06"N,  77°14'30.94"E. 

The approach to the tomb itself is not difficult, as you can take a car close to it. However, reaching Kotly Maqbara, a small village, is a more challenging task. But once near the area, the tomb is visible from a long distance. With the help of Google Maps, however, one can reach the site without much difficulty. I advise my readers to consult the map given below.

You are welcome to share any more information about Abd un Nabi or his tomb.

Tariq Amir

October 2, 2015.
Doha - Qatar.