Bahawalnagar

Bahawalnagar is located at the distance of 260 km from Lahore near the border between India and Pakistan on the western side of the Sutlej River. It was formally part of princely Bahawalpur State. It is accessible on the G. T. Road by turning on left to Sahiwal - Arifwala Road in Sahiwal city.

Accessing Bahawalnagar

Bahawalnagar can be accessed from Lahore via G.T. Road and Okara-Depalpur Road by crossing Okara and Depalpur. From Bahawalpur side, it takes 2.5 hours along the Canal highway to access Bahawalnagar at 170 km.

History of Bahawalnagar

Bahawalnagar is bounded by Bahawalpur, Okara, Pakpattan, and Vehari districts. It is also connected with Rajasthan in India. Its old name was Rojanwali and new name Bahawalnagar was called in 1904 after Bahawal Khan V, the ruler of the Bahawalpur State.

Importance Railway Junction Before Independence

Bahawalnagar Railway Station was an important railway junction before partition in 1947. It was busy junction between Bahawalnagar and Bhatinda, used by trains from Karachi to Delhi. The building of Bahawalnagar railway station is attractive with beautiful roof with domes.

Shrine of Baba Tajauddin Chishti

The Historical Shrine of Baba Tajauddin Chishti is located in the village of Chishtian. Sheikh Khawaja Tajuddin Chishti, also known as Taj Sarwar Chisthi, was a Sufi saint of Chishti order. He was a grandson of Sheikh Farid-ud-din Ganjshakar in Pakpattan. From the Niazi Bus Terminal on the main Bahawalpur-Bahawalnagar road, a small road leads toward the shrine of Tajauddin Chishti. It is the major place to visit by the followers of the Chishti order. Visitors can also explore the old bazaar near the shrine to buy gifts for their families.

Fort Abbas & Hakra Civilization

Fort Marot is located at the border of India and Pakistan in the town of Marot in Bahawalnagar at a distance of 50 km from Fort Abbas. In the town of Marot, there are some other important forts such as Jaamgarh, Meergarh, and Mojgarh. Meergarh is a beautiful fort in the sand dunes of the Cholistan Desert in Marot town. Now-a-days, all of these forts are in bad condition due to environmental conditions and erosion facts. If Government does not take any serious action in restoration of these fort, then they will be vanished within next few years.

Marot Fort, also known as Fort Abbas, is well known visiting spots and considered as a gateway to the Cholistan Desert. It is an ancient mud-brick ramparts along the Cholistan desert fringe. It is one of the best historical place behind the sand dunes of the Cholistan Desert.

Hakra civilization covers an area over the dried out channel of a river near Fort Abbas that is the part of the Ghagger River in India. The Sutlej River changed its path about eight to ten thousand years ago, leaving the Ghaggar-Hakra as monsoon fed rivers and transformed the area to the Thar Desert. For Abbas is the center point of the ancient Hakra civilization dated 5000 BC.

Historical Haveli of Mahal Nagar Mal

Mahal Nagar Mal is a beautiful historical haveli in the middle of Minchinabad town at a distance of 35 km from Bahawalnagar city on Minchinabad-Bahawalnagar Road. It was constructed in 1930 by two brothers Nagar Mal and Bhajan Lal. It is a private property of the Sukhera family, one can visit with their permission.

Head Sulemanki Barrage

Head Sulemanki Barrage, located over the Sutlej River, is an ideal place to spend evening to get splendid views of sunset as well as to enjoy the riverside fish dining. Most of the Bahawalnagar areas are famous for agriculture, mainly for wheat and sugarcane, and cotton. Head Sulemanki plays an important role in agriculture and canals from the Sulemanki headworks are used to irrigate the vast land of Bahawalnagar for agriculture. Due to this water, most of the desert area becomes fertile land producing various crops.

Cholistan Desert

Due to the Cholistan Desert, the climate of Bahawalnagar is very much hot in summer and mild in winter. The temperature rises above 50 centigrade in the summer season. In winter season, it becomes a wonderful place to visit to view the panoramic views of moving sand dunes. Cholistan Desert Rallies are the most important events occurred there to attract thousands of visitors in the Cholistan Desert. These rallies are normally held before the end of winter season.

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