Daily Times

Before I tell the story of the Lal Haveli, let me tell you a little about what a haveli is, as many youngsters are unaware of this word and its meaning. A haveli is a mansion with historical, antique and architectural significances. This is derived from an Arabic word ‘Haval’ and Persian ‘hawli”, meaning “a huge enclosed place”. Well, being unaware of this word is not anyone’s ignorance; rather the building structures over the period of time changed and thus this word became alien to many among the new generation.

The concept of haveli goes back to the ancient times and exact time period when these started building cannot be mentioned. Most of the Havelis of the sub-continent were influenced by Islamic, Persian, Turkish, Sikh and Hindu architecture. If we talk about the structure and built of a haveli, mostly it has a courtyard with fountains, huge kitchens, balconies, verandas, and several stories including mezzanines, closely knitted rooms and basements. In ancient Havelis, the concept of attached bath is not seen. The baths and washrooms were separated from the main living area within the Haveli and that was for hygiene purposes.

Also, separate areas for prayer rooms are seen for Muslims and temples for Hindus. Basically, the Havelis in this region belonged to Muslims, Sikhs and Hindus. What we see today in Walled City of Lahore are mostly the Sikh Havelis as according to historic references during the British Rule, while the reconstruction and uplifting of the city was in process much of the Mughal architecture was damaged and later on some met ill fate because of severe floods. The Sikhs rebuilt the Havelis on their own designs, but still adopted certain features of the Mughal Architecture. The most interesting thing you would see in the Havelis of Walled City is that several families are residing in each Haveli. There are some huge Havelis where 17 to 30 familie live together at a time.

Lal Haveli is on the eastern side of the Lohari Mandi Bazaar, north of Chowk Lohari Mandi, the second house on the right as one enters the bazaar. This haveli is a complex of four properties. As you go inside the narrow winding street of this bazaar, you will be stunned to see this red building with prominent jharokas and balconies

Now let us come to this majestic and gorgeous Haveli of Mai Daro also known as Lal Haveli (Red House) now. Lal Haveli is on the eastern side of the Lohari Mandi Bazaar, north of Chowk Lohari Mandi, the second house on the right as one enters the bazaar. This Haveli is a complex of four properties. As you go inside the narrow winding street of this bazaar, you will be stunned to see this red building with prominent jharokas and balconies. There is no other similar Haveli inside the Walled City; it’s the only one of this type. The major features are the jharokas opening onto the bazaar and lined with decorative mirror-work.

This Haveli was a residential structure and till today it is categorised to have Lahore’s best preserved cut-and chased brickwork and plaster mouldings on a fair-faced brick ground and exquisite wooden jharokas on the three floors. The architects say that the brickwork has been kept painted over the decades with a coat of red paint which gave the house its name Lal Haveli and the locals forgot the original name with the passage of time.

If we go into the history of this haveli, historians say that the haveli was built by the Maharajah of Kashmir during the Sikh rule. He built it for a beloved courtesan whose name was Daru. ‘Mai’ was a title given out of respect to her. This was the reason that the haveli got associated with her name. The exact date of construction is not known, but it was sometime in the late 19th century. It is said by the locals that the ground-floor on the street side was changed from dwellings (a baithak with windows opening into the bazaar) to a series of shoemakers’ shops as the owner sold it to another trader.

This creation of several shops resulted in the removal of carved and ornamented doors and windows, including the magnificent entrance door. The concrete supports were added and original arched masonry work from below the supports was damaged and detached to build the shops. Few decades ago, this Haveli got commercialised and the beauty of it was lost to much extent. The plinth was modified by adding a concrete slab projecting out into the street to form the base for the shop extensions and steel shutters. The interior was also divided up by adding brick walls and shoemakers were given the space inside the Haveli too. In a recent visit to this place, I got to know that the shoemakers have also left and now the Haveli is lying vacant as a house of cobwebs, pigeons and wild plants.

As I mentioned in the definition of the word haveli, this site despite being irregular in plan, has a massive courtyard in the centre. This was a typical Sikh construction and is found in other Havelis too. Interestingly, their floors have a different plan and this is a unique feature. Three staircases lead from the ground floor, two at the two main entrances. The third staircase rises from the western corner of the central hall. The three staircases pass through the building vertically to the first floor, past a mezzanine floor.

The ceilings of some rooms are decorated with mirror work which is also one of the unique features of this haveli. This feature might have been copied from the Sheesh Mahal of Lahore Fort. The rooms have exquisite arches and detailed designing and carving. This plan of the ground floor repeats on the first floor as well. The second floor was altered in the early 20th century, when its three balconies were converted into rooms bound together by a verandah. The terraces still have the original platforms where the Maharaja and his beloved would sit. The two upper levels are in a style of the high Sikh period, with jharokas and arches rendered in cut-brick ornament and mouldings made of mortar.

This breathtaking haveli is a masterpiece hidden inside the narrow bazaar. It is not a tourist spot but the local shopkeeper has a key to this haveli and he opens it up for any visitor who wants to see the magic of it. This Haveli must be declared as a tourist spot and opened for public. In my opinion, the government can also purchase this haveli and turn it into a museum or an artisan’s house. Let’s see what the future of this masterpiece is!

Published in Daily Times, March 30^th 2018.