Bhera

Bhera is a town in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is located on the Jhelum river in Sargodha District, at latitude 32.48 N, longitude 72.92 E. Pop. (1901) 18,680. It is the terminus of a branch of the North-Western Railway. It is an important centre of trade, with manufactures of cotton goods, metal-work, carving. Bhera was founded about 1540 on its present site, but it took the place of a city on the opposite bank of the river, of far greater antiquity, which was destroyed at this period. Bhera is located on the mid of Lahore-Islamabad motorway (M2) at the left bank of river Jhelum near Southern Salt Range in Sargodha District. Before independence 1947, it was located in Shahpur District. Bhera is surrounded by green fields and its importance increased due to Motorway passes near Bhera.

The most important Mohallas or localities of old Bhera are the Pirachagan Mohalla, the Sethian wala Mohalla, the Sahnian wala Mohalla. (Mohallah Shah Naseebi Daryi Bhera)And most popular person is Atif Hussain and Muhammad Asif Wanted

History

"Bhera" is a Sanskrit word which means: "a place where there is no fear".

According to the "Ancient Geography of India" by Alexander Cunningham Bhera was once known as Jobnathnagar [Ancient Geography of India, Page 130 - Alexander Cunningham]

cquote|The modern town of Bhira or Bheda is situated on the left bank of the Jhelam ;but on the opposite bank of the river , near Ahmedbad , there is a very extensive mound of ruins , called Old Bhera or Jobnathnagar , the city of Raja Jobnath , or Chobnath, .

And Fa Heins visit on page 131

The Imperial Gazetteer of India records the History of Bhera -

The palace of Sopeithes which the Greek historian Arrian mentions as the place on the Hydaspes is supposed to be at BheraFact|date=August 2008. The Greeks refer to the Jhelum river as the Hydaspes River where Alexander fought Porus in Battle of the Hydaspes River in 326BC. It was at this battle that Alexander's famous horse Bucephalus was killed .

The Kukhran Khatris are a group of eleven specific clans of Punjabi Khatris who originally hailed from the town of Bhera in Punjab. Till the time of the partition of India in 1947 Bhera had a mixed population consisting of Hindu, Sikh and Muslim communities.

The demographic composition of Bhera was significantly altered however at the time of partition as almost the entire Hindu and Sikh Bhirochis migrated to India , some chose to stay back and converted to Islam .

The refugees who came to India settled in Delhi , Punjab and other cities of Northern India . N.Delhi continues to have a colony called Bhera town where a section of these refugees were resettled .

Bhera was also home to the Mohyal tribe who also claim PorusFact|date=August 2008.

It is also home to the Punjabi Muslim communities of Piracha and Elahis and the Hayats.

Bhera is a historical city. Mahmud of Ghazni In his attack on Waihind (Peshawar) in 1001-3, is reported to have captured the Hindu Shahiya King Jayapala and fifteen of his principal chiefs and relations some of whom like Sukhpal, were made Musalmans. At Bhera a great many inhabitants, except those who embraced Islam, were put to the sword.

It is located on the Lahore-Islamabad motorway, and connects with Bhera interchange. Sub-tehsil Bhera is the historical city of District Sargodha near Khushab. Its population is 100,000 is mainly dominated by Punjabis. Old Bhera is like old Lahore or old Peshawar. Its markets and streets are narrow. There is a circular road around the city. Old Bhera was situated on the right bank of the River Jehlum, on the opposite side new Bhera is located. There are heaps of ruins of old Bhera and remains of its markets and streets can still be seen on the other bank of the River Jehlum.

Old Bhera was destroyed in 1545 because of the disputes among the Pathan forces, and was rebuilt at the present location, that is the left bank of the River Jhelum. Sher Shah Suri was the founder of the new city. When he visited the old city, he was distressed upon seeing the destroyed areas. He camped at the left bank of river Jehlum, near Qaimnath's hut, and constructed the first building there. He also constructed the Shahi Jamia Mosque in the new city, which rivals the "Shahi Jamia" Mosques of Delhi, Agra and Lahore in beauty. Sher Shah Suri made a road, along which he built an "Eidgah" and water tanks for the passengers.

1300 years ago, many Muslim saints passed by Bhera which became famous in the whole of Asia.Businessmen and scholars arrived first and then many Afghan and Central Asian conquerors such as Mahmud Ghazni, Shahab ud Din Ghori, Mughal Babur and Ahmed Shah Abdali attacked or passed through the city in their campaigns.

Along with other things, peacocks were also presented to Hazrat Suleman. The people of this area were well educated. The people of other cities and countries had been learning Tib, etc. from here. Alexander the great after conquering Iran and passing through the Hindu Kush, reached the Punjab and came to the River Biyas and then turned back from there. Bhera earned a great status during the Mughal rule. Mughal emperor Zaheer-ud-din Babur mentioned this town in his famous book, Tuzk-e-Babri. The town had to face destruction when Sher Shah Suri (1540-1545) defeated Humayun and the Pathan forces took their revenge on the then pro-Mughal town of Bhera.

In the recent past centuries, Bhera was an important trading outpost on the road to Kabul, and boasted of a taksal (mint) during the rule of Ranjit Singh. It declined in importance due to the gradual shifting of the course of the Jhelum river, due to which the town lost the advantage of being located on a river bank

Captain Devas came to Bhera and with the help of the local architect Dhanchand Kohli rebuilt eight Gates of the city facing different directions. These were named Multani Gate, Lahori Gate, Kashmiri Gate, Kabuli Gate, Peeranwala Gate, Chinioti Gate, Loharanwala Gate and Hajji Gulab Gate. Only four gates have survived to date, Peeranwala Gate, Hajji Gulab Gate, Loharanwala Gate and Kabuli Gate which too are in a state of disrepair now. During the reign of Mughal emperor Akbar, BHERA regained its former glory and was one of the 40 cities of Mughal India having a royal mint for minting gold and silver coins.

Ghaznavi, Ghauri and Ahmad Shah Abdali also passed through Bhera while attacking the subcontinent. After the Sikh Raj (1790 to 1849), the British occupied Bhera till independence in 1947. The town of BHERA used to have a boundary wall and eight gates. Unfortunately, there is no official or public awareness about this great city of the past.

Bhera was a large business centre of South Asia. Bhera was also called Wheat center and market of Mehndi. Camels were used as a means of transportation before the train and bus. There were many inns where businessmen and travellers stayed. Bhera was a great centre of industries. Knives and swords were made craftfully. Wood work from here was famous all over the Indian sub continent. One of the carved door from Bhera city exists even today in the Museum of Lahore. In the city there are many beautiful buildings in Mohala Khawajgan, Ansari and Sheesh Mehol. Aurangzeb Alamgeer constructed a mosque near Chinioti Gate Markzi Mosque Mohala Sheikhanwal's Mosque and Chinese tomb near Kabuli gate. At first, Bhera was situated on a circular road, but as the population increased, the people built different colonies out of the circular road. These are Lall wali Lokri, Islam pur, Zain Pur, Hajka, Ali pur, Naseer abad, Fazil Imaam, Sadiqabad, Fateh Gadh, Boodhiwala, Dhollenwala and Meharabad. The Sher Shah Suri mosque is a little version of the Badshahi mosque.

Bhera's Link Roads are Bhera to Bhalwal and Sargodha , Bhera to Malkwal, Shah Pur and Khushab, Bhera to Salam, Bhera to Duhari, and to the main Lahore-Islamabad Motorway.

Attacks on Bhera through history

Bhera has also been attacked by a series of invaders including

*Mahmud of Ghazni – sacked the city [http://dsal.uchicago.edu/reference/gazetteer/pager.html?objectid=DS405.1.I34_V22_219.gifImperial Gazetteer of India v2 page 213] ] in 1004 CE
*Changiz Khan
*Babar holds it to ransom in 1519
*Ahmad Shah Durani attacks in 1757

Bhera in Ferishta s Chronicle

Farishta records .. ["Farishta Vo1 Page 80 Translation by John Briggs ] that after attacking Ajoodhun now Pakpattan cquote|The King marched from thence to another town in the neighbourhood called Dera the inhabitants of which came originally from Khorasan :and were banished thither with their families by Afrasiab , for frequent rebellions . Here they had formed themselves into a small independent state :and being cut of from intercourse with their neighbours by a belt of mountains nearly impassable , had preserved their ancient custom and rites , by not intermarrying with any other people . The King , having with infinite labour cleared a road for his army over the mountains advanced towards Dera which was well fortified . This place was remarkable for a fine lake of water about one parsang and a half in circumference . Dera seems here to be a derivative of Bhera as it is close to Pakpattan and the lake close by Kallar Kahar lake and the people Khukran .

Khawaja Shaikh of Bhera in the census of 1883

The first census of the Punjab was conducted by Denzil Ibbetson and Edward MacLagan in 1883 and 1892. According to their reports, the Khawajas of Bhera in Shahpur, Sargodha District were converted from Khatris.The sections of Khawajas from Bhera were reported as follows:Vohra, Sahgal, Kapur, Sethi, Duggal, Rawar (or Ror), Gorwala, Magun, Mehndru, Motali. These are all Khatri sections.

While those from Jhang were said to be converted from Arora.

At Chiniot in Jhang District, the Khawajas are mainly Khatris, though some are Arora. They reported the following sections (gotras) of Khatris from Chiniot:

Adal, Behrara, Churra, Maggun (or Maghoon), Sahgal, Wadhaun (or Vadhavan), Wihara, Talwar, Puri, Topra.

The following Arora sections were reported from Chiniot:

Tarneja, Goruwala, Khurana, Dhingra, Chawala.

The Khawajas of Layyah,Jhelum, Miani, Sargodha, Chakwal, Punjab have following Khatri sections:

Kapur, Puri, Tandan and Gambhir. [2]

Khatris after accepting Islam adopted Khawaja Shaikh (Arabic: خواجہ شيخ ) as title and it is generally assumed to belong to Muslim trading families. Although large number of them were employed in government services.

When Khatri from the western districts of the Punjab; Sargodha, Jhang, Jehlum, Pind Dadan Khan,Chakwal, Faisalabad; accepted Islam called themselves Khawaja and adopted Shaikh as title. They are also called Khawaja Shaikh. Some of them adopted Mian as title. In recent years traders from a small town of Chiniot of district Jhang became prominent due to their contribution in the industries of Pakistan. These traders are known as Chiniotis or Chinioti Shaikhs.

Famous trading family Sahgals, Sahgal Khatris of Chakwal,Pind Dadan Khan are known as Punjabi Shaikh instead of Khawaja Shaikh. They use Mian as title.

Conversion to IslamThe Khawaja originally from the western districts of the Punjab. They converted from Hinduism to Islam and belong to the Khatri and Arora classes. Khawaja is a term derived from the (Arabic and (Persian meaning "a wealthy, respectable person".

Although conversions to Islam in the Punjab started in the 11th century, it is uncertain when the Khatri and Arora traders embraced Islam. The earliest reference to Khawajas in the Punjab literature is in the Heer Ranjha of Waris Shah (1735-1790):

The beauty of her [Heer's] red lips slays rich Khawajas and Khatris in bazaar, like Qizilbash [Afghan soldiers] troopers riding out of the royal camp into bazaar with a sword. These verses of Heer Ranjha, written by Waris Shah in 1766, describe the conditions of the post-Mughal Punjab. Khatris and Khawajas occupied an important place in the economy of the Punjabi towns. This was probably the earliest reference to the emerging role of Hindu and Muslim Khatris as rich traders, instead of performing their Vedic functions as fighters and governors. Some of the Khatris and Aroras converted as late as 1947 [1]

Last Raja of Bhera

The last chief or Raja of Bhera was Diwan Bahadur Jawahir Mal . [The Punjab Chiefs " by authors W.L.Conran and H.D Craik and published by Sang-E-Meel publications of Lahore Pakistan Page 197] a Kukhran . The Diwan Family originally came from Peshawar,and tradition ascribes the abolition the jazia in Peshawar to his influence .

Justice Shaykh Muhammad Karam Shah al-Azhari

Huzoor Zia-ul-Ummat, Justice Shaykh Muhammad Karam Shah al-Azhari (R.A.) was born on 1st July 1918, (Monday 21st Ramadan al-Mubarak, 1336 Hijri), in Bhera Sharif, Pakistan. The Honourable Shaykh obtained initial education through his beloved father, Shaykh Muhammad Shah (R.A.). After his education at school, the Honourable Shaykh enrolled at the Madrassah Naeemia, Muradabad, India till 1942. Huzoor Zia-ul-Ummat then went on to enrol at one of Pakistan’s famous universities, Punjab University, where he obtained his Master Degree in 1945. The Honourable Shaykh then went on to travel to Cairo, Egypt, the world's famous Al-Azhar University, during the periods of 1951-1954 in, which he obtained the highest degree in Islamic Jurisprudence. When Huzoor Zia-ul-Ummat returned to Pakistan, he became the Spiritual Disciple of Shaykh-ul-Islam wa’l-Muslimeen, Khawaja Muhammad Qamar-al-Din Sialvi, (1906-1981). Huzoor Zia-ul-Ummat, Shaykh Muhammad Karam Shah Al-Azhari was a Saint in the Chishti Nizami Sufi Order.

After completion of his studies, Huzoor Zia-ul-Ummat, Justice Shaykh Muhammad Karam Shah al-Azhari (R.A.), founded the world's famous, Dar-ul-‘Uloom Al-Muhammadiya Al-Ghawthiyya, (DMG University Bhera, Pakistan). This was one of the first educational institutes of its kind to use syllabus of both Islamic Knowledge and B.A. in English, for both boys and girls.

Huzoor Zia-ul-Ummat has translated the Holy Quran in the Urdu Language, by the name of Jamal-ul-Quran and provided the detailed exegesis of the Holy Quran in five volumes, by the name Zia-ul-Quran. The Honourable Shaykh also wrote the detailed masterpiece, Seerah of the Holy Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Aalehi Wasallam, in seven volumes, by the name Zia-un-Nabi. One of the first books of the Honourable Shaykh was the Sunnah Khair-ul-Anaam. Huzoor Zia-ul-Ummat, also was the founder of the world famous Islamic Magazine Zia-e-Harem, which has subscribers all over the world.

Huzoor Zia-ul-Ummat, Justice Shaykh Muhammad Karam Shah al-Azhari (R.A.), served in the Federal Shariah Court as the Chief Justice. The Honourable Shaykh, also held the position of a Judge on the bench of the, Supreme Court of Pakistan, on the request of the Government of Pakistan till the day of his passing away. Along with many, many achievements and awards, Justice Shaykh Muhammad Karam Shah al-Azhari (R.A.), on 6th March 1993, was presented with the Naut-ul-Imtiaz by the President of Egypt, Hosni Mubarak.

Huzoor Zia-ul-Ummat (R.A.) died on the day of Eid-ul-Adha in the year of 1998, (Inna lillahi was inna ilayhi rajioon). On Wednesday 7th April 2004, on the death anniversary of Huzoor Zia-ul-Ummat (R.A), Pakistan Post Office issued a commemorative postage stamp of two rupees. The Honourable Shaykh was known as, The Luminary Light of the Islamic Nation.

ome Eminent Personalities

Bhera has seen some very eminent personalities. Other than the Pirachas and Pir Karam Shah, already mentioned previously, some worth mentioning are as follows. [Khan Bahadur Khawaja Abdul Majeed Duggal, son of a trader from Bhera who had branches of his business house (Kotthi's)as far as Samarkand, Bukhara and in the present Chinese province of Sinkiang, graduated from FC college Lahore in the late 19th century, joined Indian Civil Services and rose to the position of Deputy Commissioner and served in various positions in the British Punjab districts of Karnal, Jhang, Hisar etc. He retired and died in 1942, 43.
Dr Sheikh Fazl ud Din was one such figure. He was the first Muslim surgeon of the area. He was born in 1858 and was the personal physician of Rajas, nawabs and sardars of Punjab, Balochistan, NWFP and Kashmir. Dr M O Dwyer - Civil Surgeon of Gujrat in his Annual Report of 1887 writes " Assistant Surgeon Sheikh Fazl ud Din, for doing a great many surgical operations especially 204 cataract, 69 lithomities and 101 litholopaxies, which last has greatly increased the popularity of Gujrat Dispensary. I trust his work and zeal will be highly appreciated and rewarded with the merits it deserves." Amongst his descendants were Fazle Hamid and Fazle Akbar, two brothers who ceated a record in the Bhera school by getting highest marks in matriculation examination ever in successive years. They both joined the Pakistan Army and rose to the rank of Colonel. Their younger brother Fazle Majid has the distinction of being the first person to get a Doctorate degree, which he got from University of Brisbane, Australia in Genetics. All the sons of Fazle Hamid joined the Pakistan Army. One of them, Shahid Hamid rose to the rank of Lieutenant General, the only one to have reached the General's rank from the area.Other eminent persons to join Government service are Riffat Pasha who rose to the coveted position of Inspector General Police, and Khalid Saeed who joined the District Management Group of Civil Superior Services of Pakistan and became a Federal Secretary.

Hakeem Noor-ud-Din

Al-Haaj Molvi Hakeem Noor-ud-Din, born in Bhera in 1841, was the first Caliph/Khalifa of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad "The Promised Messiah". He was youngest of seven brothers and two sisters. He was 34th in direct lineal descent from Umar Ibn al-Khattab, the Second Caliph of Islam. His family had a tradition of memorzing Quran (Hifz). His mother, Noor Bakht belonged to Awan clan who are said to have descended from Ali bin Abu Talib, fourth Caliph of Islam. [1] He was Royal Physician to Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir for many years. His extensive travels included a long stay in cities of Mecca and Medina in pursuit of religious knowledge. His knowledge of Quran and Hadith is said to be unmatched by any other Islamic scholar of his time. His lectures on Quranic exegesis and Hadith were one of main attractions for visitors to Qadian. He also wrote rebuttals to Christian and Arya Samaj allegations on Islam. He was first person to swear a pledge of allegiance (baiat) to Mirza Ghulam Ahmad when he claimed to be Promised Messiah on 23 March 1889. After Mirza Ghulam Ahmad's demise, Hakeem Noor-ud-Din was unanimously voted as his successor, in his capacity as such he is credited mostly for maintaining unity within the Ahmadiyya community after the death of its founder.

Malik Amjad Ali Noon

Malik Amjad Ali Noon, son of Malik Anwer Ali Noon, was born in June 1954 in Lahore, Pakistan. He got his early education from the prestigious Aitchison College and his Bachelors from the FC College Lahore. He has studied the Law and has attended in his capacity as a member of the District Government, the National Institute of Public Administration (NIPA), Lahore, and the National Defense College, Islamabad. Malik Amjad Ali Noon enjoys popularity in the area because of years of active, progressive political involvement that has largely benefited the poor. The District Sargodha with a population of three million residents came under his jurisdiction, where he served after a record highest mandate in the 2001 elections, as the Zila Nazim (District Governor). Under his tenure the education, health and general administration greatly benefited from policies of transparency, meritocracy and fair play. He also served as Chairman of State Cement Corporation of Pakistan Limited from 1994 to 1998. He has also served as Chief Executive, Cement Research & Development Institute, Lahore; Director, Board of Expert Advisory Cell; Director Board National Fertilizer Corporation; Chairman of the Finance Committee of Pak-Arab Fertilizer, as well as Member, Board of Governors, Aitchison College and Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS). At the age of 34, Malik Amjad Ali Noon was the youngest High Commissioner of Pakistan to Kenya. He was also Ambassador Extraordinary & Plenipotentiary of Pakistan to Rwanda, Ethiopia and Uganda under the [PPP] government of Benazir Bhutto (1989-90). He was also the permanent representative at the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) and HABITAT (World Shelter Programme). Mr Noon also as the distinction of serving as the youngest member of the Majlis-e-Shoora (the Federal Council, Government of Pakistan) under the government of General Zia-ul-Haq. Malik Amjad Ali Noon and his father Malik Anwer Ali Noon mostly live in their hometown village Ali Pur Noon. The Noon family has 27 villages in Tehsil [Bhalwal] : Nurpur Noon, Sultan Pur Noon and Sardar Pur Noon, among others. Malik Feroz Khan Noon ex-Prime Minister of Pakistan was also a prominent member of the [Noon family] .

Farooq Baha-ul-Haq Shah

Peer Farooq Baha-ul-Haq Shah is the youngest son of Justice Shaykh Muhammad Karam Shah al-Azhari (R.A.). He received his basic education from Bhera and then did F.A. from F.C. College Lahore. After his bachelor from Pakistan he moved to UK for higher studies. He came back with the degree of Barrister from UK. He decided to take part in active politics from PML(N) platform under the leadership of Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif. Farooq Baha-ul-Haq contested for NA-64 in 2008 elections. He got a lot of support and love from the people of Bhera and Bhalwal. He is also director of Global Muslim Hands NGO. He has started wonderful things in the area of Education and Health. He has dreams for educating the people of Bhera and Bhalwal.

Malik Anwer Ali Noon

Malik Anwer Ali Noon of Ali Pur Noon son of Malik Sultan Ali Khan Noon is a popular prominent politician of Sargodha in the Noon family. He was a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan in the government of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto . His own village is Ali Pur Noon, situated in Bhera circle in Bhalwal district, Sargodha. Now his son, Malik Amjad Ali Noon, is a very famous and popular political leader in district Sargodha and Bhalwal province Punjab. Ali Pur Noon is a historical village near Bhera in Sargodha. It was settled in the nineteenth century by the Noon family, one chief Malik Anwer Ali Noon son of Malik Sultan Ali Khan Noon of the village Sultan Pur Noon who moved here from Sardar Pur Noon along with their staff and people to cutivate the lands. Ali Pur Noon, which is one of the twenty villages belonging to the Noon family was resided by the family chief. Ali Pur Noon is inhabited by over 24,000 people. It is a self sustained community, having schools, medical clinics, ironmongers, carpenters, traditional craftsmen in leather arts, clay arts, etc. The village is surrounded by citrus, kinoo, Malta, grapefruits, mango, lychee, Guava and date orchards. The date and Mango orchards are over a hundred years old. It also has a very successful stud farm which is owned by Malik Anwer Ali Noon, who was elected a member of the Pakistan National Assembly during the Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto regime, and his son Malik Amjad Ali Noon served in several successive governments on different posts. Malik Anwer Ali Noon and his sons Malik Munawer Ali Noon, Malik Asad Ali Noon and Malik Amjad Ali Noon are very popular in the area among the poor.

Malik Anwer Ali Noon, has 9 grandsons, From his three daughters his grandsons are, Syed Jamal Hussain, Syed Hasnain Raza Shah Gilani, Malik Azhar Awan and from his three sons his grandsons are Malik Azmat Ali Noon, Malik Hasan Noon, Malik Azam Ali Noon, Malik Amin ALi Noon, Malik Asim Ali Noon and Malik Muhammed Ali Noon.

Jamal Hussain is the lead singer in a band in Russell Square,London. He is a lawyer by profession while Azam and Hasnain Raza are students at the Lahore University of Management Sciences. Hasnain or Raza as he is better known is an anthropology student and is writing his senior dissertation on the South Asian Diaspora in the UK. He has been a Teaching Assistant at LUMS for the past two years and has participated in a number of research projects in the Sargodha district. Hasnain Raza Shah has also been writing regularly for The Friday Times and is a partner in Ampak Enterprises, part of the House of Gilani. Azhar has recently returned after graduating from the University of San Francisco. Amin and Asim are students at The Aitchison College Lahore.

Khalid Awan

Khalid Quyyum Awan,Khalid awan,A husband of famous Pakistani filmstar and dancer Mumtaz ,name Riffit Khalid, known as Khalid awan canadian belongs to great Awan family in Khushab .His father, Malik Abdul Quyyum was a famous great ppp leader in Khushab and Bhera. Malik Abdul Quyyum Awan was a very deep friend of ex-Prime minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto,because of personal deep friendship with Bhutto he visited several times Larkana ,Karachi,Lahore,Islamabad and also he has very deep ties with Piracha, Noon,Tiwana, Aahir, Shah, Syed Qureshi, Kahloon families. After the death of Malik Abdul Quyyum Awan, his son Khalid Awan was an active political student [ppp] leader of Khushab , Bhalwal, Bhera and Lahore. After completing his education, He shifted Karachi where he got education in Law. After completing his law, he became very famous lawyer, attorney in Karachi as well as in Lahore, Sargodha,Bhalwal and Khushab.

Bugvia Library Bhera

Bugvia Library is located in the grand Sher Shah Suri Mosque. It was established by the scholars of Bugvia family. There is a huge collection of books on different subjects of Islam. Mostly are in Arabic, Persian, Urdu. A large number of hand written manuscripts are also available. This library remained a useful source of reference for students, scholars and researchers for last about 200 years.

Location

Bhera is located on the left bank of river Jehlum. River is located about one kilometer from the town. Bank of river Jehlum is also nice place for picnic and enjoyments. During Mughal period, carvans from Central Asia, Kabul, Qandahar and Peshawar used to cross the river to go to Lahore, Delhi and other parts of India. Carvans from Kashmir used to reach Bhera along with the river.

Historical places in the vicinity

Tilla Jogian
* [http://taimur.sarangi.info/?p=236 Katas Raj Pictures]
* [http://www.jang.com.pk/thenews/sep2005-daily/05-09-2005/national/n7.htm Reviving Katas Raj]
Taxila
Salt Range
* [http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/arth/meister/pakistan.html Salt Range Temples, Pakistan]

Ancient Hindu Temples

Although the Bhera lost its Hindu population in the great exodus of 1947 several Hindu temples are still standing in Bhera . A temple near the Train Station , one temple near the Lahori Gate, and the third one near the Jhelum river .

Two good Bhirochis

At the time of partition of India two Muslim Bhirochis played a significant and commendable role in saving the lives of the Hindus of Bhera. The names of these two people are Sheikh Fasal Ilahi Piracha and Alam Khan.

Apart from separate mohallas there were also some mixed mohallas of Hindus and Sikhs. Alam Khan lived in the chachi mohallah .

Old Mosques Of Khilji and Tughlaq Periods

There are a few other historical mosques belonging to the Tughlaq, Khiljian and other eras. These Old mosques of emperor Khilji an Afghan Dynasty and Tughlaq a clan of Turkish origin can be visited during the visit of the walled town. Due to unskilled local masons and lack of awareness, these mosques have lost their original shape. Shrine Of Muslim Saint "Hazrat Miran Shah Sahib"

Hazrat Meeran sahib was a great saint of the area who worked for the transmission of Islam in the area. His shrine is located in the western part of the town near river Jehlum. Peoples from different parts of the area visit his shrine in the month of March to give him hamage.

Another old mosque located in the centre of the town is known as the " Tallian Wali Masjid ". It is reputed to have been built by a Hindu converted to Islam, by the name of Sita Talla.

Old Sikh Temple

A beautiful uncompleted Sikh temple is also located in the central part of the town. which is now Markazi Immam Bargha of bhera Its minaret is visible from long distances.

References

External links

* [http://www.geocities.com/hbugvi/ Personal website of H.A. Bugvi on Bhera]
* [http://www.the-south-asian.com/January2006/Bhera_Pakistan_1.htm Bhera – The Town that Time forgot Part 1]
* [http://www.the-south-asian.com/March-April2006/Bhera-PartII-1.htm BHERA - the town that time forgot PartII]
* [http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_6-11-2003_pg7_33 Excavation of Bhera leads to presence of artifacts]
* [http://www.travelpost.com/ME/Pakistan/Punjab/Sargodha/map/1126367 Sargodha, Pakistan Atlas-Style Relief Map]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28wQkP5nFUc Farooq Baha-ul-Haq Shah, PML(N)]

Geographical links

Pothohar Plateau

Towns and cities around Bhera

North - Talagang | Chakwal | Choa Sadian Shah | Khewra

NE - Jhelum

East - Mandi Bahaudin | Dinga |Phalia | Malakwal | Gujarat | Gujranwala | Sialkot | Ghakhar Mandi Qadian, India

West - Jhawrian | Shah pur| Khushab | Hafizabad | Jauharabad| Kundian | Mianwali | Daudwali |
Metha Tiwana | Piplan | Dera Ismail Khan | Paharpur | Bannu

South - Bhalawal | Kot Morman | Hafizabad District |Chakwal| Sargodha | Sahiwal | Mangla Pindi - Bhatian | Chiniot | Okara | Toba Tek Singh

South East - Lahore | Rawalpindi

References