Saturday, January 15, 2011

Uch sharif (bahawalpur)


Uch Sharif, 75 km from Bahawalpur is a very old town. It is believed that it existed 500 BC. Some historians believe that Uch was there even before the advent of Bikramajit when Jains and Buddhist ruled over the sub-continent. At the time of the invasion by Alexander the Great, Uch was under Hindu rule.

Certain historians say that Alexander came to Uch after conquering northern parts of India and spent over a fortnight in they city and renamed it Alexandria. Some have mentioned Uch by the name of Sikandara or Iskalanda.

They have described it as the most flourishing and beautiful town perched upon the plateau near the confluence of the Chenab and Ravi rivers.

They have described it as the most flourishing and beautiful town perched upon the plateau near the confluence of the Chenab and Ravi rivers. the famous shrines existing at Uch include those of Hazrat Bahawal Haleem, Hazrat Jalaluddin Surkh Bukhari, Makhdoom Jahanian Jahangasht, Shaikh Saifuddin Ghazrooni and Bibi Jawanadi. The shrine of Bibi Jawandi is a central asian design, titled in the blue and white faience.

Uch is a small town today and divided into three different quarters known as (i) Uch Bukhari, after Hazrat Syed Jalaluddin Bukhari Surkhposh, (ii) Uch Jilani, after the name of Hazrat Shaikh Mohammad Ghaus Qadri Jilani (Bandagi), who came from Halab in 887 AH, (iii) Uch Mughlan after the Mughal rulers.