Bahawalpur cemetery: A royal remembrance
In Ahmadpur Sharqiya Tehsil of Bahawalpur, there is an old royal graveyard of the Abbasi Nawab family where graves of Abbasi Nawab family heads have been created in a big hall. In contrast, mausoleums have been constructed for wives of Nawabs. The mausoleums of foreign wives are made of white marble, while the tombs of spouses belonging to local and Abbasi Nawab families have beautiful carvings according to the region's culture, which distinguishes them from other tombs.
The history of Bahawalpur is very long, but the end is heart breaking. Most of the Nawabs of the former state of Bahawalpur was born in the fort of Derawar, a few furlongs away from this royal cemetery, and then buried in the cemetery. There are about 100 small and big graves in this cemetery.
The Abbasi dynasty ruled the state of Bahawalpur from 1690 to 1955 for nearly two and a half centuries. These tombs tell the story of the rise and fall of the Abbasi Nawab family. Archaeologist Fazal Khan says this royal cemetery of Nawabs is part of a centuries-old cemetery where most of the graves are lost in the foothills of Cholistan. However, it was separated by fencing around the Nawab's graveyard.
The mausoleums built in the royal cemetery from several kilometres begin to give a full sense of their presence and the grandeur of the architecture. This is the private cemetery of the Nawab family; therefore, no ordinary person can be buried here, and no one is allowed inside the cemetery.
Outside the royal cemetery is a family that has been occupying the shrine for nine generations since the time of Nawab Bahawal Muhammad Khan II. At the moment, the head of the same family has the keys to the graveyard. The room of the graves of the heads of the Nawab family and this responsibility are passed down from generation to generation.
There is a large wooden gate at the entrance to the royal cemetery. It is open only to members of the Nawab family or special guests. There are several types of tombs inside the cemetery. The domes of some of the tombs are masterpieces of traditional Seraiki, and Sindhi fine arts with blue carvings and some of the tombs are made of white marble.
Afzal Khan says that the mausoleums built of white marble belong to the foreign wives of the Nawabs. This white stone was specially imported from France, while the other tombs were engraved and belonged to the nawabs of the nawabs and the wives belonging to their qiblah. The doors of these tombs are closed and open only to the Nawab family and their female guests.
In a large rectangular hall are the tombs of these Nawabs of the former Sultan of Bahawalpur, who has been the rulers of the state of Bahawalpur. The last tomb is Nawab Sadiq Muhammad Khan Khamis, who was the last Nawab of Bahawalpur state.
He annexed the state to Pakistan in 1955, and thus Bahawalpur lost its separate state identity. There is also a small Nawab Mian Rahimyar Khan tomb, after whom the district Rahimyar Khan is named. Each tomb bears the name of the deceased Nawab and a brief history.
All graves are made of white marble. There are small, large pillars at the head of the tombs. According to experts, the size of the pillars reflects the rule of the Nawab. There is still room for some graves in this compound. Graves are covered with white sheets, and this part is also closed.
The unique grave in this cemetery is Victoria, the foreign wife of Nawab Sadiq Muhammad Khan Khamis. Misbah Ishaq, senior tour officer of Punjab Tourism Department, says Nawab's wife was British. She converted to Islam before her marriage and was named Ghulam Fatima, but people still remember her by the name of Victoria. A hospital named after him has also been set up in Bahawalpur.
Misbah Ishaq says Victoria loved Nawab Sadiq Muhammad Khan very much, and she had bequeathed that after her death, she should be buried at the feet of Nawab Sahib. Therefore, after her death, her tomb was built in the footsteps of Nawab Sadiq Muhammad Khan, and a small tomb was built on it. This mausoleum is in front of the steps of Nawab Sadiq Muhammad Khan at the back of this main hall.
This is a unique example of the love of a foreign wife for Nawab Sahib. Some historians differ as to the name of the Victoria Begum. According to archaeologists, the tomb belongs to Linda Florence, wife of Nawab Sadiq Muhammad Khan. She was the daughter of a British assistant engineer from Hyderabad Deccan. Nawab Sadiq Muhammad Khan saw her in Bombay in 1927, liked her and got married.
Begum Linda Florence lived six years after her marriage, during which time she gave birth to four sons and a daughter. After her death, she was buried in this royal cemetery.
A few common styles were erected in one of the courtyards of the royal cemetery. There are also solid graves that are not inscribed with anyone's name but only numbered. The cemetery's caretakers said they do not know who is buried in these graves, but that they must belong to the Nawab family; therefore, they were buried here.
While there is an ancient mausoleum standing in the common cemetery outside the walls of the royal cemetery, the locals do not know anything about this mausoleum.
Nabila Khokhar, a woman who came from Lahore to see the royal cemetery, is both shocked and saddened to see this cemetery. A Nawab or a commoner has to leave this world one day. Commenting on the tombs of the wives of the Nawab family, Nabila Khokhar said that it was clear to them that the Nawab also respected and honoured his wives. So tombs were built for them, and ordinary graves were built for themselves.
Another tourist, Khalid Mahmood, said that this royal cemetery is indeed a masterpiece of architecture. Today these magnificent tombs exist, but all buried in them are buried in the dust. It is a lesson for us all to leave this world, and our glory will end here. We will be forgiven only because of our good deeds. Outside the room in which the graves of the Nawabs are located, a verse has been written in a very clear manner, which translated to: everything will perish one day.