Etymology of Lahore

Last updated

The origin of Lahore's name is unclear. The first document that mentions Lahore by name is the Hudud al-'Alam ("The Regions of the World"), written in 982 CE. [1]

Contents

Variant transcriptions

Lahore's name had been recorded by early Muslim historians as Al-Ahwar, A'lahwur, Luhawar, Lūhār, and Rahwar. [2] The Iranian Polymath and Geographer, Abu Rayhan Al-Biruni, referred to the city as Luhāwar in his 11th century work, Qanun, [2] while the poet Amir Khusrow, who lived during the Delhi Sultanate, recorded the city's name as Lāhanūr. [3] Yaqut al-Hamawi records the city's name as Lawhūr, mentioning that it's famously known as Lahāwar. [4] Al Idrisi in his 12th century work the Nuzhatulmushtak-fi-Iftikharul Afak, also writes of a city named Lohawar. [5] Later Rajput sources recorded the city's name as Lavkot. [3]

Etymological theories

Sita, Lava, and Kusha in the hermitage of Valmiki Sita, Lava, and Kusha in the hermitage of Valmiki.jpg
Sita, Lava, and Kusha in the hermitage of Valmiki

One theory suggests that Lahore's name is a corruption of the word Ravāwar, as R to L shifts are common in languages derived from Sanskrit. [6] Ravāwar is the simplified pronunciation of the name Iravatyāwar - a name possibly derived from the Ravi River, known as the Iravati River in the Vedas . [6] [7] The suffix"Awar" is a corruption of the Sanskrit word Awarna, meaning fort, and is affixed to many place names in the Subcontinent, such as Peshawar, Sanawar, Bijawar,.

Another theory suggests the city's name may derive from the word Lohar, meaning "blacksmith." [8]

According to Hindu legend, [9] [10] Lahore's name derives from Lavpur or Lavapuri ("City of Lava "), [11] and is said to have been founded by Prince Lava, [12] the son of Sita and Rama. The same account attributes the founding of nearby Kasur, which was actually founded by Afghans in the Mughal period, [13] to his twin brother Kusha. [14] In the Deshwa Bhaga, Lahore is called Lavpor, which at once points to its origin from Lav, the son of Rama whose Lava temple built during the Sikh era in the 19th century, [15] is located empty inside the Lahore Fort, while in the ancient annals of Rajputana the name given is Loh Kot, meaning “the fort of Loh,” which, again, has reference to its mythical founder, Rama’s son. [16]

Notes

  1. unknown author from Jōzjān (1937). Hudud al-'Alam, The Regions of the World: A Persian Geography, 372 A.H. – 982 A.D. Translated by V. Minorsky. London: Oxford University Press.{{cite book}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  2. 1 2 Latif, Syad Muhammad (1892). Lahore: Its History, Architectural Remains and Antiquities: With an Account of Its Modern Institutions, Inhabitants, Their Trade, Customs, &c. Printed at the New Imperial Press.
  3. 1 2 Suvorova, Anna (22 July 2004). Muslim Saints of South Asia: The Eleventh to Fifteenth Centuries. Routledge. ISBN   1134370059.
  4. al-Hamawi, Yaqut. "Mu'jam al-Buldan". arabiclexicon.hawramani.com/. Retrieved 14 March 2020. لَوْهُور: بفتح أوله، وسكون ثانيه، والهاء، وآخره راء، والمشهور من اسم هذا البلد لهاور: وهي مدينة عظيمة مشهورة في بلاد الهند.
  5. Nadiem, Ihsan H. (1996). Lahore, a Glorious Heritage. Sang-e-Meel Publications. ISBN   978-969-35-0718-8.
  6. 1 2 Journal of Central Asia. Centre for the Study of the Civilizations of Central Asia, Quaid-i-Azam University. 1978.
  7. Boltz, William G.; Shapiro, Michael C. (1 January 1991). Studies in the Historical Phonology of Asian Languages. John Benjamins Publishing. ISBN   9027235740.
  8. Journal of Asian Civilisations. Taxila Institute of Asian Civilisations. 2001.
  9. Gazetteer of the Ferozpur District: 1883. 1883.
  10. Haroon Khalid. "How old is Lahore? The clues lie in a blend of historical fact and expedient legend". Dawn. A legend subsequently grew that connected the history of the city with Valmiki's Ramayana. According to this narrative, Valmiki lived on a mound on the banks of the Ravi when he hosted Ram's consort Sita after she was banished from Ayodhya. It is here that she gave birth Lav and Kush, the princes of Ayodhya, who later founded the twin cities of Lahore and Kasur.
  11. Bombay Historical Society (1946). Annual bibliography of Indian history and Indology, Volume 4. p. 257. Retrieved 29 May 2009.
  12. Baqir, Muhammad (1985). Lahore, past and present. B.R. Pub. Corp. pp. 19–20. Retrieved 29 May 2009.
  13. Nadiem, Ihsan H. (2005). Punjab: Land, History, People. Al-Faisal Nashran. ISBN   978-969-503-434-7.
  14. Nadiem, Ihsan N (2005). Punjab: land, history, people. Al-Faisal Nashran. p. 111. ISBN   9789695032831 . Retrieved 29 May 2009.
  15. Zamir, Sufia (2018-01-14). "HERITAGE: THE LONELY LITTLE TEMPLE". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2021-06-27.
  16. History of Lahore

Related Research Articles

<i>Ramayana</i> Ancient Sanskrit epic

The Ramayana also known as Valmiki Ramayana, as traditionally attributed to Sage Valmiki, is a smriti text from ancient India, one of the two important epics of Hinduism known as the Itihasas, the other being the Mahabharata. The epic, narrates the life of Rama, a prince of Ayodhya in the kingdom of Kosala. The epic follows his fourteen-year exile to the forest urged by his father King Dasharatha, on the request of Rama's stepmother Kaikeyi; his travels across forests in the Indian subcontinent with his wife Sita and brother Lakshmana; the kidnapping of Sita by Ravana, the king of Lanka, that resulted in war; and Rama's eventual return to Ayodhya along with Sita to be crowned king amidst jubilation and celebration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lahore</span> Capital of Punjab, Pakistan

Lahore is the capital and largest city of the Pakistani province of Punjab. It is the second largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and 26th largest in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is located in the north-eastern region of Punjab, along the River Ravi. Lahore is one of Pakistan's major industrial and economic hubs. It has been the historic capital and cultural centre of the wider Punjab region, and is one of Pakistan's most socially liberal, progressive, and cosmopolitan cities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Valmiki</span> Legendary Indian poet, author of the Ramayana

Maharishi Valmiki was a legendary poet who is celebrated as the traditional author of the epic Ramayana, based on the attribution in the text itself. He is revered as Ādi Kavi, the first poet, author of Ramayana, the first epic poem.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sugriva</span> Vanara king and Ramas companion in Ramayana

Sugriva is a character In the ancient Indian epic Ramayana. He is the younger brother of Vali, whom he succeeded as ruler of the vanara kingdom of Kishkindha. Rumā is his wife. He is a son of Surya, the Hindu deity of the sun. As the king of the vanaras, Sugriva aided Rama in his quest to liberate his wife Sita from captivity at the hands of the rakshasa king Ravana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kasur</span> City in Punjab, Pakistan

Kasur is a city to the south of Lahore, in the Pakistani province of Punjab. The city serves as the headquarters of Kasur District. Kasur is the 16th largest city in Punjab and 24th largest in Pakistan, by population. It is also known for being the burial place of the 17th-century Sufi-poet Bulleh Shah. It is farther west of the border with neighboring India, and bordered to Lahore, Sheikhupura and Okara Districts of Punjab. The city is an aggregation of 26 fortified hamlets overlooking the alluvial valleys of the Beas and Sutlej rivers.

Lava (<i>Ramayana</i>) Son of Rama and Sita

Lava and his elder twin brother Kusha, are the children of Rama and Sita in Hindu tradition. Their story is recounted in the Hindu epic, Ramayana and its other versions. He is said to have a whitish golden complexion like their mother, while Kusha had a blackish complexion like their father.

Raghuvaṃśa is a Sanskrit epic poem (mahakavya) by the celebrated Sanskrit poet Kalidasa. Though an exact date of composition is unknown, the poet is presumed to have flourished in the 5th century CE. It narrates, in 19 sargas (cantos), the stories related to the Raghu dynasty, namely the family of Dilipa and his descendants up to Agnivarna, who include Raghu, Dasharatha and Rama.

The Ḥudūd al-ʿĀlam is a 10th-century geography book written in Persian by an unknown author from Guzgan. The title in full is حدود العالم من المشرق الی المغرب.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sita</span> Hindu goddess and the female protagonist of the epic Ramayana

Sita, also known as Siya, Janaki, Maithili, Vaidehi and Bhumija, is a Hindu goddess and the female protagonist of the Hindu epic, Ramayana. She is the consort of Rama, the avatar of the god Vishnu, and is regarded as a form of Vishnu's consort, Lakshmi. She is also the chief goddess of Rama-centric Hindu traditions. Sita is known for her dedication, self-sacrifice, courage, and purity.

<i>Adhyatma Ramayana</i> Sanskrit text

Adhyatma Ramayana is a 13th- to 15th-century Sanskrit text that allegorically interprets the story of Hindu epic Ramayana in the Advaita Vedanta framework. It is embedded in the latter portion of Brahmānda Purana, and the author is considered to be Vyasa. The Hindu tradition also attributes the text to the Bhakti movement saint Ramananda.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kusha (Ramayana)</span> Child of Rama and his wife Sita

Kusha and his younger twin brother Lava were the children of Rama and Sita. Their story is recounted in the Hindu epic, the Ramayana. Hindu traditions claim he ruled the entire region of Kashmir, Indus River and Hindu Kush as frontier lands of India known as Hindu Kush Kshetra and founded the city of Kashmir in the valley and Kasur with Lavapuri of Lava in base lands, though local lore contends Kasur was founded in 1525 by Pashtun migrants. His brother Lava is traditionally believed to have founded Lavapuri.

Ihsan H. Nadiem is a Pakistani archaeologist, museologist, author and poet.

Ramayan is an Indian television series depicting the story of Rama and based on stories from classic Indian literature. The 2008 release is a reboot of the 1987 Ramayan television series of the same name. The plot derives from Valmiki's Ramayan, Tulsidas's Ramcharitmanas and Chakbasta's Urdu Ramayan with aspects of other works. The television series was produced by Sagar Arts and aired on NDTV Imagine. This Show Was Re-Aired On Dangal TV while the entire episodes of this show can be watched on Dangal Play app.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moti Masjid (Lahore Fort)</span> Marble mosque in Lahore Fort

Moti Masjid, one of the "Pearl Mosques", is a 17th-century religious building located inside the Lahore Fort, Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. It is a small, white marble structure built by Mughal emperor Jahangir and modified by the architects of Shah Jahan, and is among his prominent extensions to the Lahore Fort Complex. The mosque is located on the western side of Lahore Fort, closer to Alamgiri Gate, the main entrance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Balakanda</span> Part of Ramayana describing Ramas childhood

Bala Kanda is the first Book of the Valmiki Ramayana. The Bala Kanda, in part—if not in its entirety—is generally regarded as an interpolation to the original epic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rama</span> Major deity in Hinduism

Rama is a major deity in Hinduism. He is the seventh and one of the most popular avatars of Vishnu. In Rama-centric traditions of Hinduism, he is considered the Supreme Being.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Origins of Lahore</span>

A Hindu legend based on oral traditions holds that Lahore, known in ancient times as Nokhar , was founded by Prince Lava, the son of the goddess Sita and Rama; Kasur was founded by his twin brother Prince Kusha. To this day, Lahore Fort has a vacant Lava temple dedicated to Lava. It is one of various etymological theory of Lahore's origin.

Raghuvaṃśa or Raghukula is a legendary Indian dynasty, primarily featured in Hindu scriptures such as the Itihasas and the Puranas. It is considered to be an offshoot of the Sūryavaṃśa or the Ikshvaku dynasty lineage of kings, tracing its ancestry to the sun deity Surya. Kings of the Raghuvaṃśa line are referred to as Raghuvaṃśī. The dynasty is named after Raghu, a legendary king who protected the sacrificial horse of ashvamedha from Indra. Raghuvaṃśī kings include Mandhata, Harishchandra, Sagara, Bhagiratha, Dilīpa, Raghu, Aja, Dasharatha and Rama.

Kurungaleeswarar Temple is a historically important Hindu temple in the neighbourhood of Koyambedu, Chennai, India. The temple encloses a large tank and dates from the Medieval Chola period.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lava Temple</span> Hindu temple

Lava Temple is a Hindu place of worship dedicated to the Hindu deity Lava, the son of Rama. It is in Lahore Fort, Lahore, Pakistan, and dates to the Sikh period. According to a Hindu legend, Lahore is named after him.