Channan Pir
18 October 2014
Labels: Cholistan, Culture, Punjab
posted by Salman Rashid @ 00:00,
3 Comments:
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At 19 October 2014 at 14:42,
said...
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Sir thanks for providing details of Channan Pir
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At 19 October 2014 at 15:39,
said...
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The fascination and ardour with folklores that we people are akin to is indeed remarkable. These folklores were believed not only by the locals but also by the so-called learned English Sahibs of the time as well. In 1850s Sir Alexander Cunningham, writing about Harappa talks about a folklore about Harappa. Let me quote from what he wrote:
....... The people refer to the ruins of Harappa to the wickedness of a Raja named Hari Pal or Hara Pala who was in a habit of claiming to the sovereign rights at every bridal. At last, in the exercise to his royal privilege, he committed incest with a near relative. Some say his own sister, others his wife's sister or his wife's sister's daughter. The girl prayed to the heavens for vengeance, and the city of Harappa was instantly destroyed. Some say it was by fire and some say earthquake; others say that an invader suddenly appeared, and the city was taken by storm, and the Raja killed. The period of its destruction is vaguely said be about 1200 to 1300 years ago. If this date is correct, the city of Harappa must have been destroyed by Muhammad-bin-Kasim in AD 713, just 1260 years ago. I am inclined to put some faith in this belief of the people, as they tell the same stories about all the ruined cities in the plains of Punjab, as if they had all suffered at the same time from some sudden and common catastrophe, such as the overwhelming invasion of the Arabs under Muhammad-bin-Kasim. The story of the incest also belongs to the same period, as Raja Dahir of Alor is also said to have married his own sister. ............
Interestingly, Chachnama the book which narrates the story of Raja Dahir marrying his sister was translated into Persian in 1216 AD. The English translation of the book was done by Mirza Kalichbeg Fredunbeg in 1900. Cunningham wrote about this folklore in 1856.
And this is what make these orally transmitted folklores so fascinating and romantic to the core.
Another interesting facet mentioned in the same paper by Cunningham is discovery of a long grave on one of the mounds of Harappa - in his own words:
......... On the same mound but lower down towards the east, there is a tomb of a Naogaja named Nur Shah, which is 46 ft long and 3 1/2 ft wide. Besides the tomb there were formerly three large stones, which the people believed to be the thumb rings of the gigantic Naugaja. ............
Baba Nur Shah as he is locally known, is believed to have lived in this area in the 17th century. Locals say Baba Nur Shah was a giant and, ironically, his 9-metre long tomb in Harappa attracts more visitors than the ancient ruins themselves. The tomb was properly constructed in 1918. According to the administration, the grave is unusually long on account of having the Sufi’s personal belongings buried with him.
Regards.
Sufyan. -
At 19 October 2014 at 15:43,
said...
-
The fascination and ardour with folklores that we people are akin to is indeed remarkable. These folklores were believed not only by the locals but also by the so-called learned English Sahibs of the time as well. In 1850s Sir Alexander Cunningham, writing about Harappa talks about a folklore about Harappa. Let me quote from what he wrote:
....... The people refer to the ruins of Harappa to the wickedness of a Raja named Hari Pal or Hara Pala who was in a habit of claiming to the sovereign rights at every bridal. At last, in the exercise to his royal privilege, he committed incest with a near relative. Some say his own sister, others his wife's sister or his wife's sister's daughter. The girl prayed to the heavens for vengeance, and the city of Harappa was instantly destroyed. Some say it was by fire and some say earthquake; others say that an invader suddenly appeared, and the city was taken by storm, and the Raja killed. The period of its destruction is vaguely said be about 1200 to 1300 years ago. If this date is correct, the city of Harappa must have been destroyed by Muhammad-bin-Kasim in AD 713, just 1260 years ago. I am inclined to put some faith in this belief of the people, as they tell the same stories about all the ruined cities in the plains of Punjab, as if they had all suffered at the same time from some sudden and common catastrophe, such as the overwhelming invasion of the Arabs under Muhammad-bin-Kasim. The story of the incest also belongs to the same period, as Raja Dahir of Alor is also said to have married his own sister. ............
Interestingly, Chachnama the book which narrates the story of Raja Dahir marrying his sister was translated into Persian in 1216 AD. The English translation of the book was done by Mirza Kalichbeg Fredunbeg in 1900. Cunningham wrote about this folklore in 1856.
And this is what make these orally transmitted folklores so fascinating and romantic to the core.
Another interesting facet mentioned in the same paper by Cunningham is discovery of a long grave on one of the mounds of Harappa - in his own words:
......... On the same mound but lower down towards the east, there is a tomb of a Naogaja named Nur Shah, which is 46 ft long and 3 1/2 ft wide. Besides the tomb there were formerly three large stones, which the people believed to be the thumb rings of the gigantic Naugaja. ............
Baba Nur Shah as he is locally known, is believed to have lived in this area in the 17th century. Locals say Baba Nur Shah was a giant and, ironically, his 9-metre long tomb in Harappa attracts more visitors than the ancient ruins themselves. The tomb was properly constructed in 1918. According to the administration, the grave is unusually long on account of having the Sufi’s personal belongings buried with him.
Regards.
Sufyan.
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