beautiful rawalpindi kacheri chowk to raja bazar 4
The bustling city of Rawalpindi has a lot more to offer than a traffic mess, broken roads and haze-filled atmosphere. The city’s history spreads over several millennia. Archaeologists believe that a distinct culture flourished on this plateau even 3,000 years ago.
The archaeological remains found here prove the existence of a Buddhist community contemporary to Taxila, but less celebrated than its neighbour.
Historians believe that the ancient city fell victim to the devastation caused by the Huns. The first Muslim invader, Mahmud of Ghazni (979-1030AD), gifted the ruined city to a Gakkhar chief, Kai Gohar. The Gakkhars were a fiercly independent tribe of the Potowar Plateau. The town, however, being in the route of invaders, could not prosper and remained deserted until Jhanda Khan, another Gakkhar chief, restored it and named it Rawalpindi after the village Rawal in 1493.
Rawalpindi remained under the rule of the Gakkhars till Muqarrab Khan, the last Gakkhar ruler, was defeated by the Sikhs in 1765. The Sikhs invited traders from other places to settle here, which brought the city into the limelight.
Following the British victory over the Sikhs and occupation of Rawalpindi in 1849, the city became a permanent garrison of the British army in 1851. In the 1880s, a railway line to Rawalpindi was laid, and a train service started on January 1, 1886. The need for a railway link arose after Lord Dalhousie made Rawalpindi the headquarters of the Northern Command and the city became the largest military garrison in British India.
In 1951, Rawalpindi saw the murder of the first elected prime minister of Pakistan, Liaquat Ali Khan, in Company Bagh, later named after him. Today.The modern city has everything that one can desire – good eateries, playgrounds and shopping centres.
Though many shopping centres have opened all over the city, two main bazaars, Raja Bazaar in the old city and Saddar, which developed as the cantonment bazaar between the old city and the Mall, continue to attract a large number of visitors every day.
For a traditional Lahori breakfast, Banni or Purana Qila offers the best ‘siri paiyay’ ‘nihari’ and ‘chanay’.
Commercial Market, off main Murree Road, is fast becoming the hub of business activity in the city and besides some good restaurants, one can shop here for quality clothes.
The crowded alleys of the old city like Purana Qila, Bhabra Bazaar, Lal Kurti, Banni and inner areas of Saddar, are home to many attractions, including ancient Hindu and Sikh temples.