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National Academy of Performing Arts - Hindu Gymkhana

The Seth Ramgopal Goverthandas Mohatta Hindu Gymkhana or Hindu Gymkhana is situated on M. R. Kiyani Road opposite the Arts Council in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. It was constructed in 1925 on a plot of land measuring 47,000 sq. yds. The Seth Ramgopal Goverdhandas Mohatta Hindu Gymkhana was the first public building in which the sub-continental style of architecture rather than the commonly used European-style was used by its architect Mr. Agha Ahmed Hussain. The stones, for its two feet thick walls, were brought from Bajapur. Its cupolas and balustrades and its scale are directly influenced and derived from the Mughal-Hindu mixed style which characterizes Akbar's Fatehpur Sikri. It is perhaps the only example of its type left in Karachi. With its carved cupolas and the miniaturized magnificence of a Rajasthani place the Hindu Gymkhana has almost been dwarfed into invisibility by indiscreet development. The building's condition has deteriorated over the years and was going to be demolished in 1984. This was prevented by an intervention by the Heritage Foundation.