Given to the city of Karachi by Seth Jehangir Hormusji Kothari in 1919, the prominent businessman actually gave the city a beautiful tourist attraction, drawing in not only money but attention to this place.
The adjoining Lady Lloyd Pier is a gorgeous place to explore and reflect as well. Both the promenade pavilion and the Lady Lloyd Pier overlook the Arabian Sea. After extensive renovations in 2007, the park re-opened as Pakistan’s largest park, Bagh Ibne Qasim.
The area and historic buildings are pretty during the day, but visiting at sunset with your camera will really bring the ‘wow’ factor to this place. Catch the waning beams over the dome or sliding in through the arched columns. Or, choose to stroll at night under the moonlight. Capture the moon over the parade and pier for photographs that are worthy to be on postcards. The magic of the place is evident in the pictures and on the faces of the visitors.
The Kothari Parade and Lady Lloyd Pier are also useful as a community centre for locals. Artists set up their exhibits here. Pakistani schoolboys can be seen creating projects under the dome. Photographers are always snapping away, trying to capture that perfect moment in time. Car collectors love to hold their shows with the Kothari Parade in the backdrop. Of course, we can’t forget the scholars who come to reflect on the deeper things of life. This historical site draws all kinds of people looking for a place to stop and enjoy life.
Being located directly across from the sea, there is always a strong, refreshing salty breeze blowing. With the cooling air, the open green areas and the gorgeous views from this place, it is easy to forget that you are in a city – a city of 20 million people! No wonder the locals love this place. Traffic jams, honking horns, pedestrian throngs and the business of city life can be overwhelming. However, the Karachians and visitors can stroll onto the Kothari Parade and Pier and get away from everything.
Visitors to the area will see local families bringing in their picnic baskets for a day here. Couples can be seen slowly strolling along or sitting on one of the many benches partially hidden by trees. Loners will enjoy the silence and peace of this whole area. Surely that is what Jehangir Kothari wanted when he bequeathed the land to the city. That is what Lady Lloyd envisioned when she inaugurated the places. That is most definitely what the current mayor and city counsel vigilantly fight for when they order billboards blocking the views of the area to be taken down.
Jehangir Kothari Parade and the adjacent Lady Lloyd Pier, the Bin Qasim Park – all of this was meant to be a tranquil getaway within the madness of a growing, burgeoning city. Those who work to maintain the grounds, the buildings and the area see that vision, too.
Come and spend an hour or a whole day exploring this place. Bring your comfortable shoes and experience the morning sunrise. Bring your camera to capture the sunsets as the breeze ruffles your hair. Watch as the moon rises over the dome and over the Arabian Sea.
At this historic spot, you can leave behind your tensions and worries. Immerse yourself in the pleasant open gardens and stone walkways. Jet-lag, travel weariness and the pressures of being abroad will be forgotten by the time you leave this beautiful site. Your ideations of Pakistan will forever be changed by this soothing sanctuary where one man’s giving nature is now exemplified in a whole park that gives back to locals and travellers alike.
