The Haveli of Nau Nihal Singh (

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''

haveli A ''haveli'' is a traditional townhouse, mansion, manor house, in the Indian subcontinent, usually one with historical and architectural significance, and located in a town or city. The word ''haveli'' is derived from Arabic ''hawali'', mean ...

that houses a government school located in

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city. ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

. Dating from the

Sikh Sikhs ( or ; pa, ਸਿੱਖ, ' ) are people who adhere to Sikhism, Sikhism (Sikhi), a Monotheism, monotheistic religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Gu ...

era of the mid-19th century, the haveli is considered to be one of the finest examples of

Sikh architecture Sikh architecture is a style of architecture that was developed under Sikh Empire during 18th and 19th century in the Punjab region. Due to its progressive style, it is constantly evolving into many newly developing branches with new contempora ...

in Lahore, and is the only Sikh-era haveli that preserves its original ornamentation and architecture.

Location

The haveli is located within the

Walled City of Lahore The Walled City of Lahore (Punjabi language, Punjabi & ur, , ''"Inner City"''), also known as Old City, forms the historic core of Lahore, Pakistan. The city was established around 1000 CE in the western half of the Walled City, which was for ...

, and is located near the Mori Gate in the southern half of the walled city. The haveli is also near the Bhatti Gate and

Lohari Gate The Lahori Gate or Lohari Gate is located within Walled City of Lahore in Lahore, Pakistan. Lahori Gate is one of the 13 gates of the Walled City of Lahore. Being one of the oldest gates of the old city, Lahori Gate is also known as Lohar ...

History

The haveli was built around the late 1830s for Kanwar Nau Nihal Singh, by his grandfather and founder of the

Sikh Empire The Sikh Empire was a state originating in the Indian subcontinent, formed under the leadership of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, who established an empire based in the Punjab. The empire existed from 1799, when Maharaja Ranjit Singh captured Lahor ...

Maharaja Ranjit Singh Ranjit Singh (13 November 1780 – 27 June 1839), popularly known as Sher-e-Punjab or "Lion of Punjab", was the first Maharaja of the Sikh Empire, which ruled the northwest Indian subcontinent in the early half of the 19th century. He s ...

.The Free Library. S.v. Hindu symbolism in sikh art brickwork in Haveli Naunihal Singh.." Retrieved Oct 08 2017 from https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Hindu+symbolism+in+sikh+art+brickwork+in+Haveli+Naunihal+Singh.-a0389937207 The mansion was intended to be a personal residence for Nau Nihal Singh. His grandmother,

Maharani Datar Kaur Maharani Datar Kaur (born Bibi Raj Kaur Nakai; (c. 1784– 20 June 1838) was the queen consort of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the founder of the Sikh Empire and the mother of his successor, Maharaja Kharak Singh. She was the daughter of Sardar Ran ...

, too played a considerable role in habilitation of the haveli. In 1841 Nau Nihal Singh's widow, Bibi Sahib Kaur Sahiba, delivered a stillborn son minutes before her own death. This prompted his mother, Maharani Chand Kaur to give up her claim on the golden throne of

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...

. The dowager Maharani retired to this haveli and received a pension of rupees. However her enemies still saw her as a threat and she was battered to death with wooden pikes by her servants on 11 June 1842. The haveli has been used, since the British colonial era, to house the Victoria Girls' High School.

Architecture

The base of the haveli is rectangular in shape, with its entrance on the western side. The façade is divided into two sections, with the portion housing the haveli's entryway profusely decorated with

fresco Fresco (plural ''frescos'' or ''frescoes'') is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaste ...

es painted in the vivid '' Kangra'' style, and the other pierced with numerous windows. A large ''jharoka'' balcony with sculpted brickwork and a small bulbous half dome is above the haveli's entry, which acted as a ''Jharoka-e-Darshan'' from which the Maharaja could view his subjects gathered below. The jharoka features 5 small arches, and is embellished imagery of winged humans, parrots, and frontally-viewed fish that are carved in a style which displays East Asian influences. The winged humans resemble both Islamic descriptions of angels, but also reflect influences of the mythical Hindu

garuda Garuda (Sanskrit: ; Pāli: ; Vedic Sanskrit: गरुळ Garuḷa) is a Hindu demigod and divine creature mentioned in the Hindu, Buddhist and Jain faiths. He is primarily depicted as the mount (''vahana'') of the Hindu god Vishnu. Garuda is a ...

. The base of the dome is decorated with a serpent-like figure which echoes the Hindu snake god

Naga Naga or NAGA may refer to: Mythology * Nāga, a serpentine deity or race in Hindu, Buddhist and Jain traditions * Naga Kingdom, in the epic ''Mahabharata'' * Phaya Naga, mythical creatures believed to live in the Laotian stretch of the Mekong Riv ...

. The ''Jharoka-e-Darshan'' is flanked by two smaller ''jharokas''. Each of the haveli's ''jharokas'' is decorated with a floral pedestal. The building has four stories, and a basement level. The fourth level is made of a small room known as ''Rang Mahal'' ("Colour palace"), or alternatively as ''Sheesh Mahal'' ("Mirror palace"), with large screens that form a space in which to catch breezes. The remaining floors were built with high ceilings, to exaggerate the height of the structure in order to give the appearance of a citadel, rather than a private residence. The ceilings of the haveli are made of decorated wood inlaid with glass and mirror, as well as sun-motifs in the central portion of the roof. Walls within the haveli are decorated with false arches that each contain a small 18 inch by 18 inch painting, with blues, golds, reds, and oranges dominating the haveli's colour palette. The interior is also decorated with carved wood, brickwork, and floral frescoes. The haveli features a large 2 storied inner courtyard which was also profusely decorated - the bottom level of which has since been whitewashed. In front of the haveli is a small plaza known as ''Maydan ka Bhaiyan'' that was once used as the haveli's garden.

Conservation

The haveli is protected by the ''Antiquities Act 1975''.

Gallery

File:Nau Nihal Singh Haveli 2.JPG, The haveli's inner courtyard File:Haveli of Nau Nihal Singh 7 (WCLA).jpg, The haveli's large ''jharoka-e-darshan'' File:Sheesh Mahal on the rooftop of Haveli of Nau Nihal Singh 4.jpg, The haveli's ceiling is made of carved and inlaid wood File:A classroom in Victoria Girls High School formerly known as Haveli of Nau Nihal Singh.jpg, Rooms in the haveli are used as classrooms File:Haveli_Naunehal_Singh_(Now_named_Victoria_School).jpg, A view of the entire western façade

References