MULTAN --  My Home
        A Haven  of Sun, Citrus and Mango Farms
MULTAN-E-MAA BA JANNAT-E-AULA BRABAR  AST
       AAHISTA PA BANE KIH MALAK SIJDAH ME   KUNAND
(Poet of fourteenth century)(Amir Khusrow)

Located on the trade route between Harappa and Mohenjodaro, makes it seem likely that the town was already an important entrepot during the Indus civilisation, but invasion was to become a familiar pattern

In 325 BC, the Greek commander Alexander captured it. However, it was soon taken by Chandra Gupta Moriya. It remained under the rule of different rulers till Muhammad Bin Qasim defeated Raja Dahir in eighth century. Then Muslim rule over India almost lasted for a thousands years. They were replaced by Rangeet Sigh's rule in Punjab and Multan. The Sikhs were ousted by the British in 1849.

In the existing structure, Multan is renowned for being the city of saints with a rich cultural heritage and historical significance. Multan has remained a centre for spiritual education as Shah Shamas Tubraz, Bahauddin Zakariya, and Shah Rukin Alam came here and preached love, peace and humanity and they also breathed their last here.

Dupatas, chadar and suits of fascinating Multani embroidery are very popular among women. Other popular bits of Multan are clay work, both simple and with mirrors, khusas, Multani Sohan halwa and heat.

There is an old tale about Multan's famed heat. Hazrat Shah Shamas one day ordered the sun to come down and roast some meat for him. The sun came down and did what it was told. Since then Multan has had harsh summers

About 966 km from Karachi and more or less right in the centre of the country lies the ancient city of Multan. Multan, the 'City of Pirs and Shrines' is a prosperous city of bazaars, mosques, shrines and superbly designed tombs. It is also a city of dust, summer heat and beggars. It has a long history. Alexander the Great added it to his list of Indus conquests. In 641 AD Xuang Tzang found it 'agreeable and prosperous' - Mohammad Bin Qasim obviously agreed, he was the next to conqueror Multan in 712 AD. Mahmud of Ghazni invaded in 1006, Timurlane in 1398. In the 16th century it was the Moghuls turn, followed by the Sikhs in 1752 and the British in 1849. The old city has narrow colourful bazaars full of local handicrafts and narrow winding lanes. There are many places of historical, cultural and recreational interest in the city. The Fort Multan fort was built on a mound separating it from the city and the old bed of river Ravi. The famous Qasim Bagh and a Stadium are located within the walls of the fort.

Sun Mundir

Hindus ruled  over  Multan  for  a  thousand  years or so but they have not left much which      can be described here. They might  have  built  many  buildings   or  edifices,  may  be  of  great  interest  and  importance but it appears that almost all  of  these  edifices  might   have   been  destoryed  during   the battles fought.latter on. There are, however, three  places  of  considerable antiquity  of  that  period  references  of  which  are  found  in  many  books    and travelogues.   The   most   important    place    of    the    Hindu   period   was   the     "Sun  Mandir"  It  was  the  most acknowledged  of  worship  throughout  the  sub-continent  as referred to in many books. It was situated on the old  Fort  site.  There  is  however no trace of it now. Ancient visitors to Multan recorded many interesting accounts of the Sun Mandir,  three of which are  reproduced  below. 

Abu Rehan's story regarding the discovery of the gold based on the  writings   of   Ali  bin  Mohammad  Abu  Mohammed  Hindui  is  reproduced asunder:

"Mohammad  Qasim  arose,  and,  with  his  generals,  courtiers,  guards  and  attendants,  went  into  the temple,  where he  beheld  an  idol  made  of    pure   gold,   its  two  eyes  being of  bright red  rubies Mohammad Qasim,  mistaking  the  idol  for  a  man,  drew  his   sword,   intending  to severe the head from the body; bul the Brahmans,  prostrating  themselves  before    the   conqueror,   exclaimed:  "O  true  Commander,  this is the image which was made by  jibawaii,  King  of  Multan, who concealed beneath it, in  a  reservoir.     a  treasure  exceeding  all  limits  and  computation,  and  then  departed".  The  Arab  general  thereupon   ordered  the  idol   to  be  removed,  and    an   underground   chamber    was discovered , in which  were  found  two  hundred   and  thirty  maunds  of gold and forty huge jars filled with  gold dust.  On  enquiring  the cause of  the great wealth of  the  city  and   the  flourishing  condition of its Mohammad  Qasim  was  informed that it was due to the offerings made  to  the  idol,  which  were  brought from all parts of India.

 Al-Masudi, of  Baghdad,  who  visited  the  valley of the   Indus  in  303  A.H.   (915  AD), and wrote his much  admired work "The   Meadows   of   Gold",   about    the   year   330   A.  H.  (942  AD),  has  left  us  a  glowing account  of   the  condition  of  Islam  in  South Asia  in  the  beginning of the tenth century.

Speaking the idol, AI-Masudi says: "People living in the distant parts of Sind and Hind travel to it to perform pilgrimage, and,  in  fulfilment  of  their  vows  and   religious   obligations,   they   make   offerings   of  money, precious stones, perfumes of  every  kind,  and  aloe  wood  before  it.  The  sovereign  of  Multan  derives the principal part of his revenues from the valuable offerings made to the idol. When the  faithful  are  harassed   by  the  unbelievers marching against Multan,  they  bring  out  the  idol  and  threaten  to  break  it  in pieces, or reduce it to ashes, and the assailants are thus induced to withdraw forthwith"

Istakhri  recorded about the idol "Multan as being held in great veneration by the Hindus, who flock to  it  from  all  parts  of  India  on  religious pilgrimages, and  make large offerings which are spent on the temple  and its devotees. The temple  of   the idol is about 300  feet  high, is spoken    of    as  a  strongly   built  edifice,   situated     in   the  market,  the  most  thickly populated  part  of the  town, between   the streets   of   the ivory   dealers and coppersmiths quarters. the idol,  stood  in the centre of the building under a cupola, around  which  lived  the  ministering  preists  and  worshippers.  It    was   set  on  a  platform  of brickwork, and  was  made   of   wood   (no   longer   of   gold,   be  it  observed)  in  human shape, covered with red Cordova  leather, and  seated with the  legs  bent  in  quadrangular  posture, the  hands resting on  the  knees  with the fingers all closed.  Its   two  eyes  of  two  red  rubies,  and its  head  was  surmounted  with  a golden  crown

Another place was  "Suraj  Kund"  (the   pool   of   sun).  It  is  about  five  miles  to  the  South  of  Multan  on the Bahawaipur Road. It was a place of great antiquity with the Hindus. It  was  a  pond  132  feet  in  diameter  and  10  feetdeep  when  full  of  water.  Sawn  Mal  the  Sikn  Diwan surrou nded 'it with anoctagonal wall.lt was a place of pilgrimage till 1 947 and two fairs were held here annually. One   on  the 7th  of  the  Vanishing moon of Bhadon, and  the  other  on  the  7th  of  the  rising  moon  of  Magh, the   numbers having references  to the seven hours of the Sun's Chariot, according to the Hindu  mythology  or   the seven  Rishies. According to the Hindu Pur-ans the Sun God (Suraj Devta)  manifested  here  and  had  declared  that whosoever shall bath in this tank, his sins will be forgiven and he    will  be   benefited   both  in  in  this world and in the next. It is a neglected place now as it has lost all  its charm. Third   place,   a   shadow  of  which  can   be  seen  even  today   is the Mandir Parhaidpuri. This  Mandir, according   to  Hindu   Puranas,   was   made  of pure gold. The supporting columns and the roof was also that  of  gold.  But  something  happened  and  due  to  some   unknown  cause  the   ground  sank   below.  Then  on   the   same   site   a   new     Mandir     was  constructed  but    it  contained  only  one  golden  column.  The Mandir  is supposed   to  be  intact  till  1848. During the seige of 1848 it  was  greatly  damaged and unroofed  due  to  the famous gun powder blast. It was however, restored to Hindus in 1902 when the  present Mandir  which   is  intact even today, was constructed If  legends  can  be  relied upon then, the  story  of  Prahlad from whom  the temple   took its  name  is interesting    "Prahlad"  son  of Raja Harankishab who held  sway  over  this  country  condemned the gods and  forbade  the   paying   of   homage  in  their  name.  His  son  Prahlad  Bhagat  refused   to  obey, whereupon  the  father  ordered  a  pillar  of  gold  to  be   heated   with  fire   so   that Prahlad might be bound  to  it.  When  the  twilight  came  and   the  servants  attempted  to  bind Prahiad to the pillar, it burst in  two  and  outsprang  the  god  Vishnu  in  the form of  a man-lion who laid  the  King  across  his  knees and ripped   him   open  with  his claws. The temple is situated close to the shrine of  Bahawal Haq.

Beginning in the late fourth century BC, Multan was conquered by Greek armies retreating from the Subcontinent Alexander the Great himself was wounded during the attack on Multan Fort followed by Hindus, Muslims, Mongols, Sikhs and ultimately it came under the British raj.

Successive rulers filched material from former dynasties to build and fortify the town. According to the noted Chinese traveller and chronicler Hieun Tsiang, a visitor to Multan in 641 AD, the ruins of Buddhist stupas from the early Mauryan Empire were used by Hindus to construct places of worship.

The Hindus called Multan the omphalos, or navel of the world and in their biggest temple sat a huge idol with sparkling ruby eyes. Hieun Tsiang noted that Sun-Deva was cast in gold and that pilgrims from all over Sindh brought rich offerings to it.

The temple was destroyed in the early eight century and under Muslim influence Multan grew into a celebrated centre of Islamic jurisprudence and culture. Eminent historians and poets were attached to its court, the arts flourished, calligraphy in particular and as word of its prominence spread, Sufis and their disciples trekked from near and far.

The great octagonal shrine of Rukn-i-'Alam, a man of deep religious conviction who lived in Multan in the 14th century is seen from far out on the surrounding plains.

One hundred feet in height and with walls more than 13 feet thick, like the nearby shrine to his grandfather, Bahau'd-Din Zakaria it is built of the traditional small burnt bricks with layers of faience mosaic revetment. An exquisitely-carved wooden mihrab is sunk deep inside the western wall and interposed with brick and azure tile-mosaics, transitional zones ascend up and up to a huge stucco-brick cupola.superb square-shaped shrine to Shah Yousef Gardezi who arrived in Multan from Afghanistan in 1060 AD stands inside the Bohar Gate entrance to Hussein Aghai Bazaar. Its interior walls are painted with exuberant floral motifs and courtyard tombstones are covered with the exquisite blue-patterned tiles identified with Multan

Alam built during 1320-24. It is a massive octagonal structure, 25.5 meters in diameter and 35 meters high. A striking feature of its elevation is the effect of its sloping sides, which have been emphasised by addition of turrets or minarets at each angle of the building. The hemispherical dome at the roof of the mausoleum is a superstructure about 18 meters in diameter. Although of bricks foundation, the building has been elaborately ornamented in dark blue, white and azure tiles. Bands of carved timbering have also been sunk into the walls at appropriate intervals to enhance the beauty.

The city of Multan possesses the finest collection of mausoleums. The earliest of these, the mausoleum of Shah Yusuf Gardezi (1152), with a simple rectangular shape, appears to have been an initial effort. It relies wholly on the brilliant play of colour produced by its surface ornamentation of encaustic tiles which encase of these tiles are merely painted, some are moulded into a form of low relief decorati

MULTAN,

Located at about 30.20°N 71.43°E. Height about 123m / 403 feet above sea level.( 30.12N 71.26E )  Satellite Pictures Received by HRPT Weather Satellites  NOAA-12, NOAA-14 NOAA-15

1.   Average Temperature

2.   SouAverage Maximum Temperature

3.    Average Minimum Temperature

554 months between 1931 and 1978

4.    Average Temperature

5.    Average Sea-Level Pressure

Research articles related to history and heritage of Multan have been web posted on this site. More information, photographs and articles will be web posted from time to time, as and when available.

One can reach there by clicking on the link above or by following the shortcut URL http://geocities.com/irshadgardezi/multan.html

Check out Home for more great sites

If any articles on this site are copyright, please inform me on the above e-mail address and i will remove them immediately

Syed Irshad H.Gardezi 

Mumtaz Agri Farm

MUltan Pakistan