MULTAN-E-MAA
BA JANNAT-E-AULA BRABAR AST
AAHISTA PA BANE KIH MALAK SIJDAH ME KUNAND
(Poet
of fourteenth century) (Amir Khusrow)
World-Famous (Multan)
is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in
the world
Greetings! It’s wonderful of you to come and visit us here at the Multan site
The city (740 ft above the sea level) is located almost in the
center of Pakistan .Located at about 30.20°N 71.43°E. Height
about
123m / 403 feet above sea level.( 30.12N 71.26E )
About 966
km from Karachi and more or less right in the centre of the country lies the
ancient city of Multan. Multan .It is
located on the trade route between Harappa and Mohenjodaro, makes it seem likely that the town was already an
important entry point during the Indus civilization, but invasion was to become a
familiar pattern Multan, in Punjab, is claimed to be the oldest surviving city on the subcontinent,
dating back some 4000 years.Multan, also
known as the city of saints is among the most ancient civilizations in the
subcontinent and according to a book 'Pern' it existed three million years ago.
Multan was known by different names in different times.
It has a long history. Alexander the Great added
it to his list of Indus conquests. In 641 AD Xuang Tzang found
it 'agreeable and prosperous' - However, it was soon taken by Chandra Gupta Moriya.
It remained under the rule of different rulers till Muhammad Bin Qasim defeated Raja Dahir
in eighth century. Then Muslim rule over India almost lasted for a thousands
years. In 712 AD. Mahmud of Ghazni invaded in 1006, Timurlane
in 1398. In the 16th century it was the Moghuls turn, followed by the Sikhs in
1752 and the British in 1849.
Sun Mundir..
Hindus ruled over Multan for a thousand
years or so but they have not left much which can
be described here. They might have built many buildings
or edifices, may be of great interest
and importance but it appears that almost all of these
edifices might have been destroyed
during the battles fought latter on. There are, however, three
places of considerable antiquity of that period
references of which are found in many
books and travelogues. The most
important place of the
Hindu period was the
"Sun Mandir" It was the most
acknowledged of worship throughout the
sub-continent as referred to in many books. It was situated on the old
Fort site. There is however no trace of it now. But the
evidence I found it is on old fort west of new stadium. Ancient
visitors to Multan recorded many interesting accounts of the Sun Mandir,
three of which are reproduced below.
Abu Rehan's story regarding the discovery of the gold based on the
writings of Ali bin Mohammad Abu
Mohammed Hindui is reproduced asunder:
"Mohammad Qasim arose, and, with his
generals, courtiers, guards and attendants, went
into the temple, where he beheld an idol
made of pure gold, its two
eyes being of bright red rubies Mohammad Qasim,
mistaking the idol for a man, drew his
sword, intending to severe the head from the body; but the
Brahmans, prostrating themselves before the
conqueror, exclaimed: "O true Commander,
this is the image which was made by jibawaii, King of
Multan, who concealed beneath it, in a reservoir.
a treasure exceeding all limits and
computation, and then departed". The Arab
general thereupon ordered the idol to
be removed, and an underground
chamber was discovered , in which were found
two hundred and thirty maunds of gold and
forty huge jars filled with gold dust. On enquiring the
cause of the great wealth of the city and
the flourishing condition of its Mohammad Qasim was
informed that it was due to the offerings made to the idol,
which were brought from all parts of India.
Al-Masudi, of Baghdad, who visited the
valley of the Indus in 303 A.H. (915
AD), and wrote his much admired work "The Meadows
of Gold", about the
year 330 A. H. (942 AD), has
left us a glowing account of the
condition of Islam in South Asia in the
beginning of the tenth century.
Speaking the idol, AI-Masudi says: "People living in the distant parts
of Sind and Hind travel to it to perform pilgrimage, and, in
fulfillment of their vows and religious
obligations, they make offerings
of money, precious stones, perfumes of every kind, and
aloe wood before it. The sovereign of
Multan derives the principal part of his revenues from the valuable
offerings made to the idol. When the faithful are harassed
by the unbelievers marching against Multan, they bring
out the idol and threaten to break it
in pieces, or reduce it to ashes, and the assailants are thus ind
Phone Directoryuced to
withdraw forthwith"
Istakhri recorded about the idol "Multan as being held in great
veneration by the Hindus, who flock to it from all parts
of India on religious pilgrimages, and make large
offerings which are spent on the temple and its devotees. The temple
of the idol is about 300 feet high, is spoken
of as a strongly built edifice,
situated in the market, the
most thickly populated part of the town, between
the streets of the ivory dealers and
coppersmiths quarters. the idol, stood in the centre of the building
under a cupola, around which lived the ministering
preists and worshippers. It was
set on a platform of brickwork, and was made
of wood (no longer of
gold, be it observed) in human shape,
covered with red Cordova leather, and seated with the legs
bent in quadrangular posture, the hands resting on
the knees with the fingers all closed. Its two
eyes of two red rubies, and its head
was surmounted with a golden crown
Another place was "Suraj Kund" (the
pool of sun). It is about five
miles to the South of Multan on the
Bahawaipur Road. It was a place of great antiquity with the Hindus. It was
a pond 132 feet in diameter and 10
feet deep when full of water. Sawn Mal
the Sikn Diwan surrou nded 'it with anoctagonal wall .lt was a place
of pilgrimage till 1 947 and two fairs were held here annually. One
on the 7th of the Vanishing moon of Bhadon, and
the other on the 7th of the rising
moon of Magh, the numbers having references to the
seven hours of the Sun's Chariot, according to the Hindu mythology
or the seven Rishies. According to the Hindu Pur-ans the Sun
God (Suraj Devta) manifested here and had declared
that whosoever shall bath in this tank, his sins will be forgiven and he
will be benefited both in in
this world and in the next. It is a neglected place now as it has lost all
its charm. Third place, a shadow of
which can be seen even today is
the Mandir Parhaidpuri. This Mandir, according to Hindu
Puranas, was made of pure gold. The supporting
columns and the roof was also that of gold. But
something happened and due to some
unknown cause the ground sank below.
Then on the same site a
new Mandir was constructed
but it contained only one golden
column. The Mandir is supposed to be intact
till 1848. During the seige of 1848 it was greatly
damaged and unroofed due to the famous gun powder blast. It
was however, restored to Hindus in 1902 when the present Mandir
which is intact even today, was constructed If legends
can be relied upon then, the story of Prahlad from
whom the temple took its name is interesting
"Prahlad" son of Raja Harankishab who held sway
over this country condemned the gods and forbade
the paying of homage in their
name. His son Prahlad Bhagat refused
to obey, whereupon the father ordered a
pillar of gold to be heated with
fire so that Prahlad might be bound to it.
When the twilight came and the
servants attempted to bind Prahiad to the pillar, it burst in
two and out sprang the god Vishnu in
the form of a man-lion who laid the King across
his knees and ripped him open with his
claws. The temple is situated close to the shrine of Bahawal Huk. Now a
days its roof and surrounding building has been damage but the pillar is
intact and need lot of care to save heritage .The Idle was shifted from
temple to a new place near old fruit mundy.
Beginning in the late fourth century BC, Multan
was conquered by Greek armies retreating from the Subcontinent Alexander the
Great himself was wounded during the attack on Multan Fort followed by Hindus,
Muslims, Mongols, Sikhs and ultimately it came under the British raj.
Successive rulers filched material from former
dynasties to build and fortify the town. According to the noted Chinese
travelers and chronicler Hieun Tsiang, a visitor to Multan in 641 AD, the ruins
of Buddhist stupas from the early Mauryan Empire were used by Hindus to
construct places of worship.
The Hindus called Multan the omphalos, or navel
of the world and in their biggest temple sat a huge idol with sparkling ruby
eyes. Hieun Tsiang noted that Sun-Deva was cast in gold and that pilgrims from
all over Sindh brought rich offerings to it.
The temple was destroyed in the
early eight century and under Muslim influence Multan grew into a celebrated
centre of Islamic jurisprudence and culture. Eminent historians and poets were
attached to its court, the arts flourished, calligraphy in particular and as
word of its prominence spread, Sufis and their disciples trekked from near and
far.The city of Multan possesses the finest collection of
mausoleums. In the existing structure, Multan is renowned for being the city of saints
with a rich cultural heritage and historical significance. Multan has remained a
centre for spiritual education as Shah Yusef Gardez ,Shah Shamas Tubraz, Bahauddin Zakariya, and
Shah Rukin Alam came here and preached love, peace and humanity and they also
breathed their last here.The earliest of these, the mausoleum of Shah Yusuf Gardezi (1152),
with a simple rectangular shape, appears to have been an initial effort. It
relies wholly on the brilliant play of colour produced by its surface
ornamentation of encaustic tiles which encase of these tiles are merely painted,
some are moulded into a form of low relief decoration.
Shah Yousef Gardezi who arrived in Multan from Afghanistan in 1060 AD stands
inside the Bohar Gate entrance to Hussein Aghai Bazaar. Its interior walls are
painted with exuberant floral motifs and courtyard tombstones are covered with
the exquisite blue-patterned tiles identified with Multan
the city of shrines
Shah Yusef Gardez Multan Pakistan 1088
AD
One hundred feet in height and with walls more
than 13 feet thick, like the nearby shrine to his grandfather, Bahau'd-Din
Zakaria it is built of the traditional small burnt bricks with layers of faience
mosaic revetment. An exquisitely-carved wooden mihrab is sunk deep inside the
western wall and interposed with brick and azure tile-mosaics, transitional
zones ascend up and up to a huge stucco-brick cupola.superb square-shaped shrine
to
The
great octagonal shrine of Rukn-i-'Alam, a man of deep religious conviction who
lived in Multan in the 14th century is seen from far out on the surrounding
plains. Rukn-i-' Alam built during 1320-24. It is a massive octagonal structure,
25.5 meters in diameter and 35 meters high. A striking feature of its elevation
is the effect of its sloping sides, which have been emphasised by addition of
turrets or minarets at each angle of the building. The hemispherical dome at the
roof of the mausoleum is a superstructure about 18 meters in diameter. Although
of bricks foundation, the building has been elaborately ornamented in dark blue,
white and azure tiles. Bands of carved timbering have also been sunk into the
walls at appropriate intervals to enhance the beauty.
Conquest of Multan
Early in 1817, Ranjit
singh sent troopiege command by Diwan Bhiwani Das to the city, but showed
little vigour to pressing it.Ranjit Singh planned the afresh expedition and sent
a strong force under his son Kharak Singh's charge. He arranged for supplies to
be sent by boats down the river Ravi, the Chenab .
The fort of Multan was one of the strongest in the country and
Nawab Muzaffar Khan defended it with an equally strong heart. Kharak Singh's
armies lay around it without making much headway. Ranjit Singh sent a big gun
Zamzama along with Akali Phula singh's Nihang regiment. The Zamzama was fired
with effect and the gates were blown in. Akali Phula singh made a sudden rush
and took the garrison by surprise. The grey bearded Nawab stood in his way,
sword in hand to fight, resolved to fight to death. His five sons died fighting.
Two surviving sons were giving jagirs by Ranjit singh. their descendants are
still in possession of those lands in Pakistan. Prince Kharak singh left Jodh
Singh Kalsia with 600 men to guard the fort of Multan. Now Ranjit Singh southern
boundry was Multan
Multani society is divided into
hierarchical castes( breed, race, or kind) which are usually
marriage only within the caste. Caste is so
fundamental to the social organization of Multani except some .
Dupatas, chadar and suits of fascinating Multani embroidery are very popular
among women. Other popular bits of Multan are clay work, both simple and with
mirrors, khusas, Multani Sohan halwa and city of summer heat , Pirs and bazaars,
mosques, shrines and superbly designed tombs. . The old city has narrow
colourful bazaars full of local handicrafts and narrow winding lanes. There are
many places of historical, cultural and recreational interest in the city. The
Fort Multan fort was built on a mound separating it from the city and the old
bed of river Ravi. The famous Qasim Bagh .
. The vast plain of Multan Division is dissected by rivers,
canals and narrow water channels, forming an ideal agricultural base for the
economic development of the region.
Multan is near Chenab Rever. in the Punjab. The leading manufactures are
silk, cotton, carpets, glazed pottery, and enamel work. Multan is an important
center of trade where the products of the division, chiefly cotton, wheat, wool,
sugar, indigo, oil seeds,
Multan is a city rich in
architecture. With the beautiful mosques and
mausoleums it is almost unrivalled by any other Pakistani
cities. This and its historical value are
the reasons it is so swamped with tourists. Winter
is the best time to visit Multan and its huge exotic bazaars .The
old town surrounded by a high wall and packed with tall, narrow Anglo-Hindu
style houses remains in a time warp. Its great covered bazaar, crowded with
veiled women shoppers is redolent with a pungent aroma of spices The history of old city may be as old
as the Multan Fort but it is still living within its walled area which is
accessible through gates. Its a multiple bazar and jostling adventure
of the oriental culture and has its own flair and
aroma.
A panoramic view of Multan city can be had from the
highest point in the fort. Shrines The devastation of Khorasan and Western Iran
was to the benefit of this part of Pakistan, for it led to the settling in this
city of a large number of pious and learned men and noble families like Gardezi
Syeds and Qureshis from Khawarizm, amongst whom Sheikh Bahauddin Zakaria is a
famous saint. About the same time Pir Shams Tabrez from Sabzwar and Kazi
Qutubuddin from Kashan came to Multan. Baba Farid Shakar Ganj settled in
Pakpattan. Khawaja Qutubaddin Bakhatair Kaki passed through to Delhi and Syed
Jalal, the spiritual leader of many family in Multan, Muzafargarh and Bahawalpur,
came to Uch, Sultan Sakhi Sarwar's father also emigrated from Bokhara to Sakot
in Multan district. These venerable men contributed greatly to spreading Islam
in this area. the saints and shrines of Multan have been attracting a large
number of devotees all the year round. The shrines of one of the foremost
scholars of Islam, Shaikh Bahauddin Zakaria is located in the fort.
The Mausoleum was built by the saint himself. It has a unique style of
architecture of that period, the mausoleum of Shah Rukn-e-Alam, the grandson of
Sahikh Bahauddin Zakaria, is also located near the main gate of the Multan Fort.
He was also a man of great religious and political influence.
Besides its religious importance, the Mausoleum has a
unique architectural value. Its dome is considered to be the second largest in
the world after "Gol Gumbad" of Bijapur, India. the mausoleum has very
rich geometrical patterns, calligraphy and colourful floral, mosaic and glazed
tile work. The mausoleum has recently been given the Agha Khan Award for the
best Muslim Architecture. The shrine is visited by devotees all the year round.
The shrine of Hazrat Shams Sabzwari is located near Aamkhas Garden. Other
shrines in Multan include that of Muhammad Yousaf Fardezi near Bohar Gate, Musa
Pak. Shaheed inside the Pak. Gate, Total Mai near Haram Gate, Shah Ali Akbar, a
descendant of Shah Shams Sabzwari, in Suramiani and Bab Sarfa near Eidgah.
Alam built during 1320-24. It is a massive octagonal structure, 25.5 meters
in diameter and 35 meters high. A striking feature of its elevation is the
effect of its sloping sides, which have been emphasised by addition of turrets
or minarets at each angle of the building. The hemispherical dome at the roof of
the mausoleum is a superstructure about 18 meters in diameter. Although of
bricks foundation, the building has been elaborately ornamented in dark blue,
white and azure tiles. Bands of carved timbering have also been sunk into the
walls at appropriate intervals to enhance the beauty.
Three changes a huge new State Bank of Pakistan
and a Holiday Inn, Fly over bridge over kachire chowck and new market built in
the cantonment area.
A good place for shopping, Multan has a modem shopping mall and also some
grand markets around the British clock tower. Here the business of the day goes
on; men buying oil to beautify themselves; men gossiping; roadside false teeth
manufacturers; a man embroidering a fine chunni (the gauzy veil worn by Panjabi
women) on a frame. The area is famed for came] skin work, pottery, and cotton
fabrics. Perhaps the name of Multan will mean history to many people, but he
warned - Multan is still very much a going concern and there is considerable
industrial developme
The city of Multan possesses the finest collection of mausoleums. The
earliest of these, the mausoleum of Shah Yusuf Gardezi (1152), with a simple
rectangular shape, appears to have been an initial effort. It relies wholly on
the brilliant play of colour produced by its surface ornamentation of encaustic
tiles which encase of these tiles are merely painted, some are moulded into a
form of low relief decoration
Research articles related to history and heritage of Multan To Day have
been web posted on this site. More information, photographs and articles will be
web posted from time to time, as and when available.
Located at about
30.20°N 71.43°E. Height about 123m / 403
feet above sea level.( 30.12N 71.26E )
Satellite Pictures Received by HRPT
Weather Satellites NOAA-12, NOAA-14 NOAA-15
Weather station MULTAN is at about 30.20°N 71.40°E. Height
about 122m / 400 feet above sea level.
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Year
millibars
1002.9
1000.1
996.9
991.9
986.7
981.7
981.8
983.8
988.9
995.2
1000.6
1003.1
992.7
Research articles related to history and heritage of Multan have been web
posted on this site. More information, photographs and articles will be web
posted from time to time, as and when available.
MULTAN
