Bedi Mahal

Bedi Mahal (meaning "Bedi house"), also known as Khem Singh Bedi's Haveli, or simply known as Babay Da Mehal (meaning "the old man's palace"^[1]), is a palace situated in Kallar Syedan some 40 kilometres away from Islamabad in Rawalpindi District, Punjab, Pakistan.^[2][3][4]

Bedi Mahal is now mostly used for shooting television advertisements or as a tourist site for Punjabi Sikhs.^[5]

The palace was built by a Sikh spiritual and political leader who was the direct descendant, in the fourteenth place, of Guru Nanak, Baba Khem Singh Bedi^[6] in the later half of the 19th century.^[7] When Khem Singh Bedi's was aged 16 (circa 1848), his family moved to Kallar Syedan.^[1] He earned funds from serving the British in the colonial service and helping them crush the 1857 rebellion and local uprisings, he used the money to open over 50 schools in Rawalpindi district whilst a remainder was used to constructed the Bedi Mahal.^[1]

It is estimated to have been constructed in the 1850s in the Sikh architectural style.^[1] The materials used for its construction consisted of sandstone and burnt clay (lime surkhi).^[1] The intricate wall paintings and carvings were made by masons and artisans from nearby Attock.^[1]

During the haveli's heighday, it also had a small zoo full of exotic creatures.^[1] There was also an orchard and stable.^[1]

During the partition of Punjab, the haveli was used as a safe haven for between 400–5000 Sikhs to protect them from communal violence.^[1]

After the partition of Punjab, it was turned into a school, named Government Boys High School Kallar Syedan.^[8]

La villa, un arquetipo de haveli , abarca cinco niveles: un sótano, planta baja y tres pisos superiores. ^{[ 9 ]} El número total de habitaciones es objeto de controversia, con afirmaciones que varían de 22 a potencialmente más de 40. ^{[ 9 ]} Una afirmación sitúa el número de habitaciones originalmente en 84. ^{[ 1 ]}

Arquitectónicamente, el haveli se divide en dos secciones distintas. ^{[ 9 ]} La izquierda sirve principalmente a fines residenciales con una distribución centralizada alrededor de un patio , mientras que la derecha, probablemente utilizada para eventos sociales y religiosos, contiene un gran salón y varias habitaciones más pequeñas que podrían haber tenido diversas funciones. ^{[ 9 ]}

El interior está repleto de frescos y murales , muchos de ellos en estado de deterioro. ^{[ 9 ]} Entre los más notables se encuentran representaciones del noveno gurú sij, Tegh Bahadur , y el Templo Dorado de Amritsar. ^{[ 9 ]} Sin embargo, los murales del patio se conservan relativamente bien y representan figuras sij, deidades hindúes y ascetas. ^{[ 9 ]}

Construida con muros de mampostería de sillería unidos con mortero de cal y fibra de yute , la estructura del haveli es robusta, a pesar del deterioro de sus componentes de madera, lo que sugiere un potencial para una futura restauración. ^{[ 9 ]}

• Verandas ubicadas en el patio principal del Bedi Mahal con diversos frescos.
• 
• 
• 
• 

• Lista de palacios en Pakistán
• Haveli Sujan Singh

• El palacio perdido
• Fotos