Clock Tower (), formerly known as Northbrook Tower, is a

clock tower Clock towers are a specific type of structure that house a turret clock and have one or more clock faces on the upper exterior walls. Many clock towers are freestanding structures but they can also adjoin or be located on top of another building ...

and city government headquarters of

Multan Multan is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, fifth-most populous city in the Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab province of Pakistan. Located along the eastern bank of the Chenab River, it is the List of cities in Pakistan by populatio ...

in the

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 ...

province of

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

.Location of Ghanta Ghar - Falling rain Genomics website
/ref>

History

Ghanta Ghar or Clock Tower of Multan was built in 1884 in

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...

. After passing the municipal act of 1883 British needed offices to run the city. They started constructing Ghanta Ghar in Multan on 12 February 1884 and it took 4 years to completely build this building. It was constructed over the ruins of

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 ...

of Ahmad Khan Sadozai which was completely destroyed during Siege of Multan. The hall and building were named 'Ripon Hall and Ripon Building' after the name of

Ripon Ripon () is a cathedral city and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. The city is located at the confluence of two tributaries of the River Ure, the Laver and Skell. Within the boundaries of the historic West Riding of Yorkshire, the ...

, viceroy of India at that time. And clock tower was named Northbrook Tower after the name of Northbrook, a former Viceroy of India (1872–3). This building was completed, opened and offices shifted in 1888. Hall was named 'Jinnah Hall' after the

independence Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state, in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the status of ...

in 1947 and is used for office meetings, cultural programs, and is open to the public. With the passage of time, this building became insufficient for offices and a small hall was also insufficient for meetings, so offices were shifted from here. Now it is said that plan for the future is to change this historic building into a museum.

Clocks

On 27 October 2011, three clocks of Ghanta Ghar were repaired and started again showing the time of PST which is +5GMT. This effort was done by a watch company Rado Watchmaker. The machinery and needles of the clocks were changed while the clock's main dial was unchanged. It runs on solar energy. The clock had stopped working in 1985.

Multan Museum

Ghanta Ghar Multan is made a museum by the city government called Multan Museum. Funds have been allocated and work has been started but the site remains closed to the public as each new government that comes erases the previous government's plans and promises.

References

{{Multan Clock towers in Pakistan Buildings and structures in Multan British colonial architecture in Pakistan Tourist attractions in Multan

History

Clocks

Multan Museum

See also

References