Daily Times

The city of Islamabad stretches between the shrines of Golra and Bari Imam. Years ago, when the area was not yet baptised, it was home to dozens of scattered villages between temples of Golra, Saidpur and Rawal. In those days, local Gakhar, Rajput, and Malhiar tribes resided in these villages. The present day Islamabad and its denizens were yet to inherit the place. Fast forward four centuries, and you will find yourself in a city called Islamabad.

Zero kilometres away from Islamabad, the picturesque Saidpur silently sits on a slope of Margalla hills. In year 1530 AD, one Mirza Fateh Ali founded the village. Initially, it came to be known after him as Fatehpur Baoli. Later, when the area was given to Said Khan Gakhar by our very own Mughal Emperor Akbar for his family’s services in the fight against our beloved Sher Shah Suri, the name of the village changed from Fatehpur to Saidpur. Said Khan gifted the village to his daughter.

As the Partition came by, it changed everything. Hindus inhabiting the village migrated to India, and so did the brass statues of goddesses Kali and Lakshami. The ponds have disappeared, and the village has been taken over by Des Pardes, Dera Pakhtoon, Andaaz, Tira, and other expensive restaurants. The temple, empty and in shambles, stands ready for a selfie with the visitors

The village that finds mention in Tuzk-e-Jahangiri as “a place beyond Rawalpindi” has a unique attraction in its serene environment; anyone who passes by it falls in love with it. Jahangir, thus, married the owner of the village – the daughter of Said Khan. Those who consider Iqbal as a Pakistani would surely love to call Jahangir as the son-in-law of Islamabad.

In 1580 AD, Maan Singh visited the village and built a temple here to commemorate his visit, along with a dharamshala and four ponds namely Ram Kund, Lakshman Kund, Sita Kund, and Hanuman Kund. In preceding centuries, before the Partition, Hindus from Rawalpindi would gather at Saidpur and celebrate Baisakhi at the temple and the ponds. As the Partition came by, it changed everything. Hindus inhabiting the village migrated to India, and so did the brass statues of goddesses Kali and Lakshami. The ponds have disappeared, and the village has been taken over by Des Pardes, Dera Pakhtoon, Andaaz, Tira, and other expensive restaurants. The apron of the temple where once upper-class Hindus used to take Parsaad, now serves as a dining place of Des Pardes – a high-end restaurant, catering to elites only. The temple, empty and in shambles, stands ready for a selfie with the visitors.

Alongside the temple, a gurdwara was built by the Sikhs, probably in the 20th century. Attached to the gurdwara is a big-sized room, which served as a school for teaching the philosophy of Guru Nanak. Until the Partition, Waheguru and the goddesses of Kali and Lakshami resided side by side. Once ‘The land of the Pure’ became a reality, the Sikh school was converted into a primary school for girls for the purposes of teaching the two-nation theory. As the village was declared a tourist place in 2006, the girls’ school ceased to exist. It has now been renovated and carries black and white photos of Islamabad’s making as well as the lost temple.

Some local Gakhar and Rajput families still reside in the village. Ironically, they are considered ‘Raja Ji’ and not ‘actual Islamabadis’.

The author is a lawyer based in Islamabad. He is a partner at Just & Right Law Company and can be reached at gulbazmushtaq@justnright.com

Published in Daily Times, April 26^th 2018.