History:
The question as to who built it invites two theories.
a)
BABA MOHAMMED SADIQ,
related to the maternal side to the Ummats and an administrator of
Nawanshahr got the
Baradari constructed during his reign. In those
days, the Butchars and Ummats who had their areas demarcated inhabited
Nawanshahr. The law and order situation was not so good and Babaji got
a tunnel constructed from the old building to his home in Baba Behra
in Ummaton Mohalla.
SHRI. MOHAN LAL
s/o RAM LAL has witnessed the tunnel during his youth.
SHRI. TRALOKY NATH,
s/o SHRI.
PARMA NAND
states that the tunnel passes under his house. Babaji
and his family used the tunnel. The old building was probably where he
relaxed and held meetings or where he worked.
b)
According to the second version, Jamadar Khushal Singh,
a prominent minister in the court of Raja Ranjit Singh, constructed
the Baradari. It had 12 gates and 4 gumbats, one in each corner.
SHRI.
SATPAL UMMAT claims to have seen large utensils in the cellar under
the old building indicating the soldiers of Raja Ranjit Singh might
have indeed stayed here.
Worshipers at Baradari
At this moment in time
it is difficult to say which of the version is correct. The existence
of the tunnel points that
Baba Sadiq was using
Baradari.
And if he were using
Baradari
then in all likelihood he would have been responsible
for its construction as well.
Maybe Jamadar Kushal Singh improved
upon the area so as to make it fit for Raja Ranjit Singh to stay. The
land where Baradari exists today was owned by the
Ummat family thus
making it more probable for
Baba Mohammed Sadiq to have
constructed it initially.
Baradari was an open area in the heart
of Nawanshahr With the area around it getting heavily congested it
would have served as a lung of the town. Today
however
many residential
quarters of officers are lying inside the complex. The old building
has been converted to Doaba Club. The garden has very few mango trees
left and is in a state of disuse.
However, Prof. B.S. Balli, DPRO,
Nawanshahr informs us that the State Government has directed the
maintenance of Baradari at states expenses.
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Baradari
History
