Rawalpindi, jisko pyaar se ‘Pindi’ bhi kehte hain, Pakistan ka aik bohot hi hara bhara shehar hai. Yeh mulk ke darul hukummat, Islamabad, ka ‘twin city’ bhi kehlaata hai. Is shehar ki aik bohot purani tareekh aur behtareen culture hai, jahan modern aur purani zindagi ka aik khoobsurat mel hai.
Waqt ke safar mein
Rawalpindi ki tareekh sadiyon purani hai. Yeh shehar Pothohar Plateau par waqai hai, aik aisi jagah jahan purana Buddhist culture paya jata hai. Maslan, qareeb hi UNESCO ki aalmi virasat ki jagah Taxila hai, jo kabhi taleem aur Buddhist culture ka aik bada markaz tha.
Rawalpindi khud mukhtalif saltanaton aur tehzeebon ke liye aik rasta raha hai. Ise kai dafa tabah kiya gaya aur phir se banaya gaya, aur iska maujooda naam 1493 mein aik Gakhar sardar, Jhanda Khan, ne rakha tha. Baad mein yeh shehar Sikh hukumat ke tehat aaya aur 1851 mein British Raj ke liye aik aham military garrison town ban gaya. 1947 mein bar-e-sagheer ki taqseem ke baad, Rawalpindi Pakistan Army ka headquarters ban gaya.
Imarat aur Saqafati Khazane
Shehar ka mukhtalif maazi iski imaraton aur nishanaat mein nazar aata hai.
- Rawat Fort: Yeh 16vi sadi ka aik qila hai, jo asal mein musafiron ke liye aik sarai (rest house) thi, jisko Gakhar qabile ne qile mein tabdeel kar diya.
- Sujan Singh Haveli: 19vi sadi ke aakhir mein bani hui yeh shandaar haveli shehar ki taqseem se pehle ki shaan ki aik behtareen misal hai, jise aik mashoor Sikh tajir ne banwaya tha.
- Bhabra Bazaar: Yeh bazaar aik Jain tajir community ke naam par hai jo kabhi yahan rehti thi. Is bazaar mein purane makaan shehar ki rangeen saqafati tareekh ko zahir karte hain.
- Pakistan Army Museum: Tareekh ke shoqeen afraad ke liye zaroor dekhne wali jagah hai, jahan mulk ki military tareekh ko mukhtalif numaaishon aur galleries ke zariye dikhaya gaya hai.
Shehar ki Dharkan
Rawalpindi aik bohot hi tezi se barhta hua tijarti aur san’ati markaz hai.
- Raja Bazaar: Yeh shehar ka tijarti dil hai. Yeh tang galiyon ka aik jaal hai, jahan masalon aur kapdon se lekar zevarat aur ghar ke samaan tak har cheez maujood hai.
- Saddar Bazaar: Jo kabhi British colonial zindagi ka markaz tha, Saddar ab aik aham tijarti ilaaqa hai jahan purani colonial-era ki imaraton aur modern dukano ka mel hai.
Parks aur Tafrih
Rawalpindi mein kai parks aur sabz ilaaqe bhi hain jo shehar ki tezi se aik pur-sukun farar faraham karte hain.
