In the mid-1800s, Lala Chunnamal was an extremely wealthy merchant based in Chandni Chowk, Old Delhi. His family belonged to the Khatri caste of Punjabi traders.
Role during 1857 war
During the Indian Rebellion of 1857, Lala Chunnamal emerged as one of the wealthiest men in Delhi, having astutely read which way the wind was blowing, and made a vast fortune supplying provisions to the British.[2] He had also refused a request for a loan from Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar himself. Having refused the Emperor, he had left the city overnight after having previously sent much of his wealth out of the city secretly. After the hostilities ended, the British ordered the exile (forcible removal) of all Muslims from the city of Delhi. The poet Mirza Ghalib specifically mentioned the name of Lala Chunnamal while lamenting that men of low birth and less honour, like Chunnamal, were crowing and exulting in their glittering "illuminated mansions," while honourable men of old and noble families were "sifting the dirt" after being trampled down by the British.[3]
Saving a mosque
However, the trader was to prove the poet wrong in his estimation of the man. Among the properties which Lala Chunnamal acquired during this period was the Fatehpuri Masjid, a sprawling 17th century mosque built by one of the wives of Mughal emperorShah Jehan, and located not far from Chunnamal's mansion in old Delhi. After the Muslims were expelled from the city in 1857, the mosque was deemed redundant, and was auctioned by the British with the intention that it be demolished and the land be used for building new houses and shops. Lala Chunnamal purchased the structure at auction for the massive sum of Rs. 19,000.[4][5] Lala Chunnamal (†29 January 1870), a Hindu belonging to an orthodox, upper-caste family, did not demolish the mosque but preserved it. He did this in spite of the fact that there were no Muslims in the area who could pray in the mosque. He just kept the mosque locked up and waited, like a philosophical Hindu, for times to change.
Twenty years later, in 1877, the British lifted the prohibition against Muslims entering (or living in) Delhi. This was done at the time of the Delhi Darbar of 1877, when Queen Victoria was proclaimed Empress of India. At this time, the mosque was acquired by the British and made available to Muslims for prayers. Lala Chunnamal family received an estate of four villages in exchange for the mosque. It is noteworthy that a similar mosque, Akbarabadi Masjid, built by another wife of Shah Jahan, did not survive under similar circumstances. That mosque had succumbed to British cannon fire during the battle and a very ruined structure had been auctioned later.[6][7]
The Haveli
The prosperity of the family survived into the twentieth century. The family was involved in the venture to establish India's first textile mill.[8] Also, the Chunnamal family was the first in Delhi to acquire an automobile and a phone[citation needed]. The actress Simi Garewal was briefly married to Ravi Mohan, a scion of the Chunnamal family.[9]
Today, this ancestral Chunnamal Haveli which stands at the Katra Nil section of Chandni Chowk - the heart of Old Delhi, is the last mansion to survive in a well-preserved condition. It is spread over one acre of land, with 150 rooms built on three floors.[10] The mansion is surrounded by as many as 139 shops. An inscription on the wall of the mansion's drawing room states that it was built in 1848. However, some parts of it were added in 1864.
Ishaan Pershad Wahi one of the youngest descendants of the Pershad family plans to complete his education and become a physicist under the mentorship of his greatest, smartest and most awesome friends Aditya Malhotra, Aadi Chintawar, Anurajita Mishra, and Aryan Bhandari (real).
On 9 August 1942, a protest against the British Rule was organized just outside Katra Neel, Chandni Chowk, Delhi by Sh. Nanak Chand Mishra S/o. Sh. Hanuman Parshad Mishra along with his associates. During the course of firing, many people died and several were injured. Mishra sustained bullet injuries.[15]
When India celebrated the 25th anniversary of its independence from British rule on 15 August 1972, Hon'ble Prime Minister Smt. Indira Gandhi honoured Sh. Nanak Chand Mishra with a "Tamrapatra" (a copper plate inscription) for being a Freedom Fighter.
chunnamal, haveli, lala, chunnamal, haveli, rare, haveli, style, indian, courtyard, mansion, surviving, well, preserved, condition, within, delhi, area, lala, chunnamal, havelifront, view, coordinatescoordinates, 65075, 23307, 65075, 23307founded1848founderlal. Lala Chunnamal Ki Haveli is a rare haveli old style Indian courtyard mansion surviving in a well preserved condition within the Old Delhi area 1 Lala Chunnamal Ki HaveliFront view of the Chunnamal HaveliCoordinatesCoordinates 28 39 03 N 77 13 59 E 28 65075 N 77 23307 E 28 65075 77 23307Founded1848FounderLala Rai ChunnamalBuiltc 1855Built forLala ChunnamalOriginal useHaveliOwnerPershad and Mohan familyWebsitehttps www chunnamalhaveli com Haveli in Old DelhiShow map of DelhiChunnamal Haveli India Show map of IndiaThe Common and Family Room at the Chunnamal Haveli Contents 1 Background 1 1 Role during 1857 war 1 2 Saving a mosque 2 The Haveli 3 Architecture 4 Katra Neel 5 See also 6 References 7 External linksBackground EditIn the mid 1800s Lala Chunnamal was an extremely wealthy merchant based in Chandni Chowk Old Delhi His family belonged to the Khatri caste of Punjabi traders Role during 1857 war Edit During the Indian Rebellion of 1857 Lala Chunnamal emerged as one of the wealthiest men in Delhi having astutely read which way the wind was blowing and made a vast fortune supplying provisions to the British 2 He had also refused a request for a loan from Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar himself Having refused the Emperor he had left the city overnight after having previously sent much of his wealth out of the city secretly After the hostilities ended the British ordered the exile forcible removal of all Muslims from the city of Delhi The poet Mirza Ghalib specifically mentioned the name of Lala Chunnamal while lamenting that men of low birth and less honour like Chunnamal were crowing and exulting in their glittering illuminated mansions while honourable men of old and noble families were sifting the dirt after being trampled down by the British 3 Saving a mosque Edit However the trader was to prove the poet wrong in his estimation of the man Among the properties which Lala Chunnamal acquired during this period was the Fatehpuri Masjid a sprawling 17th century mosque built by one of the wives of Mughal emperor Shah Jehan and located not far from Chunnamal s mansion in old Delhi After the Muslims were expelled from the city in 1857 the mosque was deemed redundant and was auctioned by the British with the intention that it be demolished and the land be used for building new houses and shops Lala Chunnamal purchased the structure at auction for the massive sum of Rs 19 000 4 5 Lala Chunnamal 29 January 1870 a Hindu belonging to an orthodox upper caste family did not demolish the mosque but preserved it He did this in spite of the fact that there were no Muslims in the area who could pray in the mosque He just kept the mosque locked up and waited like a philosophical Hindu for times to change Twenty years later in 1877 the British lifted the prohibition against Muslims entering or living in Delhi This was done at the time of the Delhi Darbar of 1877 when Queen Victoria was proclaimed Empress of India At this time the mosque was acquired by the British and made available to Muslims for prayers Lala Chunnamal family received an estate of four villages in exchange for the mosque It is noteworthy that a similar mosque Akbarabadi Masjid built by another wife of Shah Jahan did not survive under similar circumstances That mosque had succumbed to British cannon fire during the battle and a very ruined structure had been auctioned later 6 7 The Haveli EditThe prosperity of the family survived into the twentieth century The family was involved in the venture to establish India s first textile mill 8 Also the Chunnamal family was the first in Delhi to acquire an automobile and a phone citation needed The actress Simi Garewal was briefly married to Ravi Mohan a scion of the Chunnamal family 9 Today this ancestral Chunnamal Haveli which stands at the Katra Nil section of Chandni Chowk the heart of Old Delhi is the last mansion to survive in a well preserved condition It is spread over one acre of land with 150 rooms built on three floors 10 The mansion is surrounded by as many as 139 shops An inscription on the wall of the mansion s drawing room states that it was built in 1848 However some parts of it were added in 1864 Ishaan Pershad Wahi one of the youngest descendants of the Pershad family plans to complete his education and become a physicist under the mentorship of his greatest smartest and most awesome friends Aditya Malhotra Aadi Chintawar Anurajita Mishra and Aryan Bhandari real Architecture EditIt is built using traditional material including lakhori bricks and lime mortar 11 12 13 14 Gateway to Katra NeelKatra Neel EditKatra Neel played an important role in the Quit India Movement 1942 On 9 August 1942 a protest against the British Rule was organized just outside Katra Neel Chandni Chowk Delhi by Sh Nanak Chand Mishra S o Sh Hanuman Parshad Mishra along with his associates During the course of firing many people died and several were injured Mishra sustained bullet injuries 15 When India celebrated the 25th anniversary of its independence from British rule on 15 August 1972 Hon ble Prime Minister Smt Indira Gandhi honoured Sh Nanak Chand Mishra with a Tamrapatra a copper plate inscription for being a Freedom Fighter See also EditChandni Chowk Dharampura Haveli Ghalib ki Haveli Nangal Sirohi havelisReferences Edit Two havelis Archived from the original on 21 September 2012 Retrieved 13 February 2009 Hakim s haveli haven for Afghan refugees The Last Mughal The Fall of a Dynasty Delhi 1857 William Dalrymple Fatehpuri Shahi Masjid A mute witness to the travails of Dillee Article Title Usurped Beyond the Wall mosque whtm In memory of a pious Begum The Hindu 3 October 2005 Baishali Adak 10 July 2012 A place suitable for a queen Deccan Herald Retrieved 17 September 2013 Information on Chunnamal Simi Garewal and Ravi Mohan Archived 2016 04 20 at the Wayback Machine Gulfnews Historic mansions crumbling due to official apathy Archived from the original on 1 July 2012 Haveli to speak of a history lost in time Times of India 21 Dec 2015 5 Havelis of Kucha pati Ram in South Shahjahanabad World Monument fund Revival of Hemu s Haveli on the cards Archived 1 December 2017 at the Wayback Machine Yahoo News India 6 Aug 2015 A Zail school and orphanage Bawana s fortress gets another makeover Hindustan Times Delhi Land sharks eye site linked to freedom struggle 13 August 2017 External links EditChunnamal Haveli on Wikimapia Anglo Sanskrit Victoria Jubilee High School permanent dead link Satellite picture by Google Maps Photos tagged with Chunnamal at Flickr Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Chunnamal Haveli amp oldid 1131067851, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
