Model of House made by Mr Gurdev Singh Rai

Mr Gurdav Singh Rai from Tilak Nagar New Delhi  checked each and every document available in the National Archives of India in Delhi and found one drawing made by the resident engineer of the place of detention for Bahadur Shah Zafar. He also found the written description of  the bungalow.

He spent a lot of time in researching the architecture of old Burma for the relevant period and the way the British built houses there.  With this information he was able to make a 3 dimensional computer image of the place.  He also consulted a  research scholar who had been to Burma and to the present structure twice.

The end result of this very painstaking effort is the model shown below. 

Picture of the architect who painstakingly constructed this model.

Please note this picture model was produced from the description given by Captain H Nelson Davies in his letter dated 3rd August 1859.

Letter from Captain H.Nelson Davies: Rangoon 3rd August 1859

 “The house is situated within a few yards of the Main Guard and like wooden houses of the country is considerably raised off the ground.  It is in an enclosure 100 ft. square and is surrounded by palisading 10 ft. high.  The accommodation consists of 4 rooms each, each 16 ft. square, one of which is allowed for the ex-king, another is occupied by Jawan Bakht and his young Begum, a third is appropriated by Zinat Mahal Begum; to each of these rooms a bathing is attached, Shah Abbas and his mother occupying the remaining rooms . . . .  There are two bath rooms . . . . also a place to cook in. “