Hazuri Bagh Pavilion, a Symbol of Maharaja Ranjeet Singh Sikh Empire (2016)

Date of Visit:- 16th May 2016

(All pictures taken by me, please respect the copyright)

The picture was taken from Badshahi Masjid Minarets on 05/16/2016

The Hazuri Bagh Baradari, located in Lahore, Pakistan, is an impressive structure built in 1818 by Maharaja Ranjit Singh, a Sikh ruler. Made of stunning white marble, the pavilion features intricately carved pillars, delicate cusped arches, and a mirrored ceiling in the central area where the Maharaja held court. Originally a two-story building, the baradari lost its upper level due to a lightning strike in 1932.

The Hazuri Bagh Garden, aptly named "Royal Garden," holds great historical significance as it witnessed significant events during the Sikh Empire from 1801 to 1849. It hosted the final darbar conducted by Sikh Emperor Ranjit Singh and the coronation of his son and successor following the Maharaja's passing.

During the Mughal era, Emperor Aurangzeb constructed a caravanserai called Serai Alamgiri, which fell into ruins with the decline of the empire. It was Maharaja Ranjit Singh's capture of Lahore in 1799 that sparked the restoration of the area's royal splendor, a process that took over fifty years to complete.

In 1913, Maharaja Ranjit Singh acquired the renowned Koh-i-Noor diamond from Afghan ruler Shah Shuja Durrani. To commemorate this monumental acquisition, a royal garden called Ranjit Bagh or Hazuri Bagh was planned under the supervision of Faqir Azizuddin. Jamadar Khushal Singh proposed the construction of a marble baradari pavilion at the center of the Bagh, despite initial disapproval from the Maharaja due to the difficulty of obtaining marble. Eventually, marble was sourced from various Mughal monuments in and around Lahore, including those previously belonging to Mughal royals such as Asif Khan, Zeb un Nissa Jhangirband, and Nur Jahan.

The renowned Sikh architect Tota Ram was entrusted with the design of the bagh complex. The pavilion, supported by sixteen pillars with delicate cusped arches, features twelve entrances and includes a basement with subterranean chambers. Its roof is adorned with elegant floral and bird motifs, complemented by mirror decorations. Ranjit Singh frequently visited the pavilion during his reign, using it to hold court with his generals and English guests. Despite having more than three entrances on each side, the Hazuri Bagh pavilion is still referred to as a baradari, which traditionally signifies a square structure with three entrances on each side, totaling twelve entrances. The two sides facing the Badshahi Mosque and the Raushnai Gate each have four entrances, while the remaining two sides have five. The baradari is elevated on a raised platform accessible via two sets of stairs on each side. Its façade is adorned with repurposed white marble from various Mughal monuments in Lahore, featuring relief work and jali work as prominent ornamental elements. The exterior of the baradari showcases elaborate arches with delicately rendered images of fruit dishes, vases, and peacocks. Stepping inside, visitors will find a central portion and an outer section connected by three archways on each side, creating an enclosed baradari within the main structure.

While the ceilings of the baradari are made of plain wooden planks, the central portion features exquisite Sikh period minakari (mirror work). Due to a shortage of white marble during construction, the flooring is made of stone instead.

The Hazuri Bagh Baradari is widely regarded as the architectural masterpiece of Maharaja Ranjit Singh's reign. It served as a venue for state affairs and imperial court proceedings. Maharaja Sher Singh, Ranjit Singh's son, also utilized the pavilion for official functions and personal pursuits. When the British took control of Lahore, the pavilion was repurposed as a bandstand where regular Sunday afternoon music performances took place.

Unfortunately, on July 19, 1932, the upper story of the pavilion suddenly collapsed, reducing it to a single-story structure. The debris was removed from the fort, and since then, it has remained at its current level. The historical significance of the pavilion is further highlighted by its use in displaying the bodies of Maharaja Ranjit Singh and his son, Nau Nihal Singh, after their respective deaths.

According to Robert Montgomery, the Hazuri Bagh Baradari is considered the architectural masterpiece of Ranjit Singh's reign. Within this baradari, Ranjit Singh conducted state affairs and held discussions with his ministers and Sardars. Later, Maharaja Sher Singh, the son of Ranjit Singh and Rani Mehtab Kaur, utilized the gilded pavilion for his own court proceedings and displays of power. During the British rule in Lahore, the pavilion was repurposed as a bandstand, where music was played regularly on Sunday afternoons. However, the upper story of the pavilion unexpectedly collapsed on July 19, 1932, resulting in its current single-story structure. The debris was subsequently removed from the fort.

The Hazuri Bagh pavilion holds historical significance as it was used to display the bodies of Maharaja Ranjit Singh and his son, Nau Nihal Singh, after their respective deaths.

The information you provided adds valuable insights into the history and transformation of the Hazuri Bagh Baradari.

Hazoori Bagh and Pavilion

 

Ceiling Minakari and cusped Arches

Standing in the Basement of Pavillion 

Cusped Arches

Cusped Arches

Basement

Basement 

Basement

Basement

Basement

Basement

Standing on the roof of Hazoori Bagh Pavillion 

Standing on the roof of Hazuri Bagh Pavillion 

A PRE-PARTITION SIKH HAVELI IN EMINABAD (2020)

Relevance: Pre-Partition Haveli

Date of Visit:- 23 August 2020

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Article No. 7 on Eminabad

In Eminabad, before the partition of Hindustan, a large community of Hindus and Sikhs used to live alongside Muslims. One can still find remains of many beautiful architectures of that era present in the forms of Havelis, Gardens, Gateways, Temples, and Gurdwaras.  

In the middle of this town,  a pre-partition Haveli still stands, its construction attributed to some Sikh family before 1947. One still can see the splendor of craftmanship in this architecture, multifoil arched gateways, cut bricks arranged in lancet arches pattern around the windows, and Wooden doors with different floral arrangments. Nanak Shahi bricks are used in this building construction. 

The building is occupied by some migrant families and not much care has been given to the conversation in this building. 

Chathian wala, the town in Pakistan, where once Gulabdasi Sect used to Live

27-03-2019
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Text Wikipedia.

Chathian Wala is a town and Union Council of Kasur District in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is part of Kasur Tehsil and is located at 31°18'0N 74°31'0E.

Before partition of Sub-continent, the town has rich population of Sikhs living in it. One of the famous personalities of Chathian wala remembered in history was Gulab Das. Das was a Sikh Jat who founded the Gulabdasi sect. The sect was based on Hindu–Sikh asceticism,. Although the Gulabdasis were neither Hindu nor Sikh, following the Partition of India, they were expelled from Chathian Wala by the now Muslim-majority populace in Pakistan. The sect subsequently fled to India where they settled in Haryana

Piro Preman (1832–1872) was the first female Punjabi poet. Little is known about Piro's life. She is believed to have been sold into prostitution in Heera Mandi, the red-light district of Lahore. She escaped Heera Mandi and went on to become a devotee of Gulab Das at the Gulabdasi Dera in Chathian Wala (in present-day Pakistan

Most of the information about Piro comes from her own autobiographical verses, the Ik Sau Sath Kafian or the "One Hundred and Sixty Kafis (160 Kafis)", written in the mid-nineteenth century. In 160 Kafis, Piro describes a series of events in her life after she began living with Gulab Das in Chathian Wala.

Piro and Gulab Das shared an intimate relationship despite social and religious pressures. The two were interred together at a tomb in Chathian Wala. The remnant of this Samadhi like tombs still exists in Chathian Wala. There was one another story that Piro is poisoned and Gulab Dass also committed suicide by taking the same poisonous milk.

 

Samdahi's  in Chatian wala

The Inside View of Samadhi

The Inside View of Samadhi

The Inside View of Samadhi

The Inside View of Samadhi

Another view of disorted Samadhi

Inside View of Samadhi

Inside View of Samadhi

Giani Ditt Singh (ca. 1850–1901) was a historian, scholar, poet, editor and an eminent Singh Sabha reformer.^]Singh wrote over 70 books on Sikhism, the most famous of which is Khalsa Akhbar. His Dayanand naal mera Samvaad and Durga Parbodh are considered major texts of Sikh philosophy.

There is little information regarding the early life of Singh, despite a resurgence of interest in him caused by the desire of some people to recast his life as that of a dalit hero. Anshu Malhotra has argued that such a recasting says more about the motives of the present-day researchers than it does about the effects of social status on Singh himself.

While Singh's date of birth is generally recognised as being 21 April, the year is variously stated as 1850, 1852 and 1853. He father, Diwan Singh, was a weaver whose knowledge of the Nyaya and Vedanta religious philosophies was passed on to his son. The family origins lay in the Chamar caste of leatherworkers, from which they had moved to self-identify as members of the relatively ritually clean Ravidasi weaving community, described by Malhotra as an "upwardly mobile section of the Chamar community".

After initial schooling given by his father, Singh was sent at the age of 8 or 9 to be taught by Gurbakhsh Singh and Lala Dayanand in the village of Tiur, Ambala district. There he studied Gurumukhi, Urdu and Persian, as well as prosody, Niti Shastra and Vedanta, until aged around 16. Gurbakhsh Singh was an adherent of the Gulabdasi sect and his pupil's next move was to the Gulabdasi centre at Chathian Wala, near Lahore.

Formally initiated into the sect of Sant Desa Singh, he became a Gulabdasi preacher. Not long afterwards, he came under the influence of Bhai Jawahar Singh, formerly a follower of Gulabdasi sect, who had joined the Arya Samaj

Singh wrote prolifically, producing both prose and verse. He wrote books and pamphlets on Sikh theology and history and on current polemics.

Well-known among his works are:

·        Guru Nanak Prabodh

·        Guru Arjan Chariltar

·        Dambh Bidaran

·        Durga Prabodh

·        Panth Prabodh

·        Raj Prabodh

·        Mera ate Sadhu Dayanand da Sambad

·        Naqh Siah Prabodh

·        Panth Sudhar Binai Pattar

·        Abla Naari

He also published accounts of the martyrdoms of Tara Singh of Van, Subeg Singh, Matab Singh Mirankotia, Taru Singh and Bota Singh.

House of Giani Ditt Singh Still exists in Chathian wala, but most of the portion of this building has fallen with passage of time.

 

The Vicinity in which Giani Ditt Singh used to live

                             

Escap Tunnel 

Another Old Pre-Partition Sikh Haveli