Royal Life Style of the Bahawalpur State

It was a pleasant day of February, when we had started our journey to explore the royal history of Bahawalpur in Pakistan. We had a group of five, Mansoor, Bilal, Zain, Tariq, and Arslan. Our red color Suzuki Mehran was running toward the Lahore - Abdul Hakeem Motorway (M3) that was constructed newly and reduced the travel time from Lahore to Multan.

Sun was going to cover its face and a blurred curtain of darkness was moving over the surrounding of the motorways. We were near Rajana Muridwala interchange and decided to take tea to enjoy the coolness of the openness of the green fields around the motorway. Redness of sun was still blended with darkness that covered over the sky. After taking tea, our Mehran was once again moving over the road that was shining beautifully with road signs.

The first adventure of our tour was faced when we had taken a wrong turn toward Khanewal City. We had to take turn from Khanewal Toll Plaza, but we had taken Kabirwala Interchange to move toward Sahiwal. It was small two-way road without any extra-ordinary traffic. There was black darkness around us due to vast fields along the road. There was no vehicle on the road except our Suzuki Mehran. Its light yellowish light spread over the road and showing the bumps and dents on the road, that made a hindrance in car speed. Sometimes, single coming vehicle from opposite side showed the existence of the passage. The glare of light of that vehicle spread over the wind-screen as it crossed us with quick move. Then it again becomes a lonely passage in the blindness of darkness. We were moving with moderate speed when a trolley was coming opposite in front of us. It was overloaded with sugarcanes stakes spread outside of it, but it was difficult to guess its spread due to spreading spectrum of its light. Tariq sensed it just before few feet and rolled the steering toward left side to safe from the popping out sugarcane stakes. Our car was almost on the rough trek and it crossed as with sharp scratches our the Mehran and broken of side mirror. With the grace of Allah, we were save and again inside the darkness. After covering the 35 km distance, we were on the main road leading toward Khanewal city and we had decided to take dinner before moving next.

Nestled in the heart of Punjab, Bahawalpur represents diversified history, culture, and architectural splendor. Bahawalpur is called the city of nawabs with rich heritage and history, founded by Nawab Bahawal Khan in the late 18th century. The magnificent construction of places and other buildings show the royal life style of Bahawalpur State having status of Princely State under the British Government. Powers of the Nawabs can also be observed in exploring its history in the times of the British era.

It was nearly 11pm at midnight, when we had reached Bahawalpur and struggling to find a hotel first. It became another hardship for us as most of the hotels there were already filled, or just left with uncomfortable rooms. After a long struggle, a room with two beds was found, but it gave us a shock when hotel manager demanded three times price for it. Zain shouted that we had to spend few hours there, but that greedy person refused to give us even one thousand rupee discount. Now we were feeling the actual royal life style of the Bahawalpur Nawabs and we were feeling ourselves as Nawabs of Bahawalpur. Our Mehran was moving here and there in the search of room that fit within our budget. Finally we got a room after exploring the bazaar near Ahmadpuri Gate. It was not a hotel, just a row of rooms over a market. Instead of that, we were lucky to get one of them as remaining were already captured by the trader coming from other cities to exchange their goods.

Bazaar was settled in the morning, room was filled with the noise of vehicles and hawkers outside. We made us ready to observe the richness of the history of Bahawalpur State from the British era to the merger of it into Pakistan in 1955. From Ahmadpuri Gate, we set us to reach at Bahawalpur Museum and Central Library on Railway Circular Road. Bahawalpur Museum gives a detail review of the complete history of Bahawalpur State from Nawab Muhammad Bahawal Khan II (1802) to Nawab Sadiq, who ended the Bahawalpur State by merging it in Pakistan in 1955. It also has a complete collection of coins, postal tickets, paintings, and other historical items. Its building is newly constructed in traditional Bahawalpur style. Central Library is adjacent with museum building and has splendid collection of books on various topics. It was the second biggest library in Pakistan. It shows the huge interest of education in the Bahawalpur State by the Nawabs. The Nawabs of Bahawalpur have also invested lot of money in the construction of schools and colleges in Bahawalpur. The first steam engine in the sub-continent and the one of the vehicle used by the Bahawalpur Nawabs are also displayed outside the Central Library.

City was famous for the Mahals used by the Nawabs before the end of Bahawalpur State. In which Darbar Mahal and Noor Mahal are famous. So we had decided to visit Darbar Mahal first, but it really disappointed us when the army guards refused to allow us to visit it. Actually, Pakistan Army got control of all of the buildings and mahals of the Bahawalpur State. Most of the property of the Nawabs got under the control of Government of Pakistan. We insisted lot of times to allow us to visit the Mahal, but they had not allowed us without the permission from the Army Headquarter. Due to shortage of time, we had decided to leave it and moved toward Noor Mahal that was the only building available for public to visit.

Noor Mahal is a beautiful palace that was constructed by the Nawab of Bahawalpur for his wife in the British era in 1872. It is available for public but not free of cost, one hundred rupee ticket was required to visit. Red and brown marble palace with white domes is located in the center of a vast grassy plain. It is preserved to represent the real life inside the palace during the Bahawalpur State. It has central chamber for the Nawab and surrounding galleries and rooms for the attenders and visitors. Basement of the building is converted into a museum to provide the royal family collection of garments, jewelry, arms, etc. Outside the mahal, few of the luxury vehicles of royal family are displayed in the premises.

We had overloaded with huge history of Bahawalpur, so decided to relax with some nature explore. For this purpose, we had visited Lal Suhanra National Park that is the largest Park of Pakistan covering an area of 162 thousand acres. It is protected area for number of precious animals and birds such as Chinkara, Blackbuck, Blue bull, pheasants, quills, etc. It is a great place to explore the wildlife as well as relax for a one day picnic for family. Now it was almost end of the first day in Bahawalpur, and our next destination was the Ahmedpur East to explore desert beauty of Bahawalpur.

Ahmedpur East is a small town in the Bahawalpur, but it has its importance as a gateway to the Cholistan Desert and the Derawar Fort. A small narrow road was leading toward the Derawar Fort in the Cholistan Desert. Reddish yellow sand dunes along the both sides of road represent the real sensation of enjoyment in the Cholistan Desert. With the development of water supply project in the Cholistan Desert, most of the dusty desert parts become lush-green fields. As moved forward the vastness and barrenness of the Cholistan becomes more wider and wider. Dusty wind moved the sand from here to there. The traces of the Cholistan Desert Safari Jeep Rally was shown there, that was just performed few days before our visit there. A great view of the Derawar Fort was in front of us that shows the greatness of the Bahawalpur State and its control over the area before the British regime.

A huge yellowish building in front of us was the Derawar Fort, that still stands in front of the pitiless dusty storms of the Cholistan Desert. We were feeling us very small as moving from its front gate and getting its splendid inner view. It was a type of Army fort to protect the State of Bahawalpur from the outside attacks. There were lot of buildings inside the front like place for weapon storage, jail area, visitors rooms, residential area for rulers, etc. Inside buildings are in measurable state, most parts of fort were decaying day by day and becoming a pile of bricks and stones. Riding the camels was liking to indulge us in the history when moving caravans in the Cholistan Desert toward the Derawar Fort. Outside the Derawar Fort, there is small mosque constructed with white marbles. It has prayer chamber with three small domes. It is beautiful and peaceful mosque in vastness of sand dunes of the Cholistan Desert. We had performed prayer there to thanks Allah to give us chance to prayer in the deep silence of the Cholistan Desert.

In the vastness of the Cholistan Desert, there is a Royal Graveyard. It is private graveyard of the Nawabs, where number of royal family nawabs as well as their wife are buries. There are separated tombs for each of wife of rulers, whereas one main chamber has all of the graves of male rulers or nawabs. We had to also pay gift money to the guard to open the doors of the Royal Graveyard.

Coming back from the sand storms of desert, We had visited the Sadiq Garh Palace, one of the palace that is still property of the Nawabs, but not for residential use. We had to pay a gift money to serving persons to visit it. It is in real but not in good condition, but one can explore the real royal life style of the Nawabs of Bahawalpur State. It has a central Darbar hall with royal throne and sitting areas of others ministers as well as visitors. There are lifts to visit basement and upper floors, but not in use. There are number of rooms for residential purposes such as bed rooms, guest rooms, and bath rooms. Outside the mahal, we had also observed the Royce vehicle that was used to collect garbage in Bahawalpur city during the times of Bahawalpur State. There is also a powerhouse that was used to provide electricity to mahal and nearby area. All of these showed the developments and richness of the Bahawalpur State during the British era, but unfortunately all of these development and richness are for the Nawabs and his family, not for common man. The people of the Bahawalpur State are still showing their great loyalty to the ruling family and have great respect for them without enjoying the life style enjoyed by the ruling family of the Bahawalpur State.

We are still in imagination of the royal status of the Bahawalpur Nawabs, when Bilal announced a party for all of us. He gave us this delicious party as he became father of a new baby one month before. All the tiredness of the desert safari had gone after taking the delicious chicken karahi and sweet dish. Then we had taken a hot tea with brown sugar and cardamom flavor, that made us ready for the last part of our tour and that was the Uch Shari.

Uch Sharif, a place of peace, was our last point of visit. There was an undefined passage to access the Uch Sharif Monuments from the back side, but luckily after second try, we had found the passage to access it. There is a darbar outside the graveyard, from there few narrow streets in a residential area led to access graveyard. In mid of the passage, there is a small holy place to observe a stone with sign of engraved foot of Hazrat Ali, the forth Caliph of Muslims, as claimed by locals. The graveyard is elevated on the raised land, where one can get a broader view of the city. The ideal time to visit is the before sunset, when one can get a clear view of sunset. There are three broken but decorated and splendid tombs inside the graveyard. Graveyard was the sleeping place of number of great rulers and saints of that area. That holy place shows the real spiritual sensation and a great lesson for mankind, that every power is with Allah and nothing can be stand in-front of Him. He remains forever and all of the creatures have to taste the flavor of death.

Once again, our Mehran was running over the motorways, get backing to our homes. There was peaceful silence inside the car with wonderful memories of greatness of the Bahawalpur State of exploring its history, moving inside the Desert of Cholistan, and peacefulness in the Uch Sharif graveyard.