Hundreds and thousands of People Pass the GT Road which is actually , Sher shah Suri Yousafzai Road from Kabul to India and then Bangladesh to Arabian Sea . Right at Nowshera at Shobra Chowk is the Taj Building which not many people Know has amazing history that is not known by Proud People of Pakhtunkhwa .
Nowshera (known locally as Nowkhaar or Nowshaar) is a district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province of Pakistan. The city of Nowshera is the capital of the district. Nowshera city is located 27 miles east of Peshawar. The district was part of the Peshawar Division until the administrative reforms of 2000 by the Government of Pakistan. The district is administratively divided into two tehsils (subdivisions); Nowshera and Pabbi.
The famous Grand Trunk Road (GT Road) Also known as Sher Shah Suri Yousafzai Road , runs through the district. Nowshera cantonment is located on the bank of Kabul River. The Grand Trunk Road (G.T. Road) passes right through the cantonment.
The city still has post British Raj Military barracks built in 1852-60. However, lately the old trees which bordered the GT Road in the Cantt area have been felled to widen the road and old British Raj time bungalows have been pulled down and replaced by much smaller Bhawani and Economy type class bungalows. Akora Khattak, Nowshera is the birthplace of the Pashtun warrior and poet Khushal Khan Khattak.
Brief History: The district was a part of Afghanistan Province as Nowkhaar till it was annexed into British India via the Durand Line Agreement. During British rule, Nowshera was a town and cantonment as well as tehsil of the Peshawar District (later Peshawar Division).
While you Pass the building you don't realises the history and grandeur it once had , at the time of British Raj . Taj Khan was one of the contractor of British Army and he was not an ordinary Contractor he used to supply the food and water and as well as Uniforms and other stuff to the British Army . As he was contractor of Grand scale , he was awarded a title of ''' Khan Bahudur''' by the British . He was actually a Millionaire by Current Standards of Today and was well respected all over indian sub continent and also in Pakhtunkhwa . But he was very fond of horse Racing and used to visit Delhi and stay at house for Horse Racing , and he owned what is currently national Defence college of indian Army at Delhi
Khan Bahudur Taj Khan was the son of Khan Bahudur Abdul Hameed Khan Badrishi Village of Nowshera , and was very near to British and his son made this building in the Year 1920 and he used a Special mixture of Architecture that was special , it was Oriental Local as well Roman and Gothic with ''''Jhoraka'''' Style of Windows , Arches and Wood work , that is treat to the Eyes .
This Building situated on Sher Shah Suri Road and right Next to Nowshera Cantonment that was in that Time at front of War on Pashtuns , the Oldest CMH in Pakistan is in Nowshera established in Year 1880 is right Next to it and also the Officer messes of British officers like , the Armoured and Infantry Units and also '''''Artillery'''' are all in Nowshera Cantonment and this area was used as Supply and other training Facilities for the british Army .
It was supplied from Rawalpindi where the GHQ also came into being at the same time as Nowshera Cantonment in 1880,s and , the sleepy Village of Rawalpindi ( Pind = Village ) became a small city as GHQ General head Quarters and supply Depot for Arms and Ammunition for Go west Campaign of British as Anglo Afghan Wars to establish hold over the ''''Frontier '''', the last Area of British Empire where the Sun would actually set Down in face of Pashtun resistance of Afghan/Pashtuns of Mardan , Swat and Kohat also Peshawar and its Adjacent Tribals Areas where the other Military Cantonments are situated
The british War Mission into Afghania Province under Durrani Empire stretching from Delhi to Kabul including the current Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab area was called Afghania Province ( Punjab name Place and Quam , word came into being in 1850 when British called them such Mixtures of Races living in between the 5 rivers) , the British during that time Implemented the Durand line 1898 by force after 3rd Anglo Afghan war in 1919 with King Aman ullah Khan and after installing ''''Bacha Saqa''' as a king and later replacing him with General Nadir shah later Zahir Shah .
The Taj building and the Nowshera Khattaks were very close to British as they had been close to Mughals during time of Khushal Khan Khattak when they Got a lot of money from mughal Kings , they were ready to Kill Khushal Khan Khattak their own Sardar and Leader , who had rebelled against Mughals , his sons were working to Kill their father after taking money from Mughal King '''Jehangir '''who was staying at Attock Fort and Near current''''' Jehangira '''''
Taj Building was made Keeping in Mind the Good relationship with British officers and their families, Taj building has two cinemas and would show Movies , three or four s shows would be shown and it was having Photographer and also at the back was a Lawn green and Lush and extended from Taj Building towards the Kabul River, The Lush Green lawns and also the boundary wall , with river provided a very Good Scenery for evening Function at Weekend and according to some ''''Tambola '''' and Dinner and Dance parties were held there at the time of British Raj .
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Side gate to Lawns now disappeared and Encroached by ugly Structures |
The Ladies would come in their European Dresses and also Accompany their husbands the British Army officers and also enjoy the Lush Green lawns and Kabul River and have Tikka and Dinner with Wine and Dine.
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Back garden that Extended to kabul river banks now Encroached by the Ugly Buildings |
Now the Lush Green lawns has been Encroached with Ugly looking buildings and Quarters and also boundary wall extending to the River is all gone and near the River are Ugly encroached structures that came into being after this building was with Cantonment Board and was Subjected to this encroachment by the Corrupt officer under Pakistan Government and Pakistan Army Management and are equally responsible for its current ugliness .
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back Side with its beautiful Designs and now in Ruble form and needs restoration |
The Building is almost 100 Years old and very Regal and should be Preserved by the ignorant People of Pakhtunkhwa who don't know the Beauty and its Past history . Recently the building was given back to grandsons of Khan Bahudur Sahib , and they have done a Meagre Effort to preserve the building after 50 yr long Legal battle.
The People of Pakhtunkhwa don't have an understanding about the gem and Jewel this building that is , the Building for Example is sister to Taj Hotel in India, which was also made the Khan Bahadur Taj Muhammad Khan of Badrishi Nowshera .
Furthermore in Delhi , the National Defence College of Indian Military was also Property of Khan Bahudur TAJ kHAN and after Partition it was Confiscated by the indian government and currently serves as Property of indian Army . The College is located on Tees January Road of Lutyen's Zone in Delhi, in a grand British-era building spread over acres of lush green lawns.
Badrishi villge is actually is not a 1000 years old not even 150 really..Badrashi was settled by ancestors who were Afghan Ghiljis / Khlijis settlers who came as a part of the Afghan army to fight Sikhs in 1830,s and were then left behind.
Most afghan tribes settled in between the Khattak area in hills and Durrani/Yousafzai belt of Par Nowshera...they were at loggerheads hence the settlers got the land in between. The original Badrashi was near Manki Sharif (actually The Khan Bahudur,s great great grand father Malik Din Khan is buried there)...as time passed the river bed of the river Kabul shifted leaving the fertile land of Nowshera Cantonment and Badrashi for the taking so people moved from the hills to the plain which is now Badrashi and Nowshera Cantonment...
it was agricultural land of Badrishi so Ghliji Afghan families moved to Badrashi..this was in the 1880s (oldest mosque in badrashi is from then) following this the British came in 1880,s so made a new cantonment/city as their forward base.
Original badrashi inhabitants are Akakhels, Sulemankhel and EssaKhel i.e. Ghalji tribesmen from the Afghan army - it was later settled by Mians of Bahadur baba as the locals gave them land in, sehra...Bahadur baba was kaka seb Hazrat Kasrat Guls father. Now badrashi is a mixture of all races and peoples due to its rapid expansion...
