History Of Bewal

There are many versions of stories about its history and name. Some believe it was named after Alexander The Great's horse which was killed during a furious fight. Others would claim that it was named after a Hindu Raja's daughter nicknamed Baby which was suffixed with a Hindi word "Waala" and together it was "Babywaal", which ended up as a Bewal over time. There are no historical proofs for these claims. though.
Up until the spring of 1947, Bewal had a sizable non-Muslim population, most of which consisted of Sikhs with a small number of Hindus. Bewal suffered from communal riots in which local Muslims besieged the town for over a week. The stalemate resulted in the rioters setting fire to the homes of the Sikhs and Hindus living in the centre of Bewal. Virtually the entire population of Sikhs and Hindus in Bewal was burnt alive in the ensuing fires.
A Hindu temple stills stands in Bewal although the two Gurudawaras did not survive the fire of 1947. Many former Sikh and Hindu residents and their descendants have visited Bewal in the 1980s and 1990's. Before partition Sikhs and Hindus dominated the local business scene of Bewal, while local Muslims hardly had any kind of business at all. Muslims were mostly farmers in poor conditions. It was an area governed by Maharaja Ranjit Singh of Kashmir and in the past it was a part of Kashmir. Qilla Sanghani (a fortress built during British Raj), Pakka Khu (a well, said to be built by some Mughul king) and Pakki Masjid (a mosque also said to be built by Mughul King) are the main historical sites in the area. There is a village in Bewal called Dheri that is the most beautiful village there, and while there are many bungalows, no one lives there, they all live in the UK.