A Tribute To Heritage Of Poonch
By Zafar Choudhary
26 October, 2006
Countercurrents.orgFor nearly five decades a marvelous building with English architecture, in frontier district of Poonch in Jammu region, stood as a clue to the drawing of a bloody line dividing not only territory but also the people of Jammu and Kashmir into two parts. It may sound little ludicrous that had there not been this building in the decade of 1930s, the geopolitical shape of this region would have been entirely different. It was this building which enticed a royal ruler who agreed to send the son of the owner to London for Bar at Law and own the building in exchange.
As entire Jammu and Kashmir paid tributes to its dead on first anniversary of the killer earthquake, the Moti Mahal of Poonch, there was hardly any attention to Moti Mahal of Poonch which the trembler of last year reduced to rubbles. However, the legend is still alive that it was this building which actually laid foundations of the Pakistan administered Kashmir.
For over five decades after blood-spattered line that was drawn to divide people into two parts, a majestic heritage building in this border town always stood high as a clue to the creation of other Jammu and Kashmir. Now a year after that building –Moti Mahal –reduced to rubbles in the devastating earthquake the legend of the creation of Pakistan administered Kashmir still remains.
A marvelous piece of English architecture, the construction of Moti Mahal was completed in 1938. This fort was constructed by a Rajput leader of Sudhan clan who was father of Sardar Ibrahim Khan. Sardar Ibrahim later became the founder and first President of Pakistan administered Kashmir.
The elders of the yore say that Sardar Ibrahim's father had built the fort for his own self but he could not retain the majestic building –again for a personal satisfaction.
A year after the fort was built that Raja Jagat Dev Singh visited Poonch. He is reported to have lost breath for a while on seeing the majestic regale and English architecture of the fort. He wanted to acquire that fort at whatever cost it takes.
The owner of the fort, the legend says, initially refused to part of the building but later agreed to gift the Mahal to Raja Jagat Dev Singh for a consideration. He asked the Raja to sponsor his son Ibrahim Khan to study law in Britain and get the fort in exchange. The deal was clinched, fort was handed over to Raja Jagat Dev and Ibrahim Khan went to London and finally remerged back as Barrister.
Earlier, the Sardar Ibrahim obtained his school education from Poonch High School and did graduation from Islamia College Lahore. It was after becoming the Barrister, that Sardar Ibrahim Khan assumed the political activism and went on become founder president of Pakistan administered Kashmir.
Though sarcastically, the contribution of Moti Mahal in creation of Pakistan administered Kashmir and becoming of Sardar Ibrahim Khan as it founder president has remained a popular tell-tale. The Moti Mahal lost its existence to rubbles in the earthquake of October 8, 2005, but the legend of the making of Sardar Ibrahim Khan is still alive.
At the time of its collapse, the Moti Mahal housed the offices of an Army brigade. However, no loss to the human life was caused.
Moti Mahal is not isolated case of the heritage loss on the earthquake of October 8, 2005.
Poonch suffered a huge loss of heritage in last year's earthquake.
The void left of the loss of human lives is discernible on faces of people, infrastructural damage has been largely covered up, but none seems concerned about gruesome loss to the rich and centuries old heritage, Poonch is known for. When locals here discuss the struggle life went though to complete a full circle there is no mention of the Poonch Fort –a home to rich heritage, history, royal tell-tales and witness of transition this place underwent
The rubbles of the erstwhile majestic fort of Poonch reflect the ignorance of a State towards its rich cultural past. Poonch Fort was last year reduced to rubbles. While the efforts of state government and assistance of central government are laudable in reconstructing the damaged infrastructure up to 85 percent but no visible attention has been paid to even partial restoration of this heritage building.
"I deeply feel the loss to human life, but am grievously hurt by this heritage loss", says a renowned writer, journalist and former state officer K D Maini –a native of Poonch. He adds, "the majestic building of the Fort always stood as an inspiration to every men and women in Poonch".
The Poonch Fort comprised of 270 rooms had taken 17 years to come up and over 50 years later another 40 years took for renovation. Historical account says that this Fort was built by Raja Rustam Khan of Poonch between 1760 and 1787. It was Raja Moti Singh who was so impressed with the architecture and the regality of the building that he kept on renovating the edifice for 40 years –between 1852 and 1892.
Last year, at the time of its collapse, the 270 room building was housing 19 offices of the state government including district treasury, Tehsilar, Executive Engineer, Assistant Commissioner and Employment Officer.
While the loss of royal building was literally monumental but the collateral loss of a rich treasure of history and literature is beyond comprehension. More than 10,000 books making Raja Sukhdev Singh library in this building could never be recovered. "Centuries old and rare book dating back to eras of several rulers are still lying under the debris", rues Maini.
Another important building reduced to rubbles is the Haveli of Mian Nizamuddin –an erstwhile Prime Minister of Poonch. This Haveli was later taken over by local Hindu organisations and converted into community center named as Gita Bhawan.
Alongside this Haveli was the biggest mosque of the town which too collapsed in the earthquake. This mosque was built during the reign of Raja Moti Singh.
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