The forgotten Haveli of Kharak Singh in Lahori Gate

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In the era preceding Sikh rule in Lahore, the red-light area confines its place within the Lahori Gate. This area thrived as a cultural hub, hosting renowned dancers who resided in houses distinguished by their prominent wooden balconies. Among these, Poori Bai and Mai Daru Haveli stood as elegant architectures within Lahori Gates, both owned by accomplished dancing girls, and remnants of their presence still exist in some form today.

Born on February 9, 1801, Kharak Singh, the eldest son of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, grew up steeped in the Sikh martial tradition, actively participating in various military expeditions. Following his father's demise in June 1839, Kharak Singh ascended the throne.

During Ranjit Singh's reign, several structures, including the Kharak Singh mansion, were added to the Lahore Fort. This mansion still stands as a testament to the historical legacy of the fort.

The 1882 publication of 'Tareekh e Lahore' by Kanhya Laal shed light on another magnificent Haveli in Lahori Gate owned by Kharak Singh. The Haveli was known for hosting dance and drinking parties, with its sheer size accommodating even Maharaja's elephants and horses. After the British takeover of Lahore in 1857, the Haveli fell into disrepair, its bricks pilfered by locals. British administrators eventually sold the land to Lala Nihal Chand, a contractor for the colonial government. He transformed the site into an elegant Hindu temple with a curvilinear spire adorned with intricately designed Rathas.

Following the partition of British India, the temple also faced a dilapidated fate. Interestingly, Kharak Singh's only son, Maharaja Nau Nihal Singh, had a magnificent Haveli located just 350 meters away. Fortunately, this Haveli was repurposed into Victoria School and stands as one of the elegant architectures in the walled city of Lahore to this day.

Unhappy with the influence wielded by Chet Singh Bajwa, who served as Kharak Singh's tutor, Raja Dhian Singh Dogra spread rumors concerning a covert scheme to surrender Punjab to the British, disband the Sikh army, and divert a significant portion of state revenue. These baseless allegations led to the estrangement of the court and Nau Nihal Singh from Kharak Singh. Chet Singh met his demise in the Maharaja's residence on October 9, 1839, followed by the poisoning of Kharak Singh. Within six months, he found himself confined to his sickbed, eventually succumbing to the poison on November 5, 1840. 

On October 8, 1839, Dhian Singh instigated the dethronement of Kharak Singh, clearing the way for Nau Nihal Singh to assume the role of de facto ruler.

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