Bahawalpur

 Bahawalpur 

It was an uneventful jouney out of Multan. At the edge of the Multan police district, we were met by another escort and they changed places. Whenever we crossed a police boundary, we got a new escort. Finally we made it to Bahawalpur. We threaded our way through the city to the Bahawalpur Museum, housed in a modern looking single story structure.                         

                                        

Outside in the courtyard was a locomotive built in 1902.

                                        

Bahawalpur is the name of the city and of the state. When the British controlled India, they didn't control all of it. Bahawalpur was an independent princely state among a number of other princely states that were not part of the empire. At partition and independence of Pakistan and india in 1947, they remained independent. The nawab of Bahawalpur only allowed his state to became part of Pakistan in 1955.

At the start of the collection was a Ford Woody Wagon, used by the nawab.

Another vehicle was an AC car, a post war British manufactured vehicle and one I hadn't seen before. With the wheels covered by the body work, it is sufficiently distinctive that I am sure that I would have rememberd it. The number plate was partially personalised. It had gold lettering on a red background, the national colours. The letters on the number plate were BWP for Bahawalpur but the number had no significance.

There was a model of the Noor Mahal with an interesting story attached to it but since that waa the next item on the schedule, the story will have to wait. 

There was a lot to see in the museum. It is easy to be overwhelmed in a museum but I had an advantage. I had already seen examples of some of the themes on show. I had visited Taxila, Rohtas Fort and the main Harappan civilisation museum. I had visited the blue pottery factory so already knew some of its history.The Ethnograhic Museum in Islamabad had expanded my knowledge of the different cultures within the region so that was easy to take in my stride. I had been introduced to artistic intrepretations of the Koran at theFakir Khana private museum in Lahore so the collection here was an expansion of existing knowledge. I had seen textiles but the exhibition here was soecifically Bahawalpurian biased, although the state is part of the larger Choristan area and there are similarities.

A horsedrawn carriage for use by the women of the royal court, gifted by Queen Victoria.

There was an extensive array of weapons from the 18th century onwards. Bahawalpur was a rich state. It lay on several trades routes. It had an agricultural surplus to trade with neighbouring areas It had an efficient government administration and tax collection system. Many of the weapns had gold decorations and the uniforms were elaborate rather then just functional.

Next door is the library, housed in a magnificent ornately decorated building. It is built of red brick and carved white stone.  It has suffered over the years from insufficient maintenance. It is currently undergoing extensive renovation.

We walked through the portico of the entrance. It was as if it was on show with a before and after view. One side was freshly painted red brick with white washed columns and some of the intricate brick work picked out in white. The other side was a dull ochre colour and what should have been white stone was just grey.

A detail of one of the towers and some of the stone carving along the roof but yet to be renovated. After restoration, this will be a fabulous building in gaze upon in amazement.

The library boosts more than 100,000 books. They had been removed whilst the renovation work was being completed. They were being stored in a modern building next door. I expected a carefully temperature and humidity controlled environment on shelves within a warehouse with a detailed inventory and index system. The books had been tied together in bundles and stacked on the floor. Like I said earlier, This Is Pakistan.  

Whilst we had been in the museum, we had had another change in our escort. We had been escorted by 4x4 into the city. Now only two of our escort remained and they had changed from the 4x4 to a large and powerful motorbike. It was easier for them to get through traffic, but we would still be in a car.

En route to our next stop, we passed the Victoria Hospital, a large late 19th century built hospital. Although it was an autocratic state, the nawab looked after his citizens. He was a great benefactor to both medical care and education. The hospital has since been expanded and is still operational today.

We parked at the Noor Mahal, the real palace that we had seen a model of in the museum. It is a large and beautiful building of red brick and white stone. It was desinged by Mr Heenan who had also designed the library. He was a European but he used traditional decoration in his design. It was constructed 1872 - 1875. It was built by the nawab for his wife, Noor. When it was finished , she visited it but said that she could see the cemetery and refused to move in. So it was never occupied by the royal family.

When Bahawalpur became part of Pakistan, the army commandeered it. It is now used as an army guest house. When it is not being used by the army, it is open to the public. We walked through the entrance to the grounds and took a large arc through the dardens to reach the palace itself. It the grounds is a building that resembles a boat, totally out of character with the main building. 

Also in the grounds are three vehicles used by the nawab. The first is a 19th century horse drawn carriage. The other two vehicles were used by the nawab when he made his haj to Mecca in 1935. One is a horse drawn caravan complete with all facilities that an occupant might need. The other is a large motorised vehicle for the nawab's use again fitted out with toilets and kitchens.

Then we arrived at the entrance to the palace itself. No photos are allowed even in the grounds. I smuggled my camera in and took this shot from behind a bush out of sight.

After the palace we stoped for lunch. Today's menu included quail. I hadn't had quail before and was unfamiliar with its anatomy. It was covered with a delicious sauce but never having had quail before, trying to separate meat from bone was a struggle. It is only a small bird with not much meat and to my mind, it was more bother than it was worth

We entred the old city via the Ahmadpuri Gate for a walk through the bazaar to reach the main moqsue.

We walked along the main street of the bazaar. Now it became obvious why the escort were on a motorbike. They could follow us through the narrow streetd. Previously, our escort had to get out of the 4x4 and walk with us. On a motorbike, they could bothe follow us wherever we went.  

There were animals in cages,a pet shop. There were fluffy cats with long hair, suffering in the heat.                                                         

Ther was a man with a mobile stall selling something black, the size of an almond that I didn't recognise. I had to ask. My guide didn't know. Our escort named it but didn't know any more about it. The internet helped out. It was a water caltrop, locally called a singhara, said to be a male aphrodesiac but I am sure claims like that are made about many items to enhance sales. It is something like a water chestnut. They can be eaten raw or cooked. The seller peeled one and I had a sample. Inside it is white and has a crunchy consistency but only a subtle taste. It is heartshaped and not to be confused with a Chinese waterchestnut but it is similar.

Then we reached the mosque. This is the largest mosque in the city but only built in 1935, the same year that the nawab made his haj to Mecca. Prior to its completion, the locals didn't have a main mosque but worshipped in their local mosque. The mosque is surrounded by shops, rented out to traders to provide an income for maintenance for the mosque. Through a gap between two shops is a courtyard and the entrance to the mosque.

Inside is a large marble square for the worshippers

A detail of the main entrance.

Inside the mosque...

...the mihrab.

There are several palaces and forts in the area and so many, a visitor could spend a week here seeing nothing else other than mosques and forts and palaces. There were some palaces nearby but two are occupied by the army. They are sometimes open to the public but not on a schedule. Careful advanced palanning is required by someone with the right connections. Our police escort tried to negotiate entry to two palaces but were unsuccessful.

A close up of some negotiations.

Instead they took us to one that wasn't occupied by the army. It was easy to see why this one hadn't been commandeered by the army. It had been built in 1876 but there was a dispute regarding ownership and without clear title, no one had spent money on maintenance. It was falling apart without a roof, cracks in the walls and bricked up doors and windows on the ground floor.

Instead we went to see a wedding. There was a wedding hall nearby and we could hear the music and fireworks so we went to investigate.

There was a band playing, perhaps 20 members strong marching slowly along the road.

A view of some of the members of the band.

The groom arrived with more fireworks being let off.

And money being thrown to the crowds. It is a custom. I asked how much the notes were worth. Ten rupiah each. That is forty notres to the pound sterling. There was a clammer to get a note, but if you are poor, just a couple of pence might seem like a windfall.