QAZI LUTUFULLAH DECIDES TO LEAVE KABUL FOR CITY OF LAHORE;
RENOWNED FAMILY OF MUSSAWARS KNOWN AS GUMTI BAZAAR ONES.

Those were strange times. Many people of talent could think of leaving their city for the well known cultural capital of Lahore. One was Qazi Lutufullah. Obviously his role as a Qazi did not prompt him to leave, it was his other role as a professional painter which made the journey a must for him. A seal as a Mufti in Lahore proves that he was in the city in 1138 A.H. and had bought a Tafseer of a very famous Qazi family of Lahore, Qazi Kamaluddin. That is dated 1071 A.H, by Muhammed Salih. But his personal signature, along with his seals, prove his calligraphic skills in a beautifully designed one. Really beautiful tughra in all cases.

The family had settled in Lahore and were famously associated with Mochi Darwaza, and the Mohalla known as Gujar Gali. They started their profession from a shop in Gumti Bazaar, and were famous portrait makers. Sikhs used to come to their shop and have their portraits made riding horses and other things. They also used to work for the Englishmen, with portraits jnside the Lahore Fort. One of them was known as King of Delhi, for his resemblance to same King. The artist Abdur Rahman Chughtai has written extensively on this family. Indeed his first wife belonged to the same family, and had also indulged in besides “Moorti” making, into the advance jewelry making known as Bindri ghars. For a number of generation they were the epitome of professional painters of Lahore.

The families still exist in Lahore belonging to the same family. But in these times, with obsession of Mandirs on mind of researchers, no one is concentrating on the real Muslim Culture of Lahore. The artist Chughtai did it, and we do it too. Our aim to prove that from the last 1000 years, Lahore is the cultural capital of the region, and the Muslims made Lahore Lahore, from the days of Sultan Mahmud Ghaznavi, to the times of Abdur Rahman Chughtai himself. We will write more on it soon.

However one thing is documented. That Ayaz Governor of Lahore under Sultan Mahmud, invited 200 craftsmen from Afghanistan into Lahore, to set the tempo of the culture of Lahore. And that was a 1000 years back.

P.S.

The book by Abdur Rahman Chughtai, being “Lahore ke dabistan Musawari” can be had from us free of cost anytime. Be proud of your Muslim heritage!