ABOUT 12 kilometres south of Chakawal lies the historical town of Bhaun, formerly known as Bhavan. It is famous for its awe-inspiring temples, grand gurdawaras, splendid shrines and havelis with exquisite doors and amazing wooden balconies.
Prior to the partition of the subcontinent, the Hindus predominately inhabited this town. But later they migrated to India, while Muslims who had come from India to the newly-incepted Pakistan took hold of the havelis, temples and kothis here, thus wreaking havoc on the original beauty of this historical place.
In days of yore, Bhaun used to be a very important trade centre and Hindus ruled the roost here. They left behind a host of temples and havelis, having great architectural value, which would be a blend of local and Kashmiri style with very little ornamentation. These temples are different from those at Ketas and Malot that boast of the Kashmiri style and are lavishly ornamented. Some of the temples at Bhaun are adorned with paintings, while some are very tall and can be easily spotted from a fair bit of distance. There are at least 10 temples in and around the town of which eight are attributed to Sri Hanuman, a Hindu god. Two temples located in Chaddran Mohalla date back to 1894 and are in a shambles. One of the temples, which was built by Ram Das, has now been occupied by Kashmiri immigrants who have damaged the temple by defacing some of the figures depicted on the walls, while its western wall has caved in. The facade of the temple is ornamented with the image of Hanuman. A nearby temple is being used as a store where household belongings are kept. A furlong or so from these temples is the Madh Sain Lokan temple that is in a poor condition. Ironically, the temple has been turned into a cattle pen. As soon as one enters the temple, one will find cows, buffaloes and goats on the courtyard. Strangely enough, people have yanked and taken away the ornately carved door of the temple.
Apart from these, there are two temples at Madh Wali Ban, both attributed to Hanuman. One of them is a very tall one. When the Babri Mosque incident happened, religious fanatics in this part of the world damaged it. The temple used to be famous for its paintings, which were destroyed when people set it on fire in 1992. On its exterior, panels were created on each side to depict a pair of fish, which is a special characteristic of the Hanuman temples. The traces of paintings on each of its sides are still visible. There used to be a wall around it that was also destroyed by some fanatics. There too existed a complex, which could not withstand the vagaries of the weather and withered away. The complex included the houses of the caretaker of the temple.
There is another temple behind the government primary school. Though small in size, it is beautifully built but, like the temples discussed above, is in a poor condition. It contains separate panels created for depicting a pair of fish on each of its sides. From inside, it is decorated with paintings, some of which depict Hanuman with his disciples. A closer look at the paintings shows repeated depiction of peacocks and parrots. On one of the panels, parrots are seen drinking water. On the other panel, one can see Hanuman playing sitar that demonstrates his keen interest in music.
On the same panel, one finds Hanuman sailing with his disciples. It is also interesting to find the illustration of the palm date tree that is a special feature of Muslim paintings. These temples also have floral designs.
Like the temples, the havelis and kothis belonging to the Sikh and Hindu communities still dominate the landscape of the town. Almost every narrow alley in the town boasts of buildings of historical significance. One such building near the Qazian Wali Mosque, locally known as Marri, is noted for its elegant balconies. This three-storeyed building is known to have been built by Rai Bahadur Sardar Jai Singh who worked as a contractor in Zahidan, Iran during the rule of Reza Shah Pahlavi I from 1925 to 1941. Marri was constructed in this period. One can safely say that it could have been built in 1930.
Architecturally, the building is divided into three storeys or parts, of which the ground floor used to function as the verandah with a row of richly carved columns running all around it. In front of the verandah existed the courtyard mainly used by women for dishwashing, laundry and drying grain. Men used it as a place for sleeping in dry weather. The first floor was reserved for junior members of the family and some visitors. The second floor was used by the senior members of the family or by married couples, while the third floor was occasionally used whenever there was a long spell of dry weather.
It had a pavilion for enjoying the evening breeze. Marri housed a total of 14 small and big rooms, some of which were discreetly decorated. The remarkable feature of Marri was its balconies, one each on the western and southern faces.
In addition to this magnificent structure, there lies another one behind the Ram Das temple in Chaddran Mohalla known as Janj Ghar (a building reserved for marriage gatherings). A person called Biqarma Jeet built it in the early 19th century. Janj Ghar had about 18 rooms. The buildings had separate heavily decorated rooms for the parents of the groom. Some of the rooms were noted for beautiful murals. It also had a hall, primarily used for dancing and singing. But the new occupants have done great damage to the structure by turning some of the rooms into cattle pen and fodder stores. The authorities concerned should make concerted efforts to save these fabulous pieces of architecture from further decay.
ABOUT 12 kilometres south of Chakawal lies the historical town of Bhaun, formerly known as Bhavan. It is famous for its awe-inspiring temples, grand gurdawaras, splendid shrines and havelis with exquisite doors and amazing wooden balconies.
