AS one learnt that the very first mosque in the entire sub-continent, let alone the world, was built in the life time of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) in Kerala in 629 AD, and was built on the orders of the Hindu Chera King Cheraman Perumal.

This got me exploring the reasons why would a Hindu ruler in a completely non-Muslim country, let alone sub-continent, get a mosque constructed when the Holy Prophet (PBUH) was alive and only four mosques existed in Arabia till then.

As I went through a book `Perumals of Kerala` by MGS Narayanan (P62) it had details of the caring society that Kerala always has been. Arab traders were the reason for they had started accepting Islam.

The book referenced to the works of Claudius Ptolemy, who was born and died in Egypt and is known as a Greco-Roman mathematician, astrologer and astronomer, and who mentions the prophet Khizr. Though the Catholic church holds him in very high esteem, yet he made an astrological prediction that `the prophet of the waters will get the first temple of a new religion built in India, where a thousand years earlier a river port by his name will exist in India`.

Reference D. Pingree`s `The Teaching of the Almagest in late antiquity` (P75-96).

Normally in a newspaper column such academic references are avoided (space matters), but as Ptolemy has mentioned the port of Labokia (Lahore of today) being connected to `Al-Khidr` and `goods flowing fromthis ancient city to the ports of Africa, Western India and Arabia and Persia` one had to take up the subject to place the Lahore port of `Khizri Darwaza` in its context.

We as a people are `over-communal` and definitely intolerant of other belief systems, although amazing all believe in One Almighty. Let me make it clear that Khizr is not a recognised prophet, and the Holy Quran mentions him as `A Servant of Allah` from the beginning of time. In Surah Kha`af (18:65-82) he is described as a man of immense knowledge, as well as a teacher of the Prophet Moses (AS). However, scholars agree that the name is that of the Canaanite god `Kothar wa-Khasis`, a pre-Arabic concept. The word `Khizr` in every language means the `every-present` and `ever green`.

So we see that goods flowed from this famous ancient Lahore port to first touch Multan port, an even more ancient river port (Theodore Dodge P604). It was here that caravans reached and reinforced the goods heading eastwards towards Kolachi (Karachi) and from there the large boats call them small ships heading downwards to India`s western ports, or the African eastern ports and the ports of Arabia and Iran.

Now let us return to two Greek texts concerning the movement of goods and people to the Persian Gulf, West India and the East African coast in the first century AD (Anno Domini). Mention of finding Greek coins in these areas is mentioned in Periplus`s `Erythraean Sea` as well as in Ptolemy`s `Geography of coastal market places`. Just to remind that in early 2019 in the Spanish desert area of Tabernas, archaeologists found theremains of a camel loaded with spices and indigo `clearly marked` from Laboka. The exact archaeological place was `Caricin Grad`. The time period ascribed is 2,200 years plus, with the camel traders continuing till 1750s when ships replaced them.

Now let us return to Lahore, to Khizri Darwaza, the River Ravi and the name of the now disappeared port. First the name Lahore. In days gone by its name has evolved from Luhawar, Luhar, Laboka, Rahwar, Alahwar, Lohar, Lahu-war, to Lahore.

The Afghan invader and looter Mahmud even named it after himself as Mahmudpur, a name that disappeared once he died. But the popular belief is that Lahore is named after Lahu, the son of Rama the deity and his wife Sita. The ancient temple of Lahu exists inside the Lahore Fort.

Now the Ravi, known in the past as Purushni and Irawati, is an ancient river flowing from the mountains in the north. As rivers all over the world flow, their water cuts the `obstructing` banks and move on to a coursethat is `less restricting` leaving behind a semi-circle water lake. So it has been for the Ravi. The last semi-circle left is known locally as `Budha Ravi` the old Ravi.

Many thousands of years ago the Ravi flowed to the east of the mounds of Lahore, on which the city emerged. By the time Harappa was overrun by flooding and on the mounds emerged, initially several walled cities, and then one large fort and a walled city.

The river curled around the fort and the city and at the northern side emerged Khizriport, or Khizri Darwaza. As described above the first name of the port was after the patron saint of water and fishermen. Without doubt it is a preIslamic name. But out of respect of Hazrat Khizr the name stuck.

The grain and spice and indigo markets of Lahore were all served by this gateway, as they are today. The newer markets are served by the postAkbar area of Shahalami. But then in the reign of Maharajah Ranjit Singh, when he set about trying to conquer Multan in 1818, his victory over this critical city led him to rename Khizri Gateway as Sheranwala Darwaza, the `Lion`s gateway`. It was from this port that his troops set off on boats, as did his cannons.

To commemorate his remarkable victory he tied two lions at the gateway and renamed it. But then the children of the old walled city in their effort to enjoy the animals often stoned the `tied up` lions. After two months both were killed. The maharajah understood the fun aspect and placed two stone lions there. Just lastyear the last of the two were replaced by a businessman building yet another illegal structure, as has become the norm.

But come the British we see that the river in a process known as meandering moved westwards. It left behind its `Budha Ravi` and now flows a mile to the west. Without a port and the name Khizr, the old Lahore is now housed by shopkeepers who take up 65 per cent of the old city space.

Without doubt it is a criminal act, but then who in these trying times can challenge the rich and the powerful.

Such has been our history. Who really is bothered about Hazrat Khizar, even though the Quran mentions him clearly. When the Afghan invader Mahmud destroyed the city in 1021 AD, he took away 200,000 slaves. Yet our history books never mention just what happened to the poor of our land. This atrocity has happened seven times. The question is will we ever rename the gateway after this eternal wise man? I have my doubts.