Sunday 13 November 2016

RAJA DINA NATH & HIS HAVELI IN PHOOLON WALI GALI INSIDE DELHI GATE

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.





























Sunday 6 November 2016

Gurudwara Baba Jamait Singh Ji,Kahna Nau Distt, Lahore

 November 6, 2016 (First Visit)

Located in the town of Kahna Nau, along the Lahore-Ferozpur road, stands a sacred Gurdwara, a place of worship for Sikhs. The Gurdwara complex is a magnificent three-storey building, showcasing remarkable architectural craftsmanship. In front of it, there is a two-story Langar hall, where free meals are traditionally served, as well as residential rooms for Sikh pilgrims. However, the current state of the shrine is one of abandonment and neglect.

While the shrine is officially under the care of Karyalewale Pir, the evidence suggests otherwise. Encroachments by individuals have started to encircle the premises, posing a threat to the sacred space. This unfortunate situation calls for urgent attention to preserve and protect the sanctity of the shrine.

The Gurdwara holds significant historical and spiritual importance. One such story recounts the transformation of Baba Jamiat Singh, who was once a notorious thief in the area. During one of his escapades, as he attempted to steal buffaloes, he found himself pursued and on the verge of being caught red-handed. Fearing capture, he turned to the recitation of the name of the Sat Guru (True Guru) and made a heartfelt vow to never steal again. Astonishingly, when the owner of the buffaloes approached his herd, he failed to recognize them. This incident profoundly impacted Jamiat Singh, leading him to become a devoted follower of the Guru and spend his entire life reciting the Guru's name.

The construction of the shrine was completed in Samvat 1942 (1885 AD), signifying the deep reverence and dedication of the Sikh community. In the past, the shrine used to host a vibrant annual fair, attracting devotees from far and wide. However, in recent times, the fair has lost some of its former splendor, reflecting the overall decline in the shrine's condition.

The Gurdwara's significance lies not only in its physical structure but also in the spiritual and cultural heritage it represents. The endowment of 500 ghumaon of land and ten shops to the shrine signifies the support and devotion of the community towards its upkeep.

Efforts must be made to revive the glory of this sacred place. The preservation and restoration of the Gurdwara, along with the reclaiming of its surrounding area, are crucial to maintaining its spiritual essence and cultural value. It is essential for the relevant authorities and the Sikh community to come together and take proactive measures to ensure the protection and revitalization of this historically significant Gurdwara.











 Second Visit:- 20 November 2021














Friday 23 September 2016

Summer Palace (Pari Mahal) - The Mysteries of Lahore Fort

Well being a Lahorite from childhood, I am listening to different stories regarding the hidden secret infrastructure buildings of Lahore fort. You might also have listen about the tunnel that connects Lahore Fort to Delhi. When I first time visited the Lahore fort in school days, my father told me that there are underground basements in the fort, used by Mughal Emperors in the summertime. I don’t know from where my father heard about these basements but these buildings actually exist in Lahore Fort.

The basement chambers of the Lahore fort have never been opened to the general public and are still hidden from the outside world. Fortunately, I along with my younger brother got a chance to visit one of these basements named ‘Summer Palace’ also known as ‘Pari Mahal’. The place is the basement of Sheesh Mehal (mirror palace), Uthdara, and some portion of Shah Burj. In order to enter the basement one has to use elephant stairs, a small door is located on the left side of the second lift of stairs.

Our host a senior officer at Lahore Fort told that the ‘summer palace’ historically had only one entry point which was Mughal’s secret stairway to enter the summer palace.”During British Raj a door from Elephant Stairs was made by demolishing a small part of the wall. Shah Jahan built the Shah Burj, the Sheesh Mahal, and the Naulakha Pavilion in 1642 AD, the ‘Summer Palace’ was supposed to be constructed before this in Shah Jahan's tenure.

                 The wall behind the Elephant Stairs is part of Summer Palace

It was a hot afternoon in September when we entered the basement, the first thing which amazed us was the sudden drop in temperature from outside, there was also fresh air circulating in the building. The outer configuration of the palace is rectangular in shape, I didn’t have any instrument to measure the dimension of the building the rough dimension after pacing was 140 ft x 170 ft.

A state of art mechanism has been developed for both ventilation and cooling systems for this Palace, once river Ravi runs parallel to, the northeast wall of the Palace. The amazing and interesting thing about the cooling system design was that the northeast wall of the palace has been partitioned with small windows; on the inner side of these windows, concrete tunnels have been constructed, and a cool river breeze entered and trap inside, the other side of the tunnel opens directly inside the corridors of Palace. These tunnels work similarly to HVAC ducts of the present time to carry cool air breeze. There are 42 fountains inside the Palace. It is also told by our guide that a slab somewhat 4 to 5 ft below the original floor of the Palace has been found and water from river Ravi used to run over it. This mechanism somehow cools the original floor of the palace. The North West wall of the Palace has five mullioned types windows. When we entered the palace there was dark inside the only source of light was sun rays entering from these five windows. These five windows are also directly partitioned parallel to the corridors of the Palace to bring natural light to all rooms.

                                        The five windows in this picture are 
                                     partitioned on NW wall of Summer Palace

The Civil Defence Department used this basement as a storehouse in World War II. Altering many arches either closing them with brick masonry to be used as rooms/offices, the frequent white washes vanished the original Fresco art of the building. After Pakistan came into being, the building still was used as a storehouse. Luckily there are a few portions in the building where you can see the remnant of fresco art and painting works. The Palace has also signs of Sikh era rule in Lahore fort. There were a few arches modified to use rooms for religious places.

The Palace was built with acoustics in mind as seen in many other Mughal architectural buildings if you are standing in one corner your low voice can be clearly heard by the person standing in the other corner of the same room.

In Summer Palace there are two secret approach ways to reach Sheesh Mahal. The whole Palace was constructed in a maze pattern recalling the conventional style of the Labyrinth of Greeks. In the Urdu language, there is a word “Bhool Bhulian’ this word easily describes the whole construction pattern of the Palace. You can easily lost in corridors and without the help of a guide, it is difficult to find the return way.  This Palace has also connected to secret escape routes and tunnels.

One of the remarkable things in the Palace was the secret room of Shah Jahan, a low-ceiling room hardly of 6 ft & 4 inches in height. The reason for the low ceiling height was that Shah Jaha was merely 5ft & 5 inches in height.  There are two small stairways to reach that room, interestingly two more stairways are also constructed at a distance that ends nowhere only to trick the enemy. The room slab is also a mezzanine floor. There is a large window on the northeast wall of the room, centuries ago river Ravi flows along this wall. King Shah Jahan used to sit there and watched the site of the flowing river. In times of war, he had a bird eye view of battlefields. It was a strange feeling standing in this room, in Shah Jahan, times not even the closest to King were allowed to enter this room. How time has changed dramatically in a few centuries. Mughal, Sikhs, and then British, the place has seen so many eras, but how sadly now not only the Palace but also the history of this palace lost in the dark.

                                me Standing in Secret Room of Shah Jahan


The Palace is now under the control of Walled City Authorities of Lahore. The Walled City officer Mr. Zubair really cooperated with us he has vast knowledge about the place and briefed us very well. My only regret after visiting this place was that we were not allowed to use a tripod stand for taking pictures. In these dark corridors’ it is almost impossible to take handheld shots with low shutters and high isos. Not able to shoot the best pictures as of my liking to document the place. 
Sun light entering in corridors of Palace from North West wall Windows
Mullioned type  window on North West Wall of Palace
The  dark Corridors of Summer Palace
Internee Guides of WCAL were also part of our group who visited the Palace
The  dark Corridors of Summer Palace
Secret escape way
A door in basement

that opens in Sheesh Mehal
Concrete tunnels has been constructed inside the windows, cool river breeze entered and trap inside
The tangled Corridors of Palace
Corridors of Summer Palace

The arches altered in Sikh Era
A junction of two Corridors
Fresco Work on ceiling
Silent Corridors