Red Light Area: Most families close their ears after hearing these words. Even if we ever talk, we avoid such words in front of the children at home. But the truth is that prostitution is a big reality in many countries around the world including India. Every year lakhs of girls and women are pushed into this quagmire of anonymity and infamy. But today we are not going to tell you about India but about the red light area of our neighboring country Pakistan. The history of this red light area of Pakistan dates back to the Mughal era, long before the formation of Pakistan and India’s independence.
Hiramandi
Through social media you have You must have heard the name of Hiramandi by now. Because filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali is in the news for his new project. He is making a web series ‘Hiramandi: The Diamond Bazaar’ on Pakistan’s Hiramandi. Whenever Sanjay Leela Bhansali makes a film, it often remains in the news. But today, not the film, we will tell you about the history of Heeramandi.
How did the name Heeramandi come about?
Most of the people, after hearing the name Heeramandi, think that heroes once lived here. There was trade. But this is not true. According to a report of BBC Urdu, in 1799, Lahore was ruled by Maharaja Ranjit Singh. The name of Raja Dhyan Singh Dogra was included among the people close to him in the court of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. The name of his eldest son was Heera Singh Dogra. Who later became the Prime Minister of Lahore area of Sikh Raj. During his rule of about 1.2 years between 1843 and 1844, he built a grain market, which came to be known as Heera Di Mandi, then gradually it came to be known as Hiramandi.
Shahi. Mohalla
Hiramandi is known as red light area all over the world. But looking into the pages of history shows that the scene here was different during the time of Mughals. Let us tell you that Heera Mandi is located near Taksali Gate of Lahore. This door is one of the 13 doors built by the Mughal emperor Akbar. Today’s Red Light was a royal locality during the Mughal era. Because during the Mughal era, women were brought here from Afghanistan and Uzbekistan. Who used to perform dance and music in the courts of Mughal rulers through her art. Not only this, children of Mughal families were sent to this locality to learn art and culture. This is the reason why later this area was called Shahi Mohalla.
British rule
When the British rule came in the country, Hiramandi The shine also disappeared. The British officers of that time started calling tawaifs as prostitution. The British forced the courtesans to become sex workers. After this, the result was that till today this area is called Red Light.
Even today only Mujra is held in Hiramandi.
Hiramandi may be called a red light area in the world today. But even today there are some brothels left where women only perform Mujra, they do not do prostitution business. However, it cannot be denied that some women in Hiramandi also do prostitution business to earn their living.
Pakistani writer Fauzia Saeed has also written in her book ‘Tebo: The Hedon Culture of a Red It is written about Hiramandi in ‘Light Area’. He wrote that we only think about him that he was just a sex worker. Earlier I too had thought the same, but when I went there and saw it, I was shocked because it was the center of literature. Hiramandi has given birth to well-known writers, poets and artists.