Review: Noor Mahal (Palace) Bahwalpur

Bahawalpur was a princely state belonging to Rajputana, Rajhastan before the creation of Pakistan. The Abbasis founded Bahawalpur in 1748 after they moved to Sindh from Baghdad. Nawab Mohammad Bahawal Khan II founded the princely state of Bahwalpur in 1802. Sadiq Muhammad Khan Abbasi V decided to merge with Pakistan on 7 October, 1947 and it became a part of Punjab. Bawahalpur was one of the richest states; the Nawab of Bahwalpur contributed a lot towards Pakistan in its initial stages. He paid the salaries of government officials and armed forces for the first year of Pakistan’s creation.  He also provided with the amount of money that the state bank required starting Pakistan’s own currency.

Bahawalpur is known for its rich heritage and magnificent palaces. Noor Mahal is one of them. Noor Mahal was built in 1872 by Nawab Sadiq Muhammad Khan VI. The locals say that the Nawab built this palace for his wife who belonged to the royal family and was Queen Elizabeth’s cousin and she only stayed in the palace for one night, because when she woke up in the morning and went to the rooftop she saw an adjoining graveyard near the palace and refused to stay at the palace due to bad omen.

The Italian style palace was designed by Mr. Hennan an Englishmen who was the state engineer of Bahawalpur at that time. Most of the material used in the construction was imported from England and Italy even at that time. There is so cement used in the structure. From its design it gives a feel of old British and Italian palaces. The palace is under the Army now since they purchased it after a rivalry of the inheritors and it serves as the Bahawalpur Garrison Mess. It is open to general public, but an army guide has to follow them around. Civilians can be members of the club and enjoy scrumptious meals. 

The Palace has huge lush green lawns on the side and in front, which are now used to play occasional polo and weddings. The front lawn is round shaped that have a bench where you can sit and have the full view of the Palace. In the day time when the sun falls on it, it seems as if you are standing somewhere in the old Britain and at night when the palace is fully lit, it looks splendor. It is architect’s favorite place to observe and normal people can simply enjoy its beauty.

It covers an area of 44,600 square feet whereas 32 rooms, 6 verandas and 5 domes. The entrance has a huge old-styled car porch that leads to the Palace’s main entrance through six to seven old steps. The front door is tall and has mirrors on it, the mirrors have Bahwalpur State’s stamp engraved on them. The pelicans are seen on all the stamps since pelicans were the birds which were most commonly found, it is ironic that they are rare specie now and Bahawalpur is only left with three of them.

The entrance has a huge mirror on its right; to the left it has a shelf that contains old stamps, coins and souvenirs of the state of Bahawalpur. Then there is an old Piano which was imported from Germany, which is still functioning. On the side walls there are different photographs of the Nawabs who have ruled the state of Bahawalpur at different times. Further inside there is a colossal hallway, which was used as the Nawab’s Darbar in old times where he used to interact with the common people of the state and used to solve their issues. The Hall has a ceiling which was painted from colors extracted from flower petals and it has not been re-touched till today. On the right and left of the hall there are huge pillars that make a passage to different doors which are now used for different purposes such as dining in.

There is a snooker room to the left side of the Palace that has a snooker table gifted by Quaid-e-Azam and the room also has his picture hanging on one of the walls playing snooker with a cigar clenched in his lips. There is a wooden stool to sit which was used by the audiences in the old times. There are a few snooker sticks and a set of balls still preserved as well.

The entire palace has paintings of the different Nawabs and also paintings by different artists portraying Bahwalpur and its surroundings such as Cholistan Desert. There are two wooden staircases on the right and the left that take you upstairs. The upper portion of the palace has two rooms that are open to the general public. These rooms have their walls filled with different black and white photographs in black frames. The photographs show the lifestyle of the Nawabs, delegation dinners, Darbar pictures, Pictures of the Nawabs with famour personalities. There is also a Bahawalpur state flag now framed and hanged in the same room.

There are two passages on the left and the right of the upper portion that have beautiful arches. The rooms open in to different terraces from where you can have a view of the Bahawalpur city. The palace also has a running restaurant, in summers they set up in the lawn adjacent to the palace and serve BBQ and other dishes whereas in the winters they move inside the palace and serve in the dining halls.

Noor Mahal is a must to visit; it is drenched in history and culture. The best time season to visit the palace is winters since it is very hot in the summers. School and college going students should must visit the palace and learn about their country’s heritage and culture. Visiting Noor Mahal open doors for many travelers who also end up visiting the Cholistan desert and the rest of the palaces found in Bahawalpur.