Pul Kanjri

Pul Kanjari is a historical village situated 35 km away from Amritsar on Amritsar-Lahore road, near the villages of Daoka and Dhanoa Kalan on the Wagah border. It is one of the heritage sites built by Maharaja Ranjit Singh, where he used to rest while travelling with his troops. During his reign, Pul Kanjari was an important trading centre. The legend has it that the village was named after a pul (bridge) that was built by the king for a dancer Moran who was of kanjari caste. It is said that one day while crossing the canal one of her shoes fell into the water which vexed her a great deal and a bridge was constructed on her insistence. This fortress also contains a bathing pool, a temple, a Gurudwara and a mosque which were the secular concern of the Maharaja. The village has a monument built in memory of the Jawans who lost their lives in the 1971 war with Pakistan.People used to come to Pul Kanjri from far-flung areas, including Amritsar and Lahore, for shopping. The town was inhabited by Arora Sikhs, Muslims and Hindus who lived happily till partition of India. The historical town has been reduced to a tiny village now. Those who survived the bloodbath in 1947 left the place and settled in Amritsar and other places. Some of them come here in mid-August to pay tributes to their ancestors and perform akhand path in the memory of those who had died.History"Moran" was a dancer from nearby village Makhanpura and used to perform in the Royal Court of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. On the way, she had to cross a small canal linked to river Ravi, which was built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in order to irrigate Shalimar Gardens of Lahore. This canal did not have a bridge. One day while crossing the canal Moran lost her silver sandals that had been presented to her by the Maharaja. Disappointed over the loss, she refused to perform in the court of Maharaja. When the incident was brought to the notice of Maharaja, he immediately ordered the construction of a bridge on the canal. The dancers were not given much respect in those days and they were addressed as “Kanjari”. Hence the bridge constructed to facilitate Moran was known as “Pul Kanjari”.