Ranjit Singh Birthplace

Ranjit Singh, the famous leader of the Sikh Empire, was born in this stately haveli(mansion) on November 13, 1780. The mansion is shaped as a long rectangle, oriented north-south but canted to the northeast in the prevailing direction of Gujranwala`s urban fabric. In the late 18th century, it was likely surrounded by more greenery and open space, but today it stands in an extremely crowded environment surrounded by illegally built makeshift dwellings. The interior is an oasis of calm, far quieter than it would have been in Ranjit Singhs time when its courtyards and halls rang with the to-and-fro of Mahan Singhs domestic servants and the many members of his extended family. The main facade faces south and is built of brick and plaster, inset with wood. Like Mughal-era buildings, the surface is organized as a bilaterally symmetrical series of rectangular panels, separated from one another by ornamental engaged columns spanned with cusped arches. A shallow niche sits below each of the arches on the ground floor and upper level, alternately filled with brick benches, arched windows, and a single entranceway. The large bay over the main entrance includes the profile of several gently curving bangala style roofs, a fashion that came into vogue in Shah Jahans era when the conquest of east India (todays Bangladesh) brought this form to the Mughal Empires attention. The first room of the building is also its largest, a double-high reception chamber spanning the buildings entire width. Although it is currently ill-lit and empty, it is easy to imagine this space as an imposing emblem of Mahan Singhs authority, filled with luxurious furniture, brightly-colored mural paintings, and the soft flicker of firelight. Deeper into the building are two chowk courtyards and a large central one and a private courtyard at the rear. A forlorn plaque on the east room of the inner courtyard indicates the spot where Ranjit Singh purportedly was born.