(Blog Report- IHMalik)
Near Abbottabad town, in NWFP (or Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province), Pakistan, is the small hamlet of Nawanshehr. This little hamlet was first inhabited by some aboriginal Hindu Tanolis and Gujjar peoples of ancient Hazara and later by some Punjabi Awan settlers. Till 18th century this was the position.
In the 18th century some Jadoon Pathans defeated the Gujjar, Tanoli and Awan peoples and took over control of Nawanshehr and Dhamtor areas and also the valley of Orash, where Abbottabad town now is located. From 18th century onwards, the main people in this area became Jadoons, however some Tanolis, Awans, Gujjars and other old Hindu people continued to live here, and later also some Sikhs settled here, during Sikh rule of Hazara district, till 1849.
In 1849, the British took over all Punjab from the defeated Sikhs and also Hazara district. The first Britisher DC (Deputy Commissioner/District Collector) was Major James Abbott, and in 1853 he made the town of Abbottabad named after him. This small town continued to grow and became an important town and cantonement military center, home of PIFFER (FF) and also 5 Goorkha Regiments. The British did a lot of development work here and the town bazar and also nearby suburbs grew and developed too, Nawanshehr was also one such area. It passed from just a small Jadoon hamlet, home to some illiterate Pathans, to a medium-sized urban township with many facilities and educated-minded religious class population. The Hindus of Nawanshehr were especially very prosperous and educated and owned most of the town's property, later after 1947 (Independence of Pakistan) most of these properties sadly became taken over by land grabbing 'mafias' and criminals. One such very rare and beautiful property was the old family 'haveli' (mansion) of a famous Hindu Sawhney family.
The Sawhney family were very prominent and famous Hindu Khatris, of Hazara district and very rich and owned almost 1/3rd of Nawanshehr township and also some properties in nearby main Abbottabad town. Original ancestor of Sawhneys was Lala Ram Das, who settled here around 1825 and started a small greocery business, also lending money to Jadoons farmers of the area. One member of this family also had a big coal business supplying the British Army units from Chakwal area of Punjab. Later, the family made a big fortune and a big name, and one Sawhney was late Rai-Bahadur Tirath Ram Shah, MBE, he was head of the Nawanshehr township municipal committee and mayor, and he obtained a big timber business in Hazara area and also other businesses, and was very successful. He was later also made a provincial 'Durbari' by the British Government and given the MBE award, he was one of the top 2-3 Hindu leaders of all Hazara area. Rai-Bahadur made a home in Nawanshehr location but this was probably small as he had a large family and after his death, his son Rai-Bahadur Ishar Das, made a proper and impressive 'haveli' mansion here in probably 1902-1905. This was known far and wide as 'Babu Ishar Das haveli' or 'Sawhney haveli'.
Rai-Bahadur 'Babu' Ishar Das, MA, BA, LLB, was the most famous son of RB Tirath Ram Shah, and the head of Sawhney family in Hazara region. He was a highly educated and learned man, and also a big and sucessful businessman. Indeed, he was the founder and original majority shares owner of the old Premier Sugar Mills, in Mardan, NWFP, later taken over by local Muslims. He remained Honorary Magistrate, Honorary Secretary Nawanshehr town committee, and a district and provincial 'Durbari' and received in 1922 the 'Kaiser i Hind' medal for his role in helping to raise funds from this area for the World War 1. Rai-Bahadur Ishar Das was also an enlightened and liberal man and he also helped finance the old ruined Arya Samaj temple in that place and also made contributions to renovating the Arya Samaj mandir (temple) in main Abbottabad town bazar, and surprisingly also for the renovation of Ilyas Masjid (mosque) in Nawanshehr.
Sawhney 'haveli' or 'Ishar Das haveli' was a very beautiful and impressive building at that time, it was the center piece of Nawanshehr and people used to come from many places to visit and see it. It was made in a beautiful and fine manner, with artists and artisans coming from Peshawar and also Kashmir, to do special work in it, in stone and wood. It was the home of cultured and civilised people.
Yet, what happened to this fine place after Pakistan came into being? Initially, while Babu Isher Das lived, he used to visit Pakistan from India and things werent too bad, but after his death, they sank to abysmal levels. The house fell into a bad state and began to fall apart, no one cared or loved it anymore. It was then taken over by a 'qabza group' and is today the building of a third-rate school 'Orash Public School'. Who us running it? Why does not the NWFP/KP government heritage department look after it? One by one, in Abbottabad, Nawanshehr and environs, all unique old British, Sikh and Hindu properties have fallen victim to greedy people. This trend goes on today without check.
Entrance to the Sawhney/Ishar Das haveli in Nawanshehr, near Abbottabad
(c) 'Environmentalist' at Abbottabad Pakistan site, March 2007 , with thanks
Near Abbottabad town, in NWFP (or Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province), Pakistan, is the small hamlet of Nawanshehr. This little hamlet was first inhabited by some aboriginal Hindu Tanolis and Gujjar peoples of ancient Hazara and later by some Punjabi Awan settlers. Till 18th century this was the position.
In the 18th century some Jadoon Pathans defeated the Gujjar, Tanoli and Awan peoples and took over control of Nawanshehr and Dhamtor areas and also the valley of Orash, where Abbottabad town now is located. From 18th century onwards, the main people in this area became Jadoons, however some Tanolis, Awans, Gujjars and other old Hindu people continued to live here, and later also some Sikhs settled here, during Sikh rule of Hazara district, till 1849.
In 1849, the British took over all Punjab from the defeated Sikhs and also Hazara district. The first Britisher DC (Deputy Commissioner/District Collector) was Major James Abbott, and in 1853 he made the town of Abbottabad named after him. This small town continued to grow and became an important town and cantonement military center, home of PIFFER (FF) and also 5 Goorkha Regiments. The British did a lot of development work here and the town bazar and also nearby suburbs grew and developed too, Nawanshehr was also one such area. It passed from just a small Jadoon hamlet, home to some illiterate Pathans, to a medium-sized urban township with many facilities and educated-minded religious class population. The Hindus of Nawanshehr were especially very prosperous and educated and owned most of the town's property, later after 1947 (Independence of Pakistan) most of these properties sadly became taken over by land grabbing 'mafias' and criminals. One such very rare and beautiful property was the old family 'haveli' (mansion) of a famous Hindu Sawhney family.
The Sawhney family were very prominent and famous Hindu Khatris, of Hazara district and very rich and owned almost 1/3rd of Nawanshehr township and also some properties in nearby main Abbottabad town. Original ancestor of Sawhneys was Lala Ram Das, who settled here around 1825 and started a small greocery business, also lending money to Jadoons farmers of the area. One member of this family also had a big coal business supplying the British Army units from Chakwal area of Punjab. Later, the family made a big fortune and a big name, and one Sawhney was late Rai-Bahadur Tirath Ram Shah, MBE, he was head of the Nawanshehr township municipal committee and mayor, and he obtained a big timber business in Hazara area and also other businesses, and was very successful. He was later also made a provincial 'Durbari' by the British Government and given the MBE award, he was one of the top 2-3 Hindu leaders of all Hazara area. Rai-Bahadur made a home in Nawanshehr location but this was probably small as he had a large family and after his death, his son Rai-Bahadur Ishar Das, made a proper and impressive 'haveli' mansion here in probably 1902-1905. This was known far and wide as 'Babu Ishar Das haveli' or 'Sawhney haveli'.
Rai-Bahadur 'Babu' Ishar Das, MA, BA, LLB, was the most famous son of RB Tirath Ram Shah, and the head of Sawhney family in Hazara region. He was a highly educated and learned man, and also a big and sucessful businessman. Indeed, he was the founder and original majority shares owner of the old Premier Sugar Mills, in Mardan, NWFP, later taken over by local Muslims. He remained Honorary Magistrate, Honorary Secretary Nawanshehr town committee, and a district and provincial 'Durbari' and received in 1922 the 'Kaiser i Hind' medal for his role in helping to raise funds from this area for the World War 1. Rai-Bahadur Ishar Das was also an enlightened and liberal man and he also helped finance the old ruined Arya Samaj temple in that place and also made contributions to renovating the Arya Samaj mandir (temple) in main Abbottabad town bazar, and surprisingly also for the renovation of Ilyas Masjid (mosque) in Nawanshehr.
Sawhney 'haveli' or 'Ishar Das haveli' was a very beautiful and impressive building at that time, it was the center piece of Nawanshehr and people used to come from many places to visit and see it. It was made in a beautiful and fine manner, with artists and artisans coming from Peshawar and also Kashmir, to do special work in it, in stone and wood. It was the home of cultured and civilised people.
Yet, what happened to this fine place after Pakistan came into being? Initially, while Babu Isher Das lived, he used to visit Pakistan from India and things werent too bad, but after his death, they sank to abysmal levels. The house fell into a bad state and began to fall apart, no one cared or loved it anymore. It was then taken over by a 'qabza group' and is today the building of a third-rate school 'Orash Public School'. Who us running it? Why does not the NWFP/KP government heritage department look after it? One by one, in Abbottabad, Nawanshehr and environs, all unique old British, Sikh and Hindu properties have fallen victim to greedy people. This trend goes on today without check.
Entrance to the Sawhney/Ishar Das haveli in Nawanshehr, near Abbottabad
(c) 'Environmentalist' at Abbottabad Pakistan site, March 2007 , with thanks
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