Sunny Dua
There can’t be anything painful than standing witness to crumbling ‘Heritage Homes’ that once were ‘Architectural Marvel’ of City of Temples and also the epicentre of social, political and cultural activities. The building material including bricks, mortar, deodar wood and few steel sections besides the ornamental designs of frescos, terracotta grills, curb stones, arches, wooden battens and galleries blended with locally available material still don the skyline of several localities that house these ‘Heritage Homes’.
For the proud owners, innumerable sweet and sour memories are associated with these homes, many of which are now dying a slow death others loosing sheen and many have been blended with modern day architecture to make the buildings sustain hostile weather conditions. Despite these changes there are few Mansions (Havelies) that still house every single detail of building material, architecture and those designs which are quite similar to the ones used in construction of several individual buildings inside Mubarak Mandi Heritage Complex by the then Maharajas.
Spacious rooms with high ceilings, unusual hat racks, fireplaces, long verandas, specially inbuilt sitting places on terraces, internal courtyards for privacy, coloured window panes, carved wooden pelmets and false ceilings made out of wood still reflect architectural acumen of those artisans who incorporated smallest of details in the constructions. Carved ceilings in many heritage homes are still well maintained and worth a look. Doors that are similar to the ones fitted in Munarak Mandi complex could also be seen fixed in a home in Kachi Chawni.
Another engineering marvel visible in these buildings is that in order to overcome unevenness of the plots thicknesses of walls keep varying at different points with many reaching three to four feet on the other end. These uneven widths of walls give evenness to rooms that also help in maintaining aesthetics and controlled temperature inside the homes. These huge walls are constructed with brick tiles and not bricks. The bonding material is clay and pulses.
Krishna Badyal (73), living alone in a huge ‘Heritage Home’ in Mohalla Narania breaks down into tears while narrating the grandeur of her mansion. Constructed way back in 1932 by her father Pt Labu Ram Badyal (Geologist), daughter Krishna said, ‘this Haveli had fruit trees and multiple flowers in lawn divided by a corridor that led to main entrance hall called ‘Baithak’. Father Badyal was so well respected and politically connected that former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee during his visit to Jammu once stayed in this house”.
Today the house is in shambles, many window panes have been replaced with cardboards, garden is completely ruined, a couple of remaining trees that withstood the weather vagaries are also dying and a couple of tenants who pay a meagre amount helps sustain the owner. Her nephew is in United States (US) who also visits her occasionally but damp eyes of Krishna Badyal say a lot about prosperity and hustle-bustle that once existed within the four walls of this ‘Heritage Home’ which still has remains of artistically moulded bricks in round, square, and other shapes.
Still ironical is that Geeta Ram Sharma who was once brought as a servant from Chowki Chowra in Akhnoor in 1966 by elder Badyal in this house today looks after the aged Krishna Badyal. He works elsewhere for a living, stays in this home but also pays a rent of Rupees 500 to the landlady as a token of respect which also is added to her income. Some help from nephew also pours in that is used to maintain a couple of huge rooms of the building and self sustenance.
Surrounded by concrete structures, this home which was once tallest in the locality today craves for Sun rays that are hardly let in by the surroundings. Presumed to be abandoned and deserted, this mansion to many looks like a haunted house and to others a ruined structure but the fact is that millions of sweet and sour memories are still visible in the eyes of Krishna Devi who sits in her veranda alone for hours to recall and remember good old days spent in the company of her widower father for whose sake she didn’t even marry, looked him after and sacrificed her youth-hood.
Amid fast growing Jammu away from the sight of historians, government, archaeologists and architects there are these Havelis that are taking their last breaths. The hostile attitude of the government and historians, in days to come will not only make Jammu’s architect extinct but there will not be left any traceable signs of such works of artisans that are dying a slow death in these Historic or Heritage Homes. The modern day construction is fast depleting this work which is still visible in some of the houses and can be replicated.
Huge pillars in these homes are all made up of bricks and no steel is used anywhere in the construction. The brickwork on parapets is so well done that it adds to the beauty of house while it gives strength to the parapets. The steel as well as terracotta grills used in parapets and Verandas of first floor are not only specially designed but fitted in most artistic manner as well. There are few more homes in Old Jammu city that for the moment depict our past culture and heritage which very soon are likely to be replaced with new constructions.
Recalling the good old days of Grandfather Rai Bahadur Pandit Anant Ram, his grandson Kartar Nath Dogra who lives with his brother Ashok Dogra in a magnificently done home in Panjtirthi says that that this building was bought from a trader who had built this mansion for the marriage of his son. Having remained Governor of Srinagar at that time, Anant Ram had done his early schooling from Sialkot and then DAV College Lahore only to reach Jammu and live with his cook in a shabby room of old Hospital located at Purani Mandi.
Having served as naib tehsildar, assistant settlement commissioner, Governor and then Finance Minister Anant Ram had purchased this home from Chotu Ram, brother-in-law of Vinayak Ram way back in 1935 and no alterations have been made to the original structure till date. The Vinayak Sarai was also built in the memory of son of Vinayak Ram at Vinayak Bazar, Jewel Chowk which is also in shambles today. Land for the purpose was donated by Maharaja Partap Singh and Vinayak Ram donated Rupees 1.5 lakh for construction purposes.
Other than aesthetic appearance of the building that has been completely done with bricks and stone works, the interior of this Haveli is also a splendid marvel worth having a look at. Huge rooms are fitted with six to ten doors which once opened convert the room into a hall for marriages and other social functions. The two storeys artistically building contains thirteen rooms and all the doors are of pure wood. K N Dogra said the entire brickwork has been done with ‘Choona and Gara’ (Clay and lime) mixed with pulses.
Narrating an anecdote, K N Dogra says once a dentist whose surname was Charak visited him only to recall those days when he had worked as labourer in this under construction house about eighty years ago. He used to get Rupees 2 for a day as wages. These old houses were constructed with the material that was grinded at the site only. In some of the old homes several round slabs of stones are still lying that prove presence of Chakkis (Grinders) used at that time.
All walls of this home now owned by Dogra brothers are individual structures. The front elevation of the home has beautifully constructed arches that are decorated with bricks and stones. Some flower pots and flowers built of clay are also fitted on the front walls that add to the aesthetic appearance of the home. Terracotta Jalis, half brick masonry, flowers on the curb stones and stones fitted as ornaments gives viewers a spectacular image of those days when these buildings were in their full glory.
Manisha Malhotra, a Post Graduate from Delhi University who is married in Jammu and lives in a Heritage Home has blended the interiors with modern day architecture. She has even used the modern day material to give the home a contemporary look. While keeping the thick old walls and wooden batons on the ceiling intact, Manisha artistically has chosen to restore the old windows that run from floor level and right up to the height of a normal person. Beautifully tiled walls have added to the aesthetics and kept the old looks of home alike.
Without harming the wooden batons on the ceiling a couple of rooms too have been joined with a steel Reinforced Cement Concrete (RCC) beam that has added to the majesty of the old structures. This house that once belonged to Baba Boor Singh and whose name the street was also named as Koocha Baba Boor Singh is a two storeyed building which houses a small garden in the front and that provided quite a breathing space to the occupants. Manisha has no plans to redo the entire house and intends to continue to blend the old and new architecture which has been done by laying new floor as well.
Expecting least from the government, Manisha says, ‘our home is located at a stone’s throw away distance from Mubarak Mandi and if that project is completed it will a great contribution to the history and heritage of Jammu. Rest, efforts will be continued to restore ‘Heritage Homes’ that are our treasure, Manisha adds reminding J.M. Barrie quote – You must have been warned against letting the golden hours slip by; but some of them are golden only because we let them slip by.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
