As it often happens, we sometimes make unintended discoveries. Similarly, while roaming through rural Punjab in search of old battlefields, graves of forgotten warriors, abandoned gurdwaras and temples, and tombs of people lost in history, I made some interesting discoveries.
Among them are three beautiful havelis, which I came across during different expeditions. I don’t know much about their history, but hopefully, some reader will add to our knowledge.
The first haveli was discovered by me on 23 August 2015, near Mandi Bahauddin. I was heading to Chillianwala and, due to a wrong turn, found myself on a different road. The monsoon season was at its peak, and there was just one colour all around, green. While enjoying the beautiful scenery (but suffering from the horrible humidity in my rickety, quarter-century-old car), this haveli beside the road caught my eye.
We met a young man near the haveli who told us that the real owners were no longer living there and that they were just caretakers. He happily allowed us to enter the haveli, which is nearly abandoned and in poor condition. He didn’t know anything about its history, but the style of construction suggests that it was built in the early decades of the 20th century. The most beautiful feature of the haveli is its location, situated in open fields, it presents an impressive sight.
It is located near Chak Basawa, at 32°34'35.79"N, 73°34'9.87"E.
Exactly five years after my visit to this haveli, a Facebook friend Mr Colonel (Rtd.) Harjeet Singh Lamba, currently residing in Chandigarh, Punjab, India, mentioned of a haveli near Mandi Bahauddin. His ancestors were Sardars of neaby Qilla Attar Singh and later moved to this haveli. I recalled visiting such a haveli near Chak Basawa and provided the link to colonel sahib. He immediately recognized his ancestral home and provided me more details to me. This was the first time in 73 years that they saw their home, because they had no pictures of this home. It was a great moment for him and his family and to me as well. He also writes a blog and wrote the following post about this discovery:https://colhslamba.wordpress.com/2020/07/26/haveli-bara-dari-on-axis-chillian-wala-mandi-bahuddin-gujrat/
The same day, I visited another beautiful old house in Dinga. To be frank, it was not a completely accidental discovery, but I did not have much information about its exact location. This is the haveli of a rich Hindu merchant, Sunder Das. The main building is in good condition, at least from the outside. We could not enter the building because the gardener working in the lawn informed us that the owner does not like to be disturbed during his afternoon siesta.
However, the old, spacious garden surrounding the haveli is almost totally destroyed, as different portions have been sold off in this now thickly populated locality. We took a few pictures and hurried to our next target. This haveli is located at 32°38'1.80"N, 73°43'14.87"E.
Luckily, I later found a video uploaded on the Facebook page Save Historical Places of Pakistan. According to the video, the current owner of this beautiful small palace is Rao Sajid Iqbal, whose grandfather migrated from Delhi. It was built by Rai Bahadur Sunder Das Chopra, a wealthy Hindu businessman, in 1918. He was a contractor and supplier working for the British Army. The total area of the haveli was 40 kanals (5 acres), and it was surrounded by gardens, including two guest houses.
You can see the video at the following link:
The last of these three havelis is in a small village called Mukhiana. This too was most probably built about a century ago. While in Kheiwa, looking for the mosque of Mirza Sahiban, our "guide" noticed my interest and offered to take us to an old haveli. It is situated in the village of Mukhiana, about 5 kilometers off the Jhang–Chiniot road, at 31°23'12.86"N, 72°27'48.41"E.
It is a very beautiful structure, and the rooms are big and airy, with lots of doors, windows, and openings for ventilation. I was informed that this haveli belongs to the Bharwana family. They are big landlords, and their newly constructed mansions are situated nearby. But apparently, they take no interest in the maintenance of this wonderful piece of architecture and heritage.
That's all I could find about these havelis. Once again, I extend my invitation to all my readers to share any knowledge they may have regarding the places mentioned above.
Tariq Amir
December 2, 2016.
Doha - Qatar.
