Every time I visit Punjab, I have a keen desire to learn about its history and historical places. This time, I was keen to visit two such places-Rahon and Jaijon. Rahon , a historical town in district Nawanshahr. Nawanshahr is also known as Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar now. Nearby Jaijon is in Hoshiarpur district. Both of these towns were major trading/commercial centers in the past. They were both part of the famous explorer Marco Polo’s Silk Road at one time. Rahon was originally named Raghupur after its founder Raja Raghab almost 2,000 years ago. It was a crucial trading hub and a trade center connecting Lahore, Kabul, Tibet, and Central Asia.
At its peak, in the 16th century, Rahon had a population of more than 145,000 people. It was one of India’s constantly inhabited cities centuries ago. Rahon thrived during the Mughal reign and served as a seat of the Mughal governor of Punjab. It has been reported that during the Mughal rule Rahon was the largest city between Delhi and Lahore. Its location near the Sutlej River made it a very strategic place. Banda Singh Bahadur, after defeating the Mughals in 1710, used Rahon as one of his major strategic locations. Later on ,Rahon thrived under the rule of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.
When the British took over Punjab in 1849, they attached special significance to this historic place. However, its population declined due to the malaria epidemic. India’s partition in 1947 dealt a death blow to this once thriving community. Many Muslim residents left Rahon and moved to Pakistan. Rahon never recovered from this blow. Once known for its forts and mosques to-day the once thriving town appears deserted and abandoned. Same is the case with another historic community-Jaijon Khas or Jaijon Doaba in Hoshiarpur district very far from Rahon.
Jaijon Khas or Jaijon Doaba was also a major trading center at one time. It has been reported that traders from China and other parts of India used this place as a gateway to cites like Kabul, Tashkent and Central Asia. They used various modes of transportation like horses, mules and camels etc.to transport their goods from place to place. At one-point Jaijon used to be home to 15,000 residents. In view its importance, the British built a spur railway line to Jaijon in 1917. Jaijon is still famous for its special sweets of Pere. People from far and wide still come here to taste this special sweet. Banda Singh Bahadur fought the Mughals in Jaijon as well. Here, Gurdwara, in his memory, is one of this town’s major attractions. Jaijon’s stones are also well known. As a matter of fact, this community is also known as Pathranwali (Place of Stones). It was a pleasure for me to visit this place, including its old railway station. I understand that the government is planning to activate this rail line to promote tourism. It was a great pleasure for me to visit such historical places. They are the jewels of Punjab.
Balwant Sanghera
(Balwant Sanghera is a retired School Psychologist and Community Activist. )