Nishat Mahal

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Nishat Mahal
نشاط محل
Nishat Mahal
Interactive map of Nishat Mahal
General information
Architectural styleIndo-Saracenic and Victorian eclectic
Location Bahawalpur, Punjab, Pakistan
Coordinates 29°23′49″N71°42′04″E / 29.397°N 71.701°E / 29.397; 71.701
Current tenants Pakistan Army
Groundbreaking1905
Completed1911
Technical details
MaterialBrick, stucco and marble
Floor count2

Nishat Mahal is an early twentieth century palace in Bahawalpur, Punjab, Pakistan. [1] It was built between 1905 and 1911 for Nawab Muhammad Bahawal Khan V inside the walled Bahawalgarh Palace Complex. [1] The residence, together with the adjacent Darbar Mahal and Farrukh Palace, has been under a long-term lease to the Pakistan Army since 1966 and therefore stands within the restricted Bahawalpur Cantonment. [2]

Contents

History

Nawab Bahawal Khan V approved plans for a trio of companion palaces on 19 May 1904; Nishat Mahal was conceived as the principal domestic wing of this ensemble. [3] Foundation work began in 1905 and the palace was fully built by 1911, using revenues from the state treasury during a period of considerable prosperity for Bahawalpur. [1] After the state acceded to Pakistan in October 1947, the complex accommodated various provincial offices until financial pressures prompted the Abbasi heirs to lease it to the federal government. [2]

In 1966, control passed formally to the Pakistan Army's Thirty-Fifth Infantry Division, a transfer that closed Nishat Mahal to public access, although limited ceremonial visits are occasionally sanctioned. [2]

Architecture

Set on a raised square podium, the palace follows a central hall plan in which the principal chambers are octagonal and rise two storeys, while corner rooms remain single height, creating first-floor terraces recessed behind a continuous veranda. [3] The façades employ red brick relieved by white stucco bands and are organised into geometric panels pierced by multi-foiled arches whose spandrels carry fine stucco tracery. [3] Corinthian balustrades, fret-worked jali screens and balustered parapets evoke Victorian idioms, yet these European devices coexist with Sikh-period window compositions and Mughal chattris , producing a characteristically hybrid effect. [3] A British-inspired marble fountain fronts the triple-arched entrance, aligning with formal lawns that once linked Nishat Mahal to the complex's baradari and mosque. [3]

Interior surfaces retain vestiges of fresco painting and lacquered timber ceilings, although many panels were over-painted during army restorations in 2004 and 2007. [3]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Nishat Mahal". Department of Archaeology and Museums. Government of Pakistan.
  2. 1 2 3 Bukhari, S. M. Azim Shah (5 February 2023). دربار محل. Daily Express (in Urdu).
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Vandal, Sajida, ed. (2011). Cultural Expressions of South Punjab. UNESCO Islamabad. Retrieved 27 November 2025.
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