Heera Mandi

For the Indian TV series, see Heeramandi.

Heera Mandi (Urdu and Punjabi: ہیرا منڈی, lit. 'Diamond Market'), is a neighbourhood and bazaar located in the Walled City of Lahore. It is specifically known as the red light district of Lahore, Pakistan.^[1][2]

Heera Mandi ہیرا منڈی
Neighbourhood
Heera Mandi ہیرا منڈی
Coordinates: 31°35′10″N 74°18′35″E / 31.586167101203753°N 74.30980680775039°E / 31.586167101203753; 74.30980680775039
Country	Pakistan
Province	Punjab
City	Lahore
Administrative town	Ravi
Union council	30 (Taxali Gate)
Government

It is believed to have been originally named 'Hira Singh Di Mandi', meaning Hira Singh's food grain market. Later, this transformed to the modern name Heera Mandi.

It is located inside the Walled City of Lahore, near the Taxali Gate,^[3] and south of the Badshahi Mosque.^[4]Heeramandi was a song and dance community based on the tawaif culture during the Mughal period. After, British colonisation, Heeramandi gradually turned into a red light district, mainly for prostitution.^[5]

Etymology

Hira Singh Dogra, a prime minister of the Sikh Empire, thought that Shahi Mohallais in the heart of the city, it may be used as an economic hub, similar to abazaar, in addition to housing tawaifs. He established a food grains market in the neighborhood which first became familiar as ‘Hira Singh di Mandi’ (Hira Singh’s market).Heera means diamond in Urdu and is thought to describe the dancing girls of the area. But in fact,the area's name is traditionally ascribed to Heera Singh, son of Dhian Singh Dogra. Dhian Singh was the Prime Minister during Maharaja Ranjit Singh's reign.^[6]

Historical background

An area south of the Lahore Fort was developed as a residential neighbourhood for attendants and servants of the royal court and the Emperor. Since it was close to the fort, it was referred to as “Shahi Mohalla” or “Royal Neighbourhood”. The area became home to tawaifs, who were professional entertainers associated with the royal court.^[7] The market was originally the centre of the city's tawaif (courtesan) culture for the Lahore's Mughal era elite during the 15th and 16th centuries.^[4]Originally established by the Mughals, the women were mainly procured from North India to perform classical Indian dances such as Kathak to entertain Mughals.^[8] The name "Heera Mandi" was chosen in honor of Heera Singh, an officer who resided in that area.^[9]

During the Mughal period, tawaifs of Heeramandi were trained in Indian classical music, Kathak and mujra dance, as well as poetry and etiquette. These tawaif have art teachers or Ustad to guide them in their skills. They like to practice music and dance on the balcony of the kotha. These tawaif entertain guests with exquisite art in kotha and provide performing arts to their guests. Some of tawaifs also entered the palace to perform for the Mughal royal family. The nobles would send their son to tawaif house to learn etiquette and the ways of the world. Maharaja Ranjit Singh reinstated various Mughal royal rituals in Lahore, including the culture of tawaif sand their court performances, the tawaifs continued to receive royal patronage from the court.^[10][11]

British colonial rule solidified Heera Mandi's reputation as a hub for prostitution. Within the market, women and khwajasara (transgenders) offered traditional and classical dances. From the British colonial period till the past few years, it remained a centre of prostitution in Lahore.^[12] Many Hijras, members of Pakistan's transgender community, frequent the area and are involved in the area's dance culture.

After the British colonization, although more brothels and prostitutes were operating in heeramandi, there were still tawaif performing activities in the area, heeramandi retained its reputation as a centre of the performing arts. Tawaif's patrons were no longer emperors and nobles but wealthy men from the city, Heeramandi earned its nickname “Bazaar-e-Husn”(Market of Beauty).^[13]After the partition, young and attractive tawaifs from Heera Mandi became the first choice of Pakistan filmmakers. Girls from the heeramandi joined the Lollywood industry and gained much fame and wealth.Some of the most skilled tawaifs performed as backup dancers in early Pakistan films.^[14] In heeramandi and surrounding areas, there were many dance classrooms and music classrooms, which were closed as the tawaifs and musicians left. Later, many prostitutes came to Heeramandi to engage in prostitution.^[15][16]

Prostitution

The brothel houses were further developed by the British in old Anarkali Bazaar for the recreation of the British soldiers during the British Raj. After that these were shifted to Lohari Gate and then to Taxali Gate.^[3]

The place is also considered as a symbol for the city of Lahore during the Mughal period.Over time,during the day, Heera Mandi is much like any other Pakistani bazaar and is known for its good food, wide range of Khussa (traditional Mughal footwear), and shops for musical instruments and dance. At night, the brothels above the shops open. Sometimes the words 'Heera Mandi' themselves are considered to be offensive informal talks.^[17]

Crackdown on Prostitution

During Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq's reign, an operation was conducted against music and dance houses, which were alleged to be dens of prostitution. The operation served to spread the practice throughout the city.^[3] After prostitution was outlawed in Heeramandi, much of the area was converted into food streets, restaurants and shops. In recent times, there are prostitutes in the area who are selling sex secretly, the practice in the neighbourhood is in decline with the rise of reserve prostitutes in online, though it's still illegal.^[4][18]

Civic administration

The neighbourhood forms part of Taxali Gate's Union Council 30.

Cultural portrayal

• Heera Mandi is referred to in the 2019 Indian film Kalank.
• 2024 Pakistani film Taxali Gate.
• the basis for the 2024 Indian Netflix web-series Heeramandi:The Diamond Bazaar (2024)
• 2025 Pakistani film Shahi Mohalla.

See also

• Dance bar
• Mujra
• Nautch
• Tawaif
• Prostitution in colonial India
• Prostitution in Pakistan

References

1. Jalil, Xari (30 April 2017). "FADE FROM RED: THE DIAMOND OF LAHORE HAS DULLED". Dawn. Retrieved 2022-07-15.
2. Qureshi, Tania (23 April 2017). "Heera Singh's Mandi". Pakistan Today. Retrieved 2022-07-14.
3. Butt, Zohaib (2010-08-19). "Heera Mandi: Scarlet secrets of Lahore". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 2022-07-14.
4. "How Facebook is killing Lahore's Heera Mandi". Dawn. Agence France-Presse. 23 August 2016. Retrieved 7 October 2017.
5. "Heera Mandi: Red-Light Area With ARoyal Past".
6. "Lahore Chronicle: A journey from Royal Courtesans to Selling Sex in the City-Sumaira Rauf/Saira Rauf".
7. "Heera Mandi: Red-Light Area With ARoyal Past".
8. "Women were brought from Afghanistan and Uzbekistan".
9. M Shafiq, 'Old Lahore, 2001
10. "Heera Mandi: Red-Light Area With ARoyal Past".
11. "Lahore Chronicle: A journey from Royal Courtesans to Selling Sex in the City-Sumaira Rauf/Saira Rauf".
12. Grimes, William (July 20, 2005). "In Shadows of a City of Pleasure, Courtesans Grow Old". The New York Times newspaper. Retrieved 18 February 2017.
13. "Heera Mandi: Red-Light Area With ARoyal Past".
14. "Niggo - A Heera Mandi girl in Lollywood and victim of honour killing". Daily Pakistan Global. 2017-06-07. Retrieved 2024-01-01.
15. "Footprints: When shahi mohallah fell silent".
16. "They Once Danced for Royalty. Now It's Mostly for Leering Men".
17. "The Dancing Girls of Lahore : Selling Love and Saving Dreams in Pakistan's Pleasure District by Louise Brown".
18. "Heera Mandi History: कहां खो गए लाहौर की हीरामंडी के रंग? कला के लिए मशहूर जगह कैसे बनी ज़िस्मफरोशी का केंद्र".

Further reading

• Saeed, Fouzia (2001). Taboo!: The Hidden Culture of a Red Light Area. Karachi: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-579412-0.
• Saeed, Fouzia (2006). "Chapter 6: Good women, bad women: prostitution in Pakistan". In Gangoli, Geetanjali; Westmarland, Nicole (eds.). International Approaches to Prostitution: Law and policy in Europe and Asia. The Policy Press, University of Bristol. pp. 141–164. ISBN 978-1-86134-672-8.*Brown, Louise (2006). The Dancing Girls of Lahore: Selling Love and Saving Dreams in Pakistan's Pleasure District. Harper Perennial. ISBN 978-0-06-074043-6.
• Khan, Noor Mohammad (2009). Some Time On the Frontier-A Pakistan Journal. CreateSpace. ISBN 978-1-4404-1597-5.