Wazir Khan
Monuments
Two spectacular
monuments on our
route are identified
with the great
builder, Subehdar
(Governor) of the
Punjab (1041/1632),
Hakim Aliuddin
(sometimes also
referred to as
Ilmuddin). Hailing
from the Punjab town
of Chiniot on the
banks of the river
Chenab, Aliuddin had
first been employed
by shahzada (prince)
Khurram (later
Emperor Shahjahan)
as a hakim
(physician). He
rendered great
service to the
prince during the
various campaigns,
and became one of
the most trusted
aides of the
emperor—it was
 Aliuddin,
along with Prince
Shah Shuja, who was
entrusted with the
task of bringing the
body of the deceased
queen Mumtaz Mahal
from Burhanpur to
Agra. Granted the
title of Wazir Khan
in 1620, he was
raised to the mansab
(title) of 5000 foot
and 3000 horse (panj-hazari)
on Shahjahan's
accession to the
Mughal throne
(1037/1628). It is
the same Wazir Khan,
who was entrusted
with the building of
the Khwabgah and
Hammam-e-Badshahi in
Lahore Fort, just
before Shahjahan
embarked on his
journey to Kashmir
in the summer of
1634 from Lahore—his
first visit to the
Punjab capital after
ascending the
throne.
Wazir Khan
established the town
named Wazirabad
after him and left
scores of monuments
as his
legacy—market-places,
baths (hammam),
gardens (bagh),
serais (traveller's
inns), pavilions and
mosques—the most
celebrated among
them is the stunning
Wazir Khan Mosque.
Two Wazir Khan
monuments—the Shahi
Hammam and Wazir
Khan Masjid—are
located inside Uehli
Gate. Although it is
best to walk,
however, you can
hire a rickshaw or
chandgari (moon-car)
or Chingchi that
will take you
through the crowded
street of Dehli Gate
bazaar.
Wazir Khan Hammam
After entering the
Dehli Gate,
reconstructed during
the British Period,
to your left
(southwest) you will
find the recently
refurbished Wazir
Khan's hammam, known
as Shahi Hammam.
Hammams (or public
baths) were
introduced into the
subcontinent by the
Mughals, and this is
among the rare
examples of this
building type that
are now extant.
As you enter the
enclosure, on the
right is a row of
small rooms, which
lead to the hammam.
Since only a section
of this large hammam
(size 140.5' x
80.5') is open to
visitors, it is not
possible to gauge
the full extent of
this remarkable
structure. Now used
as a tourist
information centre,
unfortunately the
original tanks of
the hammam have been
filled up. However,
from its ground plan
consisting of two
large octagonal
halls and scores of
small cubicles, it
is evident that the
hammam was equipped
with essential
constituents of a
Mughal hammam. There
would have been
separate sections
for men and women,
and for each section
a reservoir with
fountains, a cold
room, hot room and
dressing rooms in
addition to latrines
and stores with
arrangement for
heating water and
piping etc. would
have been provided.
Since the halls and
some other rooms are
totally enclosed
from all sides, an
ingenious system of
roof lights, which
also acted as an
exhaust for warm
air, was devised
which provides
natural light to all
the important halls
and rooms. A narrow
staircase leading up
to the roof allows
you to view this
exciting scenery of
conical rooflights
of varying sizes
providing sun-light
to the interior of
this impressive
structure.
Another hammam,
located in
Shahjahan's
Quadrangle in the
Fort, was
exclusively for
royal use and is in
any case in a much
deteriorated
condition. However,
Wazir Khan's hammam
is a rare specimen
of the Mughal public
hammam (khass-o-amm)—the
other two include
one in Fatehpur
Sikri built by Akbar,
and in Burhanpur by
Abdur Rahim
Khankhanan who
brought Muhammad Ali
Gurg Khurasani to
build it. An
admirable piece of
Shahjahani
architecture, Wazir
Khan's hammam
demonstrates a
sophisticated system
of arcuate
construction relying
on an effective
utilization of
muqarnas (stalactite
squinches). The
fresco painting with
which internal wall
surfaces were
embellished has also
been restored during
recent restoration
works.
In the entrance of
the hammam a lighted
display panel
carrying images of
historic monuments
seen through the
eyes of nineteenth
century travellers
provides you with
interesting glimpses
of historic Lahore.
The tourist
information centre
in one of the rooms
provides tourist
information leaflets
and small souvenirs.
A ramp situated on
the left in the
entrance courtyard
provides access to
Delhi Gate
Government School,
which partly
occupies the hammam
structure.
Wazir Khan Mosque
1044/1634
Traversing the
bustling bazaar
through a gateway,
beyond which the
towering minaret of
Wazir Khan's mosque
beckons you, you
turn left into the
chowk named after
the builder of the
mosque.
The chowk or jilau
khana is enclosed by
other Mughal
structures
incorporating
overlooking
balconies. Although
much dilapidated
today, they were
built by Wazir Khan
and bequeathed to
the mosque for its
maintenance. In view
of the lack of a
jamia masjid in the
fort during
Shahjahan's reign—Badshahi
Masjid was built
later—Wazir Khan's
mosque served as
imperial Jamia
Masjid, utilized by
the emperor and his
grandees and large
retinue to offer
Friday prayers.
Until the
construction of
Badshahi Mosque,
surely, the emperor
and his entire
retinue, exiting
from Akbari Gateway
of the Fort,
traversed the route
via Androon Masti
Gate Bazaar, Chunna
Mandi Chowk, Kotwali
Walla Bazaar and
Chowk Kotwali
(Walled City
Rahguzar) to arrive
at the wonderfully
decorated Wazir Khan
Mosque.
The imposing east
doorway—a lofty
aiwan or Timurid
peshtatq with its
decorative mucfarnas
semi-domical roof,
flanked by
decorative
oriel-like
projecting balconies
on the upper
level—beckons you
into i ts octagonal
vestibule. As you
step into the
enormous sunlit
courtyard, 160' x
130', the recent
experience of the
contemporary Shahi
Hammam could hardly
have prepared you
for the awesome
piece of
architecture that
presents itself.
This oasis of
beauty, elegance and
calm overpowers you
as you stand in the
mosque courtyard,
framed by the
praying chamber on
the west, khanas or
study cloisters for
religious scholars
on the north and
south, and the
deorhi with entrance
cubicles on the
east. The whole
presents a dazzling
view of tile-mosaic
and frescoes of
extraordinary
beauty, which could
hardly have been
imagined when you
battled through the
narrow winding
streets filled with
jostling crowds.
The arrangement of
the 5-bay single
aisle prayer chamber
130' long, framed by
simple cusped arches
carried on deep
piers, is
reminiscent of
theJahangiri Maryam
Zamani (Begam Shahi)
mosque (discussed
later in this
Rahguzar). The
central gumbud,
rising higher than
others, accents the
elegantly detailed
mihrab, the
ingenious
construction of
double domes
carrying the voice
of the imam to the
extremity of the
courtyard.
The arrangement of
qalib kari, a
tracery of
pendentives, is used
in large as well as
intricate beehive
patterns, giving a
special flavour to
the building. Its
stately octagonal
minarets rising to a
height of over 100
feet and defining
the four extremities
of the courtyard,
consist of several
stages and are
capped with a kiosk
(chattri)
configuration
terminated with
fluted cupolas, all
profusely decorated
with the best of
Shahjahani tile
mosaic.
The superb
calligraphy by well
known khattats
(master
calligraphers) in
rendering verses
from the Holy Quran
and Persian poetry
in elegant nastaliq,
naskh and tughra
forms is itself a
treat. The
extraordinary blend
of calligraphy,
geometrical forms
and floral
decoration along
with large-scale
scintillating kashi
kari (tile mosaic),
fresco painting,
stone and chunam
decoration, with
taza kari (brick
outline fresco)
lends the mosque a
character entirely
its own. Lockwood
Kipling was not far
wrong when he
declared "This
beautiful building
is in itself a
school of design."
In the basement of
the courtyard of the
mosque is situated
the shrine of Syed
Muhammad Ishaq
Gazruni (for details
see Sufi Rahguzar,
Chapter 9), since
Wazir Khan
incorporated it in
the design of the
grand mosque.
Maryam Zamani
Mosque 1023/1614
Among the most
courtly Mughal
monuments is a
mosque built by
Jahangir's
mother—the daughter
of the famous Raja
of Amber Bihari Mal
and sister of Raja
Bhagwant Das, later
a grandee at Akbar's
court—who carried
the title of
Maryamuzzamani or
Mary of the Age.
The earliest extant
Mughal mosque is
tucked away across
the road from the
eastern
fortification of
Shahi Qila (the
fort). To locate
this remarkable
mosque, also known
as Begam Shahi
Masjid, it is best
to follow the street
opposite Akbar's
Masjidi Darwaza (Masti
Darwaza in common
parlance)/Akbari
Gateway of the fort.
The lofty iwan
gateway at the
mosque's north
entrance provides
access to the
courtyard (128' x
82'), a few feet
below the adjacent
road level. Once
boasting three lofty
entrances (on north,
south and east
facades), the mosque
today is hemmed in
by later
constructions,
almost entirely
concealing this
jewel-like edifice.
Comparatively small
in size, its present
exterior hardly
provides the
foretaste of the
wealth of decoration
in the prayer hall.
The mosque courtyard
is now cluttered
with wires and
contraptions of all
kinds, which you
must disregard to
imagine the glorious
ambiance that it
once possessed.
The mosque is an
outstanding
illustration of the
sophisticated taste
of the imperial
harem of the Great
Mughals. Many Mughal
queens and
princesses delighted
in erecting
spectacular
edifices. Humayun's
wife Hajji Begam
built his
mausoleurn(Delhi);
Empress Nur Jahan
built tombs of her
father (Agra) and
husband (Lahore);
Badshah Begam, the
princess royal Jahan
Ara Begam, and
daughter of
Shahjahan built
Chauburji at Lahore;
and Zebunnisa, the
gifted poet daughter
of Aurangzeb built
her unusual tomb,
also in Lahore (for
details see earlier
part of this
rahguzar). Maryam
Zamani mosque is all
the more valuable in
view of the
comparatively few
examples of mosques
during Jahangir's
reign.
The mosque's prayer
chamber follows the
pattern of
single-aisle, 5-bay
arrangement first
witnessed in the
mosque built in
Delhi (Khyr-ul-Manazil
built by Akbar's wet
nurse Dai Anga).
However, where the
domes of Akbari
structure are
constructed with
simple arched
pendentives on
corners, Begam Shahi
Mosque displays a
sophistication of
treatment in the
transformation of
the square to the
hemisphere. The
central dome rises
above the remaining
domes and is carried
on a drum; while
those on the
flanking bays are
rather flat
hemispherical
cupolas. The
treatment of the
enormous dome itself
is remarkable in its
muqarnas (stalactite
squinches) and
elegantly painted
fresco network.
The plan footprint,
along with its
structural
innovations was the
forerunner of later
mosques such as the
impressive Masjid
Wazir Khan built in
the Walled City.
Although much
grander in
execution, Wazir
Khan's Mosque is
reminiscent of the
basic architectural
elements of the
Begam Shahi Mosque.
The massive piers on
the courtyard face,
the tall peshtaq of
the central bay, and
the flanking bays
framed with simple
cusped arches echo
the earlier mosque.
It was the small
alcoves bordering
the courtyard in
Begam Shahi Masjid
that would be
developed into full
fledged cloisters in
the later, Wazir
Khan's Mosque.
The internal
decoration of Maryam
Zamani Masjid
consists of the
finest of fresco
painting. Based on
foliated patterns
and floral
arabesques, each
leaf lovingly drawn
with fine brushes,
the centra dome,
with each facet of
its mucfarnas laid
out in a pattern of
concentric network,
and painted with
closely spaced
interlacement
pattern, is a joy to
behold. The
intermixing of
elegant calligraphic
medallions and the
arrangement of
squinches in
concentric rings
framed by cusped
overflying arches is
extraordinary in its
rendition. As in the
case of floral
decoration, the
geometric
interlacement,
mostly limited to
lower portions, is
also divinely
executed. Composed
of delicately
rendered lines, the
whole ensemble
transports one to a
world of refinement
and pristine beauty.
It was due to the
mosque's utilization
as a gunpowder
factory by Ranjit
Singh, that the
mosque became known
as Barudkhana Wali
Masjid. It was not
until 1850 that the
mosque was restored
to the Muslims of
Lahore who were able
to rehabilitate it
with their
contributions.
From here you could
continue the Mughal
experience by
entering the Shahi
Qila or the Mughal
citadel through its
eastern Akbari
Gateway—check if the
gateway is open to
the general public.
The gateway is
closed at the time
of going to the
press, but there are
hopes that it will
be opened in the
near future.
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 |
