Bedi Mahal (meaning "Bedi house"), also known as Khem Singh Bedi's Haveli, or simply known as Babay Da Mehal (meaning "the old man's palace"), is a

palace A palace is a large residence, often serving as a royal residence or the home for a head of state or another high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome whi ...

situated in

Kallar Syedan Kallar Syedan ( Punjabi/) is a city located in Punjab, Pakistan, and is the headquarters of the Kallar Syedan Tehsil. History Kallar Syedan's existence dates back approximately 1,200 years. The town rose to prominence during Sikh rule, eviden ...

some 40 kilometres away from

Islamabad Islamabad (; , ; ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's tenth-most populous city with a population of over 1.1 million and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital Territory. Bu ...

Rawalpindi District Rawalpindi District (Punjabi language, Punjabi and ) is a Districts of Pakistan, district located in the northernmost part of the Punjab (Pakistan), Punjab province of Pakistan. Parts of the district form part of the Islamabad Rawalpindi metropo ...

Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...

, Pakistan. Bedi Mahal is now mostly used for shooting television advertisements or as a tourist site for

Punjabi Sikhs Punjabi Sikhs are ethnic Punjabis who adhere to Sikhism. They are the second-largest religious group amongst Punjabis after the Punjabi Muslims, who predominantly inhabit Pakistani Punjab. Punjabi Sikhs form the largest religious community i ...

History

The palace was built by a

Sikh Sikhs (singular Sikh: or ; , ) are an ethnoreligious group who adhere to Sikhism, a religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term ''Si ...

spiritual and political leader who was the direct descendant, in the fourteenth place, of

Guru Nanak Gurū Nānak (15 April 1469 – 22 September 1539; Gurmukhi: ਗੁਰੂ ਨਾਨਕ; pronunciation: , ), also known as ('Father Nanak'), was an Indian spiritual teacher, mystic and poet, who is regarded as the founder of Sikhism and is t ...

, Baba Khem Singh Bedi in the later half of the 19th century. When Khem Singh Bedi's was aged 16 (circa 1848), his family moved to Kallar Syedan. He earned funds from serving the British in the colonial service and helping them crush the 1857 rebellion and local uprisings, he used the money to open over 50 schools in Rawalpindi district whilst a remainder was used to constructed the Bedi Mahal. It is estimated to have been constructed in the 1850s in the Sikh architectural style. The materials used for its construction consisted of sandstone and burnt clay (lime surkhi). The intricate wall paintings and carvings were made by masons and artisans from nearby Attock. During the haveli's heighday, it also had a small zoo full of exotic creatures. There was also an orchard and stable. During the partition of Punjab, the haveli was used as a safe haven for between 400–5000 Sikhs to protect them from communal violence. After the partition of Punjab, it was turned into a school, named Government Boys High School Kallar Syedan.

Architecture

The villa, an archetype of a

haveli A ''haveli'' is a traditional townhouse, mansion, or 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'', me ...

, encompasses five levels: a basement, ground floor, and three upper floors. The total number of rooms is disputed, with claims varying from 22 to potentially over 40. One claim puts the number of rooms originally at 84. Architecturally, the haveli is divided into two distinct sections. The left primarily serves residential purposes with a layout centralized around a

courtyard A courtyard or court is a circumscribed area, often surrounded by a building or complex, that is open to the sky. Courtyards are common elements in both Western and Eastern building patterns and have been used by both ancient and contemporary a ...

, while the right, likely used for social and religious events, contains a grand hall and several smaller rooms that could have served various functions. The interior is rich with

fresco Fresco ( 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 plaster, the painting become ...

es and

mural A mural is any piece of Graphic arts, graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti and marouflage. Word mural in art The word ''mural'' ...

s, many in a state of decay. A few notable ones include depictions of the 9th Sikh Guru,

Tegh Bahadur Guru Tegh Bahadur ( Punjabi: ਗੁਰੂ ਤੇਗ਼ ਬਹਾਦਰ ( Gurmukhi); ; 1 April 1621 – 11 November 1675) was the ninth of ten gurus who founded the Sikh religion and was the leader of Sikhs from 1665 until his beheading i ...

, and the

Golden Temple The Golden Temple is a gurdwara located in Amritsar, Punjab, India. It is the pre-eminent spiritual site of Sikhism. It is one of the Holy place, holiest sites in Sikhism, alongside the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur in Kartarpur, Pakistan, ...

of Amritsar. Murals in the courtyard, however, remain relatively well-preserved and feature Sikh figures, Hindu deities, and ascetics. Constructed with

ashlar Ashlar () is a cut and dressed rock (geology), stone, worked using a chisel to achieve a specific form, typically rectangular in shape. The term can also refer to a structure built from such stones. Ashlar is the finest stone masonry unit, a ...

masonry Masonry is the craft of building a structure with brick, stone, or similar material, including mortar plastering which are often laid in, bound, and pasted together by mortar (masonry), mortar. The term ''masonry'' can also refer to the buildin ...

walls bonded with

lime Lime most commonly refers to: * Lime (fruit), a green citrus fruit * Lime (material), inorganic materials containing calcium, usually calcium oxide or calcium hydroxide * Lime (color), a color between yellow and green Lime may also refer to: Bo ...

and

jute Jute ( ) is a long, rough, shiny bast fibre that can be Spinning (textiles), spun into coarse, strong threads. It is produced from flowering plants in the genus ''Corchorus'', of the mallow family Malvaceae. The primary source of the fiber is ...

fiber mortar, the haveli's structure is robust, despite decay in its wooden components, suggesting potential for future restoration. File:Bedi Mahal-Verandah1.JPG, alt= File:Bedi Mahal-Verandah2.JPG, alt= File:Bedi Mahal-Verandah3.JPG, alt= File:Bedi Mahal-Verandah4.JPG, alt=

References

External links

The Lost Palace
{{coord missing, Punjab, Pakistan Palaces in Pakistan Buildings and structures in Punjab, Pakistan Rawalpindi District Kallar Syedan Tehsil

History

Architecture

See also

References

External links