PUNJAB for Thought
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© Lonely Planet Publications 94 Punjab Sprawled across the heart of Pakistan, the vibrant state of Punjab (Persian for ‘Five Waters’) is named after the five rivers of the region – the Sutlej, Ravi, Beas, Jhelum and Chenab. Punjab is Pakistan’s most verdant province and home to more than half of the nation’s population. For the visitor Punjab is a treasure trove of experiences, and should be more than a stop on the road to or from India. Stepping off in Lahore you will encounter awesome Sufism (Islamic mysticism) and qawwali (Islamic devotional singing), the Old City and the outlandish PUNJAB PUNJAB border-closing ceremony. Beyond Lahore, there are sublime shrines and tombs in Multan and Uch Sharif, ancient forts, the deserts of Cholistan and the Khewra salt mines. And then, of course, there are the people. Punjabis are a life-loving lot with a long tradition of warm hospitality that comes straight from the heart. Few travellers leave here without a bundle of precious memories, an address book filled with new friends, and oodles of food for thought. HIGHLIGHTS Soul tripping in Lahore to one of the most phenomenal qawwali and Sufi expositions ( p104 ) on the planet Joining pumped-up patriots as they watch burly Pakistani soldiers try to out-stomp, out-scowl and out-salute their ‘rival’ Indian counterparts at the Khewra fascinating closing-of-the-border ceremony ( p120 ) at Wagah Lahore Rambling through the tangle of twisting alley- Wagah ways in Lahore’s Old City ( p105 ) en route to the historic Lahore Fort ( p102 ) and the city’s stun- ning 17th-century Badshahi Mosque ( p103 ) Multan Exploring the bevy of beautiful shrines and tombs of Multan ( p128 ) and Uch Sharif ( p127 ) Uch Sharif Taking a leisurely stroll back in time at the impressive Lahore Museum ( p107 ) Travelling deep underground into the world’s second-largest salt mine in Khewra ( p138 ) POPULATION: 79,429,701 AREA : 205,345 SQ KM lonelyplanet.com PUNJAB •• History 95 History aster, but the resulting bloodshed was far Traditional routes to the Indian subcontinent worse than anticipated. Massive exchanges from Central Asia have all crossed the Punjab of population took place. Trains crammed region. Strung along the old Mughal highway, with Muslims fleeing westward were inter- named the Grand Trunk Rd (GT Rd) by the cepted and passengers were killed by Hindu British, are a number of historically significant and Sikh mobs. Hindus and Sikhs rushing to centres, including Lahore. This region has long the east suffered the same gruesome fate at been a focus for great kingdoms. The Mughals the hands of Muslims. By the time the Punjab even made Lahore their capital for some years chaos had run its course, more than 10 million and played a significant part in making it the people had changed sides and even the most cultural and intellectual centre of the region. conservative estimates calculate that 250,000 In 1947 Partition ripped through the heart people had been slaughtered. The true figure may well be more than half a million. of the original Indian Punjab, with the new PUNJAB border slicing between Punjab’s two major cities – Amritsar (in present-day India) and Climate Lahore (in Pakistan). It was clear that Punjab The ideal time to visit is between November contained all the ingredients for an epic dis- and March, when the weather is delightful 0 100 km PUNJAB 0 60 miles Mardan Muzaffarabad Attock A Z A D J A M M U Peshawar KKH & K A S H M I R Srinagar Attock Fort Hasan Abdal Murree Control A F G H A N I S T A N Kohat Taxila ISLAMABAD I N D I A Rawalpindi of Mandra Line Khaur Grand Mangla Dam Bannu Kalabagh Motorway Dina Talagang Mirpur Chakwal Rohtas Border Fort Jhelum Crossing Kallar Trunk Closed Kahar Choa Saidan Ketas Shah Jammu N O R T H - W E S T Mianwali Gujrat F R O N T I E R Khewra Khushab Wazirabad Sialkot P R O V I N C E Rd River Sargodha Motorway Gujranwala Dera Ismail Khan River Sheikhupura Chenab Chiniot LAHORE Zhob Amritsar Jhelum Wagah River Faisalabad River Jhang Sharakpur Changa Manga Sharif Border Wildlife Reserve Crossing Hwy Kasur Closed Nankana Firozpur Indus Ὀ Ravi Indus Shorkot B A L O C H I S T A N Harappa Okara Harappa Kot Sahiwal Range Addu Village Hwy To Loralai (5km); Quetta (115km) River National Rakhni Sarkhi Khanewal Pakpattan Sarwar Multan River Fort Khar Vehari Dera Muzaffargarh Munro Ghazi Sutlej Choti Khan Bahawalnagar Ravi Panjnad Lodhran Chistian Head Bahawalpur Uch Lal Suhanra Sharif I N D I A Ahmadpur East National Park Suleiman Fort Abbas Mithankot Dera Yazman Dingarh Fort Chachran Nawab Sui Sahib Channan Pir River Khanpur Derawar Fort Rahim Yar ὄὄKhan Ὀ Cholistan Indus Bhong (Desert) Mosque Sukkur S I N D H Bikaner The external boundaries of Pakistan & India on this map have not been authenticated ὄὄ and may not be correct.