5/5 Anjali J. 1 year ago on Google
Swaraj
Bhavan
(formerly
Anand
Bhavan,
meaning
Abode
of
Bliss)[1][2]
is
a
large
mansion
located
in
Prayagraj
(formerly
known
as
Allahabad)
India,
best
known
for
once
being
owned
by
the
Indian
political
leader
Motilal
Nehru
and
being
home
to
the
Nehru
family
until
1930.
Swaraj
Bhavan
Around
and
near
Anand
Bhavan,
Swaraj
Bhavan,
Allahabad,
IRCTC
2017
(32).jpg
Swaraj
Bhavan
Wikimedia
|
©
OpenStreetMap
Former
names
Anand
Bhavan
(abode
of
happiness)[1]
General
information
Location
Allahbad,
India
Known
for
Residence
of
Nehru
family
1900–1930
is
managed
by
the
'Jawaharlal
Nehru
Memorial
Fund',
Delhi[citation
needed]
and
functions
as
a
museum
open
to
the
public.
It
has
42
rooms
and
a
number
of
memorabilia
including
a
charkha
used
by
Mahatma
Gandhi,
photographs
of
the
Indian
freedom
movement,
personal
belongings
of
the
Nehru
family
and
an
underground
room
that
is
said
to
have
been
used
occasionally
for
meetings.[3]
The
building
at
1
Church
road
that
is
today
called
Swaraj
Bhavan
was
originally
called
Mahmud
Manzil.
It
was
built
in
1871
for
Syed
Ahmad
Khan,
the
19th
century
Indian
Muslim
leader
and
educationist,
at
the
behest
of
the
then
Lieutenant
Governor
of
the
NWP
(North
West
provinces)
William
Muir.
The
latter
often
took
the
advice
of
Syed
Ahmad
Khan
in
administrative
matters
which
necessitated
Khan's
presence
in
Allahabad.
However,
since
Khan
lived
in
Aligarh,
he
did
not
have
a
place
to
stay
in
Allahabad
for
prolonged
visits.
Muir
suggested
that
Khan
maintain
a
house
in
Allahabad
too,
where
he
could
stay
during
such
official
visits.[4]
A
site
consisting
of
20
acres
of
land
owned
by
a
person
called
Shaikh
Fayyaz
Ali
was
selected
for
this
purpose.
It
was
located
just
10
minutes
drive
from
the
Government
House
and
Ali
had
received
the
land
here
as
compensation
for
the
losses
incurred
by
him
during
the
1857
mutiny.
Work
to
build
a
large
house
here
commenced
around
1868
and
the
house
was
completed
in
1871.
It
was
originally
called
"Mahmud
Manzil"
after
Syed
Ahmad
Khan's
son's
name.
It
was
later
occupied
by
Syed
Mahmud,
who
lived
here
as
a
tenant
when
he
became
the
Justice
of
the
Allahabad
High
Court.[5]
Fayyaz
Ali
continued
to
live
on
the
estate
till
his
death
in
1873
in
a
bungalow
called
Bungalow
Fatehpur
Bishwa
that
he
had
made
here.
However,
the
connection
between
Sir
Muir,
Syed
Ahmad
Khan
and
Mahmud
Manzil
are
unverified
as
different
sources
yield
different
results.[6][7]
In
1873,
when
Fayyaz
Ali
died,
the
property
was
administered
by
the
Allahabad
court
of
wards,
as
his
children
were
minors.
Syed
Khan
continued
to
live
here
as
a
tenant.
Subsequently
the
house
changed
hands
and
was
sold
in
1888.
In
a
commemorative
essay
by
Indira
Gandhi,
the
latter
recollects
that
the
house
was
sold
to
Rai
Bahadur
Permanand
Pathak,
the
Judge
of
Shahjahanpur
during
this
period.
However,
the
house
gradually
fell
into
a
state
of
disrepair
as
it
lay
unoccupied
for
long
periods
of
time.[6]
In
1900,
the
house
and
the
estate
attached
to
it
were
bought
for
Rs.
19,000
and
named
Anand
Bhavan,
"abode
of
happiness",
by
Pandit
Motilal
Nehru,
then
a
prominent
lawyer.[1][6]
Historian
David
Lelyveld
has
given
a
different
sequence
of
events
where
the
property
was
given
an
estate
in
1861
in
compensation
for
losses
sustained
during
the
revolt
of
1857.
This
property
was
purchased
by
Syed
Mahmud,
a
Justice
of
the
Allahabad
High
Court,
for
Rs
9,000
in
1888.
Motilal
Nehru
named
the
house
Anand
Bhavan
(meaning
peaceful
abode)
and
started
to
renovate
the
palatial
residence.
The
house
was
in
complete
disrepair,
but
the
estate
was
huge.
Extensive
renovation
work
was
carried
out
over
the
next
decade.
Motilal
used
his
frequent
visits
to
Europe
to
buy
the
choicest
furniture
and
china.
He
turned
the
mansion
into
a
veritable
palace,
'an
elaborate
replica
of
an
English
country
estate
…
bifurcated
between
East
and
West',
with
a
retinue
of
almost
a
hundred
people
in
the
house.
Motilal
called
the
house
Anand
Bhavan
(lit.
Abode
of
happiness).[9]
1 person found this review helpful 👍
