The most exhilarating way of seeing historical places is to have a walk through them with the aim to enjoy and appreciate history, and to explore the every part of the chosen historical place. In search of something historically interesting, I found Mohatta Palace and can safely say that this is one of Karachi’s - and even Pakistan’s - most fascinating old monuments. My tour of Mohatta Palace began on a cloudy Saturday afternoon. I remember feeling excited as I entered the main gate, but what lay in front of me was so breathtakingly beautiful that I could only gape in awe.
The most exhilarating way of seeing historical places is to have a walk through them with the aim to enjoy and appreciate history, and to explore the every part of the chosen historical place. In search of something historically interesting, I found Mohatta Palace and can safely say that this is one of Karachi’s - and even Pakistan’s - most fascinating old monuments.
My tour of Mohatta Palace began on a cloudy Saturday afternoon. I remember feeling excited as I entered the main gate, but what lay in front of me was so breathtakingly beautiful that I could only gape in awe. The majesty of the palace affected me so much that I could not stop myself rushing into the palace, to take more and more pictures and capture the feel of the “Raj days”, which most of us have enjoyed on silver screen only.
This spectacular piece of architecture was basically built by a Sikh entrepreneur from Marwar in Rajhastan, Shivratan Chandraratan Mohatta, in 1927. Mr Mohatta wanted his wife to beguile the hot and long summer months in this scenic summer house by the seaside. The palace was designed by the architect, Agha Hussain Ahmed, who was probably the first Muslim architect in undivided India, in Anglo Mughal style.
It’s a hauntingly beautify edifice with the power to enchant the tourists. It takes them back into another era altogether, when such palaces had secret passages and tunnels, adding to their allure. It’s not Taj Mahal, but still a monument to Mr Mohatta’s love for his wife. Unfortunately, Mr Mohatta and his family had to vacate this beautiful home of theirs in 1947, merely two decades after it was built. Partition of 1947 forced the entrepreneur to vacate this labour of love and move to India. In the same year, the government of Pakistan acquired the building to house the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
In 1964, the palace was given to Ms Fatima Jinnah, who moved into it and made it her home. When Ms Fatima Jinnah dies, it passed on to Shireen Jinnah who lived there till 1980. After that, the palace was sealed. In 1995, it was finally purchased by the Government of Sindh for its conversion into a museum devoted to the arts of Pakistan. The museum formally opened in 1999. Today the museum is rich with heritage and a repository of our culture, and historical assets of Karachi.
The architect, Agha Hussain Ahmed built the palace on the model of the traditional stone palaces in Rajasthan. He used pink Jodhpur stone in fusion with the local yellow stone from Gizri. This blend of the Rajasthani and Mughal architecture shrouds the place in exquisite beauty and elegance.
The palace was built on an area of 18,500 sq ft. There are nine beautiful domes in all, with the centre dome in the middle and four around it. The other four domes occupy the corners, while the windows in the front portion, opening out into the garden are of blue colour and those in the rear area are arched windows with stained glass. It has stone brackets, spandrels, balustrades with floral motifs and exquisite railings. The “barsati” (terrace) of the Mohatta Palace had a family temple dedicated to Hindu God, lord Shiva. There are three levels, basement, ground floor and first floor till you reach the roof. The basement that lies on the north side of the building is quite small and comprises a staircase going downwards towards a hot water pool chamber which has a connected changing room. They say it had a hot and cold water system attached, which would supply the water to the pool. Near the pool chamber are small ventilators, two on each side which may have been used as a source of sunlight and letting out steam.
The mystery factor
According to legend, there was a door leading to a secret tunnel that leads from the grounds of the palace all the way to a subterranean Hindu temple less than a kilometre away. This tunnel was apparently built to provide a safe passage for the Hindu wife of Shivratan Chandratan Mohatta for her daily worship.
This tunnel still exists today, though over time it has caved in, and the entrance is blocked from both ends.
It is said that if you leave a house vacant for a long period of time, it becomes haunted. According to many stories, the presence of supernatural happenings at the Mohatta Palace has been experienced by the workers at the place. Some museum guides acknowledge that the building may be haunted, citing various incidents where objects have been observed to have moved from their original place, or shifted about. There are also rumours that the palace is haunted by ghosts of the British Raj era. Guards at the palace claim having “felt” the presence of these spirits during the night. These claims, however, remain unverified and the guards themselves claim that no serious harm has been done.
There are beautiful statues adorning the grounds of the palace. A small collection of “English” statues such as that of Queen Victoria’s, soldiers of the Raj and many more. The Palace has an imposing presence, beautifully manicured lawns with high trees around it. There is the feel of agelessness in this beautiful building that simply holds one in thrall. At least, that is what I felt when I was wandering around with my handicam, trying my best to capture every part of this beautiful palace.
I found that the ground floor of the palace consists of
capacious rooms designed for entertainment, and more private facilities on the first floor, where there is a terrace provided with a shade from intense sunlight. The palace is solely made up of teak wood with a polished staircase, long corridors and doors opening within doors.
Assistant curator of the Mohatta Palace Museum, Ayela Khuhro, said that people who love old buildings and are passionate about maintaining their cultural heritage are the donator for the palace’s upkeep, and it exists just because of their love for the museum. The government has not authorised any funding for its maintenance.
A number of exhibitions are held on the premises of Mohatta Palace. “We have contemporary art exhibitions, and have done 12 exhibitions till now on different themes like ‘Treasures of Talpurs’, ‘History of Karachi’, ‘Ceramics Art’, ‘Traditional Textile’ and ‘The Rising Tide” (New directions in art from Pakistan 1990 - 2010),” Ayela disclosed.
While exploring the palace, I came across a gallery attendant, Taj Muhammad, who has been working there since the museum opened. On inquiry, he told me about some intriguing things about the palace. He said that Mr Mohatta had built this palace especially for his wife and that the palace indeed had a secret underground tunnel, which was blocked after partition. The tunnel was apparently built to provide a safe passage for the Hindu wife of Mohatta, so she could go for her daily worship. However, this story seems far-fetched; according to architects who were involved with the restoration work; there was no tunnel joining the palace and the temple.
“I have also experienced supernatural things in the palace, as it was sealed for many years. After its maintenance started, I stayed here for many nights here and some of my colleagues, too, have felt someone’s presence inside the museum,” the attendant told me fearlessly.
God knows whether the palace is haunted or not, but visiting it was a great experience for me.
Mohatta Palace - at a glance.
The design of the palace is based on Mughal architecture and the architect of the palace was Agha Ahmed Hussain.
Mohatta Palace was a luxurious home built in the late 1920s, consisting of 18, 500 sq. yards.
The elegant palace has three levels: basement, ground floor, first floor till you reach the roof.
The basement lies on the north side of the building is quite small compared to rest of the floors.
The palace is solely made up of teak wood with a polished staircase, long corridors and doors opening within doors.
Now the palace is used for exhibition purposes and other events such as MUN can be arranged there for a fee.
