Rahon is a town and a municipal council in the district Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar of the Indian state of Punjab. Rahon is in Doaba region of Punjab. Doaba also known as Bist Doab, is the region of Punjab, India that lies between the Beas River and the Sutlej River. A famous battle was fought here between Sikhs and Mughals i.e Battle of Rahon (1710). Rahon is situated on the - Jaijon line of the Northern railway, Rahon is 7 km from Nawanshahr, the tahsil/subdivision headquarters, and 65 km from Jalandhar, the district headquarters. It is also connected by road with Nawashahr (8 km), Jadla (12 km), Ludhiana (51 km), and Phillaur (37 km), Machhiwara (18 km). People of Doaba region are given the demonym "Doabia". The dialect of Punjabi spoken in Doaba is called "Doabi". The term "Doaba" or "Doab" is derived from Persian "دو آب" (do āb "two water") meaning "land of two rivers".

Name

Rahon is a changed name, it was Raghupur until the 12th century. Raj pal changed its name from Raghupur to Rahon after a certain lady called Raho. Some contemporaries had written that it was considered unlucky to speak of Rahon by its proper name, in the morning, when fasting. According to them, until breakfast Rahon should be referred to as 'Zanana shahr', or 'Women town'.

Ancient city

Rahon is an ancient city, it is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in India. The city face had withstood the ravages of time, invaders, lootings, epidemics, and an unfortunate case of bypass of the silk route. Ruins there speaks the sad story and tell the city once had great significance. it was formed like a fort with four gates, Delhi Gate, Lahori Gate, Pahar Singh Gate, and Ropri Gate.

Highlights

The reasons for decline

Rahon faced a gradual decline in its economy and population for various reasons; some of the major ones are listed below

History

Rahon was also among the 50 most populous cities in the world for many centuries, particularly in the period between 52 B.C.-1750 A.D.. After that period, Rahon started witnessing gradual decline due to epidemics, attacks from foreign invaders, and a reduction in merchant activity when the silk route began to bypass Rahon in favor of Kabul. Rahon had Asia's oldest mandi bazaar (now ruined) situated at the city's Delhi gate. The bazaar was famous for its variety and quality of products, including spices, weapons, apparel, and footwear. Rahon's population also declined due to outbreaks of malaria, the immigration of a large proportion of its Muslim population to Pakistan during partition, and civilian casualties resulting from attacks by outside invaders. Rahon has the oldest Government High School in the Punjab state, which was constructed in 1857.

Founding

Rahon was founded 2000 years ago by Raja Raghab, a Brahmin ruler, who named it Raghupur, which continued to be called in correspondence by the Pandits of the city until the twentieth century.

Medieval to present

Rahon is an old city and it overlooks the low valley of the Satlej, it held social, economic, and political significance during various periods of history. This significance stemmed primarily from the city's location along the ancient trade route to Tibet and Central Asia and it began to fade in importance as soon as a new route through Kabul was opened during Mughal times. Further, Rahon's proximity to marshes made it a victim of periodic large-scale outbreaks of malaria. Over time, the city's population declined greatly, falling to 69,000 when the British took over after the First Anglo Sikh War in 1846 and falling further to 6,607 by 1971. After the division of the country in 1947, the Muslim population of Rahon was uprooted to Pakistan, with most settling in Faisalabad and Rahwali.

Notable people

Trade and manufacturing

Rahon was noted for its sugar trade, shoemaking, 'gota' making and even textile manufacturing. The town missed all these crafts, activities, and exports with several disasters and many adverse circumstances.

Sugar

Sugar trade was one of the famous commercial activity at Rahon.

Textiles and exports

The town then was sharing a trade route to Tibet and Central Asia, which was favorable for exporting activities but a new route through Kabul was opened during Mughal times. The exports via Jammu, Leh, and present Afghanistan is recorded. Rahon was known for cotton cloth manufacturing and its exports. Many distinguished weave structures ranging from coarse varieties to fine textures were eminent. Bafta, Ghati, and Khasa were the kinds that were used to export.

Bafta

Rahon was a textile manufacturing hub especially for cotton clothes during ancient times (18th century), it was known for many textile varieties one of them was Bafta cloth which is a closed plain weave structure. The material was found in many variants, coarse to fine.

Ghati

Rahon had an expertise for Ghati which is a highly glazed cotton long-cloth of fine texture also called ghatti. It was a superior quality cloth and expensive also. The fabric was affordable by rich persons only. The average price of printed cotton was ten annas per square yard. Production of Ghati was ceased by the close of the nineteenth century.

Khasa

Rahon was also producing Khasa, the fabric then was known Rahon Khasa. It was a fine cotton cloth.

Khaddar

Rahon was famous for its trading route and manufacturing certain cotton-made clothes such as Khes, Khaddar with coarse cotton, with various colorful stripe and checked patterns.

Lungi

Lungi fabric was also made in Rahon. It was continue even after ceasing down the Ghati cloth in close of 19th century. And then slowly the labor migrated to the industrial city Ludhiana.

Gota

Gota is a narrow imitation of gold and silver ribbons used on edges of many bridal clothes, dresses and dupattas for embellishing purpose. It was also manufactured and exported from Rahon.

Shoe making

Rahon was known for the art of shoe making which attained a high degree of skill and a pair prepared by one Mian Khaki Shah of Rahon is said to still be on exhibit in a museum at Lahore, Pakistan.

Historical remains

This piece of land has blessings of many Saints, Guru's, Peer's and Faquir's. Rahon has several religious places like many ancient temples, gurudwaras, mosques, sufi shrines, yogi places. There are ruins of old building structures such as Havelis ( with smaller bricks, very small than regular size). There are some remains of historical interest.

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