Haveli Bakhtawar Khan

As one walks from Jama Masjid’s Gate Number 1 towards Matia Mahal, one is led towards the Chitli Qabar market, which is famous for restaurants serving traditional cuisine. This area was once known for its grand havelis. Over the years, these havelis were converted into clusters of households. Today, most of the havelis have disappeared or remain unrecognisable and only a few are still intact.

One such mansion is Haveli Bakhtawar Khan, located close to once-magnificent havelis like Sadr-do-dur and Jhajjar Khan Haveli.

Centuries ago, a Muslim businessman bought Haveli Bakhtawar Khan and turned it into a madrasa (a traditional Islamic school). Back then, the ceiling of the haveli was decorated with gold and some of the elderly people now living in the area remember seeing remnants of that gold in the haveli as children.

Even today, the haveli houses a madrasa called Madarsa Husain Bakhsh, rooms of which are inhabited by students who live and learn there.

While a couple of floors in contemporary architecture have been added to the haveli over the years, the mansion’s arches, courtyard, hauz (water reservoir), black-and-white tiles and the grand golden-coloured door keeps the charm of the old times alive. Unlike other havelis of the area, which have been transformed into a cluster of households, Haveli Bakhtawar Khan or Madarsa Husain Bakhsh is a peek into the beauty of the lost time.