Mankera

Mankera (In Punjabi and ur, ), is the principal town of Mankera Tehsil, an administrative subdivision of Bhakkar District, in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is situated about west of the city of Lahore.

Bhakkar is located in the west of Punjab. The mighty Indus River flows on the western side of the district and the Jehlum and Chenab rivers both flow on the eastern side, all of which can be destructive during monsoon season. One third of the land is sandy, of which a small portion is irrigated by Thal canal and tube wells. The rest of the sandy land is cultivated and is entirely dependent upon rains.
People mostly depend on agriculture which is highly dependent on rain; as such people are poor. Education and health facilities are not adequately available.

History

Origin of the name and ancient history

The origins of Mankera according to tradition go back one thousand years BC; it is believed that Mankera was originally Malkherkot, founded by a Rajput called Mal Khera. The Mekan family have deep roots in Mankera. Mekan Raja ruled Mankera for 500 years. There is evidence that suggests a state by this name existed during Alexander's invasion of the subcontinent. Another tradition attempts to explain the name of Mankera: here most of the land is sandy with a number of sand dunes, and extremely hot summer weather which used to attract heavy sand storms. Due to the storms, sand dunes would shift from one place to another. In the local language sand dunes are called ''manr'r'' and the process of the shifting of sand is called ''kera''. Both words combined to make ''Manr'rKera'', which slowly turned to Mankera. The Arabs however called it ''Manker Kot'', and during Muhammad bin Qasim's rule in greater Sindh, the conquest of Mankera by one of his generals, Abul Asswad bin Zahar is recorded. The first Muslim governor of Mankera was Ahmed bin Khuzema who died in Mankera and is buried in Mankera Fortress.

Following the downfall of Arab rule in Sindh, the Hindu king of Kanauj took possession of Mankera followed by the Mekan. The Abdali kings annexed Mankera and the adjoining areas and the Baloch gave way to Saddo Zai Pathans. The Pathan rule of the state ended with the famous siege of Mankera by Ranjit Singh which resulted in the forfeiture of Nawab Surbuland's claim to Mankera and his retreat to Dera Ismail Khan.

Mankera Fortress

Mankera Fortress, the principal feature of the town, lies to the left of the Bhakkar highway. The fort was constructed in two phases. The initial construction of the brick fort was carried out during the time of the Baloch rule, and further fortification in the form of a thick mud wall was undertaken during the Pathan rule. The mud is taken from the winter depths of the Indus River, then formed into fine powder. This powder-type mud was mixed with water for several days and properly meshed. In this way wet mud transforms into a type of glue. Today the fort and its fortification are mostly in ruins. The major part of the mud wall still exists, however decay and neglect is visible. The main fort is mostly in ruins except for a well, a tomb, and a few signs of masonry. The outer walls of the citadel are however intact. During the dying days of the Mughal empire, Mankera's Saddo Zai rulers with the help of their Abdali benefactors emerged as a force to reckon with in this area. Mankera was the seat of their dominions. Nowadays the tomb of Mankera is not in good condition and has undergone a lot of damage.

Sikh rule(1821-1846)

The Sikh occupation of Mankera is abundantly evident. Next to the congregational mosque ( jamia masjid) of Mankera are the ruins of a temple built during the Sikh rule, and even the tomb of Nawab Surbuland Khan, just outside the main citadel has a Hindu aura about its construction.

The Sikh annexation of this area began in 1821, and was completed with the fall of Mankera in the autumn of that year. Ranjit Singh excellent hindu commander Misr Diwan Chand led the troops that besieged Mankera. The siege lasted for twenty-two days and at a great cost to the invaders. Mankera, fortified by the brick wall, had a distinct advantage of its position being in the middle of a desert. The besieging army had not only to deal with the musketry of the Mankera troops but had to find out ways to deal with natural difficulties as well. Water had to be carried for the troops from considerable distances. Ranjit Singh's ingenuity saved the day, as he ordered his army to dig several wells. Twelve such wells were dug.

The siege dragged on for twenty-two days during which time the Nawab held his own; however the desertions of his sardars and the demolition of one of the minarets of the ''jamia masjid'' — taken as a bad omen — forced the Nawab to surrender the fort to the Sikhs. The iron ball shot from the big guns, including the zamzama employed by Ranjit Singh during the Mankera expedition is still preserved in the mosque's compound. Following the surrender, the area was put under the direct control of the Lahore empire. Sikhs and Hindus settled inside the main (outer) fort, except one Muslim family which continued living here. This Muslim family had settled here from Leiah

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