Revisiting the Past
In a City of Living Dead
گدا و گورستان
During the recent trip to Multan for APPNA Winter Meeting, I took a city tour arranged for APPNA members and their families. I have lived in Multan during my first years of medical school at age 18-20. It is a city with lot of influence on me.
And for the last several years, almost for two decades, for various reasons, whenever I visit Pakistan I go to Multan. I spend a day or two visiting my class mate Shakeel Ahmed of Biochemistry in Nishtar. We remisnice on our old days, usually have a sitting with old comrade Salamatullah, now retired from Forensic Deptt. Zafri Shah, from Khanewal is always gracious, visits Multan and then usually accompanies me to a trip further south to Bahawalpur and Yazman.
So I go to Multan every year, but hardly visit the city. Just spend time with friends and move on. I never feel myself as Multani, but do feel a certain sense of allegiance. Taking the trip as a tourist with a guide is always interesting and now I had an opportunity to visit the streets of the past, so I jumped on the tour bus.
APPNA Winter Meeting was arranged by Haroon Durrani, whose family is a centuries old resident of Multan. His father in law, Late Umer Kamal Khan, has written a book on Multan's history and has been pivotal in restoring the Library of Multan.
The local host committe headed by Ijaz Masood and team had arranged a great program, which was toned down due to the Peshawar massacre.
For the tour they chose well the guide. Shakir Hussain a lifetime Multan resident, a literary person with a deep sense of Multani Pride. His guidance made it all worthwhile.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/nasirgondal/16071916029/sizes/z/in/photostream/
Almost all of what I write here is what I learnt from him.
We started off from the Hotel, which is on Abdali Road. It is called Abdali Road as it is believed that Ahmad Shah Abdali was born in Multan. He was soon returned to Afghanistan and never lived here as an adult. There is a monument to commemorate that.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/nasirgondal/16070684790/sizes/c/in/photostream/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/nasirgondal/16070684790/sizes/c/in/photostream/
Multan, Shakir said, is continuously inhabited for 3000 years by now, making it one of the oldest cities.
The road took us straight to Bohar Gate. The old city of Multan has six gates, Bohar, Pak, Haram, Dehli, Daulat and Lahori Gates.
I remember Bohar Gate well. During my time as a student, somehow I got fascinated by the Beeri smoking and switched from Gold Leaf to Beeri Smoking. It is tobacco wrapped in the Beeri leaf, which is dried kachnar perhaps. The place to go for beeri was Bohar Gate.
Multan is a city of saints, The oldest saint in Multan was Moj Darya. I always thought that a place called Pul Moj Darya was perhaps a bridge on a vigorous river, since dried. I did not know that it was the name of a saint.
The second saint to come to Multan was Shah Gardez, from Gerdez of Afghanistan. His tomb is inside the Bohar Gate. It is believed that in those days, the wall of the city was flanked by River (perhaps Chenab) and every year it used to cause havoc to the city during flood season. The first miracle of Shah Gardez was to put his shoes in the rive and order it should never flood again. And so did happen.
We toured the city along the wall, on the outside. Next came Pak Gate. Here is the tomb of Musa Pak, a descendant of Abdul Qadir Gilani and forefather of the ex Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani. Then came Haram Gate. We always thought it is called Haram Gate as it is the red light area and many of my college friends entered manhood through these gates. Shakir Hussain told us that it is called Haram Gate as it was the exclusive entrance for the aristocratic ladies of the times.
Similarly Daoulat Gate is called so for the reason of having the tomb of a saint Daulat Shah.
My first encounter with Multan was at Daulat Gate. My uncle, Taya Afzal, used to live there. He was a professor of Physics in Emerson College. As a kid I was there when another uncle of mine, Mammo Munawar, got married in Fort Colony Multan, we had gathered at Taya Afzal's house to prepare for the Baraat Procession. And when I went to Nisthar, he was still there, although retired for a long time. I spend my first few days in his house before shifting to the campus.
Back to the tour. We had the traditional breakfast of the city, Aalo Bhi Chole Pura, a mixture of Potatoes and a vegetable called Bhi with chick peas and a hard purra. Made at night by women at homes and then brought to the streets by men and sold hot or cold.
Part of the old wall is being rebuild from a grant by an Italian organization. It will restore the old look to the part of the walled city. Next we saw the Khooni Burj, the Bloody Bastion between Dehli Gate and Pak Gate http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Thought of as the place where Alexander was defeated and the Tower was all bloodied by the defending warriors. But perhaps the name is due to the war between Sikhs and British.
Right on top of the Tower is the Students Tazia, Shagird ka Tazia.
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https://www.flickr.com/photos/nasirgondal/16258049065/sizes/z/in/photostream/
Multan, famous for its Muharram Shia processions, has two famous tazias Ustad and Shagird, i.e. Teacher and the Student. Perhaps at some time the Student thought that he can make a better Tazia than his Teacher he made one and now this is the place from where its procession starts. Interestingly, Shakir told us, that most of the licences to hold Tazia ( which total more than 100) are held by Sunnis and not by Shias. Shagird's Tazia is similarly owned by a Sunni. That is a unique example of Shia Sunni understanding in Multan. Skeptics say it is the way the sunnis exploit the situation financially by subletting the licenses to Shias.
The Tazia of Shah Gardez, where I had attended some shia majalisis as a student, is not taken out and is buried at the end of the month. Perhaps there was a time of prosecution and it was observed in secret. Now the tradition continues.
Shams Sabswari, sometimes wrongly assumed to be Shams Tabriz is another well known saint of Multan. Now there is a big park around the tomb. In our college days, there was a big mela on the urs of Shah Shams. That was the first time I had seen a live performance of dance girls. Still remember the famous song Mathe pay sonay ki bindya lagaai https://www.youtube.com/
Then the trip to the fort. It is in the center of the walled city and hosts the two main monuments Bahudding Zakaria and Shah Rukn Alam. There was a third building, that of the Hindu Temple Prahladpur. It is here that the Hindu custom of Holi, started here http://en.wikipedia.org/
In the aftermath of the destruction of Babri Masjid in 1992, almost all of the Hindu places of worship were destroyed, including this iconic temple
Said to hear that although there is Hindu and Sikh population in Multan, they do not have a shamshan ghaat to cremate their dead. Now they bury their dead, the same way as Muslims. The intolerance has gone up with time.
Now they have built a Damdama view point at the Qila, and one can get a great view of the city. It was quite foggy on the day, we were there and could not see much, except the birds and the misty sky.
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The old shop Nigar Khana is still there and you can get the cheapest deals of artifacts there. Sajid and Rubina bought almost all of what was left by others, for their new house in Orlando.
The Tomb of Shah Rukn e Alam, is the top most location in Multan and every visitor goes there. I had the question of the six pointed stars in the inner wooden door which I noticed the first time I visited the Mazaar after being aware of David's star, and asked the question to Shakir Hussian. He thought the resemblance is coincidental and must have been the innovation of the artisans without knowing the Jewish connection.
In this city of saints, the more recent entry is of Molana Hamid Ali Khan, the religious leaders of Rohtak Hasar migrants to Multan.
In the end, on the way to the renovated Library, which Umer Kamal Khan help renovate, but did not live to see it inaugurated, we did go past the Graveyard where Attaullah Shah Bukhari, the famous orator and Deobandi leader is buried, perhaps in an unmarked grave.
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