City of Saints and Nirvana. . .

On the onset of winter last year we decided we should visit places that we would not in summers such as Multan. Few years back, on my transit form Rawalpindi to Karachi via train I came across this beautiful city, as 12^th of Rabi-ul-awal was around the corner the city was radiating beacon of light in dark of the night, the vision was serene and entrancing, it made me think of all the gratitude that I have for the spirituality around me. So last year in winters nearing month of Rabi-ul-Awal we decided to give it a go and it came to us that just like other cities of Pakistan, Multan has its own tourist attractions and fair share of places to visit. Multan has more to offer than it appears to be.

 History:

As it has been said in old sayings, “Multan is City of Saints Dust and Beggars”. It is famous for its unique handicrafts, shrines, sufi music, parks and other cultural manifestations. Today Multan has diverse culture both the combination of old and new Pakistani cultures.

History is really old which dates back to old Indus Valley Civilization, existed 5000 years ago. Multan name came from pre-Muslim period form an idol in Temple of the Sun God. It has faced many regimes and visits form Sufis, arranging form Great Alexander visit in 326 BC to Mughal emperors. Lastly British ruled it till independence.

Culture:

Multan is “Manchester” of Pakistan as it is rich in ethnicity like Punjabi, Balochi, Sindh and Pashtuns. No doubt the dominant religion is Islam. Most riveting aspect of culture is “Derra” namely called “Bhettak”, it’s a place where friends and neighbors will unite to talk about their day share happiness and sorrows. Multan has variety in food, due to its ethnicity ranging from fast food, Chinese and Arabic delicacies. While traditional renowned foods are Multani Mutton Chops, Multani Halwa (Sohan Halwa), Badami Kulfi, Paira, Lassi, Doli Roti and Kachori. 

 

Dominant language is “Saraiki”, the sweetest language of Pakistan and other dialects. Multan is most famous for its handcrafts i.e. Blue Pottery. The craft can be traced back to the city of Kashgar, China. Each pottery piece is hand crafted and hand painted and is extremely beautiful and durable. The art of it all is influenced by Persian art and can be seen in every piece.

At a Glance:

Our first destination on arrival was Ibn e Qasim Bagh. While visiting the place it gave us the opportunity to relive in the residues of Qasim Fort namely Multan Fort. Fort was destroyed in reign of British. 

We arrived at Walled city of Multan through Haram Gate. Walled city seemed both familiar and strange at the same time it was executing more culture and rural vibes. Making our way to the shrine nearby, was the sight of pigeons and gatekeeper of shrine feeding them adding more to the spirituality of Multan.

First shrine we visited was Shrine of Sakhi Yahya Nawab, son of Musa Pak Shaheed. The sight was eye opening and in complete contrast with Walled city hustle, it’s like shrine appeared out of nowhere, from its colorful bricked exterior to the nature vested within was a calling and temptation.

The trance was broken eventually and we came across Musafarkhana, it seemed to be the best possible place to stay in city. The three story building was made up of bricks and the windows had colorful stained glass in wood craved frames all facing the Sarafa Bazaar, a famous jewelry market.

We made our way to Chowk Bazar though Main Street under all the canopies and came across Jain Mandir, people were oblivious to its presence, to which we took the opportunity to have a look. The temple hall was empty and you could clearly see the Hindu and English scripts in the tiles telling mythical lore.

Moving ahead in bazar we finally came across the two most famous shrines of Multan. Shrine of Shah Rukn-i-Alam and Shrine of Bhahudin Zakariya. After taking riksha ride to Shrine of Shah Rukn-i-Alam, we entered the shrine, the inside of tomb was dark and cold. Man and women were praying and came forth to touch the tomb, place was filled with air of reverence.

On our way to Shrine of Bhahudin Zakariya, we visited Clock Tower “Ghanta Ghar”. We were told that it was government headquarters built in during British raj, the clock was solar powered and stopped working while ago. Now government has converted it into museum, Multan Museum. The museum had collection of postage stamps, coins and medals.

Again passing by Qasim Fort we reached our final destination, Shrine of Bhahudin Zakariya. The shrine is the home of Shah Rukn-i-Aalm’s grandfather, he was the earliest preacher of Islam. The structure was old and in contrast to Shrine of Shah Rukn-i-Alam but it significance makes up for its beauty. The design was simple it had carved wooden doors and walls were made of mud bricks.

The sun was about to set so I asked to stay for a bit before our way home, as we sat around corner. I found myself lost to emphatic sounds of Qawwali, and I knew I had eventually found what I came for, as group of men near the entrance of tomb started to sing.

 

It is my heart’s desire to visit this place again and would suggest that everyone must visit once in their life time even if it’s for the sake of delicious Sohan Halwa!!!!.  Here is something to push your over the edge.