Key Points:
- A significant portion of Raj Kapoor’s ancestral home in Peshawar collapsed due to heavy rains and an earthquake on Friday night.
- The historic Kapoor Haveli was built between 1918 and 1922 by Dewan Basheswarnath Kapoor.
- Despite being declared a national heritage site by the Pakistan government in 2016, the building has remained in a dilapidated state.
- Heritage officials are urgently appealing to the provincial government and archaeology department to initiate immediate restoration efforts.
The ancestral mansion of Hindi cinema legend Raj Kapoor, located in the heart of the famed Qissa Khwani Bazaar in Peshawar, Pakistan, is once again making headlines for tragic reasons. Due to a recent strong earthquake and incessant rainfall, a significant section of this historic structure has collapsed. This incident has raised fresh, urgent concerns regarding the legacy and preservation of the Kapoor family’s cultural heritage.
According to local reports and heritage officials, Raj Kapoor’s mansion was already in a severely dilapidated state. There have been persistent calls for its renovation and conversion into a museum for many years, yet no concrete preservation measures were taken by the authorities. A large portion of the structure crumbled after its walls were weakened by continuous rain, followed by strong tremors from an earthquake late Friday night. Fortunately, there are no reports of any casualties or injuries resulting from this incident.
Heritage Officials Express Grave Concern
Shakeel Waheedullah, Secretary of the Heritage Council of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, has expressed deep concern over the incident. He stated that the condition of the mansion has deteriorated significantly following the earthquake, and immediate steps are now required to ensure its preservation. Waheedullah has urgently appealed to the provincial government and the Department of Archaeology to take swift action to save this historical heritage site, warning that further neglect will result in an irreparable loss to the region’s cultural history.
A Century of Cinematic History
The Kapoor Haveli was constructed by Dewan Basheswarnath Kapoor, the father of Prithviraj Kapoor, between 1918 and 1922. The sprawling mansion is over 100 years old and originally comprised around 40 rooms, featuring intricate floral motifs and traditional overhanging balconies known as jharokhas. This is the very place where Raj Kapoor and his uncle, Trilok Kapoor, were born. At one time, the Kapoor Haveli served as the vibrant hub of the Kapoor family’s activities, witnessing the early lives of a dynasty that would go on to profoundly shape Indian cinema.
Once Bustling with Life, Now Abandoned
Legendary actors Shammi Kapoor and Shashi Kapoor also used to visit and spend time at the mansion before moving. However, following the Partition of India in 1947, the Kapoor family migrated to Mumbai, and the mansion gradually fell into desolation. Although the Pakistan government declared the building a national heritage site in 2016 with plans to turn it into a museum, disputes over property valuation and bureaucratic delays stalled the project. Today, owing to decades of neglect, this historic edifice stands on the verge of total ruin. In the wake of this recent collapse, it remains crucial to see what definitive steps the concerned officials and the government will take to rescue the remaining structure.
