We ramble around the historic streets, enjoy the local
eateries of the Walled City but hardly know the importance of the place we are
visiting at that very moment. Each brick, balcony, street, shop, bazaar,
shrine, mosque, haveli and everything we traverse clasps the historic
impressions of the past. The commotions and the splendors of the times gone are
shimmering in the relics of Androon Lahore. That’s my city of marvels and I am
proud of it!
I stood inside the Haveli of Dhiyan Singh with Samina and
Asgar ( my colleagues) photographing the area but trust me I was oblivious of
the historic significance of the place, till a security guard came and asked if
we were done with our pictures. My colleagues asked the guard about the history
of the place, and to our surprise the story was stupefying. The place we were
standing at was the first classroom of Oriental College and Government College
of Lahore. The facts were afar our belief. The preliminary classes of
Government College and the Oriental College started in that building in 1864.
The Haveli had sixty two rooms originally. At that time the Haveli covered an
area of 47 kanals but it reduced to 2 kanals after encroachments and division
of land, maybe after 1947. It is also mentioned in the book “Lahore ka Chelsea”
that many professors of Oriental and Government Colleges resided inside Bhatti
Gate as it was close to the location of Haveli Dhiyan Singh. This was the
reason that settlement of teachers and literary people started in Bhatti Gate. 
The haveli was turned it into a school by the British, in
1854, and after a decade in 1864 the Government College and Oriental College
Lahore abode there. After the shifting of the colleges, the Haveli was turned
into a boys school “Dhiyan Singh School” which, after partition, was renamed to
City Muslim League High School, a broken board was also spotted in the main
chamber of the Haveli. Till 2004 the Haveli was used as a boys’ school, but due
to the decaying of the building it was declared unfit for the children and thus
the school was shifted to a nearby locality. The Haveli was abandoned at last!
Digging more into the history, we got to know that it was
the haveli of Raja Dhiyan Singh a Sikh courtier who was born in 1796 and served
Maharaja Ranjit Singh. According to Sikh history, Raja Dhiyan Sigh was one of
the successful courtiers who gained various positions in the Sikh court because
of his intelligence and astuteness. Later, Raja Dhiyan Singh became the prime
minister of the court and died in 1843.
The place we were standing at was the public court of Raja
Dhiyan Singh while the other portions of the Haveli had been demolished and in
one portion a family is still residing. The balcony for public hearing was still
seen in the main hall. The small openings in the floor endorsed the presence of
a basement which was locked. The guard said that it was dangerous to go down as
it has not been cleaned up since ages. The main door leading to the basement was
covered with cobwebs and the staircase was sealed. The basement was probably the
private chamber of Raja Dhiyan Singh. It
is mentioned in different books that this Haveli was more spacious than the
Haveli of Khush`haal Singh and Jamadaar Singh which is today known as Chinna
Mandi College.
A mixture of Mughal and Sikh Architecture is obvious from
the arches and built of the Haveli. It is said to be built during the Mughal
era and later on after the fall of Mughal Empire the Haveli was taken over by
the Sikhs. The lotus flower petals on the pillars of the main hall and the Jharoka
or balcony made for public hearing resemble the architecture of Lahore Fort and
other buildings of that era.
Remains of old fresco work on some pillars and portions on
walls are still seen, though much of it has vanished because of aging and
negligence. The Haveli is in a critical situation, with no one to clean or look
after it. It does not house any institute but has given shelter to many
pigeons, cats and dogs. The traces of green plantation, though wild growth,
does give a sign of hope for its restoration.
For my readers; the Haveli is located inside Taxali gate,
near the shrine of Shrine of Peer Nougaza in a street leading to Said Meetha
Bazaar. One can see a sign of Haveli Dhiyan Singh at the entrance of the
street.
If I talk about my ideas, it should be conserved and
restarting a school might be a good idea. It can also be turned into a small
museum or an arts and crafts learning center. Let’s see what future holds for
this piece of heritage!
(The writer is a media professional. She can be reached at taniaq29@gmail.com)
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