Heritage Walk - Rawalpindi

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Heritage Walk Rawalpindi,Pakistan


Heritage Walk Rawalpindi,Pakistan

Visited Sites Page 1

HATHI CHOWK

Sana Ijaz Mahnoor Matloob,Muhammad Hasan Daniyal

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MANGAT RAAM KI DARAMSHALA Eman Allah Dad Tarar Fareeha Inam

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KANJI MAL UJAGAR MAL MANDIR Rafia Masood Natasha Raheel

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GORDON COLLEGE Anam Ishtiaq Malik Samia Rehman

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MOTI BAZAAR Abeera Razzaq Ayesha Hassan

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LAL HAVELI

Iqra Khalid, Amna Qaisar Kiran, Syeda Haya Bint E Junaid

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Lal Haveli Temple Zoraiza Fatima Bhutta Sahr Farooq

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PURANA QILA Ifrah Asif Hadia

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SUJJAN SINGH HAVELI Sarah Asim Rafia Malik

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SYED SHAH CHAN CHARAGH Sarah Khan Ana Shamsi

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BAGH SARDARAN GURUDUWARA Mohammad Hammad Ahsan Muhammad Shahzeb Khan

Heritage Walk Route


Hathi Chowk

Rawalpindi, Pakistan

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History

Our site was one of the oldest bazar of Pindi called Hathi chowk. There are many legends leading to the name behind the bazar however the documentation states that this was the bazar that hosted a lot of commercial activity that came along the elephants at that time. The elephants stood in the middle of the chowk for long periods of time. Other documentation also states that there are many motifs found and built in architecture that depicts elephant anatomy in them (trunk tusk etc). Hathi chowk has specialized itself in the sales of old goods, stolen equipment etc. Mostly it uses old buildings for storage of industry materials as it doesn’t have suitable living conditions. The streets interestingly form many enclosures leading to residential area more towards the centre and scattering commercial activities on its periphery . This sort of settlement is very common as compared to settlement around Grand Trunk road where commercial activities are along the road. Roads have always been the main face of the city for this reason for a long time. Leading from Hathi chowk we sited two residencies specifically. One was Sikh residency that is currently housed by Sir Anees who has lived in it for almost 70 years. The construction of the house is typical colonial with use of cast iron for ornamentation and a hybrid form of jharoka. The residency housed a small family and inside motifs talk about their worshipping habits in old days. The second residency is a typical colonial house given to the residence of train station workers. The form followed the basic typology of train station itself with repetitive arches and columns . Material usage included stone and cast iron. The rooms were open and properly ventilated with raised roof level. There was no proper stair case designed for the roof entrance however a small ladder was present. Overall hathi chowk shows a pattern of different religious and cultural houses in its context. As one goes deeper into it ,it ages accordingly. The social fabric of hathi chowk itself is very complex and talks about many religious interventions in the area. It has housed Sikh, British, Jews , Hindus and Muslims and continues to be open towards new cultural interventions.


MANGAT RAAM ki DHARAMSHALA

Rawalpindi, Pakistan

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History This dharamshala is an indian hindu marriage temple which also acted as a rest house in the past around 1800s.It was used a hub of marriage temple for a large vacinity. Its inspiration is rooted in kalinga architechture of orressa.Offcentered comparitively small space is provided to temple where idols where kept.A tower which is called duella was placed exactly above the mandir to enhance the importance of the reliogious worship space.More emphasis is given to the centralized courtyard for different ceremonies to take place. There were living quartars around the courtyard.Indoor hall with a mezzanaine floor or jharokas is added for the same purpose. jharokas were used by young girls to look upon the marriage ceremony from the upper floor.Since it was built during colonial times, so different types of motives from that period were also borrowed.Today this place is used a community living and its under Mehakma Aukaaaf. Seventeen families are currently living in this small space.The building has lost its identity in terms of function and form.


Mandir Kaanji Mal Ujagar Mal Rawalpindi, Pakistan

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History Mandir Kaanji Mal Ujagar Mal Ram Richpal, named after three respected Hindu traders who funded the construction of the mandir in 1877. It was built very close to the colonial era train station which was a part of the extensive railway lines laid by the British from 1870’s to 1880’s. As such, the mandir has dedicated the upper floor for travelers. The mandir is recognized by a tall peepal tree that was planted at the time of its completion. The tree holds religious value for the Hindu community as it is worshipped. It has a dome which is adorned with very little ornamentation however; the dome structure is well hidden, and not visible from the streets, so the community relies on the peepal tree to recognize the temple. The temple itself has a simple façade and it camouflages itself within the neighboring buildings, because of this, it is the only functioning mandir in the area. Originally the mandir was a part of a larger complex, which included few other structures including a shelter for animals especially cows. However after the separation and migrations of Hindus to India, Muslims took over the land. During the 1992 incident of babri mosque demolitions, the rioters attacked the richpal mandir, destroying the idols and partly the structure that included the entrance and the roof. However it has been rebuilt and is maintained. The ground floor has a hall for gatherings and the idol. The upper floor has rooms and a soap kitchen. The rooms are for travelers and homeless people with many coming in as far as from Sindh and Kashmir. Devotees gather every Tuesday for rituals with many coming in during religious holidays.


GORDON COLLEGE Rawalpindi, Pakistan

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History Gordon College, Rawalpindi, holds a great deal of history in the Pakistan heritage. Built in colonial times, the college started out as a missionary school for Indians. The main college housed 3 blocks, Morton Hall, Ponsby Hall, and Porter Hall. Later on additions were made after the time it was nationalized in 1972. At that time the college also changed from being a co-ed institution, to one for just boys. The most recent additions to the structure were done in 2010, for admin offices. Other than additions, repairs including roof replacement and plastering on walls has taken place. These have been done without considerations to the value of the history of the college. New buildings do not blend into the context, cement plastering takes away the glory of the original materials used. The original building used ventilators’ corridors and skylights to provide good lighting conditions and ventilation which are missing from the new building. One of the corridors in the Morton hall has been restored by plastering the original brick and sandstone wall with cement. Students as well as the staff were unaware of the importance of the heritage that they inhabited which could be seen in the slogans painted over the walls. However the fact that the college has been functioning since so long has kept in considerably better condition than the rest of the heritage buildings in Pin since necessary maintenance Has been carried out.


Moti Bazar

Rawalpindi, Pakistan

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History Moti Bazar is one of the oldest bazars in Rawalpindi city. It is hub of business activities, almost, 200 years ago, Satti practice was common in India. Like any vibrant society, there were a group of people who were against this practice. Mr. Moti Lal Nohri, a prominent sikh from Rawalpindi was one who spoke against this practice openly. To help widowed women, Moti Lal opened a center for these women. In this center women, who were afraid that there families or their in laws would burn them to death after their husbands death, took protection in this center. Women would stitch clothes, do embroidery on clothes and sell them outside their center. This provided them some money to feed themselves. After partition, this center was closed and the building was allotted to a school. Present: today the bazaar maintains its local importance as a market for wedding related items. however, the business is now run by men instead of women. the bazaar was located in a street which generally had two to three storey buildings. the upper floors were for residential purposes, while the ground floor was solely a commercial hub. experience: Since most of the local women, utilised the bazaar for their needs, the bazaar at the moment of our arrival was extremely crowded and congested without even enough space for a single person to move freely. nevertheless the bazaar maintains its essence and the vibrant culture of the area.  


LAL HAVELI

Rawalpindi, Pakistan

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History Located in the center of ancient Pindi amidst old mandirs, built during 1930’s or 40’s is the Lal Haveli. It is a residential building in the neighborhood of Soojhan Singh Haveli, Purana Qila, Moti Bazaar and Sarafa Bazar. Built by a Hindu Barrister Dhanraj Sehgal for a famous dancer Budhoo Bai, is a notable landmark. It was previously known as Sehgal Haveli. The lady disappeared and thus her ownership of the building ended. There were myths that whoever will buy it, will get killed. It is famous for its size, shape, brick-red color and wooden balconies. Made from timber and brick, the haveli reflects the traditional building styles of the Sikhs of that era. In older times, it was considered fashionable to have wooden balconies with intricately designed motifs. In present era, the haveli not only holds architectural importance, it is also a political center. It is owned by a Pakistani politician, Sheikh Rasheed. The restoration of the building as a heritage has not been given its due importance. The maintenance of the building has been done considering it as an ordinary residential building. The building has been plastered repeatedly and has lost its original appearance; even the red paint that makes it recognizable as Lal haveli has been added on later.


LAL Haveli TEMPLE Rawalpindi, Pakistan

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History Dhan Raj Segal built Lal haveli for a dancer called “Budha Bai”. In return Budha Bai made a hindu temple next to the haveli for dhan Raj Segal as he was a practicing Hindu.After the partition Dhan Raj Segal migrated to India leaving Budha Bai behind. According to the legend Budha Bai’s brother was murdered in Lal haveli, leading to her disappearance. After Budha Bai went missing no one had the ownership of the temple and during this period the temple was converted to mehman khana.Now it is owned by Sheikh Rashid and is used as a worker quarters. The surrounding walls have been knocked down to build houses. Initially there were no buildings between the temple and haveli. Today the neighboring people still remember Budha Bai but have no attachment to the temple. Which is evident by its dilapidated condition.


purana qila

Rawalpindi, Pakistan

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History The area of Sadar is a hub of countless bazaars of Rawalpindi. Located on a high ground as all forts were normally built in the old days, the Purana Qila has small alleys or bazaars of all kind. There is the Urdu Bazaar for all kinds of stationary items, Sarafa Bazaar, the gold market, Mochi Bazaar or the leather market, Qasai Gali or the meat market and Bhabra Bazaar for general purpose good.

This locality in Purana Qila has a gate and so does Madanpura in Gawalmandi. — Tanveer Shahzad Though Rawalpindi is not a walled city, there are some localities which have gates and walls. Massy Gate Saddar, Gowalmandi, Akalgarh, Narankari Bazaar, Bhabara Bazaar, Moti Bazaar, Nayya Mohallah, Arya Mohallah, Ratta Amral and Purana Qila have two to ten gates as per the length and width of the area. The gates were built by wealthy Muslim, Sikhs and Hindu families before the partition of Indian Subcontinent, as they covered their colonies for security purpose. But mostly gates were constructed by Hindus and Sikhs. Some gates were installed in 18th century. The gates now have a historical value but the local administration and provincial government hardly pay any attention to preservation of the symbols of past. The Purana Qila also had gate which was constructed in 1896, which at present remains in deteriorated form. Then the bazaar was known as Lakhshami Narayan Bazaar. And now it houses embroidery shops and goldsmith workshops. Lakshami Narain Mandir in Purana Qila was built more than 150 years ago, said Hamid Mahmood, a trader in Zari Market, “It was attacked in 1992 in retaliation for the razing of Babri Masjid, but was saved by the administration.”


Sujjan Singh ki Haveli Rawalpindi, Pakistan

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History During the 1830s, Turpan Singh immigrated to Rawalpindi from Afghanistan and built a haveli on the highest point of Bhabra Bazaar with small bricks. Turpan Singh then gifted the haveli to his son Mohan Singh and the land in front of it to his other son, Sujjan Singh. When Sujjan Singh came back from England after studying law, he built this haveli on the land. Sujjan Singh was said to be the richest and the most handsome man in all of Rawalpindi. The construction of his haveli has been done in two stages which is evident from the differing size of brick used in the building. The metal work done in the haveli was imported from Glasgow and the wood used in the construction is Deodar and Saghwan, which were the most expensive types of wood at that time. After partition, Sujjan Singh and his family moved to India and since then, this haveli is just being transferred from one hand to another. There were no steps taken for its maintenance because of which it is now in a very critical condition. Although this haveli was given to Fatima Jinnah University and a 5 crore grant was given for its preservation, there was no work done on it. FJWU has now given this haveli to NCA for three years to establish a field school for learning techniques of historic preservation, documentation and they will be preserving it in the process. The haveli will then be handed over to the women university within three years after its preservation is completed.


Syed Shah Chan Charagh Rawalpindi, Pakistan

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History Syed Shah Chan Charagh, (also known as) Syed Sakhi Shah Chan Charagh Badshah is the patron saint of Rawalpindi, a descendant of the Prophet Muhammad through Imam Musa Kazim, the seventh pious Imam of the Shia branch of Islam. Legend has it that he was also related to Bari Imaam. Hazrat Shah Chan Charagh was a disciple of Hazrat Syed Sakhi Shah Inayat Walayat. After having acquired the learning, he was sent to continue walking backwards. Until he reached Rawalpindi, he stumbled and fell into a burning (tundoor), a clay oven i.e. the spot that marks a massive bonfire still to date called “Mach” in vernacular terms. He sat there steadfastly and continued in penance. It was thereafter that the masses flocked to him and embraced his preachings. The Darbar is a complex of a Shia Jami Masjid, a graveyard of the Sadaat and Faqra, (adherents of His Holiness, believers and vassals including the Sajjada Nasheens and the descendants), “Mach” which is the local term for the grand bonfire, His Holiness prayed in, his tomb and the Imambargah. The Bargah serves as the centre of Azadari(mourning).


BAGH SARDARAN GURUDUWARA Rawalpindi, Pakistan

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History The Gurudwara, constructed by Sujan Singh, is located in Bagh Sardaran – previously a garden complex. The entire Bagh-eSardaran area has now been converted into commercial ventures except for a few extant temples and this Gurudwara, which has also been encroached upon and is currently in the custody of the city police. Sikh rule – in the mid-19th century – brought in Hindu and Sikh inhabitants, resulting in the proliferation of temples and gurudwaras, making the city a truly multi ethnic, diverse hub of activity. However post partition, these have fallen into disrepair and the Sujan Singh Gurudwara is one of the best preserved of these remaining constructs. Located in close proximity to the famous Raja Bazaar commercial district of Rawalpindi, it was the center of Akali Sikhs. One of many of Sujan Singh’s contributions to the city’s architectural language, the complex is a double story affair, housing not only the Gurudwara but also a Haveli, residences, and an audience hall. The formal Gurudwara houses rooms for pilgrims, a langar kha’na, a large water body – now dry, and the prakashasthan. A bagh, and a small agricultural plot, also fall within the precincts of this Sikh complex. The Gurudwara, and its underlying complex, remains one of the best preserved extant large scale examples of Sikh religious and period architecture and influence in the city. It is located opposite the Government Girls High School, Bagh Sardaran, Rawalpindi.


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Course Instructures: Ayesha Batool

PCATP. A-IAP. M. Arch, B. Arch.

Lecturer

Sabuhi Essa

B.Arch. Studio Teaching Assistant

Photo credits: Natasha Raheel Arch-Batch 2012-Semester VI Rafia Masud Arch-Batch 2012-Semester VI Anam Malik Arch-Batch 2012-Semester VI Ayesha Hasan Arch-Batch 2012-Semester VI Sahr Farooq Arch-Batch 2012-Semester VI Zoraiza Fatima Arch-Batch 2012-Semester VI Saamia Rehman Arch-Batch 2012-Semester VI


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