G. T. Road/Baghbanpura
Monuments
Most of the
monuments in this
group, including the
famous Shalamar
Gardens, are located
on or close to G.T.
(Grand Trunk) Road;
except for the tomb
of Bahadur Khan near
Mughalpura and that
of Nadira Begam near
the mausoleum of
Hazrat Mian Mir. The
G.T. Road that you
see is a much
improved and
beautified
thoroughfare.
However, cruising
east along the
double carriageway,
it is with a touch
of dismay that one
finds the original
sleepy environment,
which showed the
spectacular Mughal
monuments to good
effect, replaced
with a spate of new
buildings. An
uncontrolled
feverish building
activity, in the
wake of a new double
carriageway, has
dwarfed and
undermined historic
structures located
here. You will need
to be on a lookout
for these rather
mellowed structures
in order not to miss
them.
Buddhu (Buddu)ka
Awa
On the south of G.T.
Road, opposite the
University of
Engineering and
Technology, is 'Buddhu
(Buddu) ka Awa'. It
is a square
structure, which
carries a lofty dome
raised on a circular
drum, lined with
alternating blue and
white ceramic tiles
laid in a chevron
pattern. Since the
area around it is
fenced in, you can
not enter it, but
being close to the
main road its
impressive structure
can be viewed from
the roadside.
Constructed with
massive brick
masonry, each side
of this square
building is
punctured with a
central peshtaq
opening flanked by
two slightly
recessed arched
panels. The zone of
transition of the
square chamber to
the hemispherical
roof is expressed
above the chamber in
an octagonal drum,
on which a dome on a
high neck is placed,
resulting in a
somewhat
overpowering gunbud
(dome).
Traditionally, the
structure is
attributed to Buddhu,
a potter belonging
to Shahjahan's
reign. Buddhu's
father Suddhu is
said to have had a
flourishing kiln
trade during the
reign of Jahangir,
supplying bricks for
all the important
structures and
palaces built by the
imperial family and
grandees of the
court. However, the
kiln was made
unserviceable and
its fire
extinguished for
ever, when a holy
man named Abdul Haq,
a disciple of Hazrat
Mian Mir, was turned
away on a wintry,
rainy night from the
warmth of the kiln
fire.
Later researches
point towards the
structure being the
tomb of the wife of
Khan Dawran Bahadur
Nusrat Jan, an amir
or grandee of the
Mughal court. Khan
Dawran himself is
also reputed to have
been buried here on
his death in 1643.
As is the case of
other similar
structures, the tomb
is likely to have
been set amidst a
large garden.
During the Sikh
rule, the area was
occupied by the
summer house of
General Avitabile,
the French general
of Maharaja Ranjit
Singh, although no
evidence of this has
survived. The
sepulcher was a
centre of activities
during the
inter-Sikh wars,
when Maharaja Sher
Singh and Raja Hira
Singh in turn
collected Khalsa
(Sikh) troops here
with the intention
of laying siege to
Lahore.
Gulabi Bagh
Gateway
One of the most
significant Mughal
structures, carrying
some of the most
spectacular tile
mosaic examples, is
the Culabi Bagh
Gateway. It is
located on the
northern side of G.T.
Road, east of Buddhu
ka Awa, and past
Begumpura Road on
the left. Although
of considerable
height (it is a two
storey
 structure),
it can be missed
easily since it does
not carry a dome, or
other terminating
elements, As is
evident from its
name, this
remarkable gateway
was originally the
entrance to a garden
known as Gulabi Bagh
or (the rose
garden), no longer
extant. The name
however, is also a
chronogram, from
which the date of
construction of the
gateway AH 1066
(1655) is obtained.
Although the gateway
has endured much
damage to its
decorative features,
it is in a tolerably
well-preserved
state. It was
constructed by or in
memory of Mirza
Sultan Beg, a
Persian nobleman and
cousin of Shahjahan's
son-in-law Mirza
Ghiyasuddin (married
to princess Sultan
Begam).
Due to his cousin's
relationship with
the royal family,
Mirza Sultan Beg
rose to the exalted
position of Mirul
Bahar (Admiral of
the Fleet). He was
obviously on
extremely good terms
with the emperor,
who, aware of his
love of hunting,
presented him with a
much-admired English
rifle. Just two
months later, the
firearm proved fatal
for him due to the
bursting of a shell
during a hunting
expedition at Hiran
Minar (at
Jahangirabad or
Shaikhupura about 40
miles from Lahore;
for details see
Chapter 13). He died
in 1063/1657.
A lofty Timurid Iwan—a
popular
architectural
rendering for
gateways—rises to
two-storey height,
and incorporates a
40' long covered
walkway defined by a
single storey cusped
arch gateway. The
iwan is flanked on
both sides with 5'
deep arched alcoves
expressive of the
two storey of the
structure. The
covered walkway is
lined on either
sides with a 12'xl2'
chamber, which no
doubt provided
accommodation to the
guards, from where
an internal
staircase leads to
the first floor.
The 50' wide facade,
subdivided into
slightly sunk panels
presents one of the
finest examples of
kashi kari (tile
mosaic). The panels
are defined by brick
borders, which, as
was usual, would
have been treated
with taza kari or
lines of red fresco.
Profusely
embellished with
multi-hued,
scintillating tile
mosaic, based
largely on floral
themes including
floral arabesque, it
is considered one of
the most important
tile-mosaic examples
of the Mughal
period. The
rendering of floral
and geometric themes
executed in finely
cut tile mosaic,
with an interesting
combination of hues
of blue, yellow,
maroon and green,
became a favorite
medium of decoration
during the Shahjahan
Period, the most
unusual renderings
of which in the form
of images will be
seen when visiting
the Lahore Fort,
described in the
Qila Rahguzars.
This mausoleum is
one of many
structures of the
period where humble
brick was given an
exciting veneer of
beautifully crafted
tile mosaic, cut to
the exact form of a
petal or a leaf and
then closely joined
together, to present
this unique artwork.
Today, it is
divorced from its
chahar bagh setting,
but would have been
a spectacular
monument—located as
it would have been
amidst verdant
surroundings.
Dai Anga's
Mausoleum
The gateway aperture
frames the monument
known as Dai Anga's
mausoleum. Accessed
from Gulabi Gateway
itself this famed
sepulcher lies at a
short distance to
the north, marking
the centre of the
original garden.
This rather
ponderous, square
brick structure
sporting few
apertures and
presenting a solid
face to the garden,
was built to house
the mortal remains
of Dai Anga,
Shahjahan's wet
nurse and of his
daughter Shahzadi
Sultan Begam, whose
husband built the
Gulabi Bagh Gateway.
It is the same Dai
Anga (wife of Mughal
magistrate of
Bikaneer), who built
the spectacular
mosque named after
her, situated in
Naulakha area of
Central Lahore, in
which also tile
mosaic decoration is
employed with
wondrous effect.
Traversing the
intervening stretch
of corridor-like
space since the
surrounding garden
area has been
occupied by various
railway
structures—you
arrive at the rather
squat-looking tomb
placed on a raised
plinth. The
mausoleum is
dominated by a
low-pitched dome
placed on a high
neck or drum, while
its corners are
accented through the
employment of four
square pavilion-like
kiosks, carrying
projecting chajjas
(eaves) and cupolas.
Although shorn of
most of its
ornamentation, the
original kashi kari
(tile mosaic) can be
noticed on the
parapet, which
points towards the
quality and kind of
tile mosaic that in
all likelihood once
covered the entire
facade.
Internally, the
surface was
embellished with
fine fresco,
portions of which
are extant in the
squinches above the
projecting,
beehive-like
decorative mucfarnas,
along with a starlet
dome treatment. The
base of the
squinches is
encircled with
inscriptional panels
from the Holy Quran,
rendered in elegant
calligraphy by
Muhammad Saleh. The
structure dates from
l671.
The central
sepulchral chamber
and surrounding
rooms are built upon
a raised plinth
consisting of
subterranean
chambers, in which
the burials took
place. Today, the
original cenotaphs
are no longer in
existence, and the
underground chambers
are also
inaccessible.
Sarvwala Maqbara
Although this tomb
is in close vicinity
of the Gulabi Bagh
and lies directly in
the north of Dai
Anga's tomb, it is
not accessible from
there due to the
various buildings
that have been
constructed in the
area. No doubt, at
one time the gardens
of these sepulchers
were
inter-connected.
To visit the unusual
monument of Sarvwala
Maqbara, you will
have to backtrack a
few meters to take a
turning to the left
on Begampura Road.
Turning right (east)
through a locality
known as Sharif Park
and turning left
again (north) you
will reach your
destination. The
tomb, however, is
not directly
visible, because of
the houses that
surround the
monument. But once
the location is
pointed out and as
you turn left, you
will not have any
difficulty in
locating it since it
is only slightly set
back from the road,
and is accessible by
car.
The tomb of
Sharfunnisa Begam is
popularly known as 'Saroowala'
(Sarvwala) Maqbara
because of images of
cypress (sarv) trees
rendered in square
ceramic tiles,
rather than the tile
mosaic seen earlier
in Gulabi Bagh
Gateway, as a
decorative feature.
The begam was a
sister of Nawab
Bahadur Khan, a
noble at the court
of Akbar.
The tower-like form,
sporting slightly
battered walls, is
unique in itself.
The building was
constructed to cater
to Sharfunnisa
Begam's requirement
of daily visits to
the first floor
chamber, 16' above
the ground. There,
after reading the
Holy Quran she would
deposit the holy
book as well as her
jeweled sword,
descending by means
of a removable
wooden ladder. After
her death she was
buried in the same
chamber, along with
a copy of the holy
book and her
jeweled sword.
Respecting her
wishes to keep her
mortal remains out
of sight and
inaccessible, all
openings were
blocked up,
providing a blank
appearance in the
battered walls on
all four sides,
Due to the
desecration carried
out on this 17th
century tomb during
the Sikh rule—it was
believed that the
tower contained
treasure, and
breaking open the
tomb, the holy book
and jeweled sword
were
removed—decorative
features are extant
only in the upper
part of this
two-storey
structure.
The projecting
chajja (eaves), and
a pyramidal low
roof, similar to one
seen in the tomb of
Hazrat Mian Mir provides a fitting
termination.
Ali Mardan Tomb
From Gulabi Bagh
Gateway traveling
east on G.T. Road,
for the tomb of an
important figure of
the Mughal period,
you should turn
right (south) on
Mughalpura Road
(formerly Wheatman
Road or Vetman Road
as it is locally
called). As you
approach the railway
tracks, you need to
keep a lookout for a
small sign saying
'MET-1' on you
right. Immediately
after the sign is a
small gate
(presently painted
green) for
pedestrian entry.
The gate is normally
locked and is open
only on Thursdays.
Although it is said
that it is open on
other weekdays
between 10:00 and
12:00 noon as well,
if you wish to visit
this remarkable
structure, it is
advisable to contact
the Department of
Archaeology (tel.
766 2645) so that
the relevant guard
is instructed to
open it. This
elaborate
arrangement is due
to the surrounding
area being under the
jurisdiction of
Pakistan Railways,
who have allowed the
Department of
Archaeology an
enclosed walkway for
access to the tomb.
Be prepared for a
300 meter walk on a
bare earth floor
(there is no paving)
through this narrow
walkway, relieved by
an interesting
pattern of light and
shade filtering on
the enclosing bare
brick walls through
a steel lattice
roof. Surprisingly,
this complicated
arrangement is not
for the security of
the magnificent
tomb, but to ensure
inaccessibility to
the expensive
railway stores of
the Railway Carriage
Workshop on adjacent
land!
Approximately 3/4 of
the way through, a
passage veers on the
left, and leads to a
large enclosure with
a shrine and
historical mosque.
The shrine belongs
to Ghous-al Azam
Dastgir, Hamid Shah
Qari, who is much
revered by the local
community, who
congregate here
every Thursday. On
the left of the
mosque are a well
and a small wash
chamber, said to be
of the same vintage
as the mosque. The
mazar is really a
grave in an
enclosure but
carries no roof. To
reach the historic
Mughal sepulcher,
you will need to
continue on the
original walkway,
which leads you
directly to a gate
beyond which, in a
large, isolated
enclosure stands the
imposing tomb of Ali
Mardan Khan.
Ali Mardan,
originally a noble
at the court of the
Safavid king Shah
Tahmasp, after
surrendering Iranian
Qandahar to Emperor
Shahjahan in 1638,
rose rapidly to
great heights at the
Mughal court. He
became an
indispensable member
of the Mughal
nobility and was
appointed Governor
of Kashmir, Lahore
and Kabul, also
attaining the title
of Amir al-Umara
(Lord of Lords). His
lasting contribution
to actualize
Shahjahan's
paradisical vision
for Lahore was the
construction of a
canal from the river
Ravi for the supply
of water to the
Shalamar Gardens, as
well as for the
irrigation and
cultivation of
surrounding areas.
Although the
Shalamar canal was
later completed by
others, Ali Mardan
also became known
for the canal he
built at
Shajahanabad
(Delhi). There is
little doubt that
"he excited
universal admiration
at the court by the
skill and judgement
of his public
works." He is known
to have built many
edifices and
gardens—at Nimla
(near Kabul), Kabul,
Peshawar and Lahore.
Much to the sorrow
of the emperor, his
favorite noble died
in 1656-57, while on
his way to Kashmir.
Ali Mardan Khan's
body was carried
back to be buried in
the magnificent tomb
that he had built
for his mother.
The tomb itself is
an octagonal brick
structure, its sides
punctured by lofty
Timurid iwans,
surmounted by a
massive 42' diameter
dome raised on a
drum. Although most
of the chattris
(domed kiosks) at
the corners of the
octagon are lost, it
is a decorative
feature often
utilized in 16th and
17th century Mughal
tombs.
Today, shorn of
surface decoration,
except the remains
of frescoes in some
of the alcoves, the
exterior walls must
once have carried
scintillating tile
mosaic (kashi kari),
as can be seen in
the extant gateway
at some distance to
the north of the
sepulcher.
The tomb once stood
at the centre of a
paradisiacal garden,
a favorite theme as
evidenced in the
sepulcher of
Jahangir. The extent
of Ali Mardan garden
can be gauged by the
double-storey
gateway in the north
mentioned above.
Similar gateways
would have marked
the centers of the
south, west and east
edges of the garden
square.
Although Ali Mardan
Khan was a Mughal
noble and not a
saint, the
spiritually-inclined
locals call the tomb
Mardan Khan's durbar
or shrine. The grave
which is in the
subterranean
chamber, and
accessed through a
descending flight of
steps, is decorated
in the manner of a
saint's shrine.
The ravaged
condition of the
tomb is attributed
to the Sikh rule,
when the tomb
structure was used
as a military
magazine be Gulab
Singh, one of Ranjit
Singh's generals,
and the gateway as
residence by Gurdit
Singh, colonel of
the Sikh battalion
Misranwali
Shalamar Gardens
Returning to the G.T.
Road and proceeding
east you will be
able to reach the
most spectacular of
 Mughal gardens—Shalamar
or Bagh-e-Farah
Bakhsh
(pleasure-giving)
and Bagh-e-Faiz
Bakhst (bountiful)
of the Mughal
chronicles.
As you drive on G.T.
Road keep a watch
for an octagonal
turret kiosk (chattri)
which will become
visible on your left
(north) above the
surrounding
structures. Since
the garden is
totally enclosed by
a plain blank wall
in which a small
doorway is located,
it is best to be
vigilant. There is a
small parking space
on the left where
you can park your
car. On the left of
the doorway is a
single-storey
structure housing
the ticket booth,
from where tickets
are available for Rs.
4/- per adult.
As is usual in the
world of Islam, the
gardens are usually
introverted—inward
looking—where their
breathtaking
splendor is
experienced once you
enter the enclosure
externally bordered
by walls. In the
case of the Shalamar,
the blank wall
hardly prepares you
for the awesome
scale of the garden
as you step inside
the small doorway.
It is an
introduction to
Lahore, City of
Gardens, as no other
garden of the city
can give.
Gardens have been an
integral part of
Mughal royal life
ever since Babur,
the founder, laid
out the first
gardens on the bank
of the Jamna. It was
an attempt to
recreate a Chaghatai
world of his beloved
Kabul—"in spring a
heaven"—in a newly
conquered Hindustan,
which Babur, in his
remarkable Baburnama,
referred to as "a
country of few
charms" with no
running waters in
the gardens, nor any
charm in the
residences nor hawa
(air), regularity or
symmetry.
Shalamar Gardens
constructed by his
great grandson, the
aristocratic
Shahjahan, is the
epitome of Mughal
garden design,
incorporating the
paradisical chahar
bagh, nahr (water
channels),
waterfalls and
tanks, along with
terracing and pretty
pavilions, creating
a world of its own
within its lofty
enclosing walls.
The generous water
supply and dramatic
water falls became
possible due to the
engineering skills
of Ali Mardan Khan,
buried not far from
his favorite garden
(see Ali Mardan Tomb
above), adept at
constructing canals
for supply of water.
The Lahore
canal-Shah Nahr
(Imperial Canal)—was
eventually completed
by others The
complex water
storage, system of
aqueducts and
hydraulic devised by
Mughal architects
and engineers, to
provide water supply
on a large scale in
the flat terrain of
the Punjab
simulating the
undulating and
dramatic sites of
the Kashmir is a
tribute to their
ingenuity and skill.
Once the canal was
completed, a royal
edict was issued in
1641 to commence the
garden on a spot "so
delightfully adapted
to the purpose that
it was universally
commended." The
garden, a rectangle
1560' x 690' in
three distinct
terraces, rises from
north to south. It
consists primarily
of two perfect
squares of
paradisiacal garden—chahar
bagh—in north and
south, interrupted
in the middle by a
rectangular third
terrace of an
enormous body of
water.
Originally, the
entrance to the
garden was from the
north, providing
entry at the lowest
level and allowing a
progression upwards
to upper terraces to
enjoy the full
impact of the
cascading waterfall,
chahar bagh
parterres and water
channels, along with
flowers and trees—an
image of heaven on
earth.
The garden was named
Bagh-e-Faiz Bakhsh
and Bagh-e-Farah
Bakhsh after a
garden in Kashmir
that Shahjahan had
constructed when
still a shahzadah
(prince). At Lahore,
the upper
terrace—Bagh-e-Farah
Bakhsh, the Garden
of the Bestower of
Pleasure—was
reserved for
royalty. Its central
baradari overlooks
the spectacular
waterfall
discharging into the
enormous water
reservoir with its
152 fountains—there
are over 100
fountains in the
upper terrace and
more than 150 in the
lowest one. You can
enjoy sitting on the
overhanging throne
at the foot of the
waterfall or on the
central platform (mahtabi)
in the middle
terrace accessed by
causeways leading
from east and west.
From here you can
view the marble
inlaid chaddar
(cascade) located in
southern chahar bagh,
as well as the north
chahar
 bagh known as
Bagh-e-Faiz Bakhsh
(the Garden of the
Bestower of Plenty),
originally intended
to be a more public
part of the garden.
As we know, the
Mughal garden was
intended to act as
an open air palace—a
camping ground for a
court that was
always on the
move—where a few
open and tent-like
pavilions, along
with a hammam, were
constructed for the
use of imperial
family. However,
tents were pitched
for the grandees and
the retinue of the
emperor, allowing
the usual court
ceremonials to take
place.
In 1642, the gardens
were completed due
to the exertions of
Khalilullah Khan,
having taken "one
year, five months
and four days." The
court historian
Inayat Khan
recorded, "His
Majesty made a
pleasure excursion
to those
paradise-like
terraces. And the
gardens and the
agreeable pavilions
which had been
erected about the
grounds, which all
vied with the
heavens in grandeur,
were now found
suitable to the
royal taste. In
fact, never before
had a garden of such
a magnificent
description been
seen or heard of;
for the building
alone of this
earthly Paradise had
been erected at an
outlay of six lakhs
of rupees."
Once Shalamar was
completed, Shahjahan
bypassed the citadel
and preferred to
camp "at the
pleasant and
delightful gardens
of Bagh-e-Faiz
Bakhsh and Bagh-e-Farah
Bakhsh."
Just opposite the
garden, south of G.T.
Road, is the brick
vestige of the
original water
supply system
devised to provide
water for the garden
as well as for the
multitude of
fountains that ewn
today create a
Thousand and One
Nights' scene. The
only extant element
of the famed system
now is a large
square brick
structure,
constructed with
massive brick
masonry, some part:
having been
unfortunately lost
in the widening of
the road. The garden
suffered
considerable damage
during the Sikh
Period. The
pavilions were
deprived of their
marble and agate
work to decorate Ram
Bagh and the Golden
Temple at Amritsar.
Angoori Bagh
Tower
A little to the
west, although
largely hidden, but
can be seen the much
mutilated remains of
a tower. This tower
once enclosed a
garden known as
Angoori Bagh, sadly
all built upon
nowadays. Even the
tower of Angoori
Bagh is not only
hemmed in totally,
but is being used as
part of a house.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 |
