Bhera بھیرا | |
|---|---|
City | |
 Sher Shah Suri Jamia Mosque, 1540 | |
  Bhera Bhera (Pakistan) Show map of Pakistan | |
| Coordinates:32°28′52″N72°54′25″E / 32.48111°N 72.90694°E /32.48111; 72.90694 | |
| Country |  Pakistan |
| Province |  Punjab |
| District | Sargodha |
| Time zone | UTC+5 (PKT) |
Bhera (Punjabi:بھیرا;Urdu:بھیرہ) is a city and atehsil ofSargodha District,Punjab province ofPakistan.[1] The city is known for wood-carved items, textiles (such as quilts andkhussas), and certain desserts (such as pheonian andpateesa).[2]
The city is made up of the walled Old Town and the surrounding newer development. The Old Town is surrounded by tall walls with eight gates, and is divided up intomohallas, or neighborhoods; historically, different castes lived in different mohallas.[2] TheJhelum River flows to the north of Bhera.
The novelMayyadas Ki Mari (Mayyadas's Castle), written by Indian playwrightBhisham Singh Sahni, takes place in Bhera.[2]
According toAncient Geography of India byAlexander Cunningham, Bhera was once known as Jobnathnagar.[3]
TheImperial Gazetteer of India records the history of Bhera:
In the seventh and eighth centuries, the Salt Range chieftain was a tributary of hindu shahi (rulers of lahore). Bhera was sacked by Mahmūd of Ghazni, and again two centuries later by the generals of Chingiz Khān. In 1519 Bābar held it to ransom; and in 1540 Sher Shāh founded a new town, which under Akbar became the headquarters of one of the subdivisions of theSūbah of Lahore. In the reign of Muhammad Shāh, Rājā Salāmat Rai, a Khukhrain of the Anand tribe, administered Bhera and the surrounding country; while Khushāb was managed by Nawāb Ahmadyār Khān, and the south-eastern tract along the Chenāb formed part of the territories under the charge of Mahārājā Kaura Mal, governor of Multān.[4]
About the same time, by the death of Nawāb Ahmdyār Khan, Khushāb also passed into the hands of Rājā Salāmat Rai. Shortly afterwards Abbās Khān a Khattak who held Pind Dādan Khān, treacherously put the Rājā to death, and seized Bhera. But Abbās Khān was himself thrown into prison as a revenue defaulter, and Fateh Anand, nephew of Salāmat Rai then recovered his uncle's dominions.[4]
In the recent past centuries, Bhera was an important trading outpost on the road toKabul, and boasted of a taksal (mint) during the rule ofRanjit Singh. The city was known for its knife and cutlery craftsmen, who made fighting daggers (Pesh-kabz) as well as hunting knives and table cutlery, often fitted with handles ofserpentine (false jade) orhorn.[5] SirRobert Baden-Powell described the process by which craftsmen manufactured gem-qualityserpentine akafalse jade from ores obtained from Afghanistan: "Thesang-i-yesham (ore) is cut by means of an iron saw, and water mixed with red sand and pounded (with)kurand (corundum). It is polished by application to thesan (polishing wheel), wetted with water only, then by being kept wet with water, and rubbed with a piece ofwati (smooth pottery fragment), and lastly by rubbing very finely pounded burntsang-i-yesham on it. This last process must be done very thoroughly."[5]
Bhera has also been attacked by a series of invaders, including:
Farishta records[7]that after attackingAjoodhun, nowPakpattan:
The King marched from thence to another town in the neighbourhood called Dera the inhabitants of which were originallyKhukhrain and were banished thither with their families byAfrasiab, for frequent rebellions. Here they had formed themselves into a small independent state and being cut off from intercourse with their neighbours by a belt of mountains nearly impassable, had preserved their ancient custom and rites, by not intermarrying with any other people. The King, having with infinite labour cleared a road for his army over the mountains advanced towards Dera which was well fortified. This place was remarkable for a fine lake of water about one parsang and a half in circumference.
