Fort Monuments
Guru Arjun Mal
(also known as Arjun
Dev) Shrine or
Shaheed Asthan
As you enter the
main gate on your
left you will find
administrative
offices beyond which
is a large
courtyard. Turning
the corner you are
presented with a
full view of Ranjit
Singh's mausoleum
high above on the
right, while on the
left, in a rather
simple structure is
housed the gurdwara
or prayer chamber.
Beyond the gurdwara
is a courtyard and
the room of Guru
Arjun Mal, above
which rises the
'heavily gilded and
fluted' dome with
its golden finial,
kalas or sakhara,
flanked with cupolas
on the corners of a
square chamber. You
will need to go
through the prayer
chamber to arrive at
the Shaheed Asthan
which is maintained
with due reverence.
Built by Ranjit
Singh, it is a place
which is venerated
because of the
belief that it marks
the place where Guru
Arjun met his death.
The Sikh enclosure
located under the
shadow of the Mughal
Fort has facilities
to provide
hospitality to
devotees and any
other guests who
happen to drop by.
If you arrive in the
morning hours you
will be served with
steaming cups of
tea, while the
langar
(soup-kitchen)
during other times
provides food. The
whole area is
well-maintained and
well kept.
Guru Arjun was the
fifth guru of the
Sikh religion (out
of total of ten
gurus, the last one
being Guru Gobind
Singh). Guru Arjun
is credited with
having carried out
the Herculean task
of compiling the
Sikh scriptures—the
Adi-Garanth (Ava
Garanth) also known
as Guru Garanth
Sahib—a collection
of sayings and
psalms of earlier
gurus and saints.
Historian Latif
believes that it was
due to Guru Arjun's
concerted efforts in
establishing fixed
rules of religious
and moral conduct
that the principles
established by the
first Guru Nanak in
the 15th century
found acceptance on
a large scale.
He is the same Arjun
who offended the
Mughal emperor
Jahangir, by
welcoming the
rebellious prince
Khusraw and placing
on his forehead a
finger mark (tika}
in saffron, because
of which an irate
Jahangir recorded,
"I ordered them to
produce him......
and having
confiscated his
property commanded
that he should be
put to death."
However, it is
believed that the
emperor's orders
could not be carried
out for, while in
detention, the
fiercely proud guru
sought permission to
bathe in the Ravi
and then
miraculously
disappeared beneath
the waters of the
great river.
Guru Arjun Mal's
name is associated
with water—having
built several wells
and tanks. In
Lahore's Walled
City, Baoli Ranjit
Singh and Lal Khoo
were built by him;
the enormous tank at
Durbar Sahib in
Amritsar is said to
have been excavated
by him, as was a
well named Gangasar
(believed to contain
sacred water of
river Ganges) near
Thamjee (between
Amritsar and
Jullunder in present
India).
The festival
celebrated in the
month of May is
known as 'jor mela',
held to pay homage
to the fifth guru
when Sikhs from all
over the world
congregate to the
Dera Sahib.
Samadh of Ranjit
Singh & Others
The Samadh of Ranjit
Singh is located on
the first floor, for
which you will need
to negotiate a
staircase located on
the left, past the
block of Shaheed
Asthan. Arriving at
the top of the
stairs you can see
the magnificent wall
of the Mughal fort
against which the
samadh is
constructed.
Ranjit Singh, the
one-eyed Sikh ruler
of the Punjab (ruled
1801-1839),
considered himself
the heir to the
Mughal Empire. He
not only followed
many of the customs
of the Mughal court,
he built buildings
utilizing elements
pilfered from Mughal
monuments, and other
buildings influenced
by Mughal
architectural
tradition. In all
fairness to him,
even though he had
conquered the
citadel of the
Mughals, he is said
to have never seated
himself on the
throne in the Fort.
William Osborne,
Military Secretary
to Governor General
Earl of Auckland,
writing in 1838,
points out that
Ranjit's life was an
"incessant career of
war and strife." A
shrewd military
strategist, the Sikh
ruler took advantage
of the weaknesses of
his adversaries to
rule over an
ever-expanding
empire. It was
Ranjit Singh who, in
1813, forced Kabul's
deposed ruler Shah
Shuja, to part with
the famed Kohinoor,
a bauble that he
never tired of
showing off whenever
he received foreign
visitors. Although
the British had
reservations
regarding his moral
character, they were
keen to develop
close relations with
Ranjit Singh. Since
the first high level
meeting in October
1831, arranged with
great pomp between
Governor General
Lord William
Bentinck and the
'Lahore Chief as he
was referred to by
the British,
relations between
the two powers
continued to
improve. It was the
perceived threat of
the French, and the
British compulsion
to install a
friendly ruler in
Afghanistan that
lead to an alliance
with Ranjit Singh
and the resultant
disastrous First
Anglo-Afghan War
(1839). Although
later the British
would annex the
Punjab, during
Ranjit Singh's
lifetime the British
missions, as closest
of allies, were
received with great
fanfare and
ceremony.
The death of Ranjit
Singh in July 1839
created much
despondency in
British circles, for
it was noted by
Osborne that all the
"treasure and
supplies to the army
of the Indus must go
though the Punjab
and there are so
many powerful and
almost independent
chiefs in the
country, that the
risk will be great
without Ranjit
Singh's master mind
to rule them.
Kharrack Sing is
well intentioned and
well inclined
towards us, but
wants the courage
and energy of his
father."
The death of Ranjit
Singh, however,
heralded a period of
intense warfare
among his successors
and paved the way
for the annexation
of the Punjab by the
British.
According to custom,
Ranjit Singh's body
was placed on a pyre
and along with him
were burnt alive his
'very handsome' four
wives—the four
ranees
(queens)—seven slave
girls, one of whom
was a beautiful
Kashmir! called
'Lotus' or Kanwal.
The consuming of the
pile took two full
days after which the
task of separating
ashes and bones for
storing in separate
urns was carried
out. The eye witness
account related by
Honigberger, the
court physician of
Ranjit Singh,
describes the
journey of the urns
in five richly
caparisoned
palanquins "with
exactly the same
pomp and splendor as
if the Maharaja and
his wives were still
alive," along with
numerous attendants
and guards, through
the streets of
Lahore. Mounds of
rose petals were
showered by
thousands who had
gathered in the
streets and on the
rooftops of the
route. The final
salute in the form
of thundering
cannons was sounded
from the Fort and
ramparts of the
city. For 13 days
afterwards the whole
city was in mourning
wearing nothing but
funereal white.
The samadh was begun
by Ranjit's
successor Kharrak
Singh on the
location of the
funeral pyre and
completed in 1848.
Although
architecturally a
little fussy, the
strong influence of
the citadel
architecture and the
legacy of the
Mughals is very much
in evidence. The
high fluted dome
rises above the
cluster of
buildings, as if
trying to compete
with the adjacent
domes of Aurangzeb's
Badshahi Masjid. The
interior is well
detailed, much of
the marble elements,
it is said, having
been appropriated
from Mughal
monuments—the
beautiful marble
doorway entrance
perhaps belonging to
the citadel's Shah
Burj. The central
marble urn in the
form of a lotus on
the grave carries
the remains of the
Maharaja, while
marble knobs hold
the ashes of 11
women who immolated
themselves. Also
seen in the chamber
are portraits of the
Maharaja and the
last Sikh ruler, the
infant Dulip Singh.
At the same floor
level, on the south
of Ranjit Singh's
Samadh are located
the samadhs of his
son Kharrak Singh
and his grandson
Naunehal Singh and
their wives. These
structures are
treated simply and
although the
architectural style
is similar, the
grand treatment of
the earlier samadh
is no longer in
evidence.
Ranjit Singh's
Baradari
Coming out of the
enclosure, you will
need to turn right
to enter the gateway
known as Roshnai
Gate and enter the
Hazuri Bagh, a
forecourt leading to
Badshahi Mosque on
the west and
Alamgiri Gate on the
east.
Hazuri Bagh is the
original serai built
by the Mughal
emperor Aurangzeb at
the time that the
Badshahi Mosque was
constructed.
However, the
Mughalised
attractive marble
baradari adorning
the bagh (garden),
is a Sikh building,
which was put
together on the
orders of Ranjit
Singh., Its Mughal
character is
beholden to the
material removed
from Mughal
monuments and reused
here.
According to
historian Latif,
various elements
were "ruthlessly
torn away from the
mausoleum of Zebinda
Begam, in Nawankot,
the tomb of Shah
Sharaff, outside the
Taxali Gate, and
other Mahomedan
structures," and we
are inclined to
agree with him that
although of hybrid
character, the
building is endowed
with elegance.
The pavilion was
constructed in 1818
and originally
consisted of a
basement and two
storey above ground.
Today you have to
judge the building
on the basis of its
ground floor, for
the upper storey
collapsed in July
1932 due to a heavy
rainstorm and
lightning. Because
of a paucity of
funds the top storey
was never restored;
however, the first
floor marble
fretwork balustrade,
which had also been
severely damaged,
was rehabilitated
three years later.
From contemporary
illustrations the
design of the top
storey is evident: a
chamber punctured by
cusped arch
openings, set in the
middle of a large
terrace and well set
back from the edge
of the ground floor
roof.
The Baradari was the
focus of regal
displays during the
Sikh rule. Although
the takht (or
throne) was the
citadel (sometimes
referred to as the
winter palace in
contemporary
accounts), Ranjit
Singh used the venue
of the baradari for
conducting functions
of state. After his
death, the pavilion
continued to be
utilized by his
successors, although
the surroundings
were reported by Von
Orlich to be much
damaged due to the
destructive
colonnade during the
ensuing Inter-Sikh
wars—the unending
wars of succession.
Von Orlich had
accompanied the
embassage, headed by
Maddock, the
Secretary to the
Government of India,
sent by Governor
General Lord
Ellenborough to the
court of Sher Singh.
He describes the
pomp and glitter of
Sher Singh's court,
tastefully decorated
with carpets and
Kashmiri shawls,
when "Prince
Perthaub Singh and
Dheean Singh
received the
ambassador at the
marble pavilion, and
conducted us between
a line of
cuirassiers and
officers to the
Maharaja."
Gulab Khana
Another interesting
association with the
reign of Ranjit
Singh is a Mughal
gateway located in
the south of Hazuri
Bagh, known as
Hazuri Bagh Gate.
This gate, along
with a two-storey
construction
adjoining it, is
part of the Badshahi
Mosque cluster, and
was constructed by
Aurangzeb as a
boarding house for
accommodating
scholars and
students attached to
the grand mosque.
Later it was called
Abdar Khana (Chamber
of Refreshments) and
used for storing
refreshing drinks
for the royal
household and the
emperor.
It is the same place
which came to be
known as Gulab Khana
or Rosewater Chamber
during Ranjit
Singh's reign. It
was in the '
gulab-khaneh', that
Honigberger, the
royal physician,
having established
his
office/laboratory
there, gave lessons
in pharmacy and
chemistry to the
Maharaja's ministers
'Fakir Aziz-oo-Deen'
and 'Noor-oo-Deen'
(the ancestors of
the owners of Fakir
Khana, the famed
museum located in
the Walled City).
Here rosewater and
bedemusk (aquaflor
saleis Babylon) were
distilled, to
produce cooling
beverages for use
during the intense
heat of Lahore. And,
this was the place
where Honigberger
supervised the
large-scale
production of spirit
distilled from Kabul
grapes for the Sikh
ruler. Morphine too,
to which the Sikh
ruler was addicted,
was produced here, a
large dose of which
was administered by
the Maharaja to a
famous opium eater,
who, Honigberger
relates, would have
surely died had the
latter not
expeditiously
administered an
antidote.
Ranjit Singh's
Athdara in
Shahjahan's Shah
Burj
This open pavilion,
constructed at the
rear of the east
wall of Shah Burj
(Royal Tower), in
all appearances a
Mughal structure, is
in fact built by
Maharaja Ranjit
Singh and is known
as Athdara.
The best way to
approach the white
marble Athdara is to
retrace your steps
and turn right at
Roshnai Gate, go
past the British
period 'postern'
where an attendant
of the Department of
Archaeology is
posted. When you
enter the court, you
will see Shahjahan's
imposing and
beautifully rendered
Hathi Paun (Pol)
gateway. Turning
left immediately
after the gateway
takes you up the
twisting elephant's
ramp and into the
reception court.
Another memento of
the Sikh rule is
located on the way.
On the east of the
court you will
notice a simple
square building with
a ribbed cupola.
This is a
Sikh-period temple,
and probably
replaced a gateway,
which led to the
so-called 'Khilwat
Khana' quadrangle.
Turning left through
a decorated gateway
leads you into Royal
Tower Forecourt,
where diagonally on
the left (west of
the forecourt),
stands the Athdara.
Athdara—eight
doorways as the name
implies—was used by
Ranjit Singh as "kachahri
or court of
justice." Enamoured
as the Kumpany
Bahadur was by the
pomp and jewels of
the Sikh ruler, the
flurry attached to
the Lahore court
surrounding the
pavilion has been
preserved for
posterity in
contemporary British
paintings.
Vogel finds the
general appearance
of the pavilion "not
ungraceful" due to a
striking
"combination of
white marble
[columns] and red
sandstone
brackets"—a blend
that had been
successfully
employed by
Shahjahani
architects. In view
of the research by
Heritage Foundation
Pakistan, there
is little doubt that
the pavilion was
largely put together
from elements that
Ranjit Singh secured
from the adjacent
Shah Burj
(Shahjahan's Royal
Tower).
The Shah Burj itself
was a favorite
palace of Ranjit
Singh, and several
small structures
were built for his
use on the roof.
However, most of
them have been
removed in the last
few years.
Mai Jindan Haveli
Mai Jindah haveli,
although not a
building of note, is
nevertheless
important as the
residence of the
mother (Maharani
Chanda or Jindan) of
the last Sikh ruler,
the infant Dulip
Singh. The building
has been constructed
on Mughal
substructure, and
occupies an
important location
in the Mughal fort,
overlooking two
ahatas or squares in
the fort:
Today, it is worth
visiting to examine
Princess Bamba
collection which is
displayed there—a
collection of
paintings chiefly by
European artists
dating back to
Ranjit Singh's rule.
Several important
players in the
successive Sikh
regimes are
portrayed in oils as
well as in ivory
miniatures; other
objects d'art of the
Sikh Period are also
displayed here.
Temple of Loh
Reputed to represent
the Hindu period of
Lahore, the 'temple
of Loh' is located
in the northwestern
corner of Lahore
Fort. Of unknown
date, the temple is
dedicated to the
mythical founder Loh
who is reputed to
have established the
ancient city of
Lohawar. Loh himself
was one of the two
sons of the Hindu
God Rama, whose
heroic exploits are
detailed in the epic
Ramayana.Fort Monuments
The Walled City Monuments
The City Monuments
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