Canal bank & Mian
Mir Monuments
Nawab Bahadur
Khan's Tomb
To reach Nawab
Bahadur Khan tomb,
from G.T. Road you
should proceed south
on Shalamar Link
Road. You will need
to turn right (west)
into Canal Bank
Road. As you drive
along the pleasant
bank of the canal,
Nawab Bahadur Khan
tomb will appear on
your right beyond
the canal. Making a
'U' turn on the
bridge you will need
to travel east for a
little distance
along the opposite
side of the canal,
before you can take
a sharp left turn on
a road that slopes
down from Khayaban-e-Anne
Marie Schimmel
(Canal Bank Road).
On your right stands
one of the earliest
extant structures of
the Mughal Period in
Lahore—the
magnificent brick
tomb of Nawab
Bahadur Khan on a
raised podium
following the
octagonal plan form
of the tomb.
Although bereft of
its facing, its
beautiful, well
detailed brick
masonry lends it a
character entirely
its own. The
division of wall
surface in a pattern
of sunken panels
would have lent
itself admirably to
treatment with
fresco painting and
possibly even tile
mosaic.
Its 32' diameter
dome, raised on a
drum, is reminiscent
more of the dome
form utilized in the
tomb of Anarkali,
rather than those of
other nobles such as
Ali Mardan Khan or
Asaf Khan. This is
not surprising,
since Nawab Bahadur
Khan, reputed to be
one & Akbar's
nobles, died in
1601, which makes
his tomb
contemporaneous with
the tomb of
Anarkali, built in
1615.
The tomb's eight
sides are punctured
with alcoves
consisting of
Timurid peshtacj
openings, roofed
with Cfalib kari
(stalactite or
mucjarnas) squinches.
A 5' high and 32'
wide podium,
encircles the tomb,
and is in a fair
state of
preservation. Some
of the original fine
brick paving laid in
geometric patterns,
which you might like
to examine on the
north east portion
of the podium, is
still extant.
Writing at the end
of the 19th century,
historian Latif
notes the existence
of turrets with
cupolas; however,
those are no longer
to be seen. The
marble that once
embellished the
dome's surface has
also been
lost—possibly during
Ranjit Singh's
reign. In view of
the popularity of
funerary gardens
among the Mughals,
no doubt the tomb
once stood in a
large garden, the
extent of which is
no longer possible
to determine.
In view of its easy
accessibility from
Mian Mir Cantonment,
during the early
British period the
tomb was considered
eminently suitable
for entertainment
activities and
served as a theatre!
However, later when
railway authorities
took over the area,
once part of a
historic quarter
known as Mohallah
Ganj, the tomb was
put to a debased
function of a
railway storehouse!
Tomb of Nadira
Begam
The last Mughal
monument in this
group, the tomb of
Nadira Begam, is
located in close
proximity to the
tomb of Hazrat Mian
Mir.
In order to view
this 17th century
structure, it would
be best to continue
travelling southwest
on Canal Bank Road,
and turn left
(southeast) on
Allama Iqbal Road.
Almost midway
between the canal
and railway line is
a turning off Allama
Iqbal Road (Mayo
Road) on the right
(south), from where
a turning right and
then left, leads you
to the historic tomb
and mosque of Mian
Mir. Intercepted by
a small road from
the enclosure of the
saint's mazar is a
large garden on its
east, in the middle
of which stands the
square tomb of
Nadira Begam.
Nadira Begam was the
wife of Prince Dara
Shikoh, the eldest
son ofShahjahan—the
same poet-prince,
who had served as
governor 'of Lahore
during the 1640s. At
the time of his
wife's death, Dara
was on the run and
fighting a losing
battle for the
Mughal throne—and
literally his
life—with his
brother Aurangzeb.
After the battle of
Deorai (near Ajmer),
dogged by
Aurangzeb's forces
Dara had fled
towards Multan and
Uchch trying to
escape to Iran via
the Bolan Pass.
It was during this
difficult journey
that Nadira Begam,
his beloved wife and
daughter of his
uncle Sultan Parwiz
(brother of
Shahjahan and second
son of emperor
Jahangir), succumbed
to exhaustion and
dysentery (1659).
Although his forces
were much depleted,
Dara sent the
remaining troops
with his wife's body
from Bolan Pass to
Lahore to be buried
near the shrine of
his 'spiritual
guide', the saint
Mian Mir.
Dara himself was a
devout disciple of
saints Mulla Shah
and Hazrat Mian Mir.
His attachment to
Lahore is clear from
his poetry: "The
city of Lahore ever
remains flourishing,
and He keeps it free
from plague and
famine."
The present garden
was once an enormous
tank of water, in
the centre of which
the tomb was placed
on a raised podium.
According to Latif,
the corners of the
tank were marked
with pavilions,
while lofty gateways
provided access from
the north and south
through a masonry
bridge. The gateways
are no longer extant
but most of the
causeway can still
be seen.
Constructed with
massive brick
masonry, the
two-storey structure
with its 44' wide
square plan form,
presents a rather
solid appearance.
Its four sides are
punctured by
central, deep cusped
arch openings
flanked by square
headed apertures.
The top of the
building is
encircled with a
deep chajja (eaves
or overhang).
The 14' wide central
chamber, an
irregular octagon is
surrounded by an
ambulatory in the
form of vestibules.
Although no tilework
is extant on the
external facade,
traces of glared
tiles are evident in
first floor
interiors.
The use of qalib-
kari or muqarnas
(stalactite
squinches) for roofs
and vaults, a
popular way for
spanning the
transitional spaces,
is also employed
internally, with
good effect.
The rather simple,
blank facade, shorn
of all
ornamentation, is a
result of the Sikh
rule, when the tomb
is said to have been
robbed of its costly
marble and
semi-precious
stones.The Ravi Monument
G.T. Road/Baghbanpura Monuments
Canal Bank & Mian Mir Monuments
Chauburji & Nawankot Monuments
The City Monuments
The Walled City Monuments
Wazir Khan Monuments |
