Crats and Cratsmen o Punjab Vol. V
Crats o Lahore Part One
Project o Publication o Books on Handicrats, by the Handicrats and Design Directorate, Punjab Small Industries Corporation, Lahore, 2010
Project Profles Director General Project Dr. Allah Bakhsh Malik (Managing Director/Chie Executive Ocer) Project Director Nazir Ahmad (Director Handicrats and Design) Project Incharge-author Incharge-author Dr. Saiur Rahman Dar (Tamgha-i-Imtiaz) Field Research Team Salahuddin, Research Ocer Ahtesham Aziz Chaudhary, Chaudhary, Research Assistant Asheen Younus, Younus, Field Research Research Assistant Tayyba Sada Ashra, Field Research Assistant Photography Dr. Saiur Rahman Dar Ahtesham Aziz Chaudhary, Chaudhary, Salahuddin Layout and Design Nazir Ahmad (Director Handicrats and Design) Post Production & Digital Processing o Images Aamir Ali Published by Directorate o Handicrats and Design, Punjab Small Industries Corporation, 4th Floor, L.D.A. Plaza, Egerton Road, Lahore, PAKISTAN First Edition Lahore 2010 Printed at TOPICAL Lahore Pakistan in
[email protected] ISBN# 978-969-9251-18-4 © Copyright: PSIC All Rights Reserved No part o this book may be reproduced or used in any orm or by any means – graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photo copying, recording, taping or inormation storage and retrieval system – without permission o the publisher. publisher.
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Crafts of Lahore
Project Profles Director General Project Dr. Allah Bakhsh Malik (Managing Director/Chie Executive Ocer) Project Director Nazir Ahmad (Director Handicrats and Design) Project Incharge-author Incharge-author Dr. Saiur Rahman Dar (Tamgha-i-Imtiaz) Field Research Team Salahuddin, Research Ocer Ahtesham Aziz Chaudhary, Chaudhary, Research Assistant Asheen Younus, Younus, Field Research Research Assistant Tayyba Sada Ashra, Field Research Assistant Photography Dr. Saiur Rahman Dar Ahtesham Aziz Chaudhary, Chaudhary, Salahuddin Layout and Design Nazir Ahmad (Director Handicrats and Design) Post Production & Digital Processing o Images Aamir Ali Published by Directorate o Handicrats and Design, Punjab Small Industries Corporation, 4th Floor, L.D.A. Plaza, Egerton Road, Lahore, PAKISTAN First Edition Lahore 2010 Printed at TOPICAL Lahore Pakistan in
[email protected] ISBN# 978-969-9251-18-4 © Copyright: PSIC All Rights Reserved No part o this book may be reproduced or used in any orm or by any means – graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photo copying, recording, taping or inormation storage and retrieval system – without permission o the publisher. publisher.
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CONTENTS Message rom rom the Managing Director/Chie Director/Chie Executive Executive Ocer ............................ vi Foreword by Nazir Ahmad ........................................... ........................................ ix Preace ........................................... .............................................. ......................... xi
PART I LAND, PEOPLE, HISTORY AND MONUMENTS CHAPTER
I
LAND ........................................ .............................................................................. ...................................... 1 • Loca Locati tion on • Geol Geolog ogy y • eSo eSocie ciety ty • Riverand RiverandDra Drainage inageChan Channels nels • Weather eather • Floraan FloraandF dFauna auna • Wild WildL Lif ifee • Agricu Agricultu lture re
CHAPTER
II
NOMENCLATURE NOMENCLATURE ........................................ ....................................................... ............... 25
CHAPTER
III
PEOPLE ........................................................................ ........................................................................ 31
CHAPTER
IV
HISTORY HISTORY ......................................... ...................................................................... ............................. 41 •Pre-MuslimPeriod •SaltanatePeriod •MughalPeriod •SikhInterregnum •BritishRule •Post-IndependenceExperience
CHAPTER
V
MONUMENTS ........................................ ............................................................... ....................... 73 • Lahore LahoreF Fort ort • Badshahi BadshahiMo Mosque sque • WazirKhan azirKhanMos Mosque que • MaryamZ MaryamZaman amaniM iMosque osque • Jahangi JahangirMa rMausole usoleum um iii
• • • • • • • • • •
AsifKhan’s AsifKhan’sMausoleum Mausoleum NoorJahan NoorJahan’’sMausoleum Shalama ShalamarGar rGarden den ChauburjiG ChauburjiGatewa ateway y GulabiBa GulabiBaghG ghGatewa ateway y MusaAha MusaAhangar ngarMau Mausoleu soleum m WazirKhan’ azirKhan’sHammam DaiAnga DaiAnga’’sMosque sMosque DaiAnga’s DaiAnga’sT Tomb omb NadiraBegum’ NadiraBegum’sTomb sTomb
PART II CRAFTS CHAPTER
VI
LAHORE CRAFTS – AN OVERVIEW OVERVIEW ..........................129 • • • • • • • • • • •
CHAPTER VII
LahoreisaMarketforCraftsfromoth LahoreisaMarketforCraftsfromotherRegions erRegions Art,Crafta Art,CraftandHa ndHandicra ndicraft ft Asturl Asturlab abSa Sazi zi CarpetandWeavingKarkhana CarpetandWeavingKarkhanass Bow-makers Bow-makers(Kam (Kaman-ga an-gars) rs) JessJess-ma maker kerss GlazedTilesandEnameledM GlazedTilesandEnameledMosaicT osaicTiles iles MiniaturePaintingandOtherMi MiniaturePaintingandOtherMinorArts norArts Tentage/Kh entage/Khaima aimaSaz Sazii TarKashiorSeemBaandKalabatun arKashiorSeemBaandKalabatun Phulka Phulkari ri
CRAFTS OF LAHORE IN THE SECOND HALF OF THE 19TH CENTURY.................................145 • WeavingCo eavingCottona ttonandSi ndSilk lk • Dusehr DusehraC aCraf raftt
CHAPTER VIII
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ASTURLAB SAZI – AN EXTINCT CRAFT OF LAHORE ................................................... ................................................... 155
CHAPTER IX
PHULKARI – ALMOST AN EXTINCT CRAFT ..........165
CHAPTER X
KITE-MAKING AND KITE FLYING ..........................175
CHAPTER
XI
STONE WORK .............................................................187 • TypesofDecorativeStoneWorks • CutandCarvedStoneWork • PietraDuraWork • TrellisWork/JaliKaKam/FretWork • Intarsia/InlayWork
CHAPTER
XII GLAZED TILES AND GLAZED TILE-MOSAICS ...... 203 • EnameledTileMosaic • EnameledDecorationinMuslimArchitecture • ManufacturingTechniqueofLahoreTileMosaic • FiligreeWork
CHAPTER XIII BRICK WORK............................................................. 225 CHAPTER
XIV SOME OLD CRAFTS USED IN DATA DARBAR COMPLEX ...................................... 231
CHAPTER XV
STAINED GLASS WINDOWS IN LAHORE ..................................................................... 239
CHAPTER XVI
LAHORE – THE CENTER OF METAL CRAFTS IN THE PUNJAB ........................................................ 247
PART III GLOSSARY ................................................................................................. 317
BIBLIOGRAPHY ....................................................................................... 331 v
MESSAGE FROM DR. ALLAH BAKHSH MALIK, MANAGING DIRECTOR/CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, PUNJAB SMALL INDUSTRIES CORPORATION Punjab has traditionally rich collection and treasure trove o handicrats proud to oer the world.Itisrichincraft,material,skill,aestheticsandexquisitesartorialtastes.elandofve rivers has a special potpourri and variety o handicrats spread in the length and breadth o thearea.ereishugepotentialthatneedsironwillandmaverickskilltotap.LuckilyPunjab Small Industries Corporation has both to accomplish the task. emainattractioninthecraftsofPunjabistheingenuityandhistoricalperspectiveinthe evolution. As a matter o act handicrats carry with them the history, culture, traditions, socialvaluesandattimesprimordialwisdom.estudyofliteratureofhandicraftsinPunjab revealsthearcanetechnicalityoftheproductsandskillfulnessofourpeople.eskillevolved dierently not only in dierent amilies but also in dierent geographical regions and subregions.ehandicraftsarenotonlyamazinginarchitectbutalsohighlyspecializedand state-of-the-art.ecraftappliedisatpar,ratherexcelsthelatestdesignsincomputerswith the cutting-edge-o-technology. ehandicraftsofPunjabmanifestthesupremeaestheticsenseofthepeopleandadequately demonstrate the hidden potential and intellect yet to be explored, chiseled and honed. Unfortunatelytheexposureofthe handicraftsofPunjabhasbeenaseriouslimitation.is has not only deprived the arts and crats lovers around the globe but has also discouraged the traditional workorce employed in this very important sector. ePunjab SmallIndustries Corporation isspearheading notonlythe promotion ofthe handicrats but also taking new incipient initiatives to preserve the arts and crats through publications basedon research byeminentscholars.e presentvolumeis also apristine endeavor to accomplish the cherished goal o promotion o arts and crat o Punjab. Mr. Nazir Ahmad Director Handicrats PSIC deserves accolades and appreciation, dedicated with resilience and stoic determination, or promoting handicrats o Punjab.
It is ineable delight, eclectic pleasure and a singular honor to present to our patrons and readers the volume on Crats and Cratsmen o Punjab initiated a ew years back by the
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PunjabSmallIndustriesCorporation.Eachvolumeisdedicatedtoaspecicthematicarea ina regionof our Province. evolumes already publishedcovertheregions ofMurree, Bhera,Multan,DeraGhaziKhan,Rajanpur.WorkonotherthreeregionsnamelyCholistan (Districts o Bahawalpur, Bahawalnagar and Rahim Yar Khan), Sargodha and Chiniot is in handandisexpectedtobecompletedduringthecurrentnancialyear.epublicationof the volumes took a lot o eort, innovation and creativity. epresentvolumepresentsonlypartofthedatacollectedbyPSICteamonthecraftsof Lahore.iscityisveryrich,likeinmanyothereldsalsoinmakingcraftsofalldescriptions. ehistoricalepochcoversalongperiodofmorethansixteenhundredsofyearsofhistory o this city and its people but also a wide range o subjects, materials, crat traditions and techniquesofdiverseregions.
Lahore symbolizes blend o many races, artisans and proessionals rom dierent parts o the world and diverse amalgamation o so many acets o human lie that it could be saely described beautiful potpourri and bouquetof owers.Plurality, diversity, innovation and absorption is the beauty o the culture o Lahore and this is amply maniested in the arts, crats, culture and traditions o Lahore. No doubt culturally vibrant cit y o Lahore has always its indigenous crats deriving its inspiration rom its own long history and traditions, it has alwayswelcomedcraftsmenfromotherregionstopracticetheircraftshereandndoutlets fortheirproducts.eyarealwaysacceptedcheerfullyandtheirproductsareprotectedand promoted without any let and hindrance and with least prejudice. Duringtheprocessofassimilationanddisseminationofdivergenttraditionsandtechniques andarcanetechnicalinnovations,Lahorenallyputsthesealofitsownidentityonwhatsoever is produced here and by its residents. Lahore inde ed oers a kaleidoscopic panorama o crats o whole o the Punjab and even o some distant adjoining regions. It is on this account that Lahore has turned out to be the cultural capital o Pakistan and a real entrepôt o our art and crat traditions.
Lahore is richer than any other region o Pakistan in one respect - the building crats. Architectural heritage o this city is unmatched and unrivalled - it is ri ch, diverse and varied and so is the variety o crats used to embellish its buildings. For centuries these building craftshavebeenactingasasourceofinspirationandinuenceforthecraftsmenofother
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trades. I am happy to note that this aspect o the heritage o this City has been attended to in this volume in due proportion that it deserves. Some rare, extinct and endangered crats have also been presented in this volume together with a uller treatment o all kinds o metal crat - which is the major crat trade o this city today. However, on account o paucity o unds and time, study o several other crats has been held back. Hopeully, these studies, on completion will be published in the orm o one or more sister publications o the present Volume on Lahore. I congratulate Mr. Nazir Ahmad, the Director, Handicrats & Design Directorate and his sta or their maverick mercurial ideas employed or br inging out such a beautiul and prestigiou s publicationinsuchashortperiod.ePSICisreallyproudofthepreciousassetofhuman resource and skilled social capital that we have. I am sanguine that under the leadership o Mr. Nazir Ahmad, the Directorate o Handicrats willkeep tapingthepotentialthatremainedunexploredsince centuries.etask isonerous andgiganticbutIamsurethatourteamwillproveequaltothetask.Iwishthemluckand promisetoextendallthesupportrequiredbythem.
DR. ALLAH BAKHSH MALIK Managing Director / Chie Executive Ocer B-19,GOR-2Lahore,Pakistan April 4, 2010
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FOREWORD Pakistan is very rich in handicrats. All regions produce their own characteristic crats steeped intheirowncultureandtraditions.ecraftsofthePunjabhavetheirowndistinctpersonality whichinitsrightisdiverseandvaried–eachofitsregionsshowsanitieswithandinuences received rom the adjoining provinces and neighboring countries. Seen in historical and geographical perspective, crats o the Punjab oer an excellent example o unity in diversity and diversity in unity which, by and large, encompasses the entire country. It is unortunate that such a wonderul heritage has so ar not been studied properly. No doubt some good studies were made in the later hal o the nineteen century but these have never been updated and supplemented by resh works. Such resh assessment o our crats became essential because ater independence there was a lot o reshufing o population with in the Province o Punjab andconsequentlyregroupingandredistributionoffamiliesofcraftsmeninmajorityofthese regions and, in some cases even total disappearance o some crats in certain parts. RealizingthissituationthePunjabGovernment,inthePunjabSmallIndustriesCorporation, in late 1980’s initiated a program of making fresh studies ofcrafts and craftsmenof the Punjabandpublishingreportsaboutsuchspecicregionswhichwerestillconsideredrich in production o dierent crats. Initially our regions were selected or this purpose namely Murree,Bhera,MultanandDeraGhaziKhanandtheHandicraftsandDesignDirectoratewas assignedthisjob.Weweresuccessfulinpublishinginquicksuccessionthreeofthesereports. But,thencircumstancesbeyondourcontrolobligedustoabandonthisprogram.ework onDeraGhaziKhanremainedinconclusive.In2007,thePSIConceagainlaunchedathree yearsproject–thistimetostudythecraftspositioninsixregionsnamelyDeraGhaziKhan, Rajanpur, Cholistan (Districts o Bahawalpur, Bahawalnagar and Rahim Yar Khan), Lahore, Sargodha and Chiniot. PSIC hired the services o Dr. Saiur Rahman Dar, an eminent scholar whohas alreadyworkedwith uson thethree previousvolumes. Wepickedup thethreadof MansoorGhazi’sresearchworkwhichwasleftin1993namelytheregionofDeraGhaziKhan followedbyafresheldworkintheDistrictCityofLahore.Ajointreportonthecraftsof DeraGhaziKhanandRajanpurwaspublishedearlythisyearwhereasoursecondreporton craftsofLahoreisnowinyourhand-thisbeingthefthvolumeofourseriesonCraftsofthe Punjab.WeareproudtopresentherethisvolumeonCraftsofLahoreinquicksuccessionof ourrecentpublicationofajointvolumeonCraftsofDeraGhaziKhanandRajanpur(2009). reeearlierstudiesofcraftsoneeachofMurree,BheraandMultanwerepublishedin1980’s and1990’s.SimilarstudiesofcraftsofSargodhaandCholistan,arealsonearingcompletion. District Chiniot will be the last to be surveyed or this purpose during our current program.
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epresentpublicationisonlyPartOneofVolumeVonCraftsofDistrictLahoreCity.We intend to publish one or two more volumes devoted to the crats o this city. Actually, Lahore oers such a large variety o crats that a single volume, as prescribed or the present series, willnotdojustice tothecrafts-prole ofthisculturally mostvibrantcityof ourcountry.e dataalreadycollectedthroughoureldsurveyinashortperiod,isenormousandstaggering bothinquantityandvariety.But,still,itisfarfrombeingcomplete.Morefundsandtimeand better acilities are needed to complete our studies o crats o Lahore. Unortunately, unds, acilities and time allowed to the Team did not permit us to exceed the limits o the present bookwhich,actually,isonlytherstpartofthecompendiumoftwoorthreevolumesonthe Crats o Lahore. I hope unds or other volumes will be orthcoming soon to wind up our work on this city. In the meanwhile it was not considered wise to keep our readers wait or what has already been accomplished.
I must thank Dr. Allah Bakhsh Malik, Managing Director/Chie Executive Ocer, or his generoussupportandrmbeliefinourTeammembers.Icongratulateallmembersofthe Team o the Project: Publication o Books on Handicrats headed by Dr. Saiur Rahman Dar or their excellent work that has been carried out under great constraints o resources and logistic support as envisaged in the project. My special thanks are also to Mr. Naseer Baloch o Le Topical and his sta or their utmost cooperation that we received during the publication o this book.
Nazir Ahmad Project Director & Director H & D, PSIC Datedthe31stMarch2010
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PREFACE WritingaboutCrafts ofLahoreis interestingbut itiscertainlynot aneasy job.e subject is vast, complex and multiaceted one. Seen rom one angle, Lahore has no crat o its own; seen rom another angle, it is a home o hundreds o crats. Actually, several crats that are being practiced in this city originally sprouted elsewhere but now have their deep roots in this soil. Lahore has a long history and so is the history o its arts and crats. Crats o this city are multiold and multi-layered having roots both in history and the people who made this city their homeland. Even some o the crats have attached to them tags o their religious identity but with common appeal or all.
Lahore has witnessed in the past many historical and cultural shocks through invasions, conquests,settlements,immigrationsaswellasemigrations.Ithasmanysettlementsscattered all overthecitythe namesof whichreecttheirdiverseorigins ingeographyandraces– or their division into dierent groups pertaining to dierent proessions particularly those devoted to crats and arts. But these cultural invasions and inroads never took the sense o humorandhospitalityoutofthepeopleofLahore.eyalwayswelcomedoutsiders,allowed them to establish their separate localities, either according to their ethnicity or geographical origins such as Mughalpura, Muhalla Kashigharan, Muradabadi Colony, or according to their ethnicity such as Muhalla Kakkaizayian, Takia Sadhuan, Bhati Darwaza, or even according totheirprofessionssuchasBaghbanpura,athiMalahan,MuhallaChabukSwaran,Bazar Patangsazan, Muhalla Rangrezan, Muhalla Patrangan, Kasera Bazar, Dabbi Bazar, Muhalla Kundigaran, Mochi Darwaza, Muhalla Sahafan, Muhalla Kaghazsazan, Gali Ptolian, Suha Bazar, Bazar Dalgaran, etc. A new settler may hail rom any part o the country, he may belong to any community, speak any language and even may express a dierent aith, Lahorites have always been welcoming their guests who arrived here or a temporary visit or or a permanent stay without any let and hindrance and without any prejudice – racial, religious or linguistic. eysharedwiththemeverythingtheyhaveandwereeverreadytowhateverappealedthem amongtheculturesofnewarrivals.epresentgenreoflifestyleofLahoreandparticularlythe craftsofLahoreoerthishappyblendoflocalandextraneoustraditions,techniquesanduses o their products. Crat products o Chiniot, Multan, Bahawalpur, Karor Pakka, Muzaarabad, Jhang,DeraGhaziKhan,areingreatdemandinLahoretoanextentthatt hecraftsmenfrom thesedistantregionsnditconvenienttoultimatelyshifttheirateliersandfactoriestothiscity andnallysettleherepermanently.efurnitureofChiniot,theembroideryofDeraGhazi Khan, the tie-dye work o Cholistan, Kashmir Shawls, namdas and gabbas o Kashmir and Murree and phulkaris o Attock and Hazara have their outlets in this city and, at times, better than in their own home towns. Keeping in view these pros and cons o crats o Lahore, the assignment given to our Team wasadicult one.eTeamwasrequiredto followtheformat ofourprevious book:Crafts xi
ofDeraGhaziKhanandRajanpur(2009)whichwasquitedemandingparticularlykeeping in view the time constraints and resources and acilities available to us. Response o local people, in general, and cratsmen in particular, was more than welcome - they willingly shared with our Team their pleasures, their experiences, their diculties as well as their successes in their respective proessions over the years. Despite some diculties which certain groups o crats are currently acing due to lack o support rom the society and their own ailings to adapt to new market demands, changing tastes o consumers, new aspirations o younger generations o certain crats-amilies to switch over to new proessions or seek new avenues o earning, learning and living, majority o the cratsmen, with the exception o very ew, never complainedaboutanysocialstigmaattachedto theirprofessions.eywerefoundcontent with their social status notwithstanding the ever-decreasing demand or their products and resultant all in their income vis-à-vis the intensive labor they have to put in or creating their products. Besides, there was a general complaint about the lack o enough support rom Government– bothfederalandprovincial,forthe protectionandpromotionof traditional crats beyond certain rhetoric and some uncoordinated and non-persistent programs. But this is not the place to enter into debate on this important aspect o our crat development schemes.
Right rom the beginning the Survey Team was handicapped rom many sides in terms o logisticsupportbothinoceandineldwhichprovedtobeagreathurdleinimplementing the scheme within given tight schedule and the bad weather – lack o transport acility being the most serious one. But, I must admit that all the members o the Team have shown a great spirit o resilience, magnanimity and cooperation in completing their assignments in a awlessmannerasfarasitwaspossibleforthemingivencircumstances.Butfortheirwilling cooperation under trying conditions, I could not have achieved even 50% o what is being presented here. Lahore has always been a great center o crat production both in terms o building crats and movablecrafts.roughashortperiod,theTeamcollecteddataabout50traditionalcraftsthat are still being practiced though with somewhat varying degrees o their popularity - some have already become extinct whereas some can be declared as endangered ones, but, ortunately, many o the traditional crats in practice in Lahore are in sustainable positions though these need serious intervention by the government and business community or alleviating theproblemsofcraftsmeninordertoenablethemmakethetwoendsmeet.eTeamhas collectedmorethan2000visualsofthecraftsandtheirmakersaswellasquiteagoodnumber ofartifactsinmuseumcollections.Butkeepinginviewthelimitednancialallocationfor publication,thesizeofthenalreporthastobecurtailedto360pagesincludingillustrations. It was, thereore, not possible to publish the entire data collected. usperforce,thematerialaboutcraftsofLahore,asoeredinthisvolume,presentsonly apartofthe informationcollectedthrougheldsurvey.Severalimportantcrafts– weaving,
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embroidery, traditional silver jewelry, woodworks, shoe-making, basketry, bone and ivory carving,rock-saltcraft,naqashi,stuccotracery,mirrorwork,andmanymorecraftscouldnot ndtheirplaceinthisvolume.Quiteasucientmaterialabouttheseleft-outcraftsisalready availableintheformofvisualsandeldsurveydiaries/reports.Itishopedthatthegovernment willconsiderpublicationofasister-volumeonCraftsofLahoreafterresumingtheeldsurvey with in the District City o Lahore. Beore concluding, I regard it my pleasant duty to thank all those who have helped me in various ways in completing my task in such a short time. First and oremost, my thanks are due to all the members o my Team – M/s Salahuddin, Ahtesham Aziz Chaudhary, Asheen Younus, TayabbaSadafAshraf,AhsanHanifandBarkatHussain.WithinPSICIamgratefultoMr. Nazir Ahmad, Project Director, Mr. Anas Khan, Deputy Managing Director and Mr. Shahid Bhutta, Director Admn. and several other ocers o PSIC who helped me in all possible ways wheneverIneededtheirassistanceandguidance.ImustalsothanktoMr.AhmadFarooqand Mr.ArifJaved(JointDirectors),JafarHussain,TehmeenaKhalidandReehanaMunawarAli (Deputy Directors), Haji Yunus, PA to Director and Mr. Muhammad Hani, Stenographer o PSIC o their ungrudging support during my stay in PSIC. I am also greatly indebted to Miss Humera Alam, Director, Lahore Museum or her ungrudging assistance in making accessible all relevant museum record needed or our purpose and helping us in photographing various collections o the Museum – particularly, the part o the collection o metal objects. My thanks arealsoduetoMr.SaeedAhmad,Curator,PunjabArtsandCraftsGalleryforallowingusto photographthecollectionofhisGallery.
24th March 2010
(Dr. Saiur Rahman Dar) Project Incharge-author
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An aerial view of Minar-i-Pakistan, Badshahi Mosque and Lahore Fort (Photo Le Topical).
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LAND
xv
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Crafts of Lahore
LAND
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Lahore be praised, its water ull o bliss! egoalofoldandyoungbepraised,Lahore! I do not think that in the seven climes ere’saplacewithlustrelikeLahore Tell Alexander that eternal lie Is ound in the sweet waters o Lahore! Itisaquitecity–mercury WouldbarelytrembleinthecalmLahore! Like weavers weave rom evening to morn Sot cotton veils the moonlight o Lahore. (Talib Amli)
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(Trans:Courtesy:SaminaQureshi)
LAND, PEOPLE, HISTORY AND MONUMENTS
Chapter I
LAND “A city of approximately seven million, it is located where the historical route from Khyber Pass to Delhi crosses the Ravi. Its strategic location provides a strong clue to its continued growth and importance as a regional trading, industrial, military and administrative centre, its overwhelming cultural importance notwithstanding” ( Yusaf Kamal).
LOCATION
‘Lahore’,thenameofthecity,hasbeendierentlywrittenandpronouncedinthe past such as Lhore, Lahanor, al-Lahore, al-Ahwar, etc, Lohar, Loher, Lahawor, Lehowa, Lohawar, Rahwar and even Loh Kot, Lohar Kot, Loha-rana and Lovpur. Beside Lahore inthePunjab,thereisoneLahoreinAfghanistan,oneintheNWFPandstillanother one in Mewar State o Rajputana (India).
Boat carrying tourists to Kamran Baradari.
Although the precise location o the site o primordial settlement o Lahore is yet to be conrmedbut,byandlargeallscholarsagreethatLahorehasalwaysbeentherewhere itistoday–namelytheWalledCityanditssurroundings.Itisalsoadebatablepoint i the earliest mention o a city by the name o Lahore in conjunction with Bunnu –‘al-Bannawal-ahwar’refersto‘ChhotaLahore’(ancientSalatura)inDistrictSwabi (NWFP)acrosstheIndusRiverorthepresentdayLahore–thecapitalseatofthe Punjab.Similarly,ithasalsobeenmootedthatinitiallythename‘Lahore’wasnotthat o a city or town but, instead, o an area whose capital town was known as Mandhakor or Mandhakakor in district Sialkot. By this, some scholars have implied that initially, thenameofthepresentLahorewasactually‘Mandhakor’andonlylateronitwas named as such – implying thereby that the name o the city was adopted rom the nameofanareawhichishardlypossible.erearenumerousexampleswherethe name o a popular and important city was extended to the whole district, division or even province (Suba) such as Shehr Lahore and Suba Lahore, or Shehr Multan and Suba Multan. But reverse o this has never b een the case. ecityofLahoreandtheRiverRavi,ancientIravati,ParushnioftheVedasorGreek Hydraotes, have always remained inseparable rom each other. Although River Ravi
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Crafts of Lahore
River Ravi – Oil on Canvas by Nazir Ahmad. (Courtesy: Zeeshan Ahmad)
has been changing its course westward, but the nucleus o the town o Lahore has always been on its let bank. Today, however, the boundaries o the District City o Lahore extend over both banks. Today the name applies both to the division, district and the capital city o the province ofthePunjab.WhentheDistrictLahorewasconstitutedinthelaterhalfofthe19 th Century,itcoveredamuchlargerareathanwhatitistoday.eolddistrictofLahore onceextendedbetweennorthlatitudes30degree–38’and31º15’andeastlongitude 73º-38’and74º-58’;todayithasshrunkenbetween31º-34’and31º-43’Nand 74º-10’and74º-39’E. LahoreDistrictCityspreadsoveraatlandeastandsouth-eastwardfromtheright bankofRiverRavi.eformerTehsilandpresentdayDistrictKasurformsitssouthern Boats in River Ravi – Watercolour by Nazir Ahmad. (Courtesy: Ahmad Zeeshan) boundary.OnthenorthandeastsidesistheinternationalborderofIndia.eRiver Ravi runs northeast to southwest with District Sheikhupura beyond it. Some o the suburbs o Lahore extend along the western or right bank o the River.
LAND
3
River Ravi – Oil on Canvas by Nazir Ahmad. (Courtesy: Majid Nazir)
Kamran’s Baradari before restoration by Nazir Ahmad – Watercolor.
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Crafts of Lahore
LAND
5
Inpre-Independencedays,LahoreDivisioncomprisedvedistrictscoveringaplain country extending between River Ravi on the north and west, and River Sutluj in theeastandsouth–roughlycoveringanareasome64miles/104kmeast-westand 38miles/62kmnorth–south.Itstotalareawas2738squaresmiles.Today,Lahore Division comprises our districts namely: Kasur, Lahore, Okara and Sheikhupura with totalareaequalto16104sq.km.withLahoredistrictcoveringanareaof1772sq.km1. Lahore District comprises two levels o land – high land called Manjha on the east and lowland called Hethar (heth: low) along both sides o River Ravi on the west. isuplandisnowsharedbytheformertwotehsilsofKasurandChunian.Onthe wholetheaverageelevationis702feetabovesealevel.Raviowsfromnortheastand southwest along the western border o the District City. AlthoughRiverRavi hasbeen thesmallestof allthe veriversof thePunjab,it has played an important role in the olklore o the Punjab in general and o Lahore, in particular. Unortunately, due to present day acute shortage o water in it, River Ravi hasnowlostmostofitsglamour.isRiverhasneverbeennavigablebutinthepast
Roshnai Gate – Watercolour by Nazir Ahmad.
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Crafts of Lahore
deodar timberusedtobeoateddownfromChambaHillState.ehighuplandtract (Manjha) is irrigated partly by the upper Bari Doab Canal and partly by its Lahore Branch.etwotogetherformtherstdefenselinebetweenPakistanandIndia.e later runs through the middle o the greater Lahore – almost parallel to the River Ravi fromSiphonnearBhiseen(Jallo)totheborderofKasurDistrictbetweenManaHithar –ManaOtarandTalabSarai.FromJallotoMohlanwalthererunsonbothsidesofit a beautiul break-ree driveway called Canal Bank Road with numerous underpasses, greenbeltsofshadytrees,owerbedsandsomemodernresidentialcolonies. Beore British occupation in 1849, there was no permanent bridge on River Ravi. However communications across the river were kept open by several erry boats. Eighteen o these erry stations were located within the present day Lahore District. One major crossing (patan)wasoppositeKhizriGateforgoingnorthward.erewas also a crossing near Kamran Baradari or going to Sheikhupura. During British period there was constructed a boat bridge on the same site till, in 1915, it was replaced bya regular 1469 feet long road bridge quiteclose tothe1462 feet longrailway bridgeconstructedearlier.Sinceindependencein1947threemorebridgeshavebeen constructed urther south o the two earliest bridges or connecting this Mega City with the capital city o Islamabad and the entire northern regions.
Kamran Baradari after restoration.
ereisnohillintheentiredistrict.However,twoarticialmoundsinthecityhave earned the name o paharri (hillock) – one is called Shimla Paharri and the other as PaharriBagh-e-Jinnah(formerLawrenceGarden).egeneralheightoftheareais150 to200metresabovesealevel.ereisnonaturallakeintheentiredistrict.However, someofthemodernparksandgardensdohavebeautifularticiallakeswithboating facilities.ereusedtobesomeman-madeforests( rakh) but these are ast being eatenup by land-developers on all sides. In the high lands o this district, there are at intervals drainage lines called rohi, or sukh nala or sukh nehr . Mostly these run rom northeast to southwest.elargestofallistheHadiaraNalawhichentersintoLahoreDistrictfrom District Amritsar (India) near village Hadiara and ater traversing almost the entire length o Lahore District, cuts across Multan Road between Mohlanwal and Maraka andnallyfallsintoRiverRavi.esedrain-nullahs–particularlytheHadiaraNala hadinthepast,apleasanteectonthelocalspringwater.“eonlypartofManjha uplands where the well-water is naturally sweet is along the Amritsar border on the Two colossal paper horses near Paper Market at Ganpat Road and Urdu Bazaar. LAND
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Shah Chiragh Building by Nazir Ahmad – Pen & Ink. (Courtesy: Asad Zeeshan)
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Crafts of Lahore
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east and between the Ravi and the Hadiara Rohi on the west”2. On the other side o Hadiara Nala, the water is universally tainted and brackish. GEOLOGY So ar, no pertinent study o the geology o this country appears to have been made. elandseemstohaveyieldednothingofgeologicalinterestexceptsandand bhall rom the bed o River Ravi and kankar (limestone) and kallar – the ormer is burnt or making lime and the latter is used as manure and manuacturing crude salt–peter both in the Manjha uplands in Lahore. Kankar lime is abundantly used in the repair o ancient historical buildings o Lahore. It is usually procured rom the neighboring District Kasur where still it is abundantly available at a depth o one to six eet. e Lahore District City and City of Lahore are synonyms. Lahore is also the headquartersoftheDivisionofthesamename–thelatertermhashoweverbeen abolished or last ew years. It is also the provincial capital o the Province o the Punjab. It is oten ondly, but rightly, described as the cultural capital o Pakistan. It also formstheheadquartersof PakistanRailways.e LahoreStationis oneofthe most impressive and beautiul railway stations in whole o South Asia. It was opened in1864,and designedby William Brunton.It isthe best examplesof a fortied stationcreatedshortlyafterthewarofIndependencein1857.Ithasalongmassive wall in ront with holes or muskets and towers crowned by turrets. Lahore is still the busiest railway station in the country and serves as hub o railway network. It provides the only rail-link with India that remains open throughout the year. RIVER AND DRAINAGE NALLAHS emainriver ofthe District–city of Lahore isRavi. It ows from northeast to southwestalongwiththe westernboundaryofthedistrict.epresent-daydistrict practicallycorrespondstotheoldLahoreTehsilof1947.AccordingtotheCompiler ofDistrictGazetteerofLahore(1893-94),itcomprised260squaremilesalongthe Ravi in Hithar and Manjha 3. eRiverRaviisthesmallestofalltheriversofthePunjabandhasbeenleastuseful fornavigation.However,priorto1947,logsoftimberwoodusedtobesentdownto Lahore rom the orest o Chamba Hill State. Notwithstanding its relative small size,
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Crafts of Lahore
Ravihasdenitelyplayedaverysignicantroleinthe olklore o the Punjab – particularly that o the city o Lahore. During the Rig Vedic times, the name o this River was Parushni. However, in the Puranic literature, it has been named as Iravati after thename of Indra’s elephantof the same name. e present name Ravi is actually a corruption of Iravati. In Greek and Roman literature of the post-Alexander’s period, it was transformed to Hyraotis (Strabo), Hydraotis (Arrian), Adris (Ptolemy) and Rhuadis (Pliny). Whendid andwhy thenameParushniwas changedto Iravati and then to Ravi, is dicult to determine today. But the present day name Ravi has lost its entire religious connotation, i ever it had any during the Puranic period. eRavientersintoLahoreDistrictnearthevillageof Ichogil, Distt: Amritsar (India) and exits it near Mana Hithar. Today, Ravi is crossed by ve modern bridges –oneforrailandfourforroadtrac.Beforetherst permanent bridge was constructed in 1864, therewas abeautifulboatbridge.erstregularbridgeforrail tracwasoriginally3218feetlongandwassupported on34arches.Lateron,in1894,thenumberofarches wasreducedto16only.Beforearegularroadbridgewas constructed,therewasabeautifulboatbridgein1860snearthepresentdayKamran’s Baradari. Majid Sheikh has published a beautiul photograph o it as it existed in 18954.
Sumbal tree by Nazir Ahmad. Oil on board.
WhenLahoreFortwasbuiltin1584,RiverRaviusedtoowjustunderitsnorthern feet.BythetimeofAurangzebAlamgirinthe17 th century,River’snearness tothe cityposedagreatdangertoitssafety.Toprotectthecityfromthevagariesofoods,
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Government College University, Lahore – Watercolor by Nazir Ahmad (Courtesy: Imperial Carpets)
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Crafts of Lahore
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Aurangzebbuilta2kos/fourmiles/about7kmlongstrongembankmentin1661-62 between Mahmud Buti and the Fort. It was reinorced with lead and steps5. During British period just above Lahore city, the course o the stream was careully tamed by embankments designed primarily to protect the railway line. As the city grewafter1947,thisembankmentwasextendedfromMahmudButitookarNiaz Bag–nowconvertedintoapartoftheRingRoadofGreaterLahore–exposingthe countrysidewestoftheRivertothevagariesofperiodicoods.Now-a-days,the currentoftheRiverRaviisveryweak.However,before1894,itusedtobequite narrow, very strong and un-ordable. elandoftheRavibasin,westoftheBundroad–nowRingRoadismostlyunder cultivation.Itssoilvariesgreatly,accordingtotheleveloftheland.elowlandcalled Hethar, lying principally in the depression, contains m ore or less clay deposits which is veryfertileforwheatbutonlyifitgetsinundated.eselowlandsareseparatedfrom the upland o the Manjha by an abrupt bank – 14 to 20 eet high. Only near Lahore city, the bank has entirely disappeared – at most it is seldom higher than 4 to 5 eet. isisthereasonastowhybeforetheconstructionofBundRoad,thecityusedto beoodedquitfrequently.Oncein1958,theoodwaterreachedthelevelofsecond step o the entrance o Lahore Museum. Only in parts outside the depression, the land varies rom high sandy waste to a high loam.
Lahore Spring 2009.
Besidestheriver,the UpperBariDoabCanalpartlycovers theeasternankof the District and then near Chhanga Manga (in Kasur) enters into an escape canal to empty itsel into River Ravi. Another – the Lahore Canal enters into Lahore District nearWagah,passesbetweenLahoreandMianMirandonceusedtofallinRiverRavi near Niaz Bag 6. Today, it traverses much beyond this point up to Mohlanwal running almostsome30miles/48KmfromJallotoMohlanwalwithintheLahoreDistrict withbroadroadsonbothsidesofthecanal,numerousunderpassesforquickowof trac, with broad grassy plots and rows o beautiul bungalows o posh colonies have made this canal the most beautiul driveway o Lahore running north to south. Lahore District is also crossed by several storm drains. Most important o them is theHadiaraRohiorHadiaraNala.ItentersintoLahoreDistrictatvillageKilaJiwan
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Crafts of Lahore
Singh on Pakistan Mint side, 15 miles east o River Ravi, runs parallel to Ravi and BeasriversandnallyjoinsRiverRavineartheborderofDistrictOkara. WEATHER June is the hottest month which lasts till July. Rain fall average is 20 inches.. In Julymonsoonbursts into rainfall. In1894, averagerainfall was recordedto be 20 inches/50cm. Now-a-days the average rain all is 40.8 mm with maximum rainall being 122.9 mm in August7. FLORA AND FAUNA Beore urbanization o the District-city o Lahore, there was abundance o indigenous trees, plants and shrubbery. ese included trees like tahli or shisham ( Delbergia sissoo ), pipal (Ficus religiosa), bohr or Bunyan tree (Ficus bengalansis/indica), kikar (Acacia arabica), beri (Zizyphusjujuba), tut or mulberry tree, (Morus alba), phalahi (Acacia modesta), farash or pharwan (Tamarix articalata) and bakain or dharaik (Melia azebarach). Among the less common trees there used to be mango, jaman, tut, amaltas , burna , nim, lassurai and sohanjana . Among shrubs the most commons were karirr (Capparis aphylla), the jand (Prosopis spicigera) the wan (Salvadora oleoides), ak, mulla (zizyphusnummularia)-allshrubsofthewasteland.e chichra (butea rondosa) gives adyefromitsowers(kesu)andgumexudedfromtheplant.etwigsof pilchi or jhao (Tamarix dioica) used or making baskets. Similarly, sarr, sarkanda or kana (reed), munj , all served some minor industries. Lana , wherever available, was used or making sujji - an impure o carbonate o soda. Jaman, mango and amaltas are perhaps the only local trees that still survive in the gardens and canal and roadside plantation. eforestsinLahoredistrictconsistof282hectaresofirrigatedplantation,2850 hectares river-side plantations along the River Ravi, 1489 running km. canal-side plantations and 515 km. road-side running plantations8. In Lahore district there is 282 hectares o irrigated, 2850 hectares o River-side, 515 km long road-side and 1489 km long Canal-side plantation9. WILD LIFE Except during early Mughal period, when northern part o Lahore was a avorite hunting-ground called qamragah, this city never appears to be rich in wild lie. During
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Favourite ride of children in Lahore Zoo.
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Spring in Lahore (Photo:- Jamil Hussain).
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Crafts of Lahore
Amaltas in blossom by Nazir Ahmad. Oil on canvas.
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Birds and animals in Lahore Zoo.
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theBritishperiod(1849-1947)anumberofman-grownforestscalled‘ rakh’were grown in the Bari Doab which also attracted growth o wild animals but never o greatdiversityandquantity. Nilgai and pigs, deer,peafowl’s,grey partridges, black partridges, snipe, duck o many varieties, etc are a ew that used to be casually met along the river bank, along the canals, rohi-channels, plantations, marshes and in manmade orests (rakhs). But with population explosion, expansion o urban settlements, disappearance o rakhs and pollution o river and rohis, even this limited ‘game’ has virtually disappeared within the limits o the District-city o Lahore. Among venomous snakes the most common were the krait , the viper and the cobra. However, their number has decreased considerably as the urban area has expanded. River Ravi was once amous or abundance o rahu, malhi , sanghari, saul, thail a and tarkanda sh. Lahorites still relish the rahu (Ravi de dumbai – the lambs o River Ravi) and malhi. But as the Ravi has almost dried out and its remaining water greatly polluted, the resh watersh hasalmostvanished fromher waters.Whatwepurchaseinthe marketis mostlythefarmshwhichnowaboundsinquitegoodnumberaroundLahore. A variety o wild lie is ound in Lahore division. “It is however under tremendous pressure due to various physical and natural actors like immense expansion o human population, eradication o orests and destruction o habitats or cultivation, use o pesticides and hunting”10. LahoreZoo,surroundedbythevastLawrenceGarden,nowrenamedasJinnahGarden, issituatedintheheartofthecity.Itiscountry’soldestandlargestzooestablishedin 1876.In1996,itcontained42speciesofmammals,68ofbirdsand07ofreptiles.In allthereare389mammals,440birdsand44reptiles11. AGRICULTURE InLahoredistrictthetotalareareportedis1,76,000hectareswhichinclude1,22,000 hectares o cultivable land and 54,000 hectares o uncultivable area 12. Major crops include:wheat,rice,sugarcane,cotton,sunower,maizeandfodder.elargestcrop is wheat, ollowed by sugarcane and rice. CERTAIN BASIC FACTS ABOUT THE DISTRICT-CITY OF LAHORE 13 AdministrativeDivisions:erearefourcivildistrictsinLahoreDivisionviz.Lahore, Kasur,OkaraandSheikhupura,12sub-divisions,12tehsils,132policestations,44
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Crafts of Lahore
Provincial Constituencies and 22 National Constituencies. Lahore District-City:erearefouradministrativesub-divisions,2tehsils,75police stations, 18 Provincial Constituencies and 9 National Constituencies. Further, it hasonemetropolitancorporation,, 12ZilaCouncils,2TownCommittees, 8R.D. Markiz,38UnionCouncils,and361villages. Area:etotalareaofLahoredistrict-cityis1722squarekmor14,35,569acresor 176,000hectares.Outofthis122000hectaresarecultivableandonly54000hectares are uncultivable. Population:Accordingto1981Populationcensus,asupdatedon31-12-1995,the populationofthedistrict-citywas63,38,000. Education: e city has 192Mosque schools, 941PrimarySchools, 140Middle Schools,750HighSchools,10HigherSecondarySchools,and39InterandDegree Colleges.enumberofUniversitiesisinadditiontothis.In1947,therewasonlyone university or the entire province. Today, there are more than 20 in Lahore city alone. Beside general universities, there are universities or special subjects like engineering and technologies, health sciences, veterinary sciences, education and universities exclusively or women.14. Health Facilities:ereare32hospitalsofvaryingsizes.SomeoftheseareTeaching Hospitals attached with Medical Colleges. Besides, there are 110 dispensaries, 6 RuralHealthCenters,37BasicHealthUnitsand110MunicipalCommitteeHealth Centers.Similarly,thereare10VeterinaryHospitals,3VeterinaryDispensariesand 24 Veterinary Centers. Roads: ereare48kmofnationalhighways,309kmofprovincialroadsand293km orm-to-Market Roads. Industry:enumberoffactoriesandindustrialunitshasbeenestimatedtobe14000. Plantation: As regards orest plantation in Lahore, there are 282 hectares o irrigated, 2850 hectares o riverian, 515 Km road-side and 1489 km canal-side orest plantation. No doubt, Lahore has some o the most beautiul as well as large gardens - both historical and modern. LAND
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Allama Iqbal International Airport, Lahore. Details of arches,
Allama Iqbal International Airport, Lahore. (Photo Le Topical).
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Crafts of Lahore
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