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 grand residence, especially a royal residence, or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome which ...

situated in

Kallar Syedan Kallar Syedan (Punjabi/ ur, ) 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, ...

some 40 kilometres away from

Islamabad Islamabad (; ur, , ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's ninth-most populous city, with a population of over 1.2 million people, and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capita ...

Rawalpindi District Rawalpindi District (Punjabi and ur, ) is a district located in the northernmost part of the Punjab province of Pakistan. Parts of the district form part of the Islamabad Rawalpindi metropolitan area. Rawalpindi city is the district capital ...

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 ...

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

Punjabi Sikhs Punjabi Sikhs are adherents of Sikhism who identify linguistically, culturally, and genealogically as Punjabis and are native of Undivided Punjab region of Indian Subcontinent. Sikhism is an Indigenous religion born and brought up in Punjab ...

History

The palace was built by a

Sikh Sikhs ( or ; pa, ਸਿੱਖ, ' ) are people who adhere to Sikhism (Sikhi), a monotheistic 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 ' ...

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 referred to as ('father Nānak'), was the founder of Sikhism and is the first of the ten Sikh Gurus. His birth is celebrated ...

, 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 The Partition of British India in 1947 was the Partition (politics), change of political borders and the division of other assets that accompanied the dissolution of the British Raj in South Asia and the creation of two independent dominions: ...

, 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, 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 ...

, 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 frescoes and

mural A mural is any piece of 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'' is a Spani ...

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

Tegh Bahadur Tegh ( hy, Տեղ) is a village and the center of the Tegh Municipality of the Syunik Province in Armenia. Tegh is the last village on the Goris-Stepanakert Highway before passing the border with the Republic of Artsakh. Of significance in the v ...

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

ashlar Ashlar () is finely dressed (cut, worked) stone, either an individual stone that has been worked until squared, or a structure built from such stones. Ashlar is the finest stone masonry unit, generally rectangular cuboid, mentioned by Vitr ...

masonry Masonry is the building of structures from individual units, which are often laid in and bound together by mortar; the term ''masonry'' can also refer to the units themselves. The common materials of masonry construction are bricks, building ...

walls bonded with

lime Lime 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: Botany ...

and

jute Jute is a long, soft, shiny bast fiber that can be spun into coarse, strong threads. It is produced from flowering plants in the genus ''Corchorus'', which is in the mallow family Malvaceae. The primary source of the fiber is ''Corchorus olit ...

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