Sujan Singh Haveli on verge of collapse

The historic Sajan Singh Haveli, built in 1890 in the heart of Rawalpindi city’s most expensive and densely populated area Bhabhra Bazaar, is almost on the verge of collapse.

The iconic building was built by Sardar Rai Bahadur Sujan Singh, a wealthy timber merchant to house his family some 131 years ago. Its foundation stone was laid in 1890 and was completed in three years. The 24,000-square feet building has four storeys and 45 rooms. Four of its large halls have Victorian style furniture.

The building had a regular British-style dance room where musical gatherings took place regularly and the entertaining musicians were given accommodation in a part of the mansion.

This magnificent building is a beautiful blend of Sikh culture and Mughal and European architecture. The two portions of the building are connected by a beautiful steel bridge while the walls, floors and rooms were adorned with exquisite murals besides precious wood chandeliers.

In addition, the building has a separate water supply system and sewerage system which is still in good condition. At that time, families from the surrounding areas used to come to visit the mansion from far and wide.

Read A religious heritage lost to commercialisation

However, this heritage is deteriorating and one part of the building has completely collapsed and cracks have appeared in the walls while the other portion of the building is severely damaged. The mansion has now become a home for bats, cats and insects.

There has been no practical effort to preserve this heritage. Due to this, this historical heritage is being lost before our eyes. In 1980, Kashmiri refugees were temporarily housed in the building. They damaged the building, stole and sold valuable timber, Victorian furniture and antiques.

This historic building was then donated to Fatima Jinnah Women’s University in 2014 to house the campus of the National College of Arts (NCA). The NCA announced its renovation but work on its makeover was discontinued.

Local residents told The Express Tribune that 40 years ago, this magnificent building was in perfect condition. After that, it started to break down and now its condition has completely deteriorated.

They said government representatives come and make claims about renovating the building but their claims and pledges turn out to be mere hollow slogans.

They maintained that if the building is not rehabilitated for another few years, the deteriorating structure will collapse and encroachers will occupy the plot.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 2^nd, 2021.