The havelis of Potohar: Pakistan's opportunity to promote heritage tourism

[Devil Soul]

The havelis of Potohar: Pakistan's opportunity to promote heritage tourism
ZULFIQAR ALI KALHORO
In the year 2000, I was invited by a fellow anthropologist to see the Katas Raj. The visit left me so mesmerised that I decided to explore the entire Potohar region. So over the past decade-and-a-half, I have kept travelling back to the region, documenting historic buildings and indigenous tribes, and returning from every visit even more amazed at the specimens of the architectural beauty in this region.

Every time I had a break from studies or official work, I rushed to Gujar Khan, Kallar Syedan, Sagri, Daultala, Sukho, Dora Badhal, Beval, Doberan Kallan, Hazro, Kot Fateh Khan, Qutbal, Harnal or Haryal to visit the wondrous temples, gurdwaras and havelis.

Haveli of Bakhshi Ram Singh at Kontrilla.

Havelis in Narali village.

A View of Atam Singh haveli at Daultala.
The distinctive features of Potohar's havelis have always attracted me.

These havelis belonged to Muslim, Hindu and Sikh notables. The word 'haveli' is of Persian origin, meaning a great mansion associated with wealth, status and size. In architectural terms, the haveli was merely a very grand version of the modern urban house.

A small list of the havelis in the small and big towns of Potohar include the Khem Singh Bedi haveli in Kallar Syedan, Atam Singh Gujral and Jeevan Singh havelis in Daultana town, Sikh and Hindu havelis in Narali, a haveli of Bakhshi Ram in Kontrilla, a haveli of Ratan Singh in Sagri, and several others in Gulyana and Dora Badhal villages.

Inscription in haveli of Bakhshi Ram Singh, Kontrilla.

Front facade of Jeevan Singh haveli in Daultala.

Children looking out from a window in Jeevan Singh haveli.

Haveli of Bakhshi Ram singh at Kontrilla.
Some of the common elements which stood out in all havelis were the 'jharokas', carved wooden doors and wall paintings, reflecting the taste and aesthetics of the builder. One such ornately carved door can be seen in the haveli of Dr Zaman in Basali village, Rawalpindi district.

An old man of Kontrilla who narrated the story of the Bakhshi Ram Singh family.
The jharoka held an important place with both the artist and the owner. These small, enclosed balconies were generally built on the upper floors, and used by both males and females.

 

[Devil Soul]

Locals, including the present occupant of the havelis told me that the central jharoka was always occupied by male members of the family, while the flanking jharoka was used by the women. Chaudhry Sajjad Hussian, an oral historian in Gujar Khan, explained that the number of windows and jharokas indicated the affluence of the owner.

A window in Atam Singh Gujral haveli in Daultala.

Jharoka in Jeevan Singh haveli in Daultala.

Jharoka in the haveli of Bakhshi Ram Singh.

Then, there are the towers; splendid towers surmounting the top of the havelis. The most beautiful ones I have seen are found in the havelis of Bakhshi Ram at Kontrilla and in a haveli in Wah town. They were designed to offer a panoramic view of the town or village.

Also read: Footprints: Soojhan Singh Haveli in ruins

Passing through the narrow alleys of Kallar Syedan, one gets to the imposing Khem Singh Bedi haveli, which was turned into a school after Partition. I appreciate that the school staff or students have taken care not to defaced any of the figures decorating the haveli's interior. Most of the haveli's rooms are adorned with paintings depicting the Sikh Gurus, saints, Baba Sri Chand (the eldest son of Guru Nanak and founder of Udasi Panth) and Hindu deities.

View of Khem Singh Bedi Haveli at Kallar Syedan.

A painting inside the Khem Singh Bedi Haveli.

Another painting.

A depiction of the Golden Temple of Amritsar in Khem Singh Bedi Haveli.

Depiction of a Sikh woman.

 

[Devil Soul]

A Sikh woman looks herself up in the mirror.

Another painting of a Sikh woman.

I often wonder why the government of Punjab is not making serious efforts to promote tourism in the Potohar region; the only known tourist destination in Potohar is Katas Raj.

Like in Rajasthan, where the havelis have been turned into hotels to promote heritage tourism, the Punjab government too should follow the same model and declare all the havelis here as heritage sites. Not only will that promote heritage tourism, it will also create more job opportunities for the wonderful locals of Potohar.

—Photos by author

Zulfiqar Ali Kalhoro is an anthropologist and teaches tourism, globalisation and development at the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics, Islamabad.

He can be reached on Facebook.

 

[Dubious]

People easily pay about 20-50 pounds to visit castles in UK (these are not the famous ones) why cant we do something similar? even putting the price to 200 -300 Rs would be considered right amount considering most of the stuff we got is older and def more unique...Some money needs to be put in to maintain it or restore it and then it should bring some good revenue for the locals!

 

[xyxmt]

People easily pay about 20-50 pounds to visit castles in UK (these are not the famous ones) why cant we do something similar? even putting the price to 200 -300 Rs would be considered right amount considering most of the stuff we got is older and def more unique...Some money needs to be put in to maintain it or restore it and then it should bring some good revenue for the locals!

because first you have to preserve them, in current condition these building are no mai ka lal will try to enter them

 

[Dubious]

no mai ka lal will try to enter them

You think? Does who want to enter will....You think ALL the cites in West are "preserved" or were always preserved when they were advertised? Colosseum is 1 of them ...they show something too advanced in movies for advertisement sake while when I visited it just 1.5 yrs ago it was still being "maintained" and looked worse than alot of our sites....

I also visited the "historic" forum across from the Colosseum....it was a bunch of rocks on display with every now and then an "ancient" temple ruins were seen and alot of it was out of boundaries, still excavating and still "maintaining"

It is just that Pakistanis will pay a fortune to visit ancient sites of foreign land no matter how much they cost but god forbid they promote their own

Have you seen the temples in Indonesia and Thailand? MANY look better on the postcard but not up front! It is all about taking the initiatives, putting in SOME money to restore and start the tourism...But people with lack of enthusiasm, lack of interest and obscure priorities arent going to make it happen!

 

[Kompromat]

They ought to be restored.

 

[Windjammer]

I have visited relatives who live in three of the mentioned places, which are about an hours drive from the capital,
Damn if i knew such treasures existed there. These places are easily accessible by own or public transport, even the landscape is tranquil and a good escape from the city noise.