Bahawalpur

Bahawalpur State was home to various ancient societies. The Bahawalpur region was part of Multan province of Mughal Empire in recent history.[9] It contains ruins from the Indus Valley civilisation, as well as ancient Buddhist sites such as the nearby Patan minara.[10] British archaeologist Sir Alexander Cunningham identified the Bahawalpur region as home of the Yaudheya kingdoms of the Mahābhārata.[11][12] Prior to the establishment of Bahawalpur, the region's major city was the holy city of Uch Sharif – a regional metropolitan centre between the 12th and 17th centuries that is renowned for its collection of historic shrines dedicated to Muslim mystics from the 12–15th centuries built in the region's vernacular style.[13]

Bahawalpur was established in 1748 by Nawab Bahawal Khan I,[14] after he migrated to the region around Uch from Shikarpur, Sindh.[15] Bahawalpur replaced Derawar as the clan's capital city.[16] The city initially flourished as a trading post on trade routes between Afghanistan and central India.[17]

In 1785, the Durrani commander Sirdar Khan attacked Bahawalpur city and destroyed many of its buildings on behalf of Mian Abdul Nabi Kalhora of Sindh.[18] Bahawalpur's ruling family, along with nobles from nearby Uch, were forced to take refuge in the Derawar Fort, where they successfully repulsed further attacks.[18] The attacking Durrani force accepted 60,000 rupees as nazrana or tribute, though Bahawal Khan later had to seek refuge in the Rajput states as the Afghan Durranis occupied Derawar Fort.[18] Bahawal Khan returned to conquer the fort by way of Uch, and re-established control of Bahawalpur.[18]

Sadeq Mohammad Khan V served as the last Nawab of Bahawalpur.

The ruling Abbasi family regarded the nearby Derawar Fort as a traditional bastion of their power.

Bahawalpur's central library dates from the princely state period.

The princely state of Bahawalpur was founded in 1802 by Nawab Mohammad Bahawal Khan II after the break-up of the Durrani Empire, and was based in the city.

In 1807, Ranjit Singh of the Sikh Empire laid siege to the fort in Multan, prompting refugees to seek safety in Bahawalpur in the wake of his marauding forces that began to attack the countryside around Multan.[18] Ranjit Singh eventually withdrew the siege, and gave the Nawab of Bahawalpur some gifts as the Sikh forces retreated.[18]

Fawara Chowk roundabout

Bahalwapur offered an outpost of stability in the wake of crumbling Mughal rule and the declining power of Khorasan's monarchy.[18] The city became a refuge for prominent families from affected regions and also saw an influx of religious scholars escaping the consolidation of Sikh power in Punjab.[18]

Fearing an invasion from the Sikh Empire,[19] Nawab Mohammad Bahawal Khan III signed a treaty with the British on 22 February 1833, guaranteeing the independence of the Nawab and the autonomy of Bahawalpur as a princely state. The treaty guaranteed the British a friendly southern frontier during their invasion of the Sikh Empire.[19]

Trade routes had shifted away from Bahawalpur by the 1830s, and British visitors to the city noted several empty shops in the city's bazaar.[17] The population at this time was estimated to be 20,000,[17] and was noted to be made up primarily of Hindus.[17] Also in 1833, the Sutlej and Indus Rivers were opened to navigation, allowing goods to reach Bahawalpur.[18] By 1845, newly opened trade routes to Delhi re-established Bahawalpur as a commercial centre.[18] The city was known in the late 19th century as a centre for the production of silk goods, lungis, and cotton goods.[20] The city's silk was noted to be of higher quality than silk works from Benares or Amritsar.[17]

An 1866 crisis over succession to the Bahawalpur throne markedly increased British influence in the princely state.[21] Bahawalpur was constituted as a municipality in 1874.[22] Bahalwapur's Nawab celebrated the Golden Jubillee of Queen Victoria in 1887 in a state function at the Noor Mahal palace.[20] In 1901, the population of the city was 18,546.[16]

At the outbreak of World War II in 1939, Bahawalpur's Nawab was the first ruler of a princely state to offer his full support and resources of the state towards the crown's war efforts.[23]

British Princely states were given the option to join either Pakistan or India upon British withdrawal from the Sub-Continent in August 1947. The city and the princely state of Bahawalpur acceded to Pakistan on October 7, 1947, under Nawab Sadiq Muhammad Khan Abbasi V Bahadur.[24] Following independence, the city's minority Hindu and Sikh communities migrated to India en masse, while Muslim refugees from India settled in the city and the surrounding region.

• Kikar
• Shisham
• Sufaida
• Neem
• Siris
• Toot
• Sohanjana

• Blackbuck
• Rabbit
• Deer

Bahawalpur is famous for its carpets, embroidery, and pottery. The Punjab government has set up a Craft Development Centre from where handicrafts can be purchased. These handicrafts are mostly manufactured in the Cholistan area.[27] Following is the list of some of the mementos manufactured in the city:

• Flassi: It is made up of camel hair and can be used as a carpet or wall hanging
• Gindi: A colourful combination of cotton cloth with delicate needlework. It can be used as a blanket, carpet, or bed cover
• Changaries: Made up of palm leaves. They can be used as a decorative wall hanging or can be used to store chapatis / wheat bread
• Khalti: A kind of purse with multi-coloured threadwork
• Artwork: Special traditional embroidery done on kurta, chaddar/shawl etc

The Darbar Mahal mosque was built in an exuberant style.

Bahawalpur emerged as a centre of Chishti Sufism following the establishment of a khanqa by Noor Muhammad Muharvi in the mid-18th century.[29] Most residents are Muslims with a small minority being Hindus and Christians. There are about 2000 Christian families with one church, St. Dominic's Church built in 1962 by the Government of Punjab (the Dominican Convent School for girls and St. Dominican's Middle School for Boys were also built under the same project). Father Zafar Iqbal was the first Parish priest of the church until his death on February 19, 2009.[30]

The Bahawalpur Museum, established in 1976, is a museum of archaeology, art, heritage, modern history, and religion. It comes under the control of the Bahawalpur district government.[33] The current director of the museum is Hussain Ahmed Madni. It has eight galleries:

1. Pakistan Movement gallery
2. Archaeological gallery
3. Islamic gallery; manuscripts, inscriptions, and Quranic documents
4. Cultural heritage gallery
5. Art gallery
6. Coins gallery
7. Cholistan gallery
8. Nawab Bahawal Memorial gallery

The Bahawalpur Zoo, established in 1942, is a 25-acre (10 ha) zoological garden. It is managed by the Government of Pakistan.[34]

The zoo has occasionally bred and supplied wild cats, such as Asiatic lions and Bengal tigers, to other zoos in the country. It also has an aquarium and zoological museum with stuffed birds, reptiles, and mammals. The Bahawalpur Zoo is the fourth biggest zoo in Pakistan, after Lahore Zoo, Karachi Zoo and Islamabad Zoo.

• Bahawalpur Railway Station is located in Bahawalpur city at the elevation of 385 ft. It is one of the major railway stations of Pakistan Railways on the Karachi-Peshawar main line.
• The station is staffed and has advance and current reservation offices.
• In 2016, the Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique announced that PKR. 280 million will be spent on the construction of a Model Railway Station in Bahawalpur.
• The routes linked Bahawalpur to the cities of Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Quetta, Multan, Faisalabad, Sargodha, Sialkot, Gujranwala, Hyderabad, Sukkur, Jhang, Rahim Yar Khan, Nawabshah, Attock, Sibi, Khanewal, Gujrat, Rohri, Jacobabad, and Nowshera.

Lal Suhanra is a national park in Pakistan. The park itself is situated some 35 kilometres east of Bahawalpur. It is one of South Asia's largest national parks and is a UNESCO declared Biosphere Reserve. Lal Sohanra is notable for the diversity of its landscape, which includes desert, forest, and wetland ecosystems.[35]

Pakistan's longest national highway, N-5, also passes through the city, connecting Bahawalpur to Karachi and Lahore.[37]

The railway connects Bahawalpur with the cities of Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi, Peshawar, Quetta, Multan, Faisalabad, Sargodha, Sialkot, Gujranwala, Hyderabad, Sukkur, Jhang, Rahim Yar Khan, Nawabshah, Attock, Sibi, Khanewal, Gujrat, Rohri, Jacobabad, and Nowshera.[37]