GUJRAT: The historical sites of the district will be restored under the Explore Gujrat programme that is part of the Clean and Green Pakistan Index (CGPI) initiative of the government.

The local authorities have traced 80 historical sites of the Mughal (Muslims), Sikh, Hindu and British eras across the district.

A senior official said restoration of only 34 such sites was possible for which the services of the Punjab Archaeology Department experts would be hired so that these sites could add to the beauty of Gujrat. The restoration of the sites would start from the old fort that was built by Mughal Emperor Akbar in 1587.

The old walled city of Gujrat had four gates -- Kabuli, Kalri, Sheeshiyanwala and Shahdaula. The last named gate still exists though it is in a shambles for long. The adjoining rooms of the monument are occupied by police who have set up a picket. The roof of the gate caved in around a decade ago but instead of reconstructing and restoring it to its original shape, a temporary ceiling was constructed to keep the police picket functional at the site.

The residents and traders are of the view that had the place not been housing a police picket, it would have either been illegally encroached upon or vanished like the other three gates of the old walled city. They say the monument should be restored and preserved to keep the future generations informed about city’s history and heritage.

The gates were Shahdaula (named after famous saint Kabiruddin Shahdaula Daryai) in the East, Kabuli or Dhakki Darwaza in the West (opening towards Kabul), Sheeshiyanwala Darwaza, which was famous for the glass work on its roof in the North, and Kalari Darwaza (now called Shah Faisal Gate) named after three villages -- Kalara Dewan Singh, Kalara Rahwala and Kalara Punawan -- located in the south of the city.

Although there are no infrastructural remains of other three gates, the authorities have planned to build the gates at those sites as replicas so that the future generations could have the knowledge of historical sites. The project would also help in developing tourism as well as enhancing the city’s profile due to the rich heritage.

Published in Dawn, January 3rd, 2020