Haveli Jawala Singh Rajput

Haveli Jawala Singh Rajput is a 300-year-old haveli (mansion) located in the outskirts of Lahore and belonged to Sardar Jawala Singh Sandhu. Sardar Jawala Singh Sandhu was a trusted soldier and a close ally to Maharaja Ranjeet Singh. Not blood-related, but both were related, Jawala Singh was married to Rani Jind’s (Ranjeet Singh’s wife) elder sister.

The Haveli’s ruins are located on the outskirts of Lahore in a village called Padhana and cover an area of one acre. Padhana is the last village on the Pakistani side directly facing the prominent Indian town Naushehra, across the border and one while being at Padhana can look at India clearly. Before Partition, this was also a Hindu and Sikh populated area but most of them migrated from this place.

Reaching the village is not that difficult but the way to the haveli is a little tricky. However, the locals are very complacent. The haveli is located inside a narrow street. The 6th generation of Jawala Singh Rajput are the current residents and caretakers of it. Most of the structure of the haveli has fallen apart and the residents had to make new settings to live in. The best part is that the residents have not considered relocating.

The haveli had a complex of residential quarters and a court of the Magistrate. The court doesn’t exist now. The only remnants of the residential quarters are ruins, nevertheless, the site still enchants you. The family residences have moved to a partitioned corner, in a complex which was rebuilt.

It is said that Sardar Jawala Singh had laid out an extensive garden midway between Lahore and the Badami Bagh, which became the Maharaja`s favourite resort and he often held his court there and received foreign dignitaries. Jawala Singh of Padhana died in 1835.

Sandhu Sardar’s of Padhana held high posts in Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s army and court and the family was an esteemed one among the Sikh community of that time. The Sandhu Sardar’s of Padhana were extremely powerful till the partition of 1947. If we go back into the history of this area, we get to know that Padhana had a large number of Sikh Sardars from the 18th-20th century living there and most of them migrated at the time of partition. Despite the partition and leaving of the natives, the astounding haveli stands there.

The haveli which has been built with small bricks is standing strong but surely needs attention for restoration and I am sure that if it is restored it can be a beautiful site of tourism for the locals as well as for the Sikh Yatrees (pilgrims) who visit Lahore for the yatra.

This haveli, far from the eyes and attention of authorities, is a beautiful, extravagant and grand structure. The glory and majesty of the old times can still be visualised. The bricks and construction of the haveli still reflect the splendour and power which once existed in its structure. The love and aesthetics of the artisans in every nook and corner of this haveli are amusing.

The architecture and design of the Haveli have Mughal and Sikh inspiration. The sheer negligence of the authorities had this haveli crumbling. Some places inside the haveli are being used as debris dump yards. It’s a three-storey structure which has been built of Nanak Shahi bricks according to the residents. Nanak Shahi bricks were the decorative bricks used for structural walls during the Mughal era and continued in the Sikh era as well and are said to be a standard of richness in old structures. If we talk about the Nanak Shahi, it can be said that this structure might have been of the Mughal times and could have been altered in the Sikh eras. 

Architects believe that the haveli seems to be an amalgamation of Mughal and Sikh styled buildings. The domes squared top pavilions on the corner towers, bricked arches running parallel on multi-story structures and the paired pilasters give the building a Mughal touch. The main building unit is the red burnt brick with the typical lime plaster of old times and these materials have been used since the Mughal times and Sikhs carried it on.

If this haveli is preserved, it can be a marvellous tourist spot and can attract Sikh Yatrees as well. The family, it can be a marvellous tourist spot and can attract Sikh Yatrees as well. The family currently residing in the haveli should also do something for its preservation but more importantly, the government should declare it as ‘protected property’ and begin to proceed for its preservation.