Panchayati Hall

Panchayati Hall is a Hindu temple devoted to the goddess Durga and Lord Shiva, located in Jaipur, India.

History

Post Partition

After partition, most of the Khudabadi Sindhi Swarankar families migrated from Pakistan and settled in Jaipur, India. In early 1948, Shri Jhamandas F. Purswani and Shri Tikamdas Bhojraj Purswani of Khudabadi Sindhi Swarankar came to know that there was a Nawab Moassam Ali Khan's stable for his horses, in Nawab Ki Haveli at Vidyadhar Ka Rasta (Jaipur) which was being used by a local person who had started operating a small flour mill there, when the Nawab fled to Pakistan, immediately after partition. Although, the whole property including the stable was taken over by then Deputy Custodian of Evacuee Property, Jaipur and the said Nawab was declared "Evacuee", yet, his relations were harassing the flour mill operator. Shri Jhamandas Purswani and Shri Tikamdas Purswani contacted the flour mill operator, gave him five hundred rupees (a very huge amount at that time) from their pockets and got the vacant possession of the premises. They shifted the ten families from refugee camp to the stable and afterwards, they acquired the whole stable through Dept. Of Custodian Evacuees Properties, legally, to avoid any harassements. In the year 1950, the Deptment fixed the rent ranging from Rs. 0.25 to Rs.1 per month, which the refugees who were living there, started paying after obtaining the official receipt of the payments. In fact, ground floor of the haveli was the stable comprising of about thirty rooms of comfortable area and a huge open ground in the center. Steadily, Khudabadi Sonara Community families of weaker section, started occupying the rooms one by one until all the rooms were in possession of the community. All of a sudden, the whole property including this stable was released from the Dept. of Custodian Evacuee's possession in the year 1957-58 and the said Nawab again became the full owner of this stable on the pretext that he had given his property to his adopted son Abdul Kader around 11 January 1961. Again, the refugee residents of the stable through the President of Puj Khudabadi Sonara Panchayat (Jaipur), Shri Manghoomal Kimatrai Ganvani and leaders of the community like Shri Jhamandas Purswani and Shri Tikamdas Purswani submitted their pitition to The Minister, Relief and Rehabilitation, Govt. of Rajasthan, on 7 January 1963 arguing that the whole property of the Nawab was gifted to Nawab Mumtaz Uddolah through a convenent of the Ruler of the erstwhile Jaipur State in lieu of his services rendered to the Ruler of erstwhile Jaipur for his residence only (this stable being part of this residence) and non-transferability was one of the pre-requisite conditions. The residents won the case and lived there peacefully since then.

Construction of Panchayati Hall

In the meantime, Shri Jhamandas Purswani, Shri Tikamdas Purswani and Shri Parmanand Menghraj Vasnani started thinking about the construction of a panchayati hall. In 1951, they started sending messages for this to the community members who were living in overseas. The response was very positive but they had been facing problems in sending the funds due to foreign exchange restrictions in their countries and advised to discuss the matter with the embassies of their countries in New Delhi. Shri Jhamandas Purswani went to New Delhi and approached the sindhi leader Dr. Choithram Gidwani, who knew him very well since the days of freedom movements, in Hyderabad, Sindh. Dr. Choithram solved the problem with the assistance of Ministry Of External Affairs of India. Khudabadi Sonara Community members who were living in overseas gave their contributions to Indian Embassies in their countries and Shri Jhamandas Purswani collected the funds from the ministry, here. Rupees three thousand came from Indonesia and about two thousand came from various other countries. A small portion of amount from the collection was used in construction of the Panchayati Hall and the temple of Goddess Durga at open ground of Navab Ki Haveli, Vidhyadhar Ka Rasta (Jaipur), where a deity of Lord Shiva was also placed. The balance amount of collection was kept for helping widows and weaker section of the community.

Handing Over of Panchayati Hall

Then, Shri Jhamandas F. Purswani, Shri Tikamdas B. Purswani and Shri Parmanand Menghraj Vasnani handed over the Panchayati Hall and the Temple of Goddess Durga and Lord Shiva to Dr. Udharam Jhamandas Purswani, the president of Puj Khudabadi Sonara Panchayat, Jaipur for the activities of Puj Panchayat and other social functions. Earlier, Gursahib Jealal and after his demise, his son Gursahib Devidas used to perform Navratra Jagran and Havan in the temple of Goddess Durga, in the Panchayati Hall.This Panchayati Hall and the Temples are still in existence at Navab Ki Haveli, Vidhyadhar Ka Rasta, Jaipur.The Khudabadi Sonara Community look at the Panchayati Hall with reverence and respects it as a Hindu Temple devoted to the Temples of Goddess Durga and Lord Shiva. The Panchayati Hall is a Heritage and a Memorable Treasure of Khudabadi Sonara Community and Puj Khudabadi Sonara Panchayat (Reg.), Jaipur.

See also

• Khudabadi Sindhi Swarankar
• Khudabad
• Khudabadi Script

Sources

Hindu Genealogical Registers In Haridwar

Watumal Purswani. "Biography of Shri Jhamandas F. Purswani" Jaipur, India 18 Feb. 1962