The real life story of Heera Mandi

Brut India

Heera Mandi, the oldest red-light district of Lahore, has a history which goes back centuries. The women who lived there were celebrated dancers and poets, and even helped in India's Independence movement. This is their story.

Transcript

00:00In Heeramandi, not the British, but Malika Jaan's coin runs.

00:07Many kings ruled over the oldest red-light district of Lahore, known as Heeramandi.

00:14But it was the courtesans who had the most power.

00:17The story of Heeramandi is as interesting as the women who lived there.

00:21Sir, these two wives are very powerful.

00:24And they have the Nawabs under their thumbs.

00:28The history of Heeramandi goes back to the Mughal era, when it was known by a different name,

00:33Shahi Mohalla, the royal neighbourhood.

00:36It was a place where courtesans brought art and culture to life.

00:40But these courtesans were not the sex workers of that time.

00:46They were trained musicians and singers.

00:48It's very ambitious, it's very big, it's very vast.

00:51It tells you of the story of the courtesans.

00:54Pre-independence, they kept music and poetry and dance and the art of living.

00:59The politics within the courtesans and how to emerge as the winner.

01:05It is said that after Maharaja Ranjit Singh took over Punjab,

01:08he fell in love with a local Muslim courtesan named Muran.

01:13He even built a separate mansion for her.

01:18After Singh's death in 1839,

01:20his general-turned-Prime Minister, Heera Singh Dogra,

01:22used Shahi Mohalla as an economic centre

01:26and built a food grain market in the area.

01:28It was for this reason, people said that at Heeramandi,

01:31one could find grains in the morning and diamonds at night.

01:36That's how it got its name, the Diamond Market.

01:41Courtesans had always enjoyed a respected position in society.

01:46But this changed when the British took over.

01:51When the British withdrew their patronage,

01:53the area's association with prostitution began.

02:04But these women eventually found themselves playing

02:06a significant role in India's freedom struggle.

02:10During the 1857 First War of Independence,

02:12their kothas became hideout spots for Indian rebels.

02:15The women helped in arranging funds and even took up arms.

02:21But their contribution in the fight for freedom

02:23has largely remained forgotten.

02:26Today, Heeramandi is a busy food and shopping spot in Lahore,

02:29but as night falls, the shadows of prostitution still linger.

02:50For more UN videos visit www.un.org

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