Yesterday, after a long time, I visited the shrine of Waris Shah, a Punjabi poet and Sufi renowned for writing the famous epic poem Heer Ranjha.
Behind his shrine is the Waris Shah Gallery, a museum-like space that portrays the Punjab's culture and traditions.
I had visited this museum once before, but it wasn't very well-developed at the time. However, the Punjab Tourism Department has since launched a project called "Magnificent Punjab," under which various heritage sites across the province are being preserved and investments in tourism are increasing. That is why, this museum went through renovation. It had remained closed for a long time, and I had frequently tried to visit, but always saw the door is closed.
This time, I saw that the doors were open and people were going inside, so I decided to go in as well. When we reached the entrance, a man was standing there( i though he is standing there for nothing ).
I asked him if we could go inside, and he told me that a ticket is required to visit the museum.
This small museum displayed the culture and lifestyle of Punjab. It showed several items such as earthenware, traditional Punjabi matkas (large clay pots), and various other objects that are no longer in common use and have become part of the past life.
Seeing all those old items made me feel as though I had traveled back in time. It reminded me of my maternal grandmother, who had carefully preserved those old utensils, but she has sold them all now.
Photographs of many historical structures in the city, dating back to the past,were displayed here. I hadn't known about them before. I discovered that there are many other historical sites I still have to visit and learn about them.
Waris Shah composed the story of Heer in the form of epic poetry and contemporary artists have translated his verses into paintings. These paintings of artists are displayed in this museum and look impressive.
The two central characters, Heer and Ranjha, are the heart of this epic poem by Waris Shah.They are lovers, the story written by Waris Shah is not merely a love story. it portrays the entire culture of Punjab. It is larger than a love story and depicts every element of lifestyle in Punjab.
The museum is currently quite small but I would like to see it expanded. In fact, I even wrote in the visitor's register that the museum should be enlarged, as there are many more items that could be added.
We took some photos there, and afterwards, feeling hungry, we went out to get something to eat.
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See you next 💌💫💌💫
