The village of Syedpur in Islamabad, which has an ancient and bloody history

Among the 85 villages affected by the construction of Islamabad, Syedpur was the largest village with a population of around 16,000 in 1947. This village of pottery makers was also known as the village of potters.

Also, it is the only village in Islamabad that still exists today. In 2006, in view of its historical importance, its restoration began and it got the status of a model village. The temple, Gurdwara and Dharamshala have also been restored.

Why is Saidpur village important in Hinduism?

The history of Saidpur village is said to be very ancient and it is mentioned in the oldest books of Hindus. Raja Muhammad Arif Minhas writes in his book ‘Archeology of Pakistan’ that ‘There are three blessed Tirths of Hindus in the Potohar region, Syedpur, Tala Jogian and Raj Katas. According to the Kashmiri scholar Op Tala, the first Sanskrit university was established at Sayedpur, where Rama, Sita and Lakshmana came during the reign of Bas. Even today there are Ramsita and Lachman Kund in Saidpur.’

According to renowned researcher Zulfikar Ali Kalhoro, the early settlers of Syedpur were Rajput and Gakhar tribes. Mirza Fateh Ali Baig, a Sufi man from the Mughal dynasty, came to the area in 1530 after which the village became known as Fatehpur Baoli because there was also a baoli (well).

When some areas of Rawalpindi became part of the Mughal Empire during the reign of Akbar Azam, Fatehpur Baoli was also one of them. Then this area was the property of Syed Khan Gakhar, according to which it came to be called Syedpur. Syed Khan was the son of the famous Gakhar Sardar Sultan Sarang Khan.

Akbar’s famous general Man Singh stayed in Rawalpindi on his way to Kabul in 1580 and Sayyid Khan invited him to come to Sayyidpur. Man Singh was so impressed by the sight of Syedpur that he suggested to Syed Khan that if a temple was built here, he would bear the expenses.

This suggests that there would be a significant population of Hindus during this period. So, not only the temple but also a two-room Dharamshala was built here and the four canals passing along it were also paved which rose from the foot of the Margala and irrigated the lower lands by taking the water from the springs.

At that time these drains were known as ‘Ram Kund’, ‘Lakshman Kund’, ‘Sita Kund’ and ‘Hanuman Kund’.

Later Basant Ram, a wealthy businessman from Rawalpindi, built an ashram here and extended Dharamshala as well. Besides, the names of those who contributed to its reconstruction are still written on the floor here.

At the time of partition, when the Hindus started leaving, the administration and maintenance of the temple was with Ramlal, Radhu and Dewan who took the idols of Lakshmi and Kali with them from the temple.

The Rawalpindi Gazetteer 1893-94 records that at the village of Saidpur, famous for its beautiful springs at the foot of the Marga, an annual Hindu fair is held at the hermitage of Ramkund, attended by more or less eight thousand people.

Raja Ramachandra came here with his companions due to which this place is auspicious for Hindus. This festival is held every year on the occasion of Baisakh in April.

There were images of Lakshmi and Kali inside the temple. In Hinduism, Lakshmi was the consort of Vishnu and is also the most powerful goddess of Vishnu, known for her benevolence, responsible for rains, prosperity and the throne.

The devotees of Lakshmi have now also formed a separate sect. While Kali is also one of the ten most powerful goddesses of Hinduism, who appeared to eradicate evil forces.

The temple also has a Gurdwara which is believed to have been built by the Sikhs in the early 20th century. Next to this Gurdwara is a building where children were taught Sikhism.

After Partition, the Gurdwara was converted into a school due to which the inscriptions on its walls were whitewashed. The same happened to the temple in the same period. The images in the temple were also lost.

Haroon Sarab Dayal, a Hindu researcher researching Hinduism in Pakistan, told Independent Urdu that the village is very blessed in Hinduism and its ancient name was Ramkund, after a blessed pond there.

Two canals used to flow from this pond, one used by Hindus and the other by Muslims. It is recorded in history that Ramaji, Sitaji, Lakshmanji and Hanumanji stayed at this place during Banbas.

During the reign of Raja Darsha, Shakti Mata committed suicide after the death of her husband Shiv Shankar Gurunath and her body was dismembered into 11 pieces. A piece was also brought to Pindi. Pindi means human sacrifice in Sanskrit and is named for that reason. Rawalpindi is named after Shakti Mata.

Mughal Emperor Jahangir was also the son-in-law of Syedpur

Asif Mehmood, a well-known columnist associated with Independent Urdu, who has done extensive research on Margalla, also narrates another interesting story related to Syedpur. According to him, when Sultan Sarang Khan, the chief of the Gakhdars, sacrificed his life in support of the Mughals, his son Syed Khan became the chief after him.

Among the jagirs that Akbar Azam gave to Gakhar Sardar as a reward for his loyalty to his father Humayun was the village of Fatehpur Bauli, which later became Syedpur in the name of Syed Khan.

In Tazak Jahangiri, the place where Jehangir’s stay in Rawalpindi on his way to Kabul is mentioned is the same village Syedpur. Jahangir wrote that a little further from Pindi there is such a mesmerizing place that whoever sees it falls in love with it.

Later this incest turned into consanguinity and Jahangir married Sultan Syed Khan’s daughter. Syed Khan gave this village to his daughter as dowry.

June 16, 1926, Fire, Dust and Blood

Mehtab Singh was a member of the Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, Amritsar, when he came from Amritsar to Rawalpindi to investigate the worst riots in Rawalpindi on June 14, 1926.

They learned that a day later the flames of these riots had reached Syedpur too, where two big Hindu moneylenders, Lachhman Das and his son Mali Ram, were beheaded and many women were robbed of their honor, the homes of Hindus were looted. And the shops were looted and set on fire.

He writes in his report that Sayedpur is a beautiful village at the foot of Margalla, with a river Gupta Ganga flowing down from the mountains. Many other rivers also come to Saidpur and irrigate the gardens here.

When we reached here, the devastation was visible from the walls. There were a total of 36 shops in the village, of which 31 were burnt down. The houses of the four brothers-in-law who were eating and drinking also caught fire. Two Gurdwaras were also damaged. A gurdwara was set on fire and its roof was gutted, but fortunately the fire did not reach the Guru Granth.

Shops adjacent to the Gurdwara were also burnt. It is said that the fire reached the Gurdwara from the shops. While the second Gurdwara which was behind Sahu Kar’s house was completely burnt down and the Guru Granth was also not saved.

Police sub-inspector Bakshi Farman Ali said that at three o’clock in the afternoon, Atta Muhammad, who came down from the mountains, told the police that many armed people were coming down from the mountains and coming towards Syedpur who wanted to loot the village. .

As soon as this was reported, the rich Hindus rushed to their Muslim friends for shelter. Meanwhile, at eight o’clock in the night, the robbers reached the village shouting slogans of Allahu Akbar. They looted Hindu shops and set them on fire.

Lachman Das, the richest sahukar of the village, and his son Mali Ram, who had escaped from the village earlier, returned to collect some of their valuables when they became targets of the attackers.

Later, village Subaldar Akbar and Numdar Haider Khan told us that at five o’clock in the evening, they had informed the moneylenders that the village was going to be attacked and that they should set up their own security, they replied that they were Hindus in the village. Will protect the families until the police arrive.

Hindus collected stones on the roofs of their houses to fight the robbers. The Muslims of the village did not support the attackers but sheltered the Hindus in their houses and saved their valuables, but it is not known why the Subaldar and the Numdar did not inform the police in time even though they were traveling from Syedpur to Rawalpindi. The leg was reached in an hour.

Golla police reported that a group of Akali Dal Sikhs from Rawalpindi is coming to take revenge in Saidpur and is currently hiding in Nadala forest outside Rawalpindi. On getting this information, many Muslim families from Saidpur climbed the mountains with their belongings, but later when the police searched the forest, not a single Sikh was found there.

It is a horrific incident that had a lasting impact on Syedpur’s life. This village, which had a population of 16,000 at the time of partition, now consists of a few dozen families, but thanks to the former chairman of CDA, Kamran Lashari, he restored it in view of its historical importance and gave us a glimpse into the past of this village. Opportunity provided.