LAHORE - the pearl of Punjab

The history of India and Pakistan is incomplete without the mention of Lahore. It's an integral part of the subcontinent's history and holds a critically important position in all chapters, be it the Mughals or the British era or the independence struggle. This post shall highlight some interesting features of the city, known popularly as the Pearl of Punjab, among various other names. 

Going back to the Vedic era of the subcontinent, the only prominent settlements marked in the plains of Panchananda were Sakala (today's Sialkot), Hariyupriya (today's Harappa), Rajagraha (on the banks of Vitasta or Jhelum River), Aritthapura etc. marking the neighbourhoods of Lahore in today's Pakistani Punjab. Around this time, the cities of Puskalavati (today's Charsadda, Pakistan), Mulasthanapura (today's Multan) and Taksasila held more importance than any other towns in this belt. 

The medieval era saw the rise of various other establishments on the Punjab river plains such as Bhatiah, Ashahan, Gurjaratra (Gujrat, Pakistan), Askhanda, Lahur (Lahore) etc. This was the period where heavy Islamisation of Hindu kingdoms, particularly of the Gurjara-Pratihara (गुर्जर प्रतिहार) belt of the greater Punjab, much of what is in today's Pakistan. Perhaps the last Hindu kingdom of the region, the Hindu Shahi (हिंदु शाही, 850-1026), became a buffer between the rising Islamic empires of the west and the subsequent Hindu dynasties of Gurjara-Pratiharas and Chahamanas (चौहान / चाहमान). The Arab knowledge about Lahore was evident from the notes of Al Biruni (970 - 1050) who mentions a certain Mandahukur around the vicinity of Lauhawur, the setting stones of today's Lahore. In the year 1186, Lahor was annexed by the Afghan Ghurids, thus ending the two-century long Ghaznavid rule on the subcontinent. At this time, Lahore was soon rising to become an important Islamic town, replacing the ancient Hindu traces and became a crossfire for rising medieval powers. 

During the time of the Delhi Sultanate, while the Tughlaqs and Khaljis were ravaging the northern Hindustan and parts of the Deccan, the Punjab territory was populated by the Khokhar clan and establishments such as Lahor, Kalanur, Shorkot, Dipalpur etc. could be seen. During the 15th century era, just before the arrival of the Europeans, the Khokhars ravaged most of central and eastern Punjab under their leader Jasrath (r. 1420-1442) and revolted against the ruling Sayyids of Punjab. This was followed by the arrival of the Lodis wherein Daulat Khan Lodi (the governor of Lahore) rebelled against Ibrahim Khan Lodi, the last Lodi ruler at the same time when Zaheeruddin Muhammad Babur entered Hindustan to establish the cornerstone of the Mughal empire. Lahore became one of the earliest territories to be annexed by Babur under the Mughals, and thus arrived the glorious chapter of Lahore's history that has shaped the city into what it is today. 

Lahor was a major Mughal province (Subah) that became an important centre during the rise of the Sikh Empire. It was also a major trade hub that sourced fine cloth, silk, embroidery, carpets, armours, leather etc., but was never converted into a factory by any of the European power. Moreover, the Sikh Empire's demise in 1849 led to the annexation of Punjab by the English East India Company, thus starting the British chapter of Lahore. Being the capital of the Punjab province for the longest time (and still is, of the Pakistani Punjab), Lahore witnessed the birth and rise of numerous revolutionaries, independence activities, imprisonments (at the famous Lahore Central Jail) etc. The 20th century Lahore was a playground for independence activists, particularly Bhagat Singh who studied at the National College (also at Lahore) inaugurated by Lala Lajpat Rai, who took part in the protest against the Simon Commission, shot dead a police officer named John Poyntz Sauders and was imprisoned and put under trial at the Lahore Jail as well. It was at Muzang House, Lahore, where Bhagat Singh and other members of the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association planned their movement briefly. The Bradlaugh Hall served as the headquarters of Naujawan Bharat Sabha, the Young Society of India, founded by Bhagat Singh in 1926. 

When India was decided to get partitioned, no one imagined that Lahore would be separated out of the country. Although majoritarian Muslim, most of the household and business properties were owned by Sikhs and Hindus, thus leading it to assume that the city won't be transferred to the newly formed Pakistan. But fate had its other plans and a part of Lahore thought annexed to Amritsar, major portion transferred to Pakistan. The tehsils Patti, Khem Karan and the villages lying in between were once part of Lahore, currently in the Tarn Taran district of Indian Punjab. 

With the departure of the British, several cities and streets got renamed in both India and Pakistan. Lahore had a series of English names that are now changed to more local ones. Listing down a comparison between some of the former and current names of Lahore's streets. 

• Esplanade
• Nisbet Road
• McLeod Road
• Abbott Road
• Mall Road (Shahrah-e-Quaid-e-Azam Road)
• Muzang Road (Mozang Road)
• Lake Road
• Church Road (Nabha Road)
• Donald Town (Faisal Town)
• Charing Cross (Faisal Chowk)
• Lytton Road
• Lawrence Garden (Bagh-e-Jinnah)
• Victoria Jubilee Hall
• Durand Road
• Davies Road (Sir Aga Khan Road)
• Montgomery Hall (Quad-e-Azam Library)
• Mayo Road
• Jail Road (Allama Iqbal Road)
• Queen's Road (Fatima Jinnah Road)