Author : Muneer Ahmad
Shergadi Palace, located
near Amira Kadal, has been a palace and fort built of stones and mortar,
historically significant since Raja Ananta's time (1062-63). This site has been
used by rulers since the Afghan Rule, later by Dogra rulers, and was central to
Pathans and Maharajas, from where the entire Kashmir valley was governed.
Behind this palace is the "Maharaja Sind Mandar" temple. We've
requested permission to show you the inside of Shergadi Palace, including Rang
Mahal, Tosha Khana, and Goal Ghar. For now, let's view it from the outside.
Shergadi Palace, built in 1770 by Pathan Governor Amir Khan Jawa Sher, was
later renovated during Dogra's rule and named "Nursing Gad." This was
the safest place in the city, surrounded by marshy gorges and a river. To the
west are Goal Bagh and Saheed Gunj, and to the south is the deep canal
"KetKul." The area spread up to Amira Kadal, including what is now
Badshah Bridge, built around 1958. According to Munshi Mohmad Ud Din Foaq, this
used to be a "Behi Apple" orchard known as "DarBagh," cut
to build Shergadi Palace. On the eastern side are Jhelum Maisum Area and Basant
Bagh, with Maisuma being another historical place we'll cover in the next
episode. The architecture of Shergadi Palace is modern, with major portions
rebuilt during the Dogra Period, featuring huge walls we still see today. Towards
Jhelum, there is a 30-foot wall built of brick and mortar. In the palace's
backyard, Public Darbars were held during Dogra Rule, and an Assembly complex
was later built, housing different offices now. A temple built during Maharaja
Gulab Singh's time has a thin layer of pure gold on its KALASH, estimated to
contain 2000 tolas of gold. During Gulab Singh's reign, a tax was introduced to
support the temple. An interesting fact: a rope was tied to the palace for the
public to send applications to the Maharaja's Darbar, akin to today's grievance
cell.