Pul Kanjri of Amritsar | Maharaja Ranjit Singh and Moran Sarkar | Amritsar Tourist Attractions
Channel: Peepul Tree World (Live History India)
Date: 2021-01-09

Not too far from the sacred city of Amritsar, close to the Wagah Border, is another important and historical site, Pul Kanjri. It hides within it the tales and history of the great Sikh empire builder, Maharaja Ranjit Singh and the courtesan Moran, who went on to become his beloved queen. In fact, the place even gets its name from a legend surrounding her..

It is here, at Pul Kanjri, that the Maharaja would stay with his troops during his travels and Moran would perform for him..Today it is home to stories and monuments from that era..

Though Pul Kanjri is a tiny village now, attracting  few tourists, it was an active trading town during the 18th century. Situated on the Amritsar-Lahore road, it was once frequented by merchants and travellers. Owing to its favourable location, between Lahore and Amritsar, both of which were the most significant cities of the Sikh Empire, Pul Kanjri would probably have been an ideal spot for anyone travelling between these cities, also making it a notable place for trade and commerce. 

But Maharaja Ranjit Singh had an interesting connection with this place..It is believed that while on his trips to these cities, the Sikh Emperor often halted at Pul Kanjri with his retinue at this baradari or pavilion which still stands at the site today. He is said to have developed this township and built these monuments here...and what remains at the site include this Baradari, a water pool called sarovar, a Shiva temple, a mosque and a gurudwara..

What also makes Pul Kanjri so fascinating is the story of Ranjit Singh and his beloved, Moran..

Moran was a Muslim nautch girl who lived in the small village of Makhanpur, close to Amritsar. According to local legends, when young Maharaja Ranjit Singh saw her performance at the Baradari, he fell madly in love with her. He was greatly impressed by her dance and gave her the title ‘Moran’, which means ‘peacock’. Ranjit Singh later married Moran, creating an uproar in the Sikh empire..

There’s another popular legend which gives the place its name, Pul Kanjri. The story goes that one day when Moran was on her way to the Baradari for her performance, her shoe fell into a canal while she was crossing it. After this, she was so upset that she refused to perform until a bridge was built over the canal. A love-struck Ranjit Singh quickly ordered for a bridge to be built over the canal and it stands here to this day. It was called 'Pul Moran' but over the years, after the fall of the Sikh Empire, it changed to Pul Kanjri..Interestingly, the construction of this canal is attributed to Mughal emperor Shah Jahan who got this built to water the Shalimar Gardens of Lahore.

While Pul Kanjri presents a chapter from Sikh history, there’s another significant monument here.. a war memorial..Not far from the India Pakistan border, Pul Kanjri was captured by the Pakistani army during the Indo-Pak wars of 1965 and 1971. It was later restored to India, but a war memorial to commemorate the sacrifices of soldiers in the war was built here..

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