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Bahawalpur


Bahawalpur, a mid-sized town in Southern Punjab is 889 kms from Karachi was a large princely state in British India. Today, the region is better known for its colleges, mangoes and date palms. But during the Raj, it was one of the few states whose wealth and size entitled its ruler to a seventeen-gun salute from the Viceroy. Bahawalpur State's unique political system then, and fine architecture today, is the legacy of the 300-year-old dynasty of Abbasi Nawabs. The Abbasis known as Daudpotras or sons of Daud, have been in Sindh for centuries. During the rule of the last Nawab Sir Sadiq Muhammad Khan Abbasi V, Bahawalpur State was merged with Pakistan in 1954. Bahawalpur was formerly the capital of the state and now is the District and Divisional Headquarters of Bahawalpur Division. The last Nawab of Bahawalpur, Amir Sadiq Muhammad Khan V, divided the year between Bahawalpur and Europe. The opulence of the Abbasi Nawabs is beyond description. Suffice to say that apart from the awe-inspiring Noor Mahal (Palace), Sadiq Garb Palace and Fort Derawar, the Nawab had royal residences in Europe, with rugs, gilded mirrors and chandeliers worth millions. He loved London's Savoy Hotel, where each summer he reserved an entire wing for his entourage. It is an important marketing center for the surrounding areas and is located on the cross roads between Peshawar, Lahore, Quetta and Karachi. Saraiki is the local language of the area. Urdu, Punjabi and English are also spoken and understood by most the people. There are three palaces, the main one Noor Mehal. Bahawalpur is also known for its distinctly embroidered slippers and shoes and the filigree pottery, which is made here. It has a marble mosque in the Fawara Chowk and a few British buildings like the Science College. Bahawalpur has a modest museum having a fine collection of coins, medals, postage stamps of former State of Bahawalpur, manuscripts, documents, inscriptions, wood carvings, camel skin paintings, historical models and stone carving etc. of Islamic and pre-Islamic period. Nawabs of bahawalpur Bahawalpur State's unique political system then, and fine architecture today, is the legacy of the 300-year-old dynasty of Abbasi Nawabs. The Abbasis known as Daudpotras or sons of Daud, have been in Sindh for centuries. Successful in battle, and expanding northward, the Abbasis wrested territory from Rajput rulers, in what was then dry hinterland. After taking Derawar, a Rajput stronghold in early 1700's, the Abbasis, like other political clans, established themselves as sovereigns, between the rise of British colonisation and downfall of the Mughal Empire. The early Nawabs constructed canals and "greened" the Thar desert. Migrants, from as far as Afghanistan, flocked to the region, upon hearing of the prosperity engendered by newly constructed waterways. The Abbasi wealth, territory and population grew in size. By the early nineteenth century, outgrowing the confines of Derawar, their fortified desert capital, they designed a completely planned, new capital city and called it Bahawalpur. In 1824, Bahawalpur must have looked stunningly modern, with wide streets, open parks, fine villas and elegant royal residences. In time, the Nawabs, influenced by the British gentry's social etiquette, began imitating their tastes and intellect. Every Abbasi Crown Prince was sent for one month to London during adolescence, to spend it with the Queen Mother, before officially becoming the Nawab. In Paris, another favourite haunt, he owned a residence. A collector extraordinaire, he shopped therefore clothes, furnishings, fine guns, old stamps, books on military history and modern gadgets, including electric fireplaces. What little is left of these antiques is either now on display, faintly preserved, in Bahawalpur's two small museums or sealed off in dust covered, desolate palaces, whose interiors, by court order, are sealed. All the glory gathering dust and slowly disintegrating. The Nawab, an unabashed Anglophile, claimed descent from Arab's ancient Abbasids. Hence the dynastic title "Abbasi" and the veneer of Arab Abbasid culture in state symbols. "Baghdad-ulJadeed" (new Baghdad) was stamped on official correspondence. Linking ancient Baghdad and new Bahawalpur with schools, madrassahs, even a university, all built by the Nawabs, was due to their being very conscious of their supposed links to the intellectual glory of the Abbasids. Even Bahawalpur's famous date trees are said to have been planted with seeds from Iraq. Nawab Sadiq Khan V, also made a point of playing host to Hashemite Royalty. Bahawalpur's most famous visitors include King Hussein of Jordan, King Faisal of Iraq and the Shah of Iran. The state even had its own flag, coins, army and a navy with boats docked at Sutlej and Panjnad. Nawab had a fabulous stamp collection, rivaled only by the Queen of England. Though they keenly appropriated English and Abbasid culture to shore up political alliances, Bahawalpur Kings were also very conscious of their indigenous Siraiki identity. In the Bahawalpur Civil Service Exams, native Siraikis were given preference over outsiders. The Siraikis were easily distinguished by professional examiners by their ability to pronounce typical words, such as "duu-ah", (two) and "dahee" (yogurt). The Nawab was a devoted "mureed" (follower) of the twentieth century's most important Siraiki poet, Sufi, and Pit, Khawaja Ghulam Fareed. He gifted a sizeable landed fortune to his Pit. One could speak to the Nawab either in English or Siraiki. Urdu was not welcome in the palace..