Masonic Temple (Lahore)
Encyclopedia
Lahore Masonic Temple in the Charing Cross
neighborhood of Lahore, Pakistan, is the former home of Prince Albert Victor Lodge 2370ec, and Hope and Perseverance Lodge No. 782, two Masonic lodge
s warranted by the United Grand Lodge of England
.
The building has not been used for masonic purposes since the lodges were disbanded in 1972, when then Prime Minister of Pakistan
, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto placed a ban on Freemasonry in Pakistan
.
The current Masonic Temple was built in 1914, using the foundation stone from its predecessor, on land that had once been a garden. The new temple was designed by Basil M. Sullivan, Consulting Architect to the government of Punjab, mirroring the Shah Din Building, both of which flanked Queens Road. For many years, up to the early 1970s, it remained vacant and desolate, with locals calling it the "Jadoo Ghar", or "magic house". It was later renovated for use by the Punjab Chief Minister's Secretariat. Due to recent additions to the Shah Din building, the two buildings are no longer replicas.
was made a mason in the Lodge of Hope and Perseverance in 1885, at the original lodge building, under a dispensation
allowing him to be initiated before his 21st Birthday. He served as secretary of the Lodge following his initiation. He remained a member of the lodge for three years, demitting in 1889. He wrote of his time in the Lodge of Hope and Perseverance in "Something of Myself" and in a letter to the Times, describing "decorating the bare walls of the Masonic Hall with hangings after the prescription of King Solomon's Temple" and meeting members of many different religious faiths , including Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs and Jews. Kipling also references the original 1859 building in the opening scene of his novel Kim
, describing it as "the big blue and white Jadoo-Gher—the Magic House, as we named the Masonic Lodge." One plot line in the book relates to a piece of paper in Kim's possession, a "clearance-certificate", which shows that his deceased father was a Mason. In 1914, long after Kipling had left India, the lodge demolished the building that Kipling described, and replaced it with the current one.
, placed a ban on Freemasonry and many other foreign organizations present in the country. The lodge was then disbanded and for a time the building was unused. It has been used as a multi-purpose Punjab
government building.
In the late 1980s the Heritage Foundation Pakistan and concerned citizens of Lahore
started a project to renovate the heritage buildings on the Mall road, including this building.
Charing Cross, Lahore
Charing Cross, renamed Faisal Square , and now officially renamed as Shahrah-e-Quaid-e-Azam to honour the founder of the nation of Pakistan, is a neighbourhood of Lahore, Pakistan, located on Mall Road...
neighborhood of Lahore, Pakistan, is the former home of Prince Albert Victor Lodge 2370ec, and Hope and Perseverance Lodge No. 782, two Masonic lodge
Masonic Lodge
This article is about the Masonic term for a membership group. For buildings named Masonic Lodge, see Masonic Lodge A Masonic Lodge, often termed a Private Lodge or Constituent Lodge, is the basic organisation of Freemasonry...
s warranted by the United Grand Lodge of England
United Grand Lodge of England
The United Grand Lodge of England is the main governing body of freemasonry within England and Wales and in other, predominantly ex-British Empire and Commonwealth countries outside the United Kingdom. It is the oldest Grand Lodge in the world, deriving its origin from 1717...
.
The building has not been used for masonic purposes since the lodges were disbanded in 1972, when then Prime Minister of Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto placed a ban on Freemasonry in Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
.
Lodge of Hope and Perseverance No. 782
The first Masonic Temple of the Lodge of Hope and Perseverance was built in 1859 at Anarkullee, Lahore. Its site on Lodge Road is now occupied by Lady Maclagan Government High School.The current Masonic Temple was built in 1914, using the foundation stone from its predecessor, on land that had once been a garden. The new temple was designed by Basil M. Sullivan, Consulting Architect to the government of Punjab, mirroring the Shah Din Building, both of which flanked Queens Road. For many years, up to the early 1970s, it remained vacant and desolate, with locals calling it the "Jadoo Ghar", or "magic house". It was later renovated for use by the Punjab Chief Minister's Secretariat. Due to recent additions to the Shah Din building, the two buildings are no longer replicas.
Rudyard Kipling
The author and poet Rudyard KiplingRudyard Kipling
Joseph Rudyard Kipling was an English poet, short-story writer, and novelist chiefly remembered for his celebration of British imperialism, tales and poems of British soldiers in India, and his tales for children. Kipling received the 1907 Nobel Prize for Literature...
was made a mason in the Lodge of Hope and Perseverance in 1885, at the original lodge building, under a dispensation
Masonic Landmarks
Masonic Landmarks are a set of principles that many Freemasons claim to be "both ancient and unchangeable precepts of Masonry". Issues of the "regularity" of a Freemasonic Lodge, Grand Lodge or Grand Orient are judged in the context of the Landmarks...
allowing him to be initiated before his 21st Birthday. He served as secretary of the Lodge following his initiation. He remained a member of the lodge for three years, demitting in 1889. He wrote of his time in the Lodge of Hope and Perseverance in "Something of Myself" and in a letter to the Times, describing "decorating the bare walls of the Masonic Hall with hangings after the prescription of King Solomon's Temple" and meeting members of many different religious faiths , including Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs and Jews. Kipling also references the original 1859 building in the opening scene of his novel Kim
Kim
-Names:* Kim * Kim * Kim * Kim, Vietnamese form of Jin -Places:* KIM, IATA code for Kimberley Airport in South Africa* Kim, Colorado, United States* Kim, a town near Surat, Gujarat, India...
, describing it as "the big blue and white Jadoo-Gher—the Magic House, as we named the Masonic Lodge." One plot line in the book relates to a piece of paper in Kim's possession, a "clearance-certificate", which shows that his deceased father was a Mason. In 1914, long after Kipling had left India, the lodge demolished the building that Kipling described, and replaced it with the current one.
Current status
In 1972 Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, then Prime Minister of PakistanPakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, placed a ban on Freemasonry and many other foreign organizations present in the country. The lodge was then disbanded and for a time the building was unused. It has been used as a multi-purpose Punjab
Punjab (Pakistan)
Punjab is the most populous province of Pakistan, with approximately 45% of the country's total population. Forming most of the Punjab region, the province is bordered by Kashmir to the north-east, the Indian states of Punjab and Rajasthan to the east, the Pakistani province of Sindh to the...
government building.
In the late 1980s the Heritage Foundation Pakistan and concerned citizens of Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
started a project to renovate the heritage buildings on the Mall road, including this building.
External links
- Masonic Lodge, RNoor website