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200-year-old palace Faiz Mahal gets a second life

200-year-old palace Faiz Mahal gets a second life

Khairpur's pink palace, built in 1798, is being revived to its original glory through elaborate renovations
15 Apr, 2018

For someone expecting a glorious frontal view of one of the country’s most beautiful heritage sites, the entrance gate to Faiz Mahal in Khairpur (Mirs), down to the dishevelled array of security personnel, is nondescript. In all its renovated glory, Faiz Mahal comes into view only after you turn a sharp bend on the gravel-shorn road that must have once been adorned by regal vehicles ferrying even more regal human freight.

Today, it stands in forlorn splendour, its current owners probably hard put in reviving the original glory that was lost to years of state apathy, a shortage of funds and the sheer helplessness of the Talpur executives of the estate when it came to tackling such a huge renovation project.

It is only in very recent times that the historic, architectural and heritage values of the building were taken into consideration. As a result, a painstaking renovation process has given Faiz Mahal a second lease of life. The once withering structure, where for a time (to quote Keats from La Belle Dame Sans Merci) ‘no birds sang’ and where the ‘sedge has withered from the lake’, now sings a different tune: majestic grace, albeit with shades of nostalgia.

Standing proud over acres of prime real estate in Khairpur (Mirs), the mighty pink palace with its white trimmings, delicately-shaped balconies resting on cupolas of lily leaves, the sunbeams filtering florescent through the windows and tiers of countless rooms, bring back memories of the early days of the Talpur dynasty.

Having wrested the fiefdom from the Kalhoras for whose defence they had been commissioned, the Talpur foot soldiers had set up their own dynasty in 1783. Thereafter, had begun a reign of peace and prosperity riddled only by occasional familial disputes that resolved in due time. Faiz Mahal was built by Mir Sohrab Khan in 1798 and presently it serves as the home of H.H. Mir Murad Ali Khan Talpur ll and his sons Prince Abbas Raza Talpur and Prince Prince Mehdi Raza Talpur.

An elaborate renovation process has given Faiz Mahal a second lease of life.

Front facing balcony on the top floor.
Front facing balcony on the top floor.

Walking past the 18th century guns mounted on brick pedestals and standing guard over the spread of lawn and entering the palace, one is transported into an era of opulence and art. The ceiling in the main darbar (court) hall is a panorama of intricate hand-painted motifs blending effortlessly, the one into the next and so on.

Down below, the palace caretaker — staying a respectful few steps behind Mir Mehdi Reza who happened to be visiting that day — points to the row of showcases that displayed historical Talpur memorabilia in well-guarded glass cases, being looked down at haughtily by gigantic photographs of Talpur rulers with swords and rapiers hung across their shoulders.

These relics consisted of letters written in long hand, signed treaties, photographs of royal weddings with even more royal connects and some pictures of elegantly-dressed women which seemed to be a tribute to the status of women in days when their visibility would have been a rare feat.

The arched door and carved pillars | Photos by Mansoor Mirani.
The arched door and carved pillars | Photos by Mansoor Mirani.

The caretaker is rueful of how conveniently an almost-welfare state was forcibly merged into the state of Pakistan in 1955 using threat of military invasion in violation of the agreement between Mir Ali Murad and Mohammed Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan.

He is His Master’s Voice, full of loyalty for the fallen Talpur pride as he recounts the systemic ruination of Khairpur Mirs. Mir Mehdi Reza, the ninth chronological ‘ruler’ and an unassuming gentleman, hardly needs to elaborate, except for a nostalgic reference to the family zenan khana (ladies’ quarters), currently the residence of the Deputy Commissioner.

An intricately crafted balcony
An intricately crafted balcony

That Faiz Mahal is an example of architectural excellence, a world apart from today’s stone-washed structures, is undeniable. The strategically-placed veranda arches allow a majestic long-shot view of the estate. The contemporary padded couches make a starkly-jarring contrast against the tiled floor as do the threadbare carpet in the main hall, the glaringly-ornate gold painted Victorian chairs and overhanging ceiling fans and later-day light fixtures.

Also, the furniture in the dining hall is not particularly aesthetic. Somewhere along the conservation process, it might have been overlooked that the Talpur rulers might have sat down cross-legged on the floor to partake of royal feasts.

An antique gun mounted within the compound
An antique gun mounted within the compound

Built on a vast acreage of land as the sovereign’s court, the Mahal is also an abiding page of history and culture that can only be espied in period movies. One can imagine the once mighty Talpur sovereigns hosting banquets in sprawling lawns for visiting dignitaries who would be accorded gun salutes. Today the Mahal is truly larger than life because the lifestyle that was once upon a time its fiefdom, is a dream gone sour. Yes, the birds do sing at Faiz Mahal but they sing a different song.


Originally published in Dawn, EOS, April 15th, 2018.

Comments

Historian Apr 15, 2018 12:10pm
Architect of the Mahal has many resemblance to Hindu Palaces in Rajashthan. Like the arch is having Hindu design and pillars based are on Lutus (Flower shaped). Except few cosmetic design, most of the design is similar to Hindu Maharaja Palaces.
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Aleem Apr 15, 2018 12:26pm
It is a national treasure and government should do what it can to preserve it for our future generations to see. Spend the money on monuments like this rather than jati umra and on personal residences of current rulers.
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kk Apr 15, 2018 01:43pm
Typical rajastjani architecture. This area was ruled by rajputs and their domain spread across punjab sind rajasthan uttar oradesh madhyapradesh and gijarat.
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Shah Apr 15, 2018 01:55pm
MashAllah! What a beauty.
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candasuck Apr 15, 2018 02:53pm
@Aleem I don’t why people make goverment responsible for everything. People who interested in preserving this history should pay from there pockets. And than make it presentable to other people and charge some fees. .
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FrEdy Apr 15, 2018 04:08pm
What a monument !!!
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Abdus Salam Apr 15, 2018 07:29pm
Splendid.... Really awesome. Where is Khairpur & exact location of this Palace...???
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Onlooker Apr 15, 2018 09:16pm
@Historian . Absolutely. Pak Archeological Dept may plz coordinate with ASI )Archeological Survey of India)having done thousands of such projects. Besides our looq virsa and history is converged.
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N abidi Apr 15, 2018 09:25pm
This is great,that historical places are being saved! This is done ,all over the world. They should formed a committee that maintain this palace,and have tours,and events there to get denotations for future maintance. They should have security to protect the place! This will be a great assests for local economy,it will bring tourtists!
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M. Saeed Apr 15, 2018 10:29pm
Immediately after partition, it served for sometime as the State Guest House of the Pakistan Government. Then, it had acres of rose gardens in the front with separate plots in long rows of different colored roses, resembling the fields of Tulips in Holland.
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avtar Apr 16, 2018 02:20am
Very nice. These kind of investments can bring a lot of tourist dollars. Pakistan has some good historical sites which it has so far failed to capitalize (either because they are non-Muslim or a low priority). I read recently that Taj Mahal gets close to 12,000 visitors a day. The majority of visitors are locals.
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Babar Apr 16, 2018 02:49am
Would be nice if the writer had the courtesy to acknowledge who did the restoration: who was the restorer? Who provided the funding? Who owns the building now and who will look after and manage it in the future?
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Speak_Truth Apr 16, 2018 06:54am
What a beautiful picture at the top. And what beautiful, dreamy architecture !
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ahamed Apr 17, 2018 06:36pm
@candasuck What nonsense. This should be preserved and looked after by govt. who should charge fees. It has a historic value.
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