Nagendra Singh Jamwal
It was an age when the Indian ruling elite was lying prostrate before a scheming East India Company or quarrelling among themselves. In an era marred by shifting loyalties and court intrigues, three great men rose on the historical canvas of North West India. Each one of them – Maharaja Ranjit Singh, Raja Gulab Singh and Wazir Zorawar Singh, had a shared destiny.
Of the three great men, the rise and exploits of Wazir Zorawar Singh were the most adventurous. Born in a hill principality of Kahlur in the Bilaspur district of Himachal Pradesh, the sixteen year old left his ancestral lands after a family feud. It is said that he came to Haridwar, the most sacred pilgrim site on the banks of Ganges. A holy dip in the Ganges transformed the young man still burdened by the family feud into a fierce warrior but with a calm head. Initially entering into the service of Rana Jaswant Singh of Galihar (Ramnagar), Zorawar Singh later joined Gulab Singh’s service.
In 1815, Gulab Singh assigned him the defence of Bhimgarh Fort in Reasi jagir. This was a turning point in the life of Zorawar Singh as he finally settled in Reasi. It is said that he married two sisters of Rasyal Rajputs, the original rulers of the principality of Reasi and from where Reasi derives its name.
Wazir also brought his family from Kahlur to settle in Reasi. He built a Palace in a village called Vijaypur, the city of victory, which is just three kilometers from the Reasi town.
The Palace finds mention in Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) report for the year 1965-66. The report mentions the existence of a three storeyed structure on the first floor of which some mutilated paintings were located. The Palace was constructed on a hillock on the banks of mighty Chenab River, with Bhimgarh Fort in a direct line of sight. The Palace complex has a pucca water tank called chamaccha, and a temple of Goddess Kali. The descendants of Wazir had their living quarters in the Palace till 1990s, when it was abandoned due to lack of upkeep and crumbling walls.
When was this Palace constructed, is not exactly known. However, it can be safely surmised that the
Palace was constructed after the anointment of Gulab Singh as Raja of Jammu territories in 1822 and subsequent conferring of title of Wazir on Zorawar Singh. The period from 1822 to 1833 was when Wazir was consolidating the territories of Raja Gulab Singh in the interiors of Jammu hills.
The three storeyed Palace is made of nanakshahi bricks and plastered with soorkhi mortar. Its architecture seems to have been influenced by the predominant Punjabi Haveli building process. The Palace has a pillared entrance to give it a grand look. For safety purpose, windows were constructed on first and second floors only. The top floor had defensive parapets on both sides with a courtyard in between. The building was strengthened by hexagonal columns with small turrets on the top on all four corners. On the right side of the deodi was a Diwankhana i.e. a separate meeting hall which is identified now only by a crumbling wall. In the front of the main building is a courtyard, a part of which is paved with roughly cut locally available stone.
The building which is in ruins was decorated with murals and floral decorations which were thought to be influenced by the distinct Pahari School of painting which flourished in this region at that time. The walls of the first floor were adorned with frescos depicting scenes from Ramayana, Krishanleela and Hindu mythology.
However the historical building is in a sad state of affairs now. The second floor and the topmost storey of the building have crumbled owing to lack of repair. It was also damaged when the building was struck by lightening. The middle storey is also in shambles. The massive earthquake which rocked the state in 2005 has caused extensive damage to the building. Only the façade of the building is intact. The present occupants of the historical building are the descendants of the Wazir who are living a precarious life. They have neither funds nor the capacity to protect and preserve the building. Even the entrance to the Palace is obstructed due to the construction of houses in front of the building.
General Zorawar Singh’s contribution to the political, administrative and geographical unity has been honoured in Jammu by installing his statues at Zorawar Chowk near Bahu Plaza, and at Reasi Bus stand.
The state of art auditorium of Jammu University has been named as General Zorawar Singh Auditorium.
Similarly, Government Degree College Reasi has been named after the valiant Dogra General.The Deptt. of Posts has also issued a stamp in 2000 to commemorate the bravery of the General.
On the representation from the descendants of the Wazir to the then Governor NN Vohra, the Palace was declared as a state protected monument by Department of Archives, Archaeology and Museums vide SRO 43 dated 06-02-2013. However, beyond declaring the Palace as a state protected monument, no preservation and conservation work had been carried out. As a result, the future generations may not be able to witness the glory of this heritage building.
Recently some attempts have been made to resurrect the legacy of the Wazir. Akshara Theatre, a Delhi based theatre group has recorded a few episodes of an audio book on Wazir Zorawar Singh’s life and military exploits. A comic book on the lines of Amar Chitra Katha was also planned by Dogri Sanstha.
Late Chatterpal, the famous dogri writer, prepared a story line in collaboration with Pritam Singh Katoch, scriptwriter. The illustrations were done by Subhash Anand, a noted illustrator. However, the comic book could not see the light of the day for various reasons. Recently, General Zorawar Singh Memorial Educational and Charitable trust has also been formed.
With the declaration of Union Territory, the scope of protecting and preserving this monument by ASI which is a Government of India entity, needs to be explored. The government can acquire the land around the monument from the descendants of the Wazir and create a garden and a visitor’s gallery.
The legendary warrior along with his army marched upto lake Mansarovar and took a dip in the holy lake after defeating the enemy. If the warrior can be honoured by his enemies by constructing a Chorten after his death on December 12, 1841 in the Battle of Toyo in Western Tibet, certainly we can honour him by preserving this priceless monument for eternity. honour him by preserving this priceless monument for eternity.
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