Dina Nath was civil
administrator and counselor of considerable influence at the Sikh court for
well over three decades, was the son of a Kashmiri Pandit, Bakht Mal,
who had migrated to Delhi in 1815, during the oppressive rule of the Afghan governors of the valley
and obtained a berth in the Estate Office at Lahore. He was also closely
related to Diwan Ganga Ram Raina, head of the military accounts and keeper of
the privy seal at Lahore.
In 1815, at the instance of Diwan Ganga Ram Raina, Maharaja Ranjit Singh invited
Dina Nath to Lahore and offered him the post of mutsaddi, or writer, in the
department of military accounts.
In 1826, when Diwan Ganga Ram died, Dina Nath succeeded
him as the head of the military accounts department and keeper of the privy seal.
In 1834, when Diwan Bhavani Das died, the Maharaja made him the head of the
civil and finance office and conferred upon him, in 1838, the honorary title of Diwan.
By his ability and political acumen, Dina Nath rose to the
highest position of power and influence in the affairs of the State. Lepel
Griffin styles him the Talleyrand of Punjab. After the Maharaja's death,
Raja Dina Nath's influence increased. But Dina Nath knew how to keep his
ambition in check and was one man in Lahore who made no enemies at the court.
In the turbulent days following Ranjit Singh`s death, he refused to take sides
with Rani Chand Kaur or Karivar Sher Singh. Sher Singh upon his succession to
the throne reposed his full trust in him. Dina Nath retained his position at
the court.
He was one of the signatories to the treaty which was
concluded between the Sikhs and the British after the First Sikh War. Later,
when a council was constituted in December 1846 for the governance of the
Punjab, Raja Dina Nath was made its President, with the active support of the
British. He was the greatest man alive and most faithful to Maharaja Ranjit
Singh.
Yet under British rule he actively financed the
independence efforts in secrecy. The family of Raja Dina Nath came originally
from Kashmir, wherein the reign of the Mughal King Shah Jahan, some members
of it held offices relating to court affairs.
Dina Nath, whose father had a subordinate appointment at
Delhi came to Punjab in 1815 and obtained a berth in the Estate Office at Lahore.
He first attracted Ranjit Singh's notice in 1818 by the great rapidity and
clearness with which he did some important work entrusted to him.
Among the men who rose to power during the later days of
the Maharaja's life, no one was more remarkable than Raja Dina Nath. He was
well and happily styled Talleyrand of Punjab and his life and character
bore a strong resemblance to those of the European statesmen.
Revolutions in which his friends and patrons perished
passed him by: in the midst of bloodshed and assassination his life was never
endangered. While confiscation and judicial robbery were the rules of the State,
his wealth and power continually increased. His sagacity and far-sightedness
were such that when to other eyes the political sky was clear, he could
perceive the signs of coming storm, which warned him to desert a losing party or a falling friend.
Honest men do not survive many revolutions, and the Raja's
falseness was the means to his success. He was patriotic, but his love of
country was subordinate to himself. He hated the English bitterly, for they were
stronger than he or his country, but his interest compelled him to serve, like
Samson, the Philistines he hated.
He was not without his notions of fidelity, and would
stand by a friend, as long as he could do so with safety to himself. Even when
he deserted him it was more from thoughts of danger to his wealth and influence
than from personal fear, for, Raja Dina Nath was physically brave, and also
possessed moral courage in an eminent degree, though it did not lead him to do
right regardless of consequences. He possessed immense local knowledge and vast
capacity for work; but his desire of keeping power in his own hands had an evil
effect on the progress of (State) business.
He was an accomplished man of the world, courteous and
considerate; well educated though nothing of a scholar, and in conversation
with Europeans, he would express himself with boldness and apparent candor
that was as pleasant, as they are unusual in Asiatic. It was only in 1834 that
Raja Dina Nath was made Finance Minister, for which his qualifications were
exceedingly high, but Maharaja (Ranjit Singh) had for many years reposed
confidence in him, and he was on all occasions of importance, one of his most
talented advisers.
After the death of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, he retained
great influence with the chiefs and the army, and on the British occupation of
Lahore was appointed to the Council of Regency, of which he was the most able
and useful member. Although his position as the Head of Financial Department
gave him many opportunities of enriching himself at the public expense, I of which
there is every reason to believe he availed himself, he still worked more
disinterestedly than others, and was of great service to the Resident of
Lahore.
In November 1847, the title of the Raja of Kalanaur, with
a jagir worth 20,000 rupees annually, was conferred upon him. With his clear
head and business-like habits, it would have been almost impossible to
disentangle the Darbar Accountancy, and after the annexation of the Punjab,
Dina Nath's aid in Revenue and Jagir matters was almost as valuable as before.
At the time of the revolt of the Sikh army in 1848, it was
asserted by some that Raja Dina Nath was a traitor at heart, that he himself
had Encouraged the rising, and that had he not been a wealthy man with houses
and gardens and many lakhs of rupees in Lahore, convenient for confiscation, he
would have joined the rebels without hesitation, but these stories were perhaps
invented by his enemies. Certain it is that on being recalled to Lahore, he
zealously carried out the wishes of the British authorities in counteracting
their (i.e. the rebels' anti-British) schemes.
After the annexation of Punjab, Raja Dina Nath was
confirmed in all of his jagirs, worth Rs. 46,460, which he held till his death
in 1857. He died near Kot Khawaja Saeed, at Lahore, Pakistan. There he had
developed a beautiful garden and it is still called as 'Rajay Wala Bagh'. The
spot is a few meters away towards West from Samadhi Maharajah Sher Singh at Kot
Khawaja Saeed, Lahore.
Haveli Dina Nath is
situated in the Phoolon Wali Gali inside Delhi Gate, Lahore. The haveli had Mughal architecture. In the past, there was
a small fountain in the courtyard of the haveli. Before the partition of India
and Pakistan, there was a room inside the haveli which was used as a Hindu
temple. After the partition in 1947, many parts of the Haveli Dina Nath were
changed year by year because of the needs and wants of the residents of the
Haveli.
Currently, the Haveli is visited by many visitors and tourists
because of its unique historical importance. After independence, more than 50
families were residing inside the haveli. In 1978, the Haveli Dina Nath was
sold by the owner of the haveli. The residents bought the particular portion of
the haveli in which they were residing in. With the passage of time and
exposure, families started to shift from the haveli, and currently only 20
families are residing inside the haveli.
