History has been graced by many great cities. These cities have contributed greatly in an educational, historical, cultural, political and social point of view. They have attained prominence and greatness due to their contributions. Some of these cities have suffered from the ravages of time and have lost their shine and color. Although the historic past can still be recognized from their ancient sites and monuments. Among these great city lies the city of Bhera in Punjab Pakistan.
The ancient city of Bhera was located on the right bank of the river Bahat (meaning Fertility), now Jhelum. The remains of this city in the form of long dunes “Bherrarian” is present near the village of Ahmedabad. At its zenith this was a prosperous town with its residents well versed in different trades and skills. The word Bhera is basically composed of two Sanskrit words “Bhe” which means fear or terror, while “Hera” means to be free of. Thus Bhera means a city which is free from fear. This name might have been given to the locality because of its geographical location with river Jhelum on its one side and mountains, forest on the other providing protection to the inhabitants.
Modern Bhera is located on the left bank of river Jhelum between Miani and Khushab of Sargodha District. It is exactly in the middle of Lahore - Islamabad motorway M2, 190 Km away from Lahore. It is the North Punjab of Pakistan having Longitude 72.57o and Latitude 32.22o.
Alexander the Great passed through Bhera with his army in 326 BC and after crossing river Jhelum at Mong attacked Raja Porus. Noted Chinese travelers like Fa Huan and Huan Sang also passed through the region in about 644 AD. Bhera had the honor to be beneath the feet of the Muslims when they fought against the cruelty and rule of the Rajas of the time. The Kings and Emperors who passed through Bhera and left their mark on its history are Sultan Mehmood Ghaznavi (937-1030 AD), Feroz Shah Tughlaq (1389), Amir Taimur (1399 AD), Zaheer Uddin Babar (1530), Akbar (1556-1605 AD), Sher Shah Suri (1540-1545 AD). Mughal Emperor Babar has mentioned his visit to Bhera quite elaborately in his book “Tuzk-e-Babri”. After the Sikh Raj (1790-1849 AD) the British occupied Bhera till 1947 AD.
Sher Shah Suri founded the new town of Bhera in 1540 AD. The city is situated in an oblong shape with a protective wall as its surrounding comprising of eight gates. The gates are named after the names of big cities which each of these gates faced such as Lahori, Multani, Kashmiri and Kabuli Darwaaza etc.
Bhera remained famous in handicrafts and cottage industry with items such as daggers, swords, cutlery, walking sticks, wooden furniture, carved doors, cotton blankets, silk cloths, hand fans, earthen pottery and edible delicacies. Religious schools and monasteries are an important part of Bhera with their contributions spread over many decades and years. The famous Sufi Said Muhammad Meeran Shah Sahib shrine is the focus of attention in Spring. In addition to Gillani, Bugvi family the efforts of Hazrat Pir Azam till Pir Karam Shah in the educational. Spiritual, political and social fields should be mentioned. Non-muslims also played a great role in the progress of Bhera before partition of 1947 AD.
