PAKLINKS BANNER EXCHANGE
The twin cities of Rawalpindi - lslamabad lie against the backdrop of Margalla Hills on the Potohar Plateau, the path of many invaders of South Asia. Scholars believe on the basis of some archaeological discoveries, that a distinct culture flourished in this plateau as far back as human history goes.
During the Middle Ages the most important tribe in the area was that of the Gakkhars, possibly a pre-Aryan people who were eventually converted to Islam. This tribe has dominated the Potohar Plateau for a long time. The town of Rawalpindi was restored after being destroyed by the Mongols, by a Gakkhar Chief Jhanda Khan in the 14th century.
The city of Rawalpindi has retained its traditional flavor while Islamabad has emerged as one of the new national capital of the twentieth century. Its construction began in 1961. Some of the world's most distinguished planners and architects like Dioxides, Ponti and Edward Durrell Stone have participated in its development. The natural beauty of the surroundings is preserved in an atmosphere of relaxed spaciousness and interesting architecture. It is, perhaps the greatest capital in the world.
For a town of its size and importance, Rawalpindi (or 'Pindi') is disappointingly short of historical monuments. Such visible reminders of the past as there are, date from the British period, when it became the military headquarters of the area, though larger than most, is typical of the towns the British left all over the sub-continent.
Rawalpindi lies on the Grand Trunk Road 173 km (108 miles) from Peshawar and 280 km (175 miles) from Lahore. It has an international airport and a railway station. This place was originally known as Fatehpur Boari.
Rawalpindi means the abode or settlement of Rawal. Some accounts maintain that Rawal, a Gakkhar Chief, founded the town 400 to 500 years ago; others that Rawal was a small village a few kilometers to the north of the present city which was itself named after the Rawals, a tribe of yogis.
Rawalpindi began to assume a large role under the Moghuls, when they built the main Delhi to Kabul Imperial (Shah)) Road in the early 16th century. It is mentioned by name by the Moghul Emperor Jehangir in his memoirs.
In 1765 the town was taken by a Sikh Sardar, Milkha, Singh,Thepuria, after the fall of the Gakkhar Chief Mukarrab Khan. Later, it passed under the direct control of Ranjit Singh in Lahore. The Sikhs in their, turn were ousted by the British in 1849, and the town's career under the British began. Life in Rawalpindi's cantonment must have mirrored exactly the life in other cantonments all over the sub-continent.
After partition, Rawalpindi became the headquarters of the Pakistan Army and later became the temporary capital of Pakistan while Islamabad was under construction. The bazaars of Rawalpindi are rewarding to explore and the people are most photogenic and fun.
From Murree Road turn right on Liaquat road, and you reach the Bara Bazar or smugglers' bazaar, full of imported electrical goods and crockery, cutlery and cloth. Turn right for the Trunk Bazaar, where all shapes and sizes of trunks and suitcases are sold. About 100 meters long on the left is a very narrow alleyway, with a sign in English of Moti Bazar, or the ladies bazaar, for shawls, woolen goods, make-up, beads etc. To the north is Bohri Bazaar, full of medicine shops, and to the west is Raja Bazaar, at the end of Liaquat Road. The Raja Bazaar houses the second-hand clothes market, the wholesale vegetable market and the markets for dried fruits' nuts and spices. The tail conical mounds of red chilies, Turmeric, orange and yellow lentils and green dried peas, evoke all the bazaar scenes in the Arabian Nights. At the end of Raja Bazaar turn right into Kalan Bazaar, selling shoes and stockings on the left and bales of cloth on the right. At the top of the hill, is the Purana Qila Bazar where you may buy your wedding dress, fancily embroidered cloth and heavy gold braid. The Kalan Bazaar runs into Sarrafa Bazaar, the jewelry Market.
Rawalpindi's cantonment area evokes the British Raj. The bridge over the Leh nulla marks the boundary between the cantonment and the city.
Museum timings are:
16th September-30th April
09.00 - 15.00 hours
1st May- 15th September
08.00 - 12.00 hours and
7:30 _ 19.00 hours
Rawalpindi specializes in handcrafted items such as inlaid sheesham shawls and Jackets; embroidered and woolen 'kurtas', 'kaftans' and household linen; Potohar 'Jooties' and 'chappals' (slippers); cane-baskets and furniture, walking sticks and hand-woven Kashmiri and Bokhara carpets.