The Haveli of Diwan Dina Nath

Another one of those relics lost to the sands of time

Passing through the Phoolon Wali Gali, near Wazir Khan Mosque inside the Walled City of Lahore, I saw a plaque stating the history of Haveli Dina Nath. It was an interesting fact sheet saying, “The Haveli is named after a Hindu Raja, Dina Nath, who was a courtier during Ranjit Singh’s reign. The total area of the Haveli is 47 Marla with nineteen rooms and two basements including verandas and an open space backyard. An underground tunnel and basements also exist in the Haveli.” The charm of basements and tunnels led me to look into the Haveli, if allowed by the residents.

Going ahead through a narrow pitch dark staircase, I knocked at an antique carved wooden door of the Haveli. The growling of the dog inside the haveli cautioned the residents about a new comer. An old lady around 55 opened the door and at once asked me if I wanted to visit the Haveli. The haveli was probably a declared tourist site and the residents were accustomed to entertain visitors. This was a new thing for me in present state of security, but such hospitality and confidence can only be seen inside the Walled City. The lady, Mrs Khawar, was living in the haveli since long, according to her, after partition Haveli Dina Nath was transferred to her father in law, Khursheed Sahib. At that time five families were residing in this Haveli but three of them had moved out to other parts of Lahore some years ago.

The Haveli was mesmerising for me being a masterpiece of architecture. The yellow painted structure with a huge platform and basins of fountain was typical Sikh architecture with arches, balconies carvings, fresco work, worship places and the secret staircase to mezzanine floors

The Haveli was mesmerising for me being a masterpiece of architecture. The yellow painted structure with a huge platform and basins of fountain was typical Sikh architecture with arches, balconies carvings, fresco work, worship places and the secret staircase to mezzanine floors. Sikh architecture, developed almost 300 years ago, is a blend of sophistication, ascetic beauty, and elegant lines, which is reflected strongly in this Haveli.

The resident told me that their ancestors had found many antiques and record books in the lockers and cabinets found in the mezzanine and basements, which were sold or given away by the family. They must be ignorant of the value of those things, I thought.

The lady accompanied me to all the rooms of the Haveli, as half of the family was still asleep celebrating Sunday. I was shocked to see the costly interior and remains of the fresco work on the ceilings of almost every room. A huge drawing room, with mirror work on the ceiling, connected the main hall with small rooms. The lady took me to a room and to my surprise a small opening in the wall led to the mezzanine floor. I asked her if I could see the basements and tunnels. She happily guided me to the basements calling them “sard khana — the cold room”. It was a real cold room; even in the afternoon the temperature was quite cold down there without any fans and windows. The basement walls had small inbuilt arches and a prayer room in one corner. At one side of the basement was a sealed staircase. That was the tunnel I was wondering about; yes, it was there. Noticing my curiosity, the lady told me that it was blocked many years ago by her husband fearing that it might lead to the border.

It was an amazing experience and capturing all the memories in my camera, I thanked the generous lady and left. After the visit, I was inquisitive about Dina Nath, who had the mind to build this stunning Haveli. Through some research I got to know that Raja Dina Nath or Diwan Dina Nath belonged to a Kashmiri Pandit family living in Delhi. In 1815 Maharaja Ranjit Singh had invited Dina Nath to Lahore and offered him the post of mutsaddi, or writer, in the department of military accounts. In 1826, after the demise of Diwan Ganga Ram, one of Ranjit Singh’s courtiers, Dina Nath succeeded him as the head of the military accounts department and keeper of the privy seal and in 1834 he became the head of the civil and finance office. Maharaja Ranjit Singh awarded the honorary title of Diwan to Dina Nath in 1838, which means the custodian of finances.

Raja Dina Nath was one of the signatories to the treaty which was made between the Sikhs and the British after the First Anglo-Sikh War, which was fought between the Sikh empire and the East India Company between 1845 and 1846

Raja Dina Nath was one of the signatories to the treaty which was made between the Sikhs and the British after the First Anglo-Sikh War, which was fought between the Sikh empire and the East India Company between 1845 and 1846. Later, when a council was constituted in December 1846 for the governance of the Punjab, Raja Dina Nath was made its president, with the active support of the British.

He was well and a happily-styled Talleyrand of the Punjab and his life and character bore a strong resemblance to those of the European statesmen. Raja Dina Nath died in 1857 near Kot Khawaja Saeed, at Lahore, Pakistan.

No wonder a man with such competence and reputation was the owner of this Haveli. The Haveli of Dina Nath at present is in dilapidated form as the residents did not maintain it much. This Haveli needs to be conserved and restored immediately before it is further damaged.