Danger to Raj Kapoor’s 100 year old birth mansion: Part collapsed due to earthquake and rain in Peshawar, increased concern about security
Peshawar. A part of the mansion of Bollywood veteran Raj Kapoor reportedly collapsed in Peshawar due to the recent heavy rains and subsequent earthquake on Friday night. Officials and local residents informed about this.
The century-old Kapoor Haveli, located in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, was declared a national heritage by the Government of Pakistan in the year 2016. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Heritage Council Secretary Shakeel Wahidullah said a part of the wall of the mansion collapsed after the earthquake, raising concerns over the safety of the remaining structure.
He said that there was no report of any casualty in this incident. Wahidullah appealed to the Archeology Department and the provincial government to take immediate steps to conserve and restore the historical building and warned that if negligence continues, the cultural heritage of the area may suffer irreparable damage. Kapoor Haveli is situated in the middle of the famous Qissa Khwani Bazaar of Peshawar city.
It is one of the major monuments of Pakistan, but has long been in a dilapidated condition despite demands for conservation. The mansion is the ancestral home of actor Prithviraj Kapoor, who was the first member of the Kapoor family to enter the film industry. This house was built by his father Dewan Basheshwarnath Kapoor between 1918 and 1922.
Actors Raj Kapoor and Trilok Kapoor were also born in this mansion. In its time, this mansion was considered an example of excellent architecture, which had about 40 rooms. The facade of the building was decorated with intricate floral motifs and windows.
Although the building is now in a very dilapidated state, its beauty is still clearly visible despite being abandoned for years. Raj Kapoor’s two younger siblings were also born in this mansion, who died in 1931. Raj Kapoor’s brothers Shammi Kapoor and Shashi Kapoor were born in India.
The early generations of the Kapoor family lived in this building, but after Partition the family left the building in 1947. Like many other families, Raj Kapoor also came to India after Partition. His sons Rishi Kapoor and Randhir Kapoor visited the place in the 1990s.
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