Punjab, Delhi Sojourn Author: Dr. K. S. Kang

 

Punjab, Delhi Sojourn

Author Dr. K.S. Kang

My Punjab sojourn this year was an assorted mix of visit to religious places particularly to the shrines of Sufi saints and martyrs associated with Indian Independence Movement and a few of military heroes related to pre- independent and post- independent India. After reaching Punjab after celebrating the festival of Holi the first shrine that I visited was in the village of Chauki Mann belonged to Sufi Saint Lakh Datar Pir. This is the village where my wife’s mother spent her childhood. Sufism has been defined variously as Islamic mysticism- the mystical expression of Islamic faith, the inward dimension of Islam. It had several stages of growth including appearance of early asceticism, the development of a classical mysticism of divine love and the rise and the rise and proliferation of fraternal orders of mystics. In India Sufis largely contributed to shaping muslim society. Later some of the Sufis in India were brought closer to Hindu mysticism by an overemphasis on the ideal of divine unity that almost became monism- a religio- philosophic perspective according to which there is only one fuse reality, and the distinction between God and the world- humanity tends to disappear. The syncretistic attempts of Mughal Emperor Akbar to combine diverse faiths and practice and the religious discourses of Prince Dara Shikoh were objectionable the orthodox Islam. Even the whole of Indian Punjab is dotted with religious shrines or Khankas and Mazars of these Sufi Saints, though ironically after partition the management of these shrines have come in the hands of Hindu Banias and Jat Sikhs, as most of the muslims inhabiting Punjab, except in Malerkotla, have migrated to Pakistan. So in the absence of Muslims the management of these shrines have been taken of local populace consisting of Hindus and Sikhs. This sacred occasion also became a point of trading good and commodities among the people of the villages of surrounding areas and it also had entertainment value both for the people of the village and the surrounding areas as a musical concert of folk songs was going on from dawn to dusk in the farm donated by the resident of this village. There were several eateries in the fair, that were attracting the people and children were attracted to towards the gaming zone where a tarpaulin was stretched on which children jumped. More people had gathered at the musical concert than at the Sanctum- Sanctora of the Sufi saint in whose memory this fair was being held.

After a couple of days we went to my native town Dharamkot- a tehsil of Moga district. Here also I went to pay my regards on the Dargah of a Sufi saint Abdulleh Shah, who is considered as presiding deity of our ancestors. It was a dargah of a Muslim Sufi saint, who lived here during 17-18^th century and this place is known for promoting harmony among the Hindus, Muslims and the Sikhs of the area. Interestingly just by the side of main shrine there are two graves that belonged to a muslim couple who served this saint throughout their lives and it is said that they passed away on the same day as their bodies were found dead in the room, so they were buried in the same grave together. There is annual fair here also held in the memory of this great saint in the month of June. Before coming to Dharamkot we stayed for a couple of hours at Moga to buy a few Punjabi novels and short stories and gift for our great grand son, who was three years old but could make sounds only of seven months old child. He was born in England, and as his parents were busy in doing job so the were unable to pay attention to him as a result of which his vocal chord could not develop properly and he could only make sounds of animation movies on You Tube that he watched on the mobile phone during his parent’s absence. So besides buying books of Punjabi novels of Sardar Sohan Singh Seetal we also bought a talking cat toy for this child. The first reaction of this child at seeing this toy was that he giggled a lot as cat copied his sounds and threw back those sounds at him. We also visited another shrine of Muslim Sufi saint Lakh Datar near Baghapurana to resolve the issue of this child. To pay respect on this shrine we went by a hired cab and reached there in 45 minutes despite getting stuck in traffic jam near Bahgapurana. This shrine is associated with Baba Buddhu Shah, who earned his livelihood as a farmhand. As he was blind so the job that he was given at the farm was to drive away the beasts and birds that destroyed the crops, so whenever he heard any voice of cattle or bird he used to drive it away making the sound ‘hurr’. One day Lakh Data Pir visited this place and asked Buddhu Shah the way to a village named Sardaran Wali Mansa. Buddhu Shah replied that as he is blind so he cannot tell the way. Lakh Datar Peer asked him to stand and point towards the direction of the village. A miracle happened and Buddhu Shah got vision and not only that he could even see the village Sardaran Wali Mansa. Seeing Lakh Datar Peer standing near him with his Kaki mare he fell at his feet. Peer blessed Buddhu Shad and asked him to carry on worship at this place in the village Langian nearly 3 kms away from the town of Baghapurana. After that I decided to participate in one of the age old custom of my ancestors and that was to distribute the ‘Rot’ which was a large flat bread, earlier it was roasted on the coal fire and the dung cake fire. And before that the dough of floor with jaggery and perhaps honey also was kneaded with young healthy man with their clean and washed feet. But as technology has come, so now this large bread is baked like a cake in the oven and it is cut into pieces ready to be distributed among the people. Perhaps it was for the first time that I followed this pious tradition of my ancestors.

After a few days of return from Dharamkot I decided to visit the international border with Pakistan near Husseiniwala in Ferozepur district along with my wife and my brother-in-law who kindly agreed to take us in his car. In fact we had made a circuit of nearly 200 kilometres so that we can meet our other relatives too like by father’s sister family and my mother’s brother family. In the morning after breakfast we set on this journey and reached our destination after a couple of hours drive. At Husseiniwala, which is nearly 10 kms away from the town of Ferozepur is famous for the memorials of great martyrs of Indian Freedom Movement- Bhagat Singh, Raj Guru and Sukhdev who were cremated here after they were put on gallows at Central Prison Lahore and Prerna Sthal or Motivation Point by Indian army in honour of the soldiers who have laid down their lives while protecting their motherland in different operations. Plaques were put on pillars commemoration various battles that took place here and in the surrounding areas after independence. The first plaque was about a conflict that took place in 1956. Heavy floods in this year damaged a portion of Bela Bund Husseiniwala Headworks. Indian engineers involved in the repair work were threatened by Pakistani soldiers. At that time 4 JAK Rifles, commanded by Lt. Col Vakil Singh, was guarding the Husseiniwala Headworks Bela. Bund was guarded by B and C companies under Captain Hoshnak Singh and Capt. Ajeet Singh respectively. The Battalion intervened and provided protection to ongoing repair work. By evening that is 2100 hrs, Pakistanis launched an unprovoked attack on on the Bund with an infantry Brigade, a Squadron of Tanks, and an Artillery Battery. The foe was met with a devastating fire by the troops of 4 JAK Rifles that broke the assault. After repeated attempts and with advantage of an overwhelming force the enemy succeeded in getting a foothold in B company locality. A platoon of B Coy boldly launched a counter attack led by Naik Mukhtiar Singh and routed the enemy in fierce hand to hand combat. The determination and fierceness of the Indian troops force Pakistani soldiers to carry out a hasty withdrawal even leaving behind their fallen comrades. The enemy suffered heavy casualties with 53 killed and over 200 wounded. In this operation Naik Baldev Singh, Sepoy Surjan Singh, Sepoy Fakir Singh and Sepoy Dharam Singh were martyred. The highest peace time award Ashok Chakra was awarded to Lance Naik Sunder Singh and Sepoy Dhani Ram and Shaurya Chakra was given to Hav, Sewa Singh, and Sepoy Janak Singh and Kirti Chakra was given to Naik Mukhtiar Singh while Sena Medal was given to Lt. Col Vakil Singh, Maj. Kant Prakash, Sub. Parshottam Singh and Sepoy Pritam Singh. There is another plaque with the map of the area commemorating the sacrifice of Lance Naik (Hony. Capt.) Sunder Singh and all martyrs of 4 JAK Rif for selfless sacrifice in 1956 operation at Husseiniwala that continues to inspire generations today.

The second plaque commemorates Battle of 1965 with Pakistan. In this war soldiers of 2 Maratha LI, was given task to defend Husseiniwala enclave and prevent the capture of Samadhi of Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev along with the Husseiniwala Head Works. On 6^th September 1965, Pakistani soldiers started heavy shelling along the frontier. In reply 2 Maratha LI launched an assault and captured an enemy post named Kikar, which dominated Husseiniwala Barrage. On the night of 18^th September, a patrol under 2 Lt. Feroz Doctor got input about an enemy build up in area of Ganda Singhwala, which helped in preparing own defence. On the night of 19-20^th September Pakistani army launched an attack with Infantry Battalion supported with tanks. The main assault came on the company located near the Samadhi and a joint attack on company, which was deployed on approach to Husseiniwala Barrage. The enemy could not make gains towards Samadhi due to valiant resistance of Indian soldiers and effective fire from our Recoilless guns and Medium Machine Guns. On the night of 20-21 September the enemy attacked once again with renewed vigour. However this attack was repulsed by the inspired Marathas. In this battle Pakistan lost two Shermon tanks and suffered heavy casualties with 42 killed and over 200 wounded. In this operation Lt. Col. T.T.A Nolan, Lt. P.S. Rana, Naik Vitthal Patil, Naik Vishnu Kadam, Naik Shamrao Chavan, Lance Naik Narayan More, Sepoy Daga Nikam, Sepoy Banda More, Sepoy Raghunath Chalke, Sepoy Shankar Bhonsle, Sepoy Baba Falke, Sepoy Vasu Naik, Sepoy Manas Pasis, were martyred and Sepoy Shankar Bhonsle and Sepoy Daga Nikam were awarded Senal Medals.

There is a plaque commemorating the Battle of Assal Utttar during with Pakistan in 1971. It is also popularly known as Battle of Khemkaran. This battle was the largest tank to tank battle in the history of Indian army that turned the tide of 1965 war in favour of India. The Pakistani army by first week of September 1965 had captured the Indian town of Khemkaran in Punjab. After the fall of Khemkaran on September 10, 1965, the Indian forces positioned three armoured Regiments with 45 M4 Shermon Tanks, 45 AMX 13 Tanks, and 45 Centurion Tanks outside the village of Assal Uttar, 12 kms from the town of Khemkaran. The units camouflaged their tanks effectively in sugarcane fields, and approaches were flooded and made swampy. Unaware of it, over confident Pakistanis advanced towards Assal Uttar and their tanks were bogged down in the swamp. Opening fire from their camouflaged hideouts, at ranges as short as 500 yards, the Indian tanks were able to decimate the Pakistan’s Patton Tanks. The entrapped enemy fled the field in complete disarray. The enemy lost 97 tanks, including 72 Patton Tanks in this battle. They left behind 32 tanks in running condition while Indians lost 10 tanks in this battle. This battle saw the bravery of Company Quarter Master Havildar Abdul Hamid who was awarded Param Vishisht Sewa Medal as he made supreme sacrifice in this battle. Other people who were martyred in this battle were Maj. Surendra Prasad, Hav. I. B. Gurung, Naik Jagdish Singh, LD Sahib Singh, LD Tarsem Singh, LD Sahib Singh SM,LD Kartar Singh, LD Manohar Singh, LD Jit Singh, LD Harbans Singh, and Masalchi Makodu. Mahaveer Chakra was given to Brig. T.K Theoraj from 62 CAV, Lt. Col. Raghubir Singh, 18 RAJ Rif and Lt. Col. Salim Caleb 3 CAV. Veer Chakra was given to Maj. N.G. David, Maj. S.C. Vadera from 3 CAV, Maj. R.S. Sharma, Capt. Prabhu Singh, Naik Jagdish Singh and Lance Naik Bhanwar Singh from 18 RAJ Rif, and Maj. M.A. Zaki, Maj. S. Prashad from 19 Maratha LI, and Lt. Teja Singh from 9 JAK Rif, 2 Lt. C.S. Nair from Engineers and Naib Subedar B. Ambhore from 2 Mahar and Ris. Acchar Singh, Df. Tarlok Singh from 9^th Horse , Hav. I.B. Gurung from 1/9 GR, and L. Hav. K.G George form Signals. Sena medal was given to Ris. Nihal Singh, Naib Risaldar Jagdev Singh, Naib Risaldar Bakshish Singh, Naib Risaldar Nasib Singh,Swr Daya Chand, Swr. Nek Singh, Swr. Udmi Singh and LD Sahib Singh from 3 CAV. There is also First Patiala War memorial with hymns of Guru Gobind Singh ji inscribed on it which was inaugurated by Capt. Amarinder Singh, the then Chief Minister of Punjab in 2006.

There is also a plaque in honour of martyrs of 1971 war in Battle of Husseiniwala against Pakistan. During this time 15 Punjab (First Patiala) was tasked to defend Husseiniwala enclave so as to prevent the capture of Head Works here. The most vulnerable part, currently near the BSF Checkpost was given to D Coy under Maj. Kanwaljit Singh SC. The approach astride the main road, including the Samadhi tower area was with C Coy under Maj. SPS Waraich. At 1835 hrs, on 3^rd December 1971 enemy began shelling with entire Corps Artillery against two companies followed by an attack by four infantry battalions and a Squadron of tanks. Fierce battle raged throughout the night with each company repeatedly beating back despite repeated enemy assault. At dawn the hostile forces had overrun both the companies and were nearly at the doorstep of the Samadhi. At this time Medium Machine Gun section stationed on the tower of Samadhi, under Naik Surjeet Singh, realising the peril, fought valiantly and beat back several enemy attempts to capture Samadhi till their ammunition lasted. The valiant Punjabis withstood gallantly the overwhelming hostile force, but as the position became precarious, they were ordered to withdraw from the enclave. Fifteen Punjab lost two officers and 53 soldiers, while it is estimated that Pakistani army lost more than 300 soldiers. People who made supreme sacrifice in this battle are Maj. Kanwaljit Singh SC, Maj. SPS Waraich, Hav. Jagir Singh, Hav. Gurbachan Singh, Hav. Balwant Singh, Hav. Randhir Singh, Hav. Sucha Singh, Hav. Darshan Singh, Lance Hav. Kartar Singh, Naik Bir Singh, Naik Amrik Singh, Naik Balkar Singh, Naik Mela Singh, Pritam Singh, Harkirat Singh, Piara Singh, Darshan Singh, Sarwan Singh, Jarnail Singh and Sepoys Pritam Singh, Chinnda Singh, Nacchatar Singh, Sukhdev Singh, Avtar Singh, Dharam Singh, Balbir Singh, Prem Singh, Surjit Singh, Kuldeep Singh, Rajpal Singh, Nacchtar Singh, Nishan Singh, Daler Singh, Chur Singh, Naranjan Singh, Swaran Singh, Surinder Singh, Jaspal Singh, Raghubir Singh, Makhan Singh, Nirmal Singh, Raghbir Singh, Prakash Singh, Jai Ram, Sulakahan Singh, Mohendra Singh Harish pal Singh, Kashmir Singh, Harnam Singh, Ayodhya Prasad, and Pritam Singh. Names have not been repeated, as it would seem but some persons were having same names.

There is also a building here showcasing a coach of a train that ran between Firozepur and Kasur before independence. One of the coach of that train has been preserved by constructing a room around it symbolising the bridge that was blown off by Indian army during 1965 war. The chief attraction of this place is the Samadhi or cenotaph of three great martyrs of Indian Freedom Movement- Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, and Sukhdev. This place has statues of these three great martyrs who embraced martyrdom to achieve independence from British rule. There is also memorial of another freedom fighter and colleague of Bhagat Singh named Butkeshwar Dutt, who was arrested along with Bhagat Singh for throwing bomb in the assembly to protest against the foreign rule in India, but he was released on medical grounds. In his last will Dutt expressed his wish to be cremated near the place where his three revolutionary friends Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev have been cremated. These revolutionaries were sentenced to death by a Britishers court in India for firing on police officer Sanders that came to be known as Lahore Conspiracy Case. Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev were hanged on the evening of March 23, 1931. At that time a great crowd had collected outside Central Jail Lahore in their support. So authorities sensing rebellion quietly put these revolutionaries to death and smuggled their bodies in sacks through the back gate of the jail by breaking the inner wall of the jail and crossed the River Sutlej and cremated them at Husseiniwala near Ferozepur hurriedly without performing any proper religious rites. Shri Bhatukeshwar Dutt, Bhagat Singh’s revolutionary colleague, passed away on July 19, 1965 at Delhi and as per his last wish he was also cremated here. Just beside the Samadhi of these great freedom fighters is the samadhi of Bhagat Singh’s mother who was given the title of Punjab Mata. Here a flame is burning continuously.

After paying regards at these historical sites of modern Indian history of 20^th century, we proceeded towards another signifiant village Bargari, that had been in name in recent years as some anti-social element has defiled the purity of Shri Guru Granth Sahib by tearing some of the leaves from this holy book at a village Burj Jawahar Singh near Bargari. Here we had come to meet my relatives as family of my father’s sister reside here. Here we were overjoyed to get the news of the arrival of new member in the family in the form of grandson of my cousin. After taking lunch, tea and snacks we moved from this place towards my birth place Parao Mehna, where my mother spent her childhood. Here we came to meet my mother’s brother’s son and his family that was residing here. As it was quite darkness when we left Mehna so without making any further delay we returned back to our base at Sujapur.

After a couple of days I and my brother-in-law went to see the memorial of Saragarhi battle Hav, Issar Singh, at his village Jhorran. As this place was not very far off from the place of our stay so we went there on scooter. A film Kesari has been made about this battle in which Akshay Kumar has performed the role of Hav. Issar Singh. Hav. Issar Singh joined 36^th Sikhs of British Indian army that was created under the command of Col. J. Cook that consisted entirely of Jat Sikhs from Punjab. In August 1897 five companies of this regiment were sent to NWFP under Lt. Col John Haughton and were stationed at Samana Hills, Kuraj, Sangar, Saktop Dhai, and Saragarhi. The British had partially succeeded in controlling this volatile area, but tribal Pashtuns continued assaulting it from time to time. Thus a series of fort built by famous Sikh Emperor Maharaja were consolidated. Two of the forts were Fort Lockhart, on the Samana range of the Hindu-Kush Mountain Range and Fort Gulistan on Sulaman Range. As these two forts were not visible from each other so Saragarhi was put up midway between these two as a heliographic communication post. This Saragarhi post, situated ona rocky ridge consisted of a small block house with loopholed rampart and a signalling tower. A general uprising by the Afgans began in 1897 and between 27^th August and 11 September many vigorous assaults of Pashtus were repulsed by these soldiers. In 1897 inimical and insurgent activities had increased, and on 3^rd and 9^th September Afridi tribesmen allied with Afgans attacked Fort Gulistan. Both these attacks were repulsed and a relief column from Fort Lockhart, on its return trip reinforced the signalling detachment stationed at Saragarhi, increasing its strength to three NCO’s and Eighteen other ranks. This battle of Saragarhi was a last stand battle before the Tirah Campaign between British Indian Empire and Afgan tribesmen. On September 12, 1897 an estimated 12000-24000 Orakzai and Afridi tribesmen were seen near Gogra, at Samana Suk, and around Saragarhi, cutting off Fort Gulistan from Fort Lockhart. The Afgans swarmed the fort and surrounded it and assaulted this outpost of Saragarhi. Sepoy Gurmukh Singh signalled to Col Haughton that they were under attack from Afgan tribesmen. Col Haughton sent the reply that he was unable to send immediately to Saragarh so they can leave the fort if they like. But these 22 soldiers led by Hav. Issar Singh decided to the fight to the last to prevent the foe from reaching the fort. Sepoy Bhagwan Singh was first to be martyred in this battle. Naik Lal Singh, though seriously wounded and Sepoy Jiva Singh brought the body of Bhagwan Singh inside the fort. The Afgans broke a portion of wall of picket. Col.Haughton signalled to them that the estimated strength of the enemy was 10000-14000. The leaders of the Afgan forces reportedly made promises to the soldiers to surrender. Two vigorous attempts were made to break the gate of the fort but in vain. But the wall of the fort was breached that followed some of the fiercest hand to hand combat between Afgan tribesmen and these soldiers. Hav. Issar Singh ordered his men to retreat to the inner wall of the fort while remained in front to give them cover for retreat. After the inner layer of the post was breached all but one soldier were killed but after killing numberless Afganis. Sepoy Gurmukh Singh, who was communicating the signals of the battle to Col. Haughton was the last defending soldier. His last message to Colonel was the permission to pick up rifle. Upon getting the permission, he packed up his heliograph and shut the door of his signalling shed. With his weapon he killed a number of Pashtuns as a result of which they decided to set fire to the shed so as to kill him. And he embraced martyrdom yelling “ Bole so Nihal, Sat Sri Akal. Though everybody had died at Saragarhi and Pashtuns succeeded in capturing but the stiff resistance give by these soldiers to Afgans delayed their attempts to capture Fort Gulistan and Fort Lockhat, as originally planned. They could keep control on Saragarhi only for 48 hours, as British relief force reoccupied it with the help of artillery by routing Pashtuns soundly. The weapons given to these soldiers were of old generation compared to the small arms issued to the white troops, which was intentionally done as a precaution to prevent another mutiny after the revolt of 1857. As we were returning from this place we saw a memorial that has been put up a well-off family of the neighbouring family, known in the area by the name of Currie family, some of whose members have settled abroad in U.K. This memorial is just three pillars standing in their farm with the name and pictures of their family members and names inscribed on it. It includes three or four generations from 1960 to 2020. While we were returning from Punjab I observed that a number of statues of the army soldiers who had lost their lives in some operation just outside the village to which they belonged. One such memorial was statue of Balwant Singh Baraich who was born in 1977 and achieved martyrdom during Kargil war in 1999 at the age of 22 years. He is portrayed in the statue in army olive green uniform holding AK-47 in his hand and a backpack behind. This memorial is just outside Baraich village to which Balwant Singh belonged.

We left Punjab and came to Sonepat in Haryana, where my elder son works as a Law Professor at a private university. We stayed here a couple of days. One day he took us to Delhi in his car to see Ferozshah Kotla, Old Fort and Gurudwara Rikab Ganj. First of all we went to see Ferozshah Kotla which was built 1354 by Sultan Feroz Shah Tughlaq. Today it is almost in ruins except some structures standing in its precincts. It is situated on the banks of River Yamuna that provided water needs of the people residing here. It is also known for a famous 3^rd B.C Ashoka Pillar put on slightly raised ground, Jami Masjid and a Baoli or a step well catering to the water needs of populace living here. About Asoka Pillar and the pyramidal structure it has been said that this lofty structure was built three stages with size diminishing in each successive storey, consisting of cells with arched entrances in 1358 by Feroze Shah Tughlaq and the Ashok Pillar was installed on the top of this structure. This pillar which is believed to be of the year 273-236 B.C was removed by the Sultan from Topra in Ambala district and a similar second pillar is stationed at present near Hindu Rao Hospital at Ridge, was brought from Merrut. It was transported to this site, wrapped in silk cotton cloth, then it was lowered into a bed prepared for it, then it was encased in reeds and raw skins. It was carried in 42 wheels carriage. A strong rope was fastened to each wheel and 200 men pulled each of these ropes. It was taken to the bank of River Yamuna where Sultan personally checked Transportation arrangements. From here it was carried to Firozabad in large boats and conveyed into Kushan. The pyramidal structure was built in stages. When a storey was finished the column was raised on it and repeated in the same manner in succession until it reached the intending terrace. After the installation of the pillar some ornamental friezes in black and white stones were placed around its capital and over this was raised a gilded copper copula or a Kalash which is now missing. Originally this pillar was enclosed with stone railings. The Ashoka edicts of this column in Brahmi script were first of all deciphered in 1837 by James Prinsep. Besides other minor records of pilgrims and travellers inscribed on it during different centuries, the one in Sanskrit engraved in 1163 A.D records conquests of Chauhan prince Vishal Dev.

The remains of the congregational mosque of the citadel- Jami Masjid- stands today belying the fact that it was quite spectacular in its own time. It is an octagonal domed structure built during the reign of Sultan Ferozeshah Tughlaq in 14^th century. It reflects typical architectural style of the Tughlaq dynasty characterised by massive proportions, sloping walls and less ornamentation. The structure is made primarily of rubble masonry. The doorway was decorated with carved stones that no longer exists. An interesting feature of this structure are the chambers at the lower level. Timur was so much impressed by it that he is said to have built a similar mosque at his capital Samarkand using craftsmen from India. The historic palace of Ferozeshah now stands in ruins. The walls of the citadel are 15 feet high and have a slight slope on the outside. The top parapets have now disappeared but the arrow slits can still be seen. The contemporary historian of this era had identified parts of that palace by different names like Palace of the Clay Court which was meant for the emperor’s court attended by nobles, officials and distinguished literary personages. Palace of the wooden galleries on overhang was for the officers of the emperor, and the Palace of the Public Court was the site where emperor held court for the common people. Apart from these the private areas of the palace were meant for the residence of the emperor and his family members. It is likely that the surfaces at one time were covered with fine lime plaster which was decorated by carving and printing in diverse colours.

The Baoli or the well was an essential source of water for the citadel. Unlike other step wells this baoli does not have steps leading down to the water level. It is a circular well open to the sky with a provision to lift water in a bucket on a pulley. Around this wall two storeys of rooms are arranged. A complex system of pipes and channels pumped the water to the roof and from there to the outside, where it might have been used for watering the garden and other uses. The roof probably was topped by Chattris- pillared kiosks- and surrounded by railing serving as a recreational space.

After seeing the Ferozshah Kotla we went to visit National Handicrafts Fair and on the way we got the passing view of Purana Qila or Old Fort. It is one of the Oldest forts, primarily built by Mughal Emperor and Sher Shah Suri between 1530 and 1540, though evidences present in it suggest human habitation in it dating back of 3^rd Century B.C. It served as a citadel for Humanyun’s city- Dinpanah, and is widely believed to be situated on the site of legendry Pandava Capital city of Inderprastha. Sher Shah Suri conquered it by defeating Humayun and renamed it as Shergarh and continued building completing many structures visible today like Qita-i- Kuhna mosque. Besides the mosque the popular structures are the Baz Darwaza, Talaqui Darwaza or forbidden gate and Humayun Darwaza, all built in red sandstone and a double storied octagonal red sandstone tower known as Sher Manda that became cause of Humayun’s death. It was initially an observatory and library and Humayun fell from its steps and died. Today, this place is a popular historical site hosting sound and light shows, boating etc. By the time we reached National Crafts Museum and Hastkala Academy it was time for lunch. So first of all we entered a restaurant, situated in its premises and had a good and hearty lunch. After a satisfying lunch of Cuthel Biriyani and Ragi Bada Pav and Ragi Dhokla, we went to see various pavilions related to armoury, paintings, crockery, Idol section, Wood craft section, textile section and the like. We found the wooden craft section and the houses of various rural tribes of India built outside the exhibition quite interesting. After buying a few articles and we came out of it and proceeded towards the historical Gurudawara Rakabganj Sahib.

This historical Gurudwara is associated with Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji- the Ninth Guru of the Sikhs. At this place sacred headless body was reverentially cremated by a trader named Lakhi shah Banjara, when he was martyred by Aurangzeb on 11^th November 1675. Bhai Jaita ji took the head of the body respectfully to Sri Anandpur Sahib where it was cremated and the rest of the body was taken by Bhai Lakhi Shah Banjara to his house and set fire to it cremating the body with it. The place where Gurudwara stands today was the house of Lakhi Shah Banjara. He collected the ashes in an urn and kept it underground in his burnt house. Later when Delhi was conquered by Sardar Baghel Singh in 1763, he identified historical places related to the Sikhs and established the memorial of this also. Rakabganj is a small village so that gave this name to Gurudwara. After the revolt of 1857, a wall of Sikh loyalists was constructed around the memorial in 1714. In 1914 it was demolished by Britishers so as to construct new buildings and structures for the new capital of British Raj. After ceaseless efforts from Sikh leaders, Gurudwara was renovated by S. Harnam Singh Suri of Pusa Road on 8^th January 1955. As it was dusk by the time we came out of Gurudwara after paying our regards and tribute so we returned back to our base in Harayana at Sonepat, where my elder son teaches law in a private university.

After staying for a couple of days at Sonepat, my son took us in his car to Jaipur, where we saw the iconic park of Mansarovar- The City Park. Though we had seen it earlier too but still we saw some new structures that had come in it like a chocolate brown clock tower that had come at the south entrance of the park and a new pavilion in the centre west side of the park. Our sojourn ended with a ride on Volvo A.D Bus that brought us back to our home town- Chittorgarh.