When I got up early morning, I knew it would be a long day, so pushed out early after Fajr prayers. As I moved out of Islamabad on the motorway, I kept wondering; it is not long before the twin cities of Rwp & Islo will swell till Chakri. Miles after miles you see land being levelled and developed with different names: Faisal Town, Smart City, Gandhara and the list goes on. What came to my mind was how will we show our future generations the beauty of Potohar? May be we’ll have to take them deep away from the motorway. As we descended the Salt Range, I was thinking of Al-Biruni Mountain, Katas Raj, Khewra and my long pending visit to Chakwal. Potohar has so much to offer, but I think time restricts you and intent pulls you. Well, after a cigarette and tea at Salam, we kept moving till we were on M4 Faisalabad–Multan. I think the motorway has changed our travel pattern. We kept moving till Khanewal interchange and decided to exit to get a top-up. Unlike Lahore M2, this has one ordinary rest area. As we passed by Multan from Shershah, my memory clock took me back to when I was first posted there in 2002. Escalation with India had started. I remember my hard-earned leave after ending staff college was terminated and I reported to Multan. My children could not understand why I was going when I was on leave. As I landed in Cantonment, I was told that I am OC train and have to take a train full of ammunition, including tank ammunition, to a place called Tibbi Izzat near Ahmed Pur East. The night was like India–Pakistan migration of 1947, everyone trying to stuff his things to reach forward locations. I still remember my brigade commander came in the end and told me, “Don’t stop, reach quickly,” as if I was driving, “and be mindful of air attack and you know what you have to do.” Honestly, I was lost! What to do? I had read but never experienced. Anyway, I reached where we were to disembark. I still remember the mango orchard where I spent one year in one tent doing reconnaissance for days and returning to a comfortable tent with temperatures rising near 50 degrees. Guess what was the biggest threat? You could not sleep or walk without a stick—king black cobras. Initially, every day I used to send 3–4 to brigade headquarters as they wanted to test its venom. Finally, I was scolded by the brigade major not to send daily. I remember his words: “You think we eat them?” Anyway, I was posted after one year feeling very happy to go to Quetta but found the brigade I was placed near Sutlej Hujra Shah Muqeem, in another tent for one year . My family still in Multan alone, when we were moved to Chaman border in Bln, my family still in Multan. I am writing this to explain that we still enjoyed Multan on short vacations. I never knew I would be writing this around 25 years later.
The new motorway M5 Multan–Sukkur is nicely done. It’s six-lane, interestingly with less traffic compared to N5 or GT Road. As we exited Uch interchange after 6 hours of travel, I hardly knew where to start but found a good signboard of some of the sites of historic importance. I had a basic reading on Uch Sharif and asked a person. The way Saraiki people are polite, he gave us all the guidance. Passing through a new road with paddy fields and thick mango trees, I thought we had hit the right weather to come to this place. Suddenly, on our right, hardly 10 minutes of travel, we could see the tomb of Bibi Jiwandi and two more. These half-cut tombs have stayed in my mind to visit for long. I knew they are on UNESCO heritage listing since 1998 but not declared. I also knew the US Consulate had once given money for its restoration. Punjab Government has done well with the road and signposting; we were there in no time. We parked our car under a massive wall of Mazar Shrine around 18 meters. A small lively bazaar with beads, rosaries, flowers and sweets (Tabarruk as we call it). It was Friday; I could find more ladies than men. I was too neatly dressed up for the place. Southern Punjab is not like the north; people are polite, peaceful and live day to day. This is my long experience. As I climbed long stairs, the man sitting on the gate welcomed us in Militia uniform, may be from Auqaf and said to others, “Make way.” I had to stop him. He said, “I can keep your chappal,” and I agreed. As we entered the courtyard, it was much like Multani-style blue & white tile work and small bricks. A lot of ladies sitting for Juma prayers, this can only happen in Southern Punjab or Sindh. In front is the mosque and on the right is the building tomb of Syed Jalaluddin Surkh Posh Bokhari, a saint amongst 4 Qutb Aulia, commonly known as Char Yar (four friends). He is a 13th-century saint (595 AH–690 AH) who migrated from Bukhara, Uzbekistan. He is a pioneer of Suhrawardi Chishtia order or silsila and also Jalali order. As per legend, he met Changez Khan and preached Islam. Changez Khan ordered him to be burnt alive, but fire did not harm him, and in return, Changez Khan gave his daughter’s hand to Syed Jalaluddin Surkh-Posh. I will not dwell on him, but suffice to say that he was the one who converted many tribes to Islam including Punjab, Sindh, Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh. Most kings in Sindh and India were his disciples. Many stories are linked to him and his pedigree, and many are buried around him.
His tomb has many graves. As I entered, people made way for me, though this was a very private visit, and I sat for some time in solitude while many wanted me to touch the grave. I realised I was picking attention. I noticed nice old wooden work on pillars and roof; some work was also ongoing. Suddenly, a person approached me and himself became my guide and started explaining his Karamat and Syed Jalaluddin’s disciples and teachers. He also managed to show me a window which overlooks Bibi Jiwandi’s actual grave which is open once on Urs on November 19. In the end, he did ask for money. I gave him a reasonable amount, but he demanded more. I disengaged and offered my Jumma in the mosque beautifully done. Later I was told it was done recently. Wooden pillars and nice murals of different colours with a floor of small bricks. It gave me inner happiness when Imam Sahib made special prayers for the army and how they protected in Operation Sindoor. It gave me confidence that if these people are with us, then may it be 2.0 or 6.0 does not matter.
After taking some pics and getting vibes of the 18 m high wall of the tomb, another young boy approached me and said, “Do you want me to guide you to other places?” I thought it was a good offer; it would save me time and secondly I would get the local pulse. From a backdoor, we moved into a street—all mud and mud brick houses. Even some young boys and ladies asked me for money. We walked hardly 5 minutes to reach the gate of Bibi Jiwandi. I stood there for some moments, lost in time; honestly, it reminded me of Registan Square in Uzbekistan. We approached from the back of the tombs; there are three tombs all intact from the rear and cut from the front. It’s a marvel. It has lots of graves around. Kausar, the young guide, was fluent; he told me he was illiterate but knew history and poetry, and I would grade him an A-class guide. First we visited Bibi Jiwandi Tomb, an octagonal structure with two or three stories, with minarets on 8 turnings, resembling a lot like Shah Rukn-e-Alam in Multan. I had heard it was about to fall, but I believe some work has gone in, and it’s not in very bad shape. As per locals, her body was shifted by Qutb-ud-Din’s son, but as per my understanding, it was shifted when great floods of 1817 damaged the tombs. She was granddaughter of Syed Jahanian (details later) and a pious woman with intense knowledge and influence. Next to it is the tomb of Bahal Haleem, one of the disciples of Syed Jalaluddin and a learned scholar who ran his mission as a preacher. The cut tomb is much like Bibi Jiwandi’s with the same texture, and last is of Ustad Nuria who was Persian, and he is said to have built all. He was a saint himself and is believed to have built his tomb before his death! The three tombs overlook the green belt and Cholistan. If maintained well, these are beautiful sites. Some green patches and facilities can create wonderful Sufi tourism spots. We moved back to the car to find a new building. I asked Kausar what it was, and his reply made me laugh. He said these are rest rooms made for any foreigner who comes here!
Kausar offered me to go to the other side. He wanted to walk there, but I did not want to lose him, so made him sit in the car. On the way, I told him, “Send me a young boy as smart as you, and I will keep him with me.” He immediately said, “Take me.” We drove on the other side of the road, parked in a street, and walked up. Jalaluddin Jahangasht is the grandson of Syed Jalaluddin Bokhari. He also follows the Jahanian order. Jahangasht means “travel the world.” He had travelled from Syria to Bengal and 36 times to Hajj. Mahmud Tughlaq respected him a lot. There are many stories related to him. As I entered his tomb, I was shocked when I was told that he brought footprints of Hazrat Ali (RA) right foot which were placed there, and I had the honour to touch and see. Also, the family still carries ornaments and utensils of Hazrat Imam Hussain which are shown once on Urs. A wall also exists which, as per preaching, was brought from Hejaz. The tomb quite resembles that of his grandfather. Nice wooden carving and some murals on the roof. Uch Sharif was giving me surprises. I saw a small mosque, and Kausar told me this mosque was built by Muhammad Bin Qasim. I showed desire to see! Under renovation from inside, it was made of red clay, a small mosque still being used. My eye also caught on Behishti Darwaza (Door to Heaven) and well linked to Baba Farid Ganj Shakar. There were still some tombs of teachers and disciples.
I would not like to end Uch but give little history to make readers understand where it stands in history. Many archaeologists like Cunningham link it to Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro civilization, while some say it was created by Alexander. It has many names in history like Spada, Bhattia, Devgarh. It saw its zenith from 12th–17th century when it was capital of the area, shifted to Delhi later. The name Uch has anecdotes: one, Ucha was daughter of Dev, the ruler of the time; she accepted Islam, and the place was named after her. Some say she was princess of Buddhist ruler of the time, and second, it was a high mound on banks of Hakra and Chenab. It resisted many invasions including Huns and Tatars and was a big city-like civilization said to be 26–30 km in size. Much to write and explore, but we decided to move on.
We wanted to see some farms for agri-tourism. After getting lost, we hit Chani Goth and moved along Abbasia Canal in Cholistan. Life was very simple, and farming and cattle farming are the only way of life. The Cholistan breed is famous. We almost came to the end of Abbasia Canal. It was getting dark, and we had to travel back on dust track. We were near Feroza, as I remember was full desert, and we used to conduct firing. The place is becoming green with variety of crops. Finally near Maghrib we hit N5 to travel back and reached at night to Bahawalpur. Every time I come here, I find a change in Bahawalpur: new brands, roads, and so much to shop and eat. Finally, we reached our room after 12 hours of travel! A day well spent. I think I need another visit to Uch Sharif, and it can become a wonderful destination for tourism. South Punjab has so much to offer…..
Regards
LG Hassan (R)
MD Green Tourism
