The inglorious King and the Budha caves on May 31, 2018As one moves away from Golra and inches closer to Margalla hills, crossing newly-developed sector D-12, history in all its glory and gore awaits him. The village of Shah Allah Ditta welcomes the traveler with open arms and entertains him with stories; these are the stories of foreign invaders, Buddhist monks, Hindu sadhus, and Muslim […]
The inglorious King and the Budha caves on May 27, 2018As one moves away from Golra and inches closer to Margalla hills, crossing newly-developed sector D-12, history in all its glory and gore awaits him. The village of Shah Allah Ditta welcomes the traveller with open arms and entertains him with stories; these are the stories of foreign invaders, Buddhist monks, Hindu sadhus and Muslim […]
Pir Naseer ud Din’s legacy of interfaith harmony on May 18, 2018The romance of Golra is captivating and its story does no complete without the mention of Pir Naseer-Ud-Din. The story of Golra starts from Punjabi folk couplets of Pir Mehr Ali and perpetuates itself through sophisticated Urdu ghazals of Pir Naseer-Ud-Din, while being accompanied on the route by ‘Farmudaat’ of Babu ji, a total of […]
The Syeds of Golra – II on May 16, 2018The romance of Golra is captivating and its story does no complete without the mention of Pir Naseer-Ud-Din. The story of Golra starts from Punjabi folk couplets of Pir Mehr Ali and perpetuates itself through sophisticated Urdu ghazals of Pir Naseer-Ud-Din, while being accompanied on the route by ‘Farmudaat’ of Babu ji, a total of […]
Pir Meher Ali Shah’s mausoleum in Islamabad tells tales of spirituality on May 10, 2018The Mughal emperor, Shah Alam II was coronated to the throne of Delhi in the year 1759. It was the time when the Sikhs had taken over Punjab, the British had conquered Bengal, and now the Englishmen were glancing avidly towards Delhi. Following the third battle of Panipat, Delhi and its suburbs were plagued by […]
Rawal Village and the partition dilemma on May 3, 2018Manto in his masterpiece, ‘Thanda Gosht’ (meaning “Cold Flesh”), makes us meet a fictional character Ishar Singh, who during the Partition violence and on the other side of Punjab, abducts a Muslim girl and tries to rape her. The girl, already dead, was but ‘cold flesh’. This affects Ishar Singh psychologically so much so that […]
The lost temples of Islamabad – II on May 2, 2018Manto in his masterpiece “Thanda Gosht (Cold Flesh)” makes us meet a fictional character Ishar Singh who, during the partition violence, on the other side of Punjab, abducts a Muslim girl and tries to rape her. The girl, already dead, was but ‘cold flesh’. This affected Ishar Singh psychologically so much that he lost his […]
The historical Saidpur Village on April 26, 2018The 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 […]
The lost temples of Islamabad – I on April 25, 2018The city of Islamabad stretches between shrines of Golra and Bari Imam. Years ago, when the area was not yet baptized, 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 […]