Rawalpindi: First ever mosque of southeast Asia in Giri Village

[Naveed Yaseen]

Faisal Kamal Pasha
According to eminent scholar and lifetime advisor to Taxila Institute of Asian Civilisation (TIAC) Dr Ahmad Hasan Dani, the mosque at Giri Village near Taxila just at the backside of the Margalla, is the first ever mosque built in south east Asia by the emperor Shahab-ud-Din Ghauri in 13 AD.

In the calm mountainous region of Margalla, when you go up toward top of the hills from the ancient city of Sirkap that was founded by the Greco-Bectrian King Demetrius in 180-BC after he invaded India, the mosque is a little below the summit the midway where there are the ruins of the Buddhist monasteries both at the top and at the foothills of the mountain.

Dr Ahmad Hasan Dani while talking to ‘The News’ said that the architecture of this mosque resembles to the art of buildings in the Central Asian city of Bukhara. Emperor Shahab-ud-Din Ghauri along with his troops crossed the city of Taxila and then he stayed at the village of Giri where he build this mosque, he also said.

The mosque of Giri is not in its original colour and texture, but it has been modified a little covering its stonewalls with the plaster and white wash by the local inhabitants.

According to the local inhabitants of Giri Village the mosque has been a Hindu temple later converted into the mosque and that is evident from its three side’s openings the two sides of which had been closed later on with one side remain open.

The nearest village to this historical site is the village of Khurram Paracha a lush green village with orchards of peach and oranges. After reaching the village that is a base camp to reach these ancient remains one would have to go through a monsoon stream that divert near the remains of a Buddhist monastery near the foothills from where the way upward leads toward this mosque. The remains of another Buddhist monastery are also found at the top of the hill.

Zulfiqar Ali Kalhoro, a PhD scholar in Asian Studies who has been working at the remains of Ghandhara civilisation, however told ‘The News’ that it is not yet confirmed that this building was either a mosque or a sacred place of some other religion that flourished in this areas.

Kalhoro said that Sir John Marshall who discovered these ancient ruins in 1913 also mentioned in his book “Buddhist Art of Gandhara” that he discovered a stone tablet with carvings on it from the site near Giri.

Upon that stone tablet there is a carving of Buddha with the image of Vedic God Indra (God of storm according to Hindu mythology) on its right side and the image of Brahma or Trimurti (The Lord Creator) on its left side with two pigs at the Buddha’s feet paying respect to him. That stone tablet is placed at the Taxila Museum.

The city with Buddhist settlement was inhibited till 500AD.

To a question that why these people choose to build a city on such a difficult terrain, Zulfiqar Ali Kalhoro replied that it may for the emergency due to the fear of attack from White Huns of China and central Asian origin and earlier the place was well fortified, he also said.

About the mosque, Zulfiqar Ali Kalhoro, has a different opinion though, he is not certain in his views and it is yet to be verified. He said that the structure of this mosque resembles the meditation points built by the followers of Yogiraj Gurunath the founder of Nath’ism in Tilla Jogian near Chakwal.

Anyway the place has no match for its picturesque beauty and landscape with number of historical discoveries yet to made.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=144489