Heera Ram Khattar haveli, near Bagh Nilab (Attock)

Here is another article on an old 'haveli' (mansion) of Attock area of North Punjab. This was built in late 1880s by Heera Ram Khattar, a prominent Hindu merchant of the area of Bagh Nilab , close to the River Indus (Sindhu).

As already discussed in earlier articles, the Khattars are an ancient indigenous tribe of Pakistan and India, who are probably either of Rajput or Jatt origins, or even Khatris, according to some people. During the time of the invasion of the Muslim Sultan Mahmud Ghazni, a large section of this tribe, under their leader or chief Khattar Raja, embraced Islam and the same chief became 'Khattar Khan' after conversion. While majority of these Khattars became Muslims henceforth, some remained either Hindus or became Sikhs later on. At different times, many of the non -Muslim Khattars shifted to other areas e.g to India (Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh) and Afghanistan (Kabul, Jalalabad) and set up businesses or agricultural activities etc. Today famous Indian Khattars include CM of Haryana Manohar Lal Khattar, famous Indian actor Rajesh Khattar and others.

One family of such Hindu Khattars who migrated to India, were the family of late Heera Ram Khattar,  who was during the late 19th century a prominent merchant of Attock district of North Punjab (then in British India). His family had lived for centuries close to Bagh Nilab on the Indus, one of the ancient homes of the Khattar tribe, even in pre-Islamic days. Later on, this place Bagh Nilab also became famous historically as in 1221 AD, the Muslim Sultan Jalaludin of Khwarezem (a kingdom in Central Asia) escaped from some place nearby, by crossing the river Indus. He was being chased by the armies of the Mongols, led by Chengiz Khan. It is said that some local Khattars helped Jalaludin with food, hospitality etc, after his bold escape.

Anyhow, some Hindu families of Khattars went on living in this area at that time and they had a good trade in grain and food stuffs, and also supplied the British Indian Army, during the 1840s till 1930s. Perhaps, the most well-known and prosperous of  these Hindu Khattars, was late Lala Heera Ram Khattar, who died in 1902. Heera Ram developed his family business and expanded it in many fields and made a lot of wealth and , as still a middle-aged man, in late 1880s (probably between 1887 and 1890) made a small but beautiful typical style 'haveli' mansion close to his native village. From that time , till the 1930s, this 'haveli'; saw the hey-dey of this Khattar family.

Lala Heera Ram himself died in 1902 but his sons carried on the business, but in 1932, due to some reason, there was a family split and his two surviving sons, Kirpa Ram and Mangat Ram, went into litigation against each other--thus nearly bankrupting the family business. The decline began and , in 1947, when the partition of India and Pakistan occurred, the heirs of this family moved away to India. Nothing more is known about them.

Meanwhile, their fine 'haveli' was left to rack and ruin, and today, only some small features or portions of it still survive. A sad story indeed.

                                       Heera Ram Khattar circa 1880s-90s

                      The fine surviving entrance to Heera Ram haveli, today 

Barrister's House, Gurdwara Galli, Abbottabad

by Ilyas Khan

In Abbottabad town, in the hills of the North-West Frontier (KPK now) , in Pakistan, there is a famous old street called 'Gurdwara Galli' (lit Temple Street) .

In the pre-1947 days, when lots of Sikhs and Hindus used to live here, this street had a 'Gurdwara' --a Sikh temple (hence its name) -- and also a Hindu 'Arya Samaj' sect temple. In addition, it had residential houses of some prominent Sikh and Hindu residents of the town, both notable businessmen and professionals, such as lawyers, doctors and such. Unlike the majority of local Muslims, the Sikhs and Hindus of Abbottabad were well-to-do, prosperous and educated, and they tended mostly to live in urban areas.

One well-known , and still somehow surviving, house in Gurdwara Galli, is the small but quite quaint looking house that once belonged to the lawyer/barrister Madan Mohan, and which used to be called 'Barrister's House'. This house was built in the early 1930s, and was coloured a delightful azure hue.

By some miracle, this house, still coloured a nice blue, continues to survive in Abbottabad today, where most of the old houses and buildings have either been knocked down or are in the process of being knocked down, in the mad quest for 'development' i.e.  modern tasteless but commercially viable construction. Money is the local god now, for the so-called 'Muslims' of Abbottabad town. Nothing else matters.

It's only a matter of time before Barrister Madan Mohan's house also goes the way of other old houses here. It doesnt matter who lives there now, or if it is lying empty- it's on valuable commercial land in the heart of the town and that's that. So, enjoy this sight while you still can.

              View of Barrister Madan Mohan's house, Gurdwara Galli, Abbottabad. By Ilyas Khan, also shared with engineer Mehmood Aslam at 'Environmentalist' online 

Old havelis and structures of Saman Burj, Punjab

by Talal Raza (c/o talalraza.wordpress.com)

Saman Burj is a small suburban town located in the northern end of the Punjabi city of Wazirabad. It is believed to be the place where Jehangir often used to reside with his wife Noor Jehan while travelling to Kashmir. According to Irfanullah Raja, a resident, “It used to be the Royal Serai built during Emperor Jehangir’s time in 1601 AD. While travelling to Kashmir from Lahore every year, Emperor Jehangir and Empress  Noor Jehan used to spend some days here when River Chenab had strong water current.”

Irfanullah also told that Saman Burj was later seized by Charat Singh, grandfather of Maharaja Ranjit Singh when Mughal Empire was in decline , who after renovation added some new structures and started living here. Then his son Mahan Singh occupied it who was the father of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Most present buildings date from late 18 and 19 centuries, except for part of the ruined old building where the Mughals once stayed which is older.

At present, it is interesting to note that neither Sikhs nor Mughals live in Saman Burj. In fact, the present residents claim to be the relatives of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb Alamgir’s second wife Begum Bai, a Jarral Rajput hailing from Rajauri in Indian Occupied Kashmir. Begum Bai was also the mother of Emperor Shah Alam.

Historians note that Jarral Rajas ruled Kalanaur (a place in Indian Punjab close to Gurdaspur) for 350 years as Hindu Rajas. In 1192, when Shahab-ud-din Ghauri moved in, Jarral Rajas accepted his suzerainty and embraced Islam as well.

In 1194, Jarral Rajas occupied Rajauri (in the Jammu and Kashmir state) and they dwelt here for next 650 years and built a number of forts, mosques, 'sarais' (inns), 'havelis'(mansions) and 'baradaris' (pavilions).

When Mughal empire went into decline, Sikh power under Ranjit Singh was established in parts of Punjab and Kashmir and Rajauri also came under them. Later when the British defeated the Sikhs in the First Anglo-Sikh War, in 1846, they sold Kashmir to Raja Gulab Singh Dogra and the Jarral Rajas were thus forced to leave homes. Thus, dejected, engulfed in sorrow over the loss of the land they had ruled for 6 centuries, these Rajas left Rajauri and moved towards Kangra Valley, Punjab, and then owing to a family dispute one of the members named Raja Fakirullah moved to Wazirabad's Saman Burj after buying land there. It is said that Faikirullah chose to stay in Wazirabad with the hope of eventually returning to Rajauri one day. That is how the Jarral Rajputs moved into Saman Burj in Wazirabad.

The Saman Burj today comprises a number of buildings enclosed by gates and wall. You enter through a wooden sky-blue door in one big gate. Walking on a footpath few furlongs, I soon found myself among the old buildings within.

As I moved around, I was shown the bricks that were used. Explaining the structural and area details, Irfanullah Raja notes that, “It is comprised of approximately 7 acres enclosed by a huge wall with access through two huge gates. There are 'havelis' (mansions) and a Baradari (pavilion) for use as residences and 4 acres of garden lies in the center with walkways to reach the residences. On the northern end of Saman Burj flows a tributary of River Chenab known as Pulkhu.”

I got a chance to see what I was told the oldest structure of Saman Burj. The building had three floors, the basement, the ground floor and the top floor. I roamed around different parts of the building, fascinated by the paintings on the wall but at the same time saddened by the way the glorious art was, in its present state of negligence. From the pillars on which the building rested to the paintings on the wall, everything highlighted an art that is never seen in the construction of houses nowadays. On the top floor was the room where Jehangir and his wife once lived.

While looking at different structures, I came to know that the buildings were constructed differently than the way it’s done today. “Instead of cement, crushed limestone mixed with lentils and cotton was used in the construction. “ However Irfanullah pointed out that owing to a lot of renovations and new constructions even within the house, the originality has been lost. While looking at the faint colored paintings on the wall, architecture being ignored, in wonder I asked Irfanullah, “Who do you blame for this present state ?” He replied, “We blame ourselves for we have ignored it.”

A room at the top floor was full of paintings. The paintings depict pictures of Guru Nanak preaching and Maharaja Ranjit Singh celebrating Holi Festival. Rest of the paintings are of flowers and horsemen.

Whether the government or any other organization should help them in restoring the sites or not, one has to admit that the structures standing in the north of Wazirabad speak for themselves even when they are in shambles. Sites like Saman Burj are not just a bunch of old structures. Each brick on the wall, each grain of the soil and every painting has a story to narrate, has intriguing things to offer to those who love the Indo-Pak subcontinent's history.

               (c) Copyright, Talal Raza 2014, used with thanks--view of an old haveli at Saman Burj