Dipalpur

Dipalpur is a city in Province Punjab of Pakistan.

Location:

It lies in Okara District of the Punjab and headquarters of Depalpur Tehsil, assumed to be largest tehsil of Pakistan. It is situated 25 kilometres from the district capital Okaraon a bank of the Beas River in Bari Doab. 

Name:

The original name of this city was Siri Puria or Siri Nagar after the elder brother of Raja Salvahan of Sialkot (who was the explorer of Sialkot)Raja Depa Chand renamed Depalpur after his beloved son Raja Depa.

                                                                                                                       Depalpur

                                                                                                              Depalpur

The Tehsil is notable for being the site of several battles in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries and is also associated with the history of the Bhatti clan.

Languages:

Punjabi is the most spoken language in the region.

Casts:

The main casts in this city are Rao,Arain,Wattoo,Klasson (jatt), Bhatti, Joiya.

History:

• Depalpur city is an ancient city about 2000 years old, The city has been demolished and rebuilt several times during different eras.
• The Vedic period is characterized by Indo-Aryan culture that invaded from Central Asia and settled in Punjab region.
• In 331 BCE, Alexander marched into present-day Punjab region with an army of 50,000. The Okara was ruled by Maurya Empire, Indo-Greek kingdom, Kushan Empire, Gupta Empire, White Huns, Kushano-Hephthalites and Shahi kingdoms.
• In 997 CE, Sultan Mahmud Ghaznavi, took over the Ghaznavid dynasty empire established by his father, Sultan Sebuktegin, In 1005 he conquered the Shahis inKabul in 1005, and followed it by the conquests of northern Punjab region.
•  After that the Mughal Empire ruled this region. The Punjab region became predominantly Muslim due to  missionary Sufi saints whose dargahs dot the landscape of Punjab region.
• After the decline of the Mughal Empire, the Sikh invaded and occupied Dipalpur. The Muslims faced severe restrictions during the Sikh rule.
• During British Raj the predominantly Muslim population supported Muslim League and Pakistan Movement. After theindependence of Pakistan in 1947, the minority Hindus and Sikhs migrated to India while the Muslim refugees from India settled in the Dipalpur.

                                                                                                                    Depal pur chowk

Architecture:

Dipalpur, in the past was surrounded by a fortified wall, rising to the height of 25 feet and strengthened by a deep trench. When and by whom this wall was constructed is not known, but it was renovated, repaired and improved during the rule of Firoz Shah Tughluq and later by Abdur Rahim Khan-e-Khanan, who was the governor during the time of Akbar. Firoz Shah Tughluq constructed a grand mosque and palaces. He also excavated a canal from the river Sutlej to irrigate gardens around the town.

                                                                                              Dipalpur: Dipalpur Fort – Heritage Sites

                                                                                                Dipalpur Fort, Basirpur Gate, Punjab

Monastery:

The most noticeable feature inside old Dipalpur is the monastery of Lal Jas Raj, a guru much venerated by the local people. According to the famous legend, Lal Jas Raj was the young son of Raja Dipa Chand, the founder of Dipalpur. He sank into the earth due to a curse by his stepmother Rani Dholran. Raja Dipa Chand constructed this monastery in the memory of his son.

Inn:

There is an Inn near the monastery of Lal Jas Raj. It was a spacious building with airy rooms on four sides, a big courtyard in the centre and four arched entrances. The inn, like most of the older structures in town, is now in a state of disrepair.

                                                                                                           Head Sulemanki, Dipalpur