 Introduction
The Mughals brought
to Lahore shahr
(city) and Lahore
subah (Province) a
level of prosperity
never seen before.
Lahore city's
prominence coincided
with its declaration
as the second
capital Dams
sultanat—as opposed
to Darul khilafat,
which during the
reigns of various
Mughal emperors was
Agra, Delhi,
Fatehpur Sikri or
Shahjahanabad.
Lahore thus became
an impressive
capital city and a
focal point for
Mughal art and
architecture.
While most Mughal
monuments have been
included in this
route, due to its
importance the Shahi
Qila (the Mughal
citadel) is treated
in a separate
rahguzar. Although
you could combine
the Mughal and Shahi
Qila Rahguzars, in
view of the extended
nature of the Mughal
Rahguzar you might
like to allocate
time separately for
visiting the Shahi
Qila (Lahore Fort).
This rahguzar takes
you on a tour of
Mughal edifices that
today adorn the city
of Lahore. The route
enables you to get a
glimpse into the
contributions made
from the earliest
Mughal period. These
are the monuments
that influenced and
shaped the city and
its environs. The
structures covered
under this rahguzar
are royal edifices
or those built by
Mughal viceroys, who
were themselves
extremely wealthy,
since they enjoyed
the patronage of the
royal court and were
entitled to a vast
fortune from jagirs
(fiefs) bestowed on
them. The surviving
monuments relate the
story of the Mughal
emperors' interest
in Lahore, a city
that was of great
strategic importance
to the empire.
From a vast number
of buildings that
once adorned the
city, unfortunately
comparatively few
have survived the
ravages of time.
They were despoiled
during Ranjit
Singh's period for
the beauty of their
architectural
elements and reused
in new Sikh
structures. During
the British period a
large number of
buildings were
completely
demolished to make
way for new British
structures or
auctioned to the
highest bidder for
the value of their
bricks. Because of
their prominence and
ready availability,
both the Sikh and
British rulers
employed Mughal
edifices for baser
functions, often
damaging them
irretrievably.
It is evident from
the historical
accounts that Mughal
Lahore extended over
a vast area. The
Fort or the citadel
acted as the focal
point of the Walled
City, while havelis
(mansions), gardens,
tomb enclosures and
mosques marked the
limits of the
extended town.
An idea of the
extent of Mughal
Lahore can be gauged
from the extant
monuments which
extend over a large
area. The existence
of monuments from
Shahdara (or
Dilkusha Bagh
Cluster) in the
northwest to the
Zebunnisa Tomb in
Mozang in the south,
and from Wazir Khan
Baradari in the west
in the present
downtown, to Nadira
Begarri and Mian Mir
Tombs in the
southeast gives an
indication of the
spread and expanse
of Mughal Lahore.
North of the citadel
is located Shahdara,
now famous for the
imperial tombs of
Jahangir, and
NurJahan
 and her
famous brother Asaf
Khan—it was a
locality of Mughal
gardens, containing
also Dilkusha Garden
laid out by Empress
Nur Jahan herself.
We begin our tour
from these monuments
outside the city,
which are easy to
visit as they are
located across the
River Ravi and if
you start early
enough you will not
encounter much
traffic. The
monuments in
Dilkusha Bagh or
Shahdara, as the
area is now called,
are a cluster of
superb structures
and are awesome not
least because of the
extensive estates
and gardens in which
they are located.
The Walled City
itself was adorned
with wonderful
edifices by the
subehdars
(governors) and
other nobles, who
lived in close
proximity to the
citadel, building
havelis (mansions),
gardens and mosques
alongside tombs of
revered saints.
The area known as
Baghbanpura in the
northeast, its very
name derived from 'bagh'
or garden (Baghban=custodian
of gardens),
accommodates
Shahjahan's
spectacular Shalamar
Gardens, and was
beautified by Mughal
viceroys. It is also
an area much favored
by saints and sufis,
one of the most
revered saints Madhu
Lal Husain being
buried in close
vicinity of Shalamar
Gardens.
The central part of
Lahore, which now
appears a creation
of the British was
dotted with a large
number of Mughal
structures if the
remains of the
beautiful and
unusual tomb of
Anarkali and the
elegant Wazir Khan's
Baradari are any
indication of the
past Mughal glory.
The Naulakha,
located on the east,
which became the hub
of train systems, is
another locality
which contained
palaces and tombs of
the umara (nobles),
although only a
couple of the
structures are
extant as witness to
the area's earlier
grandeur.
The southern end of
the city extended in
the southeast to the
tomb of Mian Mir.
The area was named
Darapur after Dara
Shikoh, the
unfortunate prince
much loved by
Lahoris, and who in
turn deeply loved
Lahore. In the
southwest the city
extended up to at
least the area known
as Nawankot where
some Mughal
structures are
extant. That only a
handful of Mughal
buildings have
survived is not
surprising. As
mentioned earlier,
during the Sikh and
British periods a
large number of
buildings were
demolished for the
value of their
bricks or decorative
items. There is
little doubt
however, that since
independence also
much of the
historical evidence
has been lost,
particularly in the
case of mosques and
tombs—either
destroyed due to
apathy or rebuilt by
overzealous
restorers and
devotees.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 |
