The Ravi Monument
Kamran's Baradari
The earliest extant
structure belonging
to the Mughal Period
in Lahore is
believed to be the
Baradari (pavilion)
of Mirza Kamran, son
of Babur the
Chaghatai, the
founder of the
Mughal Kingdom in
 Hindustan.
Mirza Kamran was a
step bi other of
Emperor Humayun and
the first Mughal
Governor of Lahore.
Although some
historians place
Kamran in Qandahar
at the time,
however, Annette
Beveridge, the
translator of
Baburnama, believes
that he received
Babur on his visit
to Lahore "in a
garden of his own [Kamran's]
creation, and [to
have] introduced the
local chiefs as
though he was the
Governor of Lahore
some writers
describe him as then
being." The baradari
was part of the
garden laid out by
Kamran, where he
received his father,
the emperor.
It was in Mirza
Kamran's garden that
the first-born of
Emperor Jahangir, a
rebellious Khusraw,
was brought into the
former's presence,
"weeping and
trembling..... .his
hands tied and
chains on his legs
from the left side
after the manner of
Chingiz Khan," and
Jahangir, in no mood
to show leniency,
declared, "Kingship
regards neither son
nor son-in-law. No
one is a relation to
a king."
Until the 18th
century, the garden
remained a
recreational place
for the Mughal
imperial family,
when the emperor and
his entourage would
arrive here by boat
to enjoy the verdant
scenery.
If you would like to
visit the historic
setting, it is best
to combine it with a
visit to Shahdara,
since it is reached
from the south end
of a comparatively
new bridge linking
Lahore with Shahdara.
At the beginning of
the bridge a flight
of steps leads down
to the river bed,
from where you can
make your trip to
the baradari,
visible on your left
in the centre of the
river Ravi. At the
bottom of the steps,
you will find a
number of boats
ready to take you on
a boat ride at a
charge of Rs. 10/-
per person. The
riverbed is often
dry, and you should
be prepared to walk
some of the distance
to the monument.
The structure itself
is a testimony to
the engineering
skill of Mughal
builders. At the end
of 19th century,
Latif recorded "for
more than half a
century has the
impetuous current of
the ancient Ravi
struggled to
annihilate its
walls, whose feet it
washed, but with the
exception of a
portion washed away
at a time beyond the
memory of the living
generation, the
edifice stands quite
unaffected by the
ebb and flow of the
majestic river." The
river that once
flowed close to the
city walls changed
course during the
first half of the
18th century, and
destroyed the
edifices and gardens
laid by Mughal
nobility including
the garden of Mirza
Kamran.
The structure built
of massive brick
masonry, consists of
an octagonal central
chamber 24' wide,
and four corner
octagonal rooms 11'
wide, the core
encircled by an 11'
wide arcaded
veranda. The 80'
sides of the square
structure are
punctured by 5
cusped arches—a
central 17'6" wide
arch flanked by two
9' arches on each
side. Almost half of
the northern portion
has been washed away
and has been totally
reconstructed, and
so have the
decorative feature;
due to which the
original character
of the monument has
bee compromised—an
example of
over-zealous
'restoration' in a
attempt to preserve.
Shahdara / Dilkusha
Bagh
Seventeenth Century
Monuments
To view a group of
monuments situated
in what was once the
Mughal Dilkusha Bagh
(Heart-expanding
Garden), you will
need to proceed
towards Shahdara.
The group includes a
cluster of
interlinked
monuments of a serai
forming the
forecourt which
leads on the east to
the spectacular tomb
of Emperor Jahangir,
built by his
celebrated wife
Empress Nur Jahan,
and on the west to a
mosque and the tomb
of Asaf Khan or Asaf
Jah, one of the most
powerful grandees at
the courts of
Jahangir and
Shahjahan. Close by
is situated the tomb
built to house the
mortal remains of
Empress Nur Jahan
and her daughter
Princess Ladii Begam.
As you drive north
on the Grand Trunk (G.T.)
Road, after going
through the toll
plaza, you should
turn right after the
overhead sign. This
road is known as
Maqbara Road, from
where a turning on
the left leads to
the cluster marked
by a double-storey
imposing Mughal
gateway. You can
park your car under
the shade of trees
in the car park on
the right and
proceed on foot
through the gateway.
Serai of Jahangir/Akbari
Serai,
Jahangir's Tomb &
Asaf Khan's Tomb
The imposing gateway
leads into a
quadrangle known as
the Sera. of
Jahangir, but is
also referred to as
the Akbari Serai.
Entering the
ponderous portal one
is overawed by the
magnificent scale of
the quadrangle
1540'xl200', which
is the
forecourt—referred
to asJilaii
Khana-e-Rauza
(courtyard of the
tomb) in historical
accounts—of the
awesome chahar bagh
(paradisal garden)
mausoleum of Emperor
Jahangir.
The centre of each
side of the
quadrangle is
accented by a lofty
structure. Ajawab
(echo) gateway
provides entry/exit
to the north, while
the east gateway
leads to Jahangir's
tomb. The structure
in the west, at the
rear of which stands
AsafJah's much
ravaged mausoleum,
is a mosque,
however, it employs
similar
architectural
vocabulary as the
gateways, and
provides a perfect
symmetrical balance.
The mosque, which
during the 19th
century was forced
to serve as private
European residence,
is composed of
similar elements as
the gateways of the
Jahangiri Serai, and
consists of a 3-bay
single-aisle
composition.
The serai quadrangle
is bordered on all
sides by 180 small
cloisters on a
raised plinth, which
were built to
accommodate
travellers and
mendicants. Like
many other Mughal
structures, during
the British Period
the serai was
utilized for a
disparate function,
serving as the depot
of the Northwestern
Railway.
The gateways and
mosque are treated
with a combination
of fine intarsia of
marble in red (sang-i-surkh)
Fatehpur Sikri
sandstone, and
provide a foretaste
of the tomb of the
emperor, considered
an aesthete par
excellence.
From the entrance
you can enjoy a
leisurely walk on
the path that leads
to the centre of the
four-parterre
garden, and turn
right (east) to
enter the tomb of
the emperor.
Jahangir's Tomb
The east gateway in
the serai
quadrangle, with its
tall Timurid wan,
leads into an
enormous garden
1540'xl540', in the
centre of which
stands the
magnificent
sepulcher of
Jahangir, considered
by some to be the
"finest ornament of
Lahore," and the
"most magnificent
edifice in the
subcontinent after
the Taj and the
Qutub."
Although
contemporary court
accounts credit
Shajahan with the
building of his
father's tomb, it is
more likely to have
been the result of
Nur Jahan's vision.
The empress was a
great patron of
architecture, having
built several
buildings and
gardens—the tomb
built by her for her
parents (Itimaduddawla's
 Tomb at Agra) became
a trendsetter. She
also became a
permanent resident
of Lahore after her
husband's death, and
was thus in a
position to
influence the design
and construction of
the monument.
Dilkusha garden,
which according to
his own wish became
the resting place of
Jahangir, was owned
by none other than
the empress herself.
In all fairness to
Shahjahan, though,
no expense was
spared. The
monument, which was
ten years in
building, cost Rs.
10 la'khs.
The setting of the
chahar bagh rauza (paradise
garden mausoleum) is
skillfully
accomplished. Its
four parterres are
subdivided into
sixteen divisions by
means of a brick
geometric pavement
flanking narrow
water channels and
every intersection
is marked by an
alternate octagonal
and square talab
(tank).
A takhtgah
mausoleum—it is
placed on an
enormous takht or
podium—is a square
single storey
structure, its
arcading of the
ambulatory verandah
of the inner
sanctuary being a
dominant feature. A
100' high tower
capped by a cupola
stands guard at each
corner, while the
centre of each of
its 267' sides is
accented by a
slightly projecting
peshtaq alcove. The
combination of red
Sikri stone and
white marble, an
arrangement echoing
Humayun's tomb in
Delhi, and a rare
treat for Lahore not
least for its
intricate inlay, is
impressive in its
finesse and
sophistication.
Where the external
expression is
restrained in its
dignified
simplicity,
internally
decorative surfaces
present you the best
of tile mosaic and
fresco that made
Lahore famous in the
whole of the Mughal
Empire.
As you enter the
passage from the
west which leads to
the marcjad
(grave/tombstone), a
riot of
scintillating tile
mosaic and
decorative fresco,
among the best
specimens that
Lahore has to offer,
overwhelms the
visitor—not an inch
is left
unembellished,
whether floor, walls
or the ceiling. The
inner sanctuary is
screened by a panel
of fine marble
beehive fretwork.
The sarcophagus
itself presents a
pristine picture of
the finest Mughal
pietra dura—an
interlaced pattern
and calligraphic
tour de force in
marble, inlaid with
semi-precious
stones.
Here lies the
emperor, who was
considered "one of
the mightiest
Princes in Asia" by
Thomas Roe, the
first English
ambassador to the
Mughal court. Among
the most powerful in
the world, rather
than the din of war,
Jahangir enjoyed the
pleasurable pursuits
of feasts and
entertainments,
revelling in the
company of poets and
singers.
The enjoyment of
Jahangir the
aesthete in gardens,
lakes and rivers,
flora and fauna, is
evident from the
innumerable studies
that he commissioned
of his favourite
animals and a
multitude of rare
flowers from artists
of such eminence as
Listad Mansur (or
Mansur Naqqash, as
he is also known).
An enlightened
connoisseur, his
emissaries roamed
the world for rare
manuscripts and
paintings for the
royal library. His
own memoirs,
Tuzuk-i-fahangiri or
the jahangirnama
along with memoirs
of his
great-grandfather
Babur, ranks among
the best of its
genre. In contrast
to the formal
accounts by
court historians
regarding other
emperors, the tuzuk
is expressive of
Jahangir's innermost
thoughts, which
includes ovation for
his wife Nur Jahan
in no uncertain
terms.
The design of the
sanctuary respected
the wish of the
emperor, echoing the
desire of his great
grandfather Babur,
that his grave
should be erected in
a manner that "rain
and dew of heaven
might fall on it."
Although there is
little truth in the
19th century theory
that the Sikhs
removed a pavilion
which formed the
second storey over
the sanctuary, the
sepulcher did suffer
from the vandalism
of Lahna Singh and
Ranjit Singh.
Further damage was
caused to the
structure, when it
was utilized as
residence by Ranjit
Singh's French
officer M. Amise, as
well as by Sultan
Muhammad Khan,
brother of Dost
Muhammad Khan of
Afghanistan.
Asaf Khan's Tomb
Although not part of
the original
composition of
Jahangir Tomb, Asaf
Khan's Tomb is
nevertheless part of
the same group
There is no longer a
direct access from
the main road, since
the entrances on
three sides of this
chahar bagh rauza (paradisal
garden mausoleum)
were blocked in
recent times. To
visit this sepulchre
of one
 of most
remarkable Persian
nobles of the
empire, you will
need to turn left
(west) towards the
mosque in Chowk-i
Jilau Kham (Jahangiri
Serai quadrangle).
A small door in the
cloister immediately
adjoining the mosque
on the left (south)
leads into the Asaf
Jah Chahar Bagh,
enclosed by a wall.
As you emerge from
the low-roofed
cloister, you are
strud by the high
bulbous dome of the
octagonal monument.
Standing on a large
octagonal podium,
the form, with its
peshtaqued alcoves,
echoes the
architectural
character of Ali
Mardan Khan's
sepulchre (even though
the dome form is
disparate. In this
case, too, however,
the outer facing has
been lost, although
portions of
multi-hued encaustic
tile mosaic are
extant. Even though
much ravaged, the
monument and the
surrounding chahar
bagh is impressive
in its scale. The
expansive chahar
bagh would have been
laid out in four
parterres with a
combination of
khiyaban (walkway)
lining the two sides
of the narrow nahar
(stream).
Although today but a
shadow of the once
grand edifice as a
befitting permanent
abode of the closest
confidante of
Shahjahan, this was
built by the emperor
himself at a cost of
Rs. 3 lakhs.
Itiqad Khan, or Asaf
Khan himself
was the stuff of
legends. Father of Mumtaz Mahal (the
title given to
Arjumand Bano Begam),
Shahjahan's
favourite wife, in
whose memory the
world-famed Taj
Mahal was built,
Asaf Khan was also
the brother of
Empress Nur Jahan.
Referred to as 'my
adopted son (farzandi)'by
his brother-in-law
Jahangir, Itiqad
Khan rose to
unprecedented
heights, achieving
the status of
commander of 9,000
personnel and 9,000
horse, a mansab once
reserved only for
royal princes.
Shahjahan granted
him the title of
Yamin uddawla and
appointed him
sipah-salar or
commander-in-chief.
Itiqad Khan was not
only instrumental in
securing the Mughal
throne for Shahjahan
in the struggle for
succession, the
latter relied
implicitly on the
taste and judgment
of his father-in-law
whenever erecting
his monumental
architectural tour
deforce for which
his reign became so
famous (see also the
Qila Rahguzar for
discussion on Asaf
Khan's contribution
there).
When Itiqad Khan
died in November
1641, he is reputed
to have left behind
"a colossal
fortune," his house
in Lahore alone
having cost Rupees
20 lakhs (2 million
rupees) at the time
of its construction.
Nur Jahan's Tomb
Empress Nur Jahan
lies buried in a
tomb not far from
that of her husband.
Emperor Jahangir.
Once part of the
Jahangiri cluster,
the estate was
bifurcated when the
railway line was
laid. To reach it
today, you will need
to travel west along
the road that runs
past Jahangiri Serai
and the tomb of Asaf
Khan. This road
leads to a recently
constructed
underpass, travelling through
which you will
arrive at grade.
However, instead of
proceeding towards
G.T. (Grand Trunk)
Road you should take
the turning to the
left, which will
lead you to your
destination. Once
Nur Jahan's chahar
bagh had adjoined
that of Asaf Khan's,
but today Nur
Jahan's tomb is
situated across the
railway line, to the
southwest of the
tombs of her brother
and husband.
As you enter the
estate in which the
tomb is located, you
will need to park
your car under the
trees on the right,
in the area
designated for car
parking.
As you walk the
tree-lined street,
the sepulcher, a low
key single-storey
structure can be
seen in the
 distance
amidst a grove of
date palms. This is
the abode of the
most powerful Mughal
empress, constructed
by herself before
her death, today
aloof from traffic
and the noise and
bustle of people.
Mihrunnisa
(1577-1645), titled
NurJahanBegam (Lightofthd
World) and later Nur
Mahal (Light of the
Palace), was the
daughter ofKhwaja
Ghiyasuddin Muhammad
Ghiyas Beg Taharani,
a migrant from
Persia, who along
with his family had
fled to Hindustan,
and rose to exalted
positions in the
cosmopolitan court
of Akbar. She
married Jahangir in
the sixth year of
his reign, and,
because of ha
abilities, soon
became the
fountainhead of
authority at the
Mughal court. She is
the only Mughal
empress under whose
name imperial
receipts were issued
and silver coins
"struck in the name
of tht Queen Begam,
Nur Jahan" were
minted. She
firstbecame
influential as a
staunch ally of
Prince Khurram
(later Emperor
Shahjahan), the
husband of her niece
Arjumand Bano Begam
or Mumtaz Mahal as
she is better known.
A great patron of
architecture, Nur
Jahan had an abiding
impact on the
culture of the
Mughal court. A poet
and aesthete, she
erected impressive
edifices and gardens
utilizing the
enormous wealth
ather disposal from
the revenues
of her jagirs (fiefs).
Although she
remained supremely
powerful until the
death of Jahangir,
she lost to
Shahjahan in her
struggle to maintain
her ascendancy, in
spite of the fact
that she had Ladii
Begam, her daughter
from her first
marriage married to
Shahryar (1605-27),
Jahangir's youngest
son, As is well
known, the last act
of the drama for the
acquisition of
Mughal throne was
played out in
Lahore, when
Shahryar was
assassinated and
Shahjahan emerged
victorious.
Nur Jahan, along
with her widowed
daughter Ladii Begam,
lived in Lahore
until her death in
1645, Shahjahan
having settled an
annual allowance of
two lakhs of rupees
on her.
Although no longer
evident due to
filling around it,
Nur Jahan's tomb was
a chahar bagh rauza
following the
arrangement in the
other two tombs of
the group, and in
the same manner it
also stood on a
podium.
Built on a smaller
scale, the form of
the sepulcher echoes
the arrangement of
Jahangir's mausoleum
in its 20' high
arcaded square
marked with
octagonal corners.
The same arrangement
of a slightly
projecting central
portion in each of
its 134' sides is
also reminiscent of
the earlier edifice,
though the corners,
instead of rising
like the impressive
towers seen in the
earlier structure,
today stop short at
the same height as
the remaining
building.
Early photographs of
the mausoleum show
its ravaged
condition, where the
bare shell, shorn of
its decorative
facing, with some
traces of delicate
fresco in internal
muqarnas could be
seen.
It was believed by
19th century writers
that the marbles and
other costly
decorative items
were removed from
the sepulchre during
the Sikh rule and
utilized in the
decoration of the
Sikh temple at
Amritsar. Even the
subterranean chamber
containing the
graves of Nur Jahan
and her daughter
Ladii Begam were
desecrated, as was
the marble and
pietra dura of the
sarcophagi.
In recent years,
however, in an
attempt to restore
it, the monument has
been made to look
completely new,
having lost the
subtle traces of
floral and geometric
flourishes she so
loved.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 |
