Chauburji &
Nawankot Monuments
The monuments within
this group are
associated with
Mughal princesses,
and demonstrate the
powerful position at
court of the Mughal
imperial harem.
Imperial Mughal
women played an
important role in
the lives of
emperors and state
affairs. Empress
NurJahan, through
her intelligence and
cultural
inclinations became
not only an arbiter
of taste at the
Mughal court, but
administered the
empire in the
declining years of
Jahangir's rule.
Similarly, Jahan Ara
Begam, the favourite
daughter of
Shahjahan, after the
death of her mother,
became a confidante
and custodian of the
imperial seal—an
important
responsibility, for
no official letter
could be sent out
without carrying the
imperial stamp. The
impressive Chauburji
monument discussed
below is attributed
to her. Shahjahan's
other daughter,
Roshan Ara Begam,
having given her
support at a crucial
time to her brother
Aurangzeb which
resulted in his
victory in the
battle for the
Mughal throne,
commanded much
respect, as is
evident from
traveller Bernier's
account of her
entourage.
The tradition of
honouring their
women and giving
them due status can
be traced to Babur,
the founder of the
Mughal dynasty. It
was continued by
successive rulers,
who lavished on
themjagirs (fiefs,
estates), jewels and
rare gifts acquired
from around the
world. Monuments and
gardens were laid
out in their names
or by the imperial
women themselves,
whose own taste was
impeccable. The
tradition of
scholarship among
those in the
imperial harem is
evident from memoirs
of Gulbadan Begam,
Babur's daughter and
sister of Humayun.
Most of the
empresses and
princesses were
poets, often
assuming pen name
Makhfi (lit.
hidden)—Aurganzeb's
daughter Zebunnisa
who built the
Nawankot monuments,
was herself a much
acclaimed poet.
All the imperial
women owned large
estates (ja§irs),
accruing enormous
returns from
revenues which were
at their disposal
allowing them to
build spectacular
edifices.
Chauburji
This gateway, known
as Chauburji because
of its four lofty
corner towers (chau=4
and burji=tower)
dominates the
surrounding
landscape.
Travelling south
from the centre of
the city, you will
fine it
 located
at the centre of a
roundabout formed at
the junction of
Multan Road and
Bhawalpur Road
(formerly Lake
Road), and it is
visible from some
distance due to the
large open ground in
its vicinity.
The kashi kari
inscription at the
top of the lofty
aiwan gateway dates
it to 1056/1646 and
attributes it to
'Sahib-e-Zebinda
Begam-e-Dawran' (the
one endowed with
elegance, the lady
of the age), who had
bestowed the edifice
upon Mian Bai.
Although Latif
credits Zebunnisa
Begam, daughter of
Emperor Aurangzeb,
with the
construction of this
structure, equating
Zabinda with
Zebunnisa,
archaeologist
Waliullah points out
that Zebunnisa would
have been only eight
years old at the
time, and that the
builder of the
monument is more
likely to have been
Jahan Ara Begam,
aunt of Zebunnisa
and daughter of
Emperor Shahjahan.
If any one could
claim to be 'the
lady of the age', it
would be Jahan Ara,
the Begam Sahib or
first lady of the
empire. Waliullah
reinforces his
contention by
pointing out the
existence of Jahan
Ara's garden,
referred to by
Aurangzeb in his
letters addressed to
her.
According to the
inscription, the
garden, of which
only the gateway
Chauburji is now
extant, was gifted
to a Mian Bai.
However, since the
chronicles are
silent about the
identity of Mian Bai,
Latif conjectures
that she was a maid.
On the other hand,
Waliullah may be
correct in his
contention, that in
the inscription 'Mian
Bai' followed by 'Fakhrunnisa'
or 'the pride of
women' in the text,
indicates 'a lady of
status'.
With handsome
proportions, the
gateway was once
"brilliantly
enamelled and
decorated with blue
and green encaustic
tiles and fresco of
exquisite beauty."
The extant kashi
kari (tile mosaic)
of Chauburji is
among the finest
examples of its
kind. Although the
monument has
suffered loss of
much of its
decorative features
and is but a shadow
of the grand gateway
it once was, it is
an extremely
impressive
structure. Its
octagonal corner
towers, fully
decorated with kashi
kari rising above
the roof, would have
once carried
pavilion-like
belvederes affording
uninterrupted view
of the surrounding
area.
During Aurangzeb's
reign River Ravi
floods were
destructive to the
garden, as to other
parts of Lahore,
forcing the emperor
to order the
construction of an
eight kilometre dyke
around the city.
During the Sikh
Period, the monument
underwent
destruction once
again because of the
rising Ravi waters.
The top part of the
northwest tower
which had collapsed
at the time was
rebuilt in 1979.
The gateway's east
and west facades are
faced with grand and
lofty Timurid iwan
entrance, rising to
two storeys and
flanked by smaller
peshtaq alcoves on
the two floors, an
architectural mode
often employed in
Shahjahani gateways.
There would have
been at least one
other gateway—jawab
or echo—punctuating
the centre of the
opposite side of the
garden, which the
inscription records,
was laid out "in the
pattern of the
garden of paradise."
Zebunnisa's Tomb
& Garden
To locate the
remains of an
extensive garden,
once "furnished with
handsome buildings
and summer house,"
in the midst of
which stood the tomb
of 17th century
poet-princess, you
will need to travel
south on Multan
Road, well past the
junction known as
Samanabad Mor, or
Samanabad Junction.
The area is known as
Nawankot (the
village of Nawankot),
which attained much
prominence during
the late 18th
century, when it
fell to the share of
Sobha Singh, one of
the Sikh triumvirate
governors ruling the
Punjab.
Keep a careful watch
as you travel past
the minarets of new
Jamia Masjid. Since
the monument is
hemmed in between
shops on the left
(east) of the road,
it is easy to miss
the tomb of the
eldest and most
celebrated daughter
of Aurangzeb. The
tomb itself is set
back from the road,
behind an iron fence
with a large tree
standing guard.
There are other
pieces of the garden
composition such as
two corner towers
and a central
gateway, all three
of which will need a
bit of sleuthing to
discover, hidden and
dispersed as they
are in view of the
residential area
that has sprung up
in the intervening
space of the garden.
The ten-acre garden
would have been
enclosed by another
set of two corner
towers and a central
gateway, none of
which is extant.
The mausoleum,
constructed by
Zebunnisa (d. 1669),
today just a shell
and divested of its
decorative elements,
was once among "the
most beautiful
edifices of Lahore,
decorated with
costly stones, and
furnished with
pavilions, fountains
and reservoir."
Latif believes that
Ranjit Singh removed
its costly materials
to construct his
summer house in
Hazuri Bagh
(adjacent to Lahore
Fort). Sporting a
unique dome—a
pyramidal form on a
square neck—each
face of the square
tomb consists of a
central peshtaq
cusped arch in the
centre, flanked by
cusped arch insets
and low height
doorways, through
which the internal
chamber, containing
two unmarked graves,
is visible. The
mausoleum stands on
an elevated brick
platform.
Although once
accessible from the
tomb, today, with
dense development
surrounding it, to
view the remaining
extant architectural
elements of the
garden tomb, you
should be prepared
to begin a journey
of discovery to
locate them.
Travelling a couple
of hundred metres
further south on the
main road a turning
to the left (north)
at the Chappar Bus
Stop leads into the
main bazaar of
Gulzeb Colony
leading to the
monuments. It is
best to stop the car
in the bazaar, from
where the pedestrian
street on the left
leads you to the
first tower, which
is in the form of an
octagonal burj
(tower). This tower
which has hardly a
few metres detaching
it from the
surrounding houses,
marks the southeast
end of the original
Mughal garden.
A considerable walk
down (north)
carrying on along
the same narrow
street, you will
arrive at the
gateway, which is
located directly at
the rear (east) of
the tomb, however,
because of the
concentration of
houses in the
intervening space,
this relationship is
not clear. The
gateway is slightly
set back, and, even
though much ravaged
and hardly looked
after, you are
struck by its
magnificence and
elegant proportions.
Employing the
popular
architectural
vocabulary of a
lofty Timurid iwan
gateway rising to
two storeys, flanked
by peshtaq alcoves
on each level, the
facade displays
panels of finely
chiselled
scintillating tile
mosaic, with which
the whole facade and
internal surfaces
were once decorated.
The brick kangura (crenallated)
edging at the roof,
imitating earlier
Mughal examples in
red stone, adds a
fine touch. The
pavilion-like square
belvederes at the
four corners are
reminiscent of those
employed in Dai
Anga's Tomb
discussed earlier in
this rahguzar,
complete with
circular columns,
projecting chajja
and raised cupola.
It is worth going
round the gateway to
its rear, where you
can see some fine
fresco and
beautifully rendered
mucfurnas squinches
or qalib kari.
To reach the extreme
northern end of the
garden and the
second corner tower,
you will need to
carry on in the same
direction (north),
and take the left
fork a little
further down. An
octagonal tower,
similar to the one
already examined at
the beginning of the
narrow street, is
located here. The
remnants of tile
mosaic and fresco
panels, indicate the
beautifully rendered
tower that it
originally was.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 |
