2. A Visit to A Historical Place :Essay

 

2.           A Visit to A Historical Place

1.      Outlines: 

       Introduction

2.      Preparation for the visit

3.      Visit the Rohtas Fort

4.      Construction of Rohtas Fort

5.      Gates and Baolis

6.      Shahi Mosque and Rani Mahal

7.      Attractive Architects

8.      Mixed Architecture

9.      Return to Home

10  Conclusion

 

William Cowper has rightly said:

“What peaceful hours I once enjoyed! How sweet their memory still.”

In this modern age, we remain busy day and night like a machine. Our minds are all the time preoccupied with the worries and responsibilities of everyday life. We are unable to understand the need for pleasure in human life. They have no time to spend in the company of balmy nature.

W. H. Davis says:

“What is this life if full of care, we have no time to stand and stare.”

I, like men of today, live a busy hectic life but I do spare some time for the enlightenment of my soul. In this age of hurries and worries, a picnic provides an escape from the monotonous routine of life. Visits are a great source of information. When we go from one place to another; we are sure to learn a lot. Particularly, visits to historical places teach us so many things. Sometimes such places tell us stories better than the books on history. It is well said,

“Architecture is frozen music.”

Last Saturday, our college decided to go for an outing. We had not seen Rohtas Fort. Therefore, we agreed that this historical place should be visited. Rohtas Fort is situated near the city of Jhelum. After two hours, we reached there by bus. We were much excited. The magnificent Fort was before our eyes. This is a masterpiece constructed by the great Afghan king who is known in history as Sher Shah Suri and whose actual name was Farid Khan. This fort was built in order to resist the Army of Humayun after defeating him. Rohtas Fort and Grand Trunk Road are the most significant constructions, raised during his reign. The Rohtas Fort is a mega military architecture, which is spread over a circumference

of four kilometers. Rohtas Fort is a magnificent piece of art near to many archaeologists due to its commanding location and it has many high and massive walls along with huge trap gates. The outer fortification walls are presently lacking symmetry but they have a length of more than four kilometers. The wall of the Rohtas Fort has 2 or 3 terraces, which are linked by staircases. George Orwell has said;

“Who controls the past controls the future: who controls the present controls the past.”

Rohtas Fort has twelve main gates, which were built in ashlars stone. We visited all these gates. Sohail Gate is a double gate, which was named after Saint Sohail Bokhari. Shah Chandwali Gate connects the main fort to the citadel and was named after Saint Shah Chandwali. Kabuli Gate is a double gate with two bastions on either side faces Kabul, hence it is named as so. Shishi Gate, Langar Khani, Talaqi Gate, Mori Gate, Khwas Khani Gate, Gatali Gate, Pipawala Gate are some famous gates. Next, to the Sar Gate, there is a Baoli and a bastion hence it is named because of water. We were very excited to know about all these gates.

There are three Baolis in the fort, which was made by cutting deep into the lime rock. The Main Baoli is in the middle of the Fort for soldiers, elephants, horses, etc having 148 steps.

The decoration of the Fort Rohtas is very masculine. Stone carvings can be found in the mosque and its gates. Mostly, these are flowers and Arabic engravings. Calligraphic inscriptions also decorate parts of Rohtas Fort and most of them can be found in the Royal Mosque. The outer wall is inscribed with Kalima Tayyaba in beautiful calligraphy.  While visiting gates we stop at Langar Khani Gate in order to take some rest and have lunch there. I captured many photos with my friends. It was a very exciting sunny day with dancing clouds.

A wise man said:

“The places are indeed great, enclosing the great people.”

This fort was built in the Afghan-Persian architectural style.  It was a beautiful sight. The cool breeze and deep blue sky had a magical effect on us. We had some light refreshments. Soon it was evening and the light began to fade. The silence and peace of the place affected us strangely. We all agreed with Shakespeare:

“In Nature’s infinite book of secrecy, a little I can read”

We spend the whole day looking at the ruins of this great historical place. Indeed, it was a memorable visit, which we enjoyed most. It will remain through the windows of memory, till a long time. We came back tired at the college from where my father took me home. It was our unforgettable visit to the

historical place. As Pearl Buck has said:

“If you want to understand today, you have to search yesterday.”

(775 words)