Its so hot in Lahore
Thursday, August 19, 2004
The History of Lahore
Though legend attributes the founding of Lahore or Lohawarana to Lava, the son of Rama, it is not probable that Lahore was founded History. before the first century A. D., as we neither find it mentioned in connexion with Alexander, nor is it described by Strabo or Pliny. On the other hand, it may possibly be the Labokla of Ptolemy, as Amakatis, which is mentioned by that. author as, near Labokla, has been identified by Cunningham with the ruins of Amba Kapi, about 25 miles from Lahore. The first certain historical record of Lahore is, however, that of Hiuen Tsiang, who mentions it as a large Brahmanical' city visited by him in A. D. 6,30 on his way to Jullundur. About this time it is probable that the capital of the kingdom 'of Lahore was transferred to Sialkot, as Albircini speaks of Lahore as a; prgvince,whose capital was Mandh ikur, and it ; is noticeable that Al Masiidi;makes no mention of Lahore. At the end of the tenth century the kingdom of Lahore was in the hands of a Brahman dynasty, and in A. D. 988 Jai Pal, the reigning - monarch, was decisively beaten by Sabuktag n. ', Mahmnd did not visit Lahore for more than twenty years after his first invasion, of the Punjab, though he defeated jai Pal in loos and Anand Pal in roo8'. Lahore city was not at this: time a place of great importance: In 1034 Lahore was seized by Nialtigin, the revolted, governor of Multan. He, how- ever, was expelled, and in 1036 Lahore was made the capital of the Ghaznivid dominions east of the Indus, A flnal insurrection by the Hindus at Lahore in 1042 was quelled by Maudud, and the city was left in charge of Malik Ayaz, whom Muhammadan tradition regards as the founder. During the reign. of the first eight - Ghaznivid princes Lahore was governed by viceroys as the head-quarters of a province - but during the reign of Masud III (1099-1114) it was made the seat of government of the empire. After MasUd's death Muhammad Bahlim„ governor of Lahore, rebelled against Bahrain Shah in 1119, but was defeated;, and in 1153 Khusru Shah again transferred the seat of government to Lahore, where it. remained till 1193, The city , was put to ransom by Muhammad of Ghor in 1x81, and taken in 1186. From this time onwards Lahore was the centre of the opposition to the authorities at Delhi, while subject to the constant incursions of the turbulent Khokhars, who devastated the country round in 1205. _On the death of Muhammad of Ghor in 1206 Kutb-ud-din Aibak was crowned at Lahore his lieutenant Kubacha lost the city to TaJ-ud- din Yalduz in 12o6, but it was recovered by Kutb-ud-din in the same year, From the death of Aram Shah in 1231 the province 'of„ Lahore became the bone of contention between Altamsh. at Delhi, Nasir: ud-din Kubacha at Multan, and Taj-ud-din Yalduz at Ghazni, Yal. duz in 12,15 took Lahore from Nasir-ud-din ; but Altamsh defeated him in the following year, and made himself master of the city in 1217. On the death of Altamsh in 1236, Malik Ala-ud-din Jani of Lahore broke out in revolt; and after he had been defeated and killed, Kabi-Khan-i-Ayaz of Lahore likewise rebelled in 1238, but submitted later. Then follows a century during which Lahore lay at the mercy of incessant Mongol raids, It was taken by them in 1241, and put to -ransom in 1246. The city was rebuilt by Balban in 1270; but in 1285 the Mongols returned, and Balban's son, prince Muhammad, was slain in an encounter on the banks of the Ravi, the poet Anair Khusru being captured at the same time. Muhammad's son, Kai Khusru, was appointed governor of the Punjab. in his stead, but was murdered in x287. The suburb of Mughalpura was founded about this time by Mongol settlers, and Dua the Chaghatai made a raid on Lahore in 1301, Under Ala-ud-din Khilji, Ghazi Malik, afterwards the emperor Tughlak Shah, received charge of the territories of Dipalpur and Lahore as warden of the marches against the Mongols, an office he seems to have discharged with some success. , owever, the Khokhars took Lahore in r34z,.and akin in 1394, when it was recovered bySarang Khan. In 1398 Lahore' was taken by a detachment of- Timur's arn yi and seems to have lain desolate till it was rebuilt by Mubarak Shah in 1422. Jasrath Khokhar attacked Lahore in the same year, and again in 1431 and 143 z, but without success; but iii 1433 Shaikh All took the city, which, however, he had almost immediately to, surrender. In 1441. Bahlol Khan Lodi was appointed to the fiefs of Lahore and Dipalpur, and seized the opportunity of turning against his master Muhammad Shah. Lahore seems to have enjoyed a period of peace under the Pathans ; but in the reign of Ibrahim., Lodi, Daulat khan Lodi, governor of Lahore, revolted and called in the aid of Babar. Lahore was plundered by Babar's troops in 1524, but in his final invasion in the :next year he passed: to the north through Sialkot. The period of Mughal rule was. the golden : time of the history, of Lahore, which :again l ame a place of royal residence and grew to be, in the language-',p;€ ;Abul Fazl,'the grand resort of. people' of all nations'; it still rt i many splendid memorials.of, this perio4l: On the accession of HtiltliRyt1%., Kamran, his -younger brother., tool possession of Lahore and obtained the Punjab. together with. Kabul and Kandahar. In the struggle between Humaytin and Sher Shah; Lahore was the military head-quarters of the Mughals, and narrowly escaped; destruction on their temporary defeat. Humaycit' pntered Lahore triumphantly in 1554, being received with: every expression of joy; but after Akbar had come to the throne, the place was seized in 1563 by his younger brother Hakim, who, though expelled, made another assault in 15811, from which he was repelled by Akbar in person. Akbar held his court at Lahore from 1584 to r5g8; where he was visited by some Portuguese missionaries, and by the Englishmen I itch, Newbery, Leedes, and Story. He enlarged and repaired the fort, and surrounded the town' ith a wall, portions of which still remain, embedded- in the modern work of Ranjit Singh. Specimens of the mixed Hindu and Saracenie style adopted by Akbar survive within the" fort, _though largely defaced by later alterations. Under that great emperor, Lahore rapidly -increased in area and population. The most thickly inhabited portion covered the site of the existing city, but long bazars and 'populous suburbs spread over the now desolate tract without the walls. Some time after Jahangir's succession in z6©5 prince Khusru escaped from Agra, seized the suburbs of Lahore, and .besieged the citadel; but he was quickly defeated and his followers put to death with great barbarity. Gura Arjun was implicated in this rebellion and died in. captivity, or, as the Sikh tradition has it, disappeared miraculously beneath the waters of the Ravi. His shrine still- stands between the Mughal palace and the mausoleum of Ranjit Singh. Jahangtr fixed, his court, at Lahore in x622 and died near by in 1627. He erected the greater KhwAbgah or sleeping-place,' the Moti Masjid or `pall mosque,' ,and the tomb of Anarkali, now used as a repository of secre- tariat records. The palace originally consisted of a large quadrangle, surrounded on three sides by a colonnade of red stone pillars, with c4pitals intricately carved with figures of peacocks, elephants, and griffins. In the centre of the fourth side, overlooking the Ravi, stood a lofty pavilion in the Mughal style, flanked by two chambers with elaborately decorated verandas of Hindu- architecture. A garden filled the interior space of the quadrangle, with a raised platform' of marble mosaic, while beneath the colonnade and pavilion under- ground chambers afforded cool retreats from the midday sun. Th : beauty of this building was largely disfigured by Sikh and European alterations, but a great deal has been done recently towards its restoration: Jahlngir's mausoleum at Shahdara forms one of the chief ornaments of Lahore, though even, this has suffered. The tombs of Nur Japan, his devoted wife, and of her brother Asaf Khan, have fared worse, having been stripped of their marble facings and coloured enamels by the Sikhs.
Shah Jahan erected a smaller palace by the side of his father's building, the beauty of which can still be -discerned through the whitewash which covers the marble slabs and hides the depredations of the Sikhs. To the same emperor is due the range of buildings to the left -of the Khwabgah, with octagonal towers, the largest of which, known as the Samman Burj, contains the exquisite pavilion, inlaid with flowers wrought in precious stones, which derives its name of ' the Naulakha I from its original cost of 9 lakhs ; together with the Shish Mahal, afterwards the- reception-room of Ranjit Singh, and the' scene of the transfer by Dallp Singh of the sovereignty of the Punjab to the British Government. Lahore was seized by Shahryar on Jahangir's death; but he was soon defeated, and between 1628 and 1637 Lahore enjoyed peace and prosperity under the rule of All Mardan Khan and. Hakim All-ud-din; generally known as Wazir Khan. The mosque built by the latter in 1634, in- a Perso-Mughai style, contains in the panellings. of its walls and minarets the finest known examples of khashi or inlaid pottery. This form of decoration, which must be reckoned among the lost arts of India; may also be studied to. advantage in the mosque erected by Dai Anga, the wet- nurse of Shah Jahan, in x635, which; after being used for several years as an office, has now been vacated and restored ; in the Chauburji, or "four-turreted gateway,' built in 1641 by the princess Zeb-un-nisa, daughter of Aurangzeb; and in the -Lahore fort, where the kkashhi, panels cover a surface of about 8,ooo square yards. The panelling in the fort was carried out during the reigns of Jahang r and Shah Jahan, and possesses a special interest' in the fact that, contrary to the almost invariable rule in Muhammadan art; figures of men and animals are freely introduced. During the feign of Shah Jahan, Lahore must have had a circuit of some 0 or 17 miles, the portion of the city outside the walls consisting of-numerous thickly inhabited suburbs connected with the city gates by long bazars. The people of Lahore warmly espoused - the cause of Dara - Shikoh; and supplied him with men and money on his flight westward in 1658. r The Shalamar gardens and pleasure-ground, situated 4. miles east of Lahore city, were laid out in 1667 by Ali Mardan Khan, the celebrated engineer of Shah Jahan, in imitation of the garden `planned by the emperor Jahangir at the sources of the Jhelum river in Kashmir: The garden consisted of seven divisions representing the seven degrees of the Paradise of Islam, of which only three are included in the present :area of about 8o acres, the remainder having fallen into decay. In the centre is a reservoir, bordered by aim elaborately indented coping and studded with pipes for fountains. A cascade falls into it over a slope of marble corrugated in an ornamental carved diaper. 'During the troublous times of Ahmad Shah the gardens were neglected, and some of the decorative works were defaced and removed. Ranjit Singh restored them l but at he same time he laid 'ruthless hands upon the marble pavilions of the central . reservoir, using them to adorn the Rambagh, at Amritsar) and substituting structures of brick and whitewash in their stead Under Aurangzeb Lahore began to decline in population. Even before his time the foundation of ShahjahanabAd, or'modern Delhi, had drawn away the majority of the classes dependent upon the court; and the constant absence of the' emperor contributed still more to depress the city. Aurangzeb also constructed an embankment for three miles along the Ravi, to prevent inundations, but with such undesirable success that the river completely altered its course, and left the town at a considerable distance. Among his other works, the Jima Masjid or 'great mosque' ranks first, a stiff and somewhat ungraceful piece of architecture, which, in its poverty of detail, contrasts with the gorgeous profuseness of Agra and Delhi) With the reign of Aurangzeb the architectural history of Lahore may be said to close, later attempts marking_ only the rapid decadence of art; which culminated in the tawdry erections of the Sikhs. From the accession of Bahadur Shah till the establishment of Ranjit Singh's authority at the beginning of the nineteenth century, the annals' of Lahore consist of successive invasions and conquests by Nadir Shah, Ahmad Shah, and many less famous depredators. The magnificent 'city of the Mughal princes and their viceroys sank into a mere heap of ruins, containing a few scattered houses and a couple of Sikh forts within its shrunken walls; while outside, a wide expanse of broken remains marked the site of the decaying suburbs which once surrounded the capital. As the capital of an outlying province Lahore early felt the effects of the decay of the empire. It was threatened by Banda's insurrection-, and Bahadur Shah marched there in 17'12, but died before. he could effect anything. A conflict ensued outside the walls of Lahore between his son Jahandar and Azim-ush-shan, in which the latter was defeated and drowned in the Ravi. Under Farrukhsiyar the governor of Lahore was defeated by the Sikhs. He was succeeded by Abdus Samad Khan, who defeated the rebels and took Banda' prisoner; and under his son Zakariya Khan the province had peace. for twenty- one years (1717-38). He, however, found it prudent to submit. to Nadir Shah, who accepted a ransom in lieu of plundering the city, Ahmad Shah Durrani occupied Lahore in 1748, and again in his second invasion, after some 'resistance from Mir Mannu (Mu n-ul-mulk), the new governor. Mir Mannu was succeeded by his widow) and her abduction by the Wazir was the pretext for Ahmad Shah's fourth invasion (1755). Lahore was occupied and placed under prince Timilir, from wham, however, it was taken by the Sikhs under Jassa Singh, They were expelled by the Marathas in 1758, who installed Ad ma Beg as governor. He died a few months later, and the Maratha power was broken by Ahmad Shah's victory at PanIpat in 1761, while the. Sikhs, who again besieged Lahore, were defeated in the following year with great slaughter at Barnala, Kabuli Mal being left as governor of Lahore. The Sikh cavalry ravaged the country round, and after Ahmad Shah's seventh invasion Kabuli Mal was ejected and the Sikhs again became masters of Lahore. For the thirty years following Ahmad Shah's final departure (1767-97) the Sikhs ruled in Lahore unmolested ; then in 1797 Shah ZamAn appeared -before the city and put it to ransom. The next year he appeared again, and on this occasion Ranjit Singh re•, ceived from him on his retirement a formal grant of the govern ment of Lahore. The rise of Ranjit Singh's power made Lahore once more the centre of a flourishing, though ephemeral, kingdom, The great Maharaja stripped the Muhammadan tombs of their orna- ments, which he sent to decorate the temple. at Amritsar ; but he restored the Shalamar gardens, erected a really beautiful baradaH in the space between the palace and the Jama Masjid, and also built a number of minor erections in the very worst taste. His mausoleum, a mixed-work of Hindu and Muhammadan architecture, forms one of the_ latest specimens of Sikh workmanship. The collapse of the Lahore kingdom. under Ranjit Singh's successors forms a chapter of Provincial history (see PUNJAB). In December, 1846, the Council of Regency was established, and the British Resident became the real central authority at Lahore. On March 29, 1849, at the con- clusion of the second Sikh War, the young Maharaja Dalip. Singh resigned the government to the British. In 1849 the environs still remained a mere expanse of crumbling ruins; and the houses of the first European residents clustered around the old cantonment, on a strip of alluvial lowland, south of the town, running parallel to a former bed of the Ravi. Gradually, however, the station spread eastward ; and now a new town covers a large part of the area once given over to ruins and jungle, while every year sees fresh addition, to the renovated capital. The native city covers an area of about one square mile. It was formerly surrounded by a brick wall, rising to a height of go feet and strengthened by a moat and other defences. But the moat has been filled in and the wall razed, and Description. ,a garden now occupies the site of the trench and wall, encircling the city on every side except the north, Though situated in an alluvial plain, the present town stands high on the debris of ages. A metalled road runs round the outer side of the rampart, and gives access io'the city by "thirteen gates. The citadel or fort `rises upon a slight-but commanding eminence at the north-eastern angle, and abuts- north- ward on the old river bed, while the esplanade stretches over an open space to the south and east. Within the city, narrow and tortuous street's, as well as lanes, some of them ending in culs-de-sac, and lined by tall houses, give Lahore a mean and gloomy appearance, but the. magnificent buildings of the Mughal period serve to relieve the dullness of its domestic architecture, and many of the houses are adorned with beautiful wood-carving. On . the north-eastern side especially, the mosque of Aurangzeb, with its plain white marble domes and simple minarets, the mausoleum of Ranjit Singh, with its rounded roof and projecting balconies, and the desecrated facade of the Mughal palace, stand side by side in front of an open grassy plain, exhibiting a grand coup d'w l. The European quarter, or civil station, lies on the south and east of the 'city. The older part, known as Anarkali, lies to the south, and originally contained a cantonment, abandoned in i851'-2 'Oh account of its unhealthiness. Anarkali is connected with the city-by a fine road known as the Old Mall, and contains the Secretariat buildings, District court-house, Government College, Punjab University, Senate Hall, the new University Hall, Town Hall, Museum, the Punjab Public Library converted from an old Mughal pavilion, Mayo and Lady Aitchison Hospitals, the Volunteer Club&' and many other public buildings, and a fine public garden. At the south end of the Old Mall stands the Chauburji, which formed the gateway of the garden of Zeb un-nisa, the accomplished daughter of Aurangzeb. To the' east is the railway colony, grouped about the station in the quarter known as the Naulakha. It contains a railway school building, wtheatre, and well-laid-out playgrounds. Near the railway station to the west 'are a large temple and dharmsala built by MM Cband, merchant. On the Empress Road a large ;building has been constructed for railway offices. To the south-east the Upper Mall stretches out far a distance of 3 miles to Government House and the Lawrence and Montgomery Halls. This road is the main thoroughfare of,the newer residential. quarter; and on or near it are situated the Cathedral and Orphanages, and the Chief Court, besides sundry Government offices and most of the European shops. A large public garden surrounds the Lawrence and :Montgomery Halls, containing a zoological garden, with a good collection of water-fowl. The village of Mozang on the south-east of the'-city is now almost surrounded on three sides by European resi- dences. Beyond Government House on the way to LAHORE CANTON- MENT is the Aitchison Chiefs' College, The municipality was created in r86q. The income during the ten years ending 1902-3 averaged 5-3 lakhs, and the expenditure 5.1 lakhs. In 1903-4 the- income and expenditure were 6-41akhs and 6-1, lakhs respectively. The chief source of in- come niatratlon. come was octroi (Rs. 4,58,ooo), 'while the main items of outlay were conservancy (Rs. 72,ooo), education (Rs. 1r,ooo); hospitals and disoen- saries (Rs. 33,000), water-supply and drainage (Rs. 8r,ooo), adminis» tration (Rs. 7x,ooo), public safety (Rs. 1,15;ooo), and public works (Rs. 62,000). A system of water-works was opened in 1881'. The supply is drawn from wells outside the city, whence it is pumped by engines direct into four connected tanks. The city, civil station, railway colony, and the village of Mozang are supplied by this system, and the estimated daily supply is ten gallons per head according to the population in igor. AI separate engine with a separate main to the reservoir is also being erected, to guard against accidents and to 'relieve the strain on the one engine now working. A drainage system, which was completed in 1883, is being remodelled. The Upper Mall is now lighted' by electricity. Most of the decorative arts for which Lahore was once famous have greatly declined or vanished altogether. The silk-workers, who once. were famous for superior cloths of BokhAra thread, now turn out only inferior and coarse materials, industries. though the trade in these is flourishing enough. The mystery of gold and silver wire-drawing has entirely disappeared, and so has the production of glass, enamel, and arms, and but little gold embroidery is now done. On the other hand, trades of a useful character have largely increased,' among which may be mentioned the manufacture of vegetable oils, candles, and soap, sulphuric and nitric acids, and printing, lithography, and book-binding. The leather trade is an important one, and a large quantity of saddlery and shoes is turned out annually. Cotton fabrics are largely made, and a great deal of ,printing on coarse cotton stuffs is done. Good woollen blankets are produced, and fine pashmma woollen stuffs. There is a consider- able output of wooden furniture, decorated as well as plain. A large quantity of bricks and tiles are burnt. Lahore is, moreover, an, im- portant centre for the collection of agricultural produce and five cotton-ginning factories, three cotton-presses, and one combined ginning and pressing factory employed 427 hands in 1904. Of the other factories, the most important are the North-Western Railway work- shops, with 4,669 employes ; two spinning and weaving mills, with 7,71 the Punjab Oil and Flour Mills, established in 188'1, which turn out large quantities of flour and of castor and other vegetable oils, and in 1904 employed 65 hands; and an 'iron foundry, which in the same year employed 57. Two printing presses give. employment to aag. The Punjab Banking Company, the Punjab National Bank, and the People's Bank have their head-quarters at Lahore; and the Bank of Bengal, the Alliance Bank of Simla, the Commercial Bank of India, and the' National Bank of India have branches in the city. ' As the head-quarters of the. Local Government, Lahore naturally contains the principal educational institutions of -the Province. These Education comprise the Punjab University, with five Colleges- . the Government, Forman Christian, Dayinand Anglo. Vedic, Islamia, and Oriental; also the Medical and Law Colleges; and the :Central Training College. The city possesses twelve high schools the Central Model High School, the Aitchison'Chiefs' College,: and the Dayanand, Union Academy, Madrasat-ul-Musalmin, and Sanatan Dharm Sabha schools, a school maintained by the Presbyterian Mission, the Victoria and Oriental schools, and three schools for Europeans; Its girls' schools' include two high schools (one for Europeans) and three middle schools (two for Europeans). Technical and special education are provided by the Mayo School of Art, the medical school; the railway technical school, the Veterinary College, the Hindu Techni- cal.'Institute, and the Government normal school. Classes are. also held in Yunani and Vedic medicine.. Printing presses are numerous, and produce zo English and .66 vernacular periodicals, of which the most important are the Civiland Military Gazette, the Tribune; and the Observer. Lahore is the head-quarters of the Anglican diocese of that name;: The Cathedral of the Resurrection, a fine building in the later Early English style, was consecrated in 1887. There is also a railway church in Naulakha. The Church Missionary Society has a theological: training school at Lahore. The city is also the head-quarters of the Roman Catholic diocese of Lahore, and contains the Pro-Cathedral;: A fine new. Cathedral, in a style which is a mixture of Roman and Byzantine, will shortly be completed. The American Presbyterian Mission has a church, and several native churches exist in the city. Missions are conducted by the Church Missionary Society and the Methodist Episcopal Mission, Lahore is the head-quarters of the Punjab Light Horse and of the 1st Punjab Volunteer Rifles, the Lahore contingent consisting of a troop of the former and three and a half companies of the latter. The fort is garrisoned by small detachments of British- and Native infantry. The chief medical institutions are the Maya and Lady Aitchison Hospitals, besides the Medical College above mentioned. Lahore Cantonment.--Cantonment and head-quarters of the third or Lahore division of the Northern Command in the District of the same name, Punjab, situated in 31° 31' N. and 74° 22' E., 3 miles east of the civil station of Lahore. It has two railway stations.- Lahore Cantonments East, on the branch of the North-Western Railway to Delhi; and Lahore Cantonments West, on the branch to Multan. Population (rgoi), 16,o8o. Till r9o6 the cantonment was called Mian Mir. The troops were moved here from the Anarkali quarter of Lahore in 1851-2 on account of the unhealthiness of the latter; but the new site is, partly on account of its defective water-supply, a notoriously unhealthy station. The ordinary garrison consists of two batteries of field artillery, one regiment of native cavalry, and two battalions of native infantry. The cantonment stands on an open and arid plain, originally bare of trees, but now gradually growing greener as canal-irrigation extends and the avenues of trees along the roadside grow up. The site is said to have been at one time named Haslimpur. Prince Dara Shikoh, brother of Aurangzeb, who was put to death by that emperor on ascending the throne, was a disciple of a famous Muhammadan saint or fir, Mullan Shah, known as Mian Mir. He purchased the village of Haslimpur, and bestowed it on his religious preceptor, after whom it was renamed. The mausoleum of the holy man is a hand- some domed building of white marble and red Agra sandstone, with a mosque in the courtyard. The income and expenditure from canton- ment funds during the ten years ending 1902-3 averaged Rs. 50,000. The Punjab Banking Company has a branch here.
Shah Jahan erected a smaller palace by the side of his father's building, the beauty of which can still be -discerned through the whitewash which covers the marble slabs and hides the depredations of the Sikhs. To the same emperor is due the range of buildings to the left -of the Khwabgah, with octagonal towers, the largest of which, known as the Samman Burj, contains the exquisite pavilion, inlaid with flowers wrought in precious stones, which derives its name of ' the Naulakha I from its original cost of 9 lakhs ; together with the Shish Mahal, afterwards the- reception-room of Ranjit Singh, and the' scene of the transfer by Dallp Singh of the sovereignty of the Punjab to the British Government. Lahore was seized by Shahryar on Jahangir's death; but he was soon defeated, and between 1628 and 1637 Lahore enjoyed peace and prosperity under the rule of All Mardan Khan and. Hakim All-ud-din; generally known as Wazir Khan. The mosque built by the latter in 1634, in- a Perso-Mughai style, contains in the panellings. of its walls and minarets the finest known examples of khashi or inlaid pottery. This form of decoration, which must be reckoned among the lost arts of India; may also be studied to. advantage in the mosque erected by Dai Anga, the wet- nurse of Shah Jahan, in x635, which; after being used for several years as an office, has now been vacated and restored ; in the Chauburji, or "four-turreted gateway,' built in 1641 by the princess Zeb-un-nisa, daughter of Aurangzeb; and in the -Lahore fort, where the kkashhi, panels cover a surface of about 8,ooo square yards. The panelling in the fort was carried out during the reigns of Jahang r and Shah Jahan, and possesses a special interest' in the fact that, contrary to the almost invariable rule in Muhammadan art; figures of men and animals are freely introduced. During the feign of Shah Jahan, Lahore must have had a circuit of some 0 or 17 miles, the portion of the city outside the walls consisting of-numerous thickly inhabited suburbs connected with the city gates by long bazars. The people of Lahore warmly espoused - the cause of Dara - Shikoh; and supplied him with men and money on his flight westward in 1658. r The Shalamar gardens and pleasure-ground, situated 4. miles east of Lahore city, were laid out in 1667 by Ali Mardan Khan, the celebrated engineer of Shah Jahan, in imitation of the garden `planned by the emperor Jahangir at the sources of the Jhelum river in Kashmir: The garden consisted of seven divisions representing the seven degrees of the Paradise of Islam, of which only three are included in the present :area of about 8o acres, the remainder having fallen into decay. In the centre is a reservoir, bordered by aim elaborately indented coping and studded with pipes for fountains. A cascade falls into it over a slope of marble corrugated in an ornamental carved diaper. 'During the troublous times of Ahmad Shah the gardens were neglected, and some of the decorative works were defaced and removed. Ranjit Singh restored them l but at he same time he laid 'ruthless hands upon the marble pavilions of the central . reservoir, using them to adorn the Rambagh, at Amritsar) and substituting structures of brick and whitewash in their stead Under Aurangzeb Lahore began to decline in population. Even before his time the foundation of ShahjahanabAd, or'modern Delhi, had drawn away the majority of the classes dependent upon the court; and the constant absence of the' emperor contributed still more to depress the city. Aurangzeb also constructed an embankment for three miles along the Ravi, to prevent inundations, but with such undesirable success that the river completely altered its course, and left the town at a considerable distance. Among his other works, the Jima Masjid or 'great mosque' ranks first, a stiff and somewhat ungraceful piece of architecture, which, in its poverty of detail, contrasts with the gorgeous profuseness of Agra and Delhi) With the reign of Aurangzeb the architectural history of Lahore may be said to close, later attempts marking_ only the rapid decadence of art; which culminated in the tawdry erections of the Sikhs. From the accession of Bahadur Shah till the establishment of Ranjit Singh's authority at the beginning of the nineteenth century, the annals' of Lahore consist of successive invasions and conquests by Nadir Shah, Ahmad Shah, and many less famous depredators. The magnificent 'city of the Mughal princes and their viceroys sank into a mere heap of ruins, containing a few scattered houses and a couple of Sikh forts within its shrunken walls; while outside, a wide expanse of broken remains marked the site of the decaying suburbs which once surrounded the capital. As the capital of an outlying province Lahore early felt the effects of the decay of the empire. It was threatened by Banda's insurrection-, and Bahadur Shah marched there in 17'12, but died before. he could effect anything. A conflict ensued outside the walls of Lahore between his son Jahandar and Azim-ush-shan, in which the latter was defeated and drowned in the Ravi. Under Farrukhsiyar the governor of Lahore was defeated by the Sikhs. He was succeeded by Abdus Samad Khan, who defeated the rebels and took Banda' prisoner; and under his son Zakariya Khan the province had peace. for twenty- one years (1717-38). He, however, found it prudent to submit. to Nadir Shah, who accepted a ransom in lieu of plundering the city, Ahmad Shah Durrani occupied Lahore in 1748, and again in his second invasion, after some 'resistance from Mir Mannu (Mu n-ul-mulk), the new governor. Mir Mannu was succeeded by his widow) and her abduction by the Wazir was the pretext for Ahmad Shah's fourth invasion (1755). Lahore was occupied and placed under prince Timilir, from wham, however, it was taken by the Sikhs under Jassa Singh, They were expelled by the Marathas in 1758, who installed Ad ma Beg as governor. He died a few months later, and the Maratha power was broken by Ahmad Shah's victory at PanIpat in 1761, while the. Sikhs, who again besieged Lahore, were defeated in the following year with great slaughter at Barnala, Kabuli Mal being left as governor of Lahore. The Sikh cavalry ravaged the country round, and after Ahmad Shah's seventh invasion Kabuli Mal was ejected and the Sikhs again became masters of Lahore. For the thirty years following Ahmad Shah's final departure (1767-97) the Sikhs ruled in Lahore unmolested ; then in 1797 Shah ZamAn appeared -before the city and put it to ransom. The next year he appeared again, and on this occasion Ranjit Singh re•, ceived from him on his retirement a formal grant of the govern ment of Lahore. The rise of Ranjit Singh's power made Lahore once more the centre of a flourishing, though ephemeral, kingdom, The great Maharaja stripped the Muhammadan tombs of their orna- ments, which he sent to decorate the temple. at Amritsar ; but he restored the Shalamar gardens, erected a really beautiful baradaH in the space between the palace and the Jama Masjid, and also built a number of minor erections in the very worst taste. His mausoleum, a mixed-work of Hindu and Muhammadan architecture, forms one of the_ latest specimens of Sikh workmanship. The collapse of the Lahore kingdom. under Ranjit Singh's successors forms a chapter of Provincial history (see PUNJAB). In December, 1846, the Council of Regency was established, and the British Resident became the real central authority at Lahore. On March 29, 1849, at the con- clusion of the second Sikh War, the young Maharaja Dalip. Singh resigned the government to the British. In 1849 the environs still remained a mere expanse of crumbling ruins; and the houses of the first European residents clustered around the old cantonment, on a strip of alluvial lowland, south of the town, running parallel to a former bed of the Ravi. Gradually, however, the station spread eastward ; and now a new town covers a large part of the area once given over to ruins and jungle, while every year sees fresh addition, to the renovated capital. The native city covers an area of about one square mile. It was formerly surrounded by a brick wall, rising to a height of go feet and strengthened by a moat and other defences. But the moat has been filled in and the wall razed, and Description. ,a garden now occupies the site of the trench and wall, encircling the city on every side except the north, Though situated in an alluvial plain, the present town stands high on the debris of ages. A metalled road runs round the outer side of the rampart, and gives access io'the city by "thirteen gates. The citadel or fort `rises upon a slight-but commanding eminence at the north-eastern angle, and abuts- north- ward on the old river bed, while the esplanade stretches over an open space to the south and east. Within the city, narrow and tortuous street's, as well as lanes, some of them ending in culs-de-sac, and lined by tall houses, give Lahore a mean and gloomy appearance, but the. magnificent buildings of the Mughal period serve to relieve the dullness of its domestic architecture, and many of the houses are adorned with beautiful wood-carving. On . the north-eastern side especially, the mosque of Aurangzeb, with its plain white marble domes and simple minarets, the mausoleum of Ranjit Singh, with its rounded roof and projecting balconies, and the desecrated facade of the Mughal palace, stand side by side in front of an open grassy plain, exhibiting a grand coup d'w l. The European quarter, or civil station, lies on the south and east of the 'city. The older part, known as Anarkali, lies to the south, and originally contained a cantonment, abandoned in i851'-2 'Oh account of its unhealthiness. Anarkali is connected with the city-by a fine road known as the Old Mall, and contains the Secretariat buildings, District court-house, Government College, Punjab University, Senate Hall, the new University Hall, Town Hall, Museum, the Punjab Public Library converted from an old Mughal pavilion, Mayo and Lady Aitchison Hospitals, the Volunteer Club&' and many other public buildings, and a fine public garden. At the south end of the Old Mall stands the Chauburji, which formed the gateway of the garden of Zeb un-nisa, the accomplished daughter of Aurangzeb. To the' east is the railway colony, grouped about the station in the quarter known as the Naulakha. It contains a railway school building, wtheatre, and well-laid-out playgrounds. Near the railway station to the west 'are a large temple and dharmsala built by MM Cband, merchant. On the Empress Road a large ;building has been constructed for railway offices. To the south-east the Upper Mall stretches out far a distance of 3 miles to Government House and the Lawrence and Montgomery Halls. This road is the main thoroughfare of,the newer residential. quarter; and on or near it are situated the Cathedral and Orphanages, and the Chief Court, besides sundry Government offices and most of the European shops. A large public garden surrounds the Lawrence and :Montgomery Halls, containing a zoological garden, with a good collection of water-fowl. The village of Mozang on the south-east of the'-city is now almost surrounded on three sides by European resi- dences. Beyond Government House on the way to LAHORE CANTON- MENT is the Aitchison Chiefs' College, The municipality was created in r86q. The income during the ten years ending 1902-3 averaged 5-3 lakhs, and the expenditure 5.1 lakhs. In 1903-4 the- income and expenditure were 6-41akhs and 6-1, lakhs respectively. The chief source of in- come niatratlon. come was octroi (Rs. 4,58,ooo), 'while the main items of outlay were conservancy (Rs. 72,ooo), education (Rs. 1r,ooo); hospitals and disoen- saries (Rs. 33,000), water-supply and drainage (Rs. 8r,ooo), adminis» tration (Rs. 7x,ooo), public safety (Rs. 1,15;ooo), and public works (Rs. 62,000). A system of water-works was opened in 1881'. The supply is drawn from wells outside the city, whence it is pumped by engines direct into four connected tanks. The city, civil station, railway colony, and the village of Mozang are supplied by this system, and the estimated daily supply is ten gallons per head according to the population in igor. AI separate engine with a separate main to the reservoir is also being erected, to guard against accidents and to 'relieve the strain on the one engine now working. A drainage system, which was completed in 1883, is being remodelled. The Upper Mall is now lighted' by electricity. Most of the decorative arts for which Lahore was once famous have greatly declined or vanished altogether. The silk-workers, who once. were famous for superior cloths of BokhAra thread, now turn out only inferior and coarse materials, industries. though the trade in these is flourishing enough. The mystery of gold and silver wire-drawing has entirely disappeared, and so has the production of glass, enamel, and arms, and but little gold embroidery is now done. On the other hand, trades of a useful character have largely increased,' among which may be mentioned the manufacture of vegetable oils, candles, and soap, sulphuric and nitric acids, and printing, lithography, and book-binding. The leather trade is an important one, and a large quantity of saddlery and shoes is turned out annually. Cotton fabrics are largely made, and a great deal of ,printing on coarse cotton stuffs is done. Good woollen blankets are produced, and fine pashmma woollen stuffs. There is a consider- able output of wooden furniture, decorated as well as plain. A large quantity of bricks and tiles are burnt. Lahore is, moreover, an, im- portant centre for the collection of agricultural produce and five cotton-ginning factories, three cotton-presses, and one combined ginning and pressing factory employed 427 hands in 1904. Of the other factories, the most important are the North-Western Railway work- shops, with 4,669 employes ; two spinning and weaving mills, with 7,71 the Punjab Oil and Flour Mills, established in 188'1, which turn out large quantities of flour and of castor and other vegetable oils, and in 1904 employed 65 hands; and an 'iron foundry, which in the same year employed 57. Two printing presses give. employment to aag. The Punjab Banking Company, the Punjab National Bank, and the People's Bank have their head-quarters at Lahore; and the Bank of Bengal, the Alliance Bank of Simla, the Commercial Bank of India, and the' National Bank of India have branches in the city. ' As the head-quarters of the. Local Government, Lahore naturally contains the principal educational institutions of -the Province. These Education comprise the Punjab University, with five Colleges- . the Government, Forman Christian, Dayinand Anglo. Vedic, Islamia, and Oriental; also the Medical and Law Colleges; and the :Central Training College. The city possesses twelve high schools the Central Model High School, the Aitchison'Chiefs' College,: and the Dayanand, Union Academy, Madrasat-ul-Musalmin, and Sanatan Dharm Sabha schools, a school maintained by the Presbyterian Mission, the Victoria and Oriental schools, and three schools for Europeans; Its girls' schools' include two high schools (one for Europeans) and three middle schools (two for Europeans). Technical and special education are provided by the Mayo School of Art, the medical school; the railway technical school, the Veterinary College, the Hindu Techni- cal.'Institute, and the Government normal school. Classes are. also held in Yunani and Vedic medicine.. Printing presses are numerous, and produce zo English and .66 vernacular periodicals, of which the most important are the Civiland Military Gazette, the Tribune; and the Observer. Lahore is the head-quarters of the Anglican diocese of that name;: The Cathedral of the Resurrection, a fine building in the later Early English style, was consecrated in 1887. There is also a railway church in Naulakha. The Church Missionary Society has a theological: training school at Lahore. The city is also the head-quarters of the Roman Catholic diocese of Lahore, and contains the Pro-Cathedral;: A fine new. Cathedral, in a style which is a mixture of Roman and Byzantine, will shortly be completed. The American Presbyterian Mission has a church, and several native churches exist in the city. Missions are conducted by the Church Missionary Society and the Methodist Episcopal Mission, Lahore is the head-quarters of the Punjab Light Horse and of the 1st Punjab Volunteer Rifles, the Lahore contingent consisting of a troop of the former and three and a half companies of the latter. The fort is garrisoned by small detachments of British- and Native infantry. The chief medical institutions are the Maya and Lady Aitchison Hospitals, besides the Medical College above mentioned. Lahore Cantonment.--Cantonment and head-quarters of the third or Lahore division of the Northern Command in the District of the same name, Punjab, situated in 31° 31' N. and 74° 22' E., 3 miles east of the civil station of Lahore. It has two railway stations.- Lahore Cantonments East, on the branch of the North-Western Railway to Delhi; and Lahore Cantonments West, on the branch to Multan. Population (rgoi), 16,o8o. Till r9o6 the cantonment was called Mian Mir. The troops were moved here from the Anarkali quarter of Lahore in 1851-2 on account of the unhealthiness of the latter; but the new site is, partly on account of its defective water-supply, a notoriously unhealthy station. The ordinary garrison consists of two batteries of field artillery, one regiment of native cavalry, and two battalions of native infantry. The cantonment stands on an open and arid plain, originally bare of trees, but now gradually growing greener as canal-irrigation extends and the avenues of trees along the roadside grow up. The site is said to have been at one time named Haslimpur. Prince Dara Shikoh, brother of Aurangzeb, who was put to death by that emperor on ascending the throne, was a disciple of a famous Muhammadan saint or fir, Mullan Shah, known as Mian Mir. He purchased the village of Haslimpur, and bestowed it on his religious preceptor, after whom it was renamed. The mausoleum of the holy man is a hand- some domed building of white marble and red Agra sandstone, with a mosque in the courtyard. The income and expenditure from canton- ment funds during the ten years ending 1902-3 averaged Rs. 50,000. The Punjab Banking Company has a branch here.
Wednesday, August 18, 2004
Lahore Fort
Akbar enlarged and repaired the fort, and surrounded the town with a wall, portions of which still remain, embedded in the modern work of Ranjit Singh. Specimens of the mixed Hindu and Saracenie style adopted by Akbar survive within the" fort, though largely defaced by later alterations.
The unique tile tiles at work on the north and west sides of the inner wall of the Lahore. Lahore Fort, believed to have been executed in the reign of Jahanglr. An enormous space, more than a quarter of a mile in length and 17 yards high, was decorated with enamelled tiles, exhibiting not only geometrical and foliated designs, but figures of living beings. ' Many of the scenes represented possess also considerable historical interest, illustrating the life of the Mughal emperors. Several specimens represent elephant fights, which were one of the chief recreations of the Mlughal court, and one of the finest panels shows four horsemen playing Chaugan or Persian polo.' Dr. Vogel has succeeded in securing tracings of 116 panels '. Rarity of When the antiquity and high standard of Indian civilization specimens are considered, the almost absolute non-existence of examples of minor arts. of the minor arts dating from past ages is astonishing. The only ancient pottery discoverable is that found in prehistoric cemeteries and megalithic tombs. With the exception of the enamelled tiles already mentioned, no examples of old Indian ceramic work with any pretension to artistic merit seem to exist, and the tiles, even if actually made in India, are essen- tially foreign. India never had indigenous art pottery
Tuesday, August 17, 2004
Tonga; Lahore's carriage
This was the primary mode of conveyance in the old days. These days you can find some in the outskirts of the town and maybe within the walled city. The tanga wallah had his unique sense of humour. You could hire the tanga exclusively or share it with other passengers on an individual seat basis. A tanga race was an exciting event and could take place anytime and anywhere two tanga wallas found it challenging. The canopy could be folded and you could then enjoy the ride somewhat like in a Chevy convertible. The dandy tangas had mirror work in addition to fancy paint designs. Tangas were required to be registered and each one displayed a number. At night, there were two side lamps but no headlights. The horse's eyes were shielded by the harness to prevent the horse from panicking in a traffic jam.
Shalamar Gardens
The Shalamar gardens and pleasure-ground, situated 4. miles east of Lahore city, were laid out in 1667 by Ali Mardan Khan, the celebrated engineer of Shah Jahan, in imitation of the garden `planned by the emperor Jahangir at the sources of the Jhelum river in Kashmir: The garden consisted of seven divisions representing the seven degrees of the Paradise of Islam, of which only three are included in the present area of about 8o acres, the remainder having fallen into decay. In the centre is a reservoir, bordered by aim elaborately indented coping and studded with pipes for fountains. A cascade falls into it over a slope of marble corrugated in an ornamental carved diaper. 'During the troublous times of Ahmad Shah the gardens were neglected, and some of the decorative works were defaced and removed. Ranjit Singh restored them l but at he same time he laid 'ruthless hands upon the marble pavilions of the central . reservoir, using them to adorn the Rambagh, at Amritsar) and substituting structures of brick and whitewash in their stead
Jehanghir's Tomb
The fine sepulchre of Jahanghir near Lahore (A.D. I627-8), is much less familiar to tourists than the buildings at Lahore. Agra and Delhi, is remarkable for its display of 'all the re sources of inlaying in marble, stone, and pottery, lavished on the central tomb. There is no structure in India which pre sents so many classes of mosaic work as this' (Cole). These classes comprise black and white panels filled with outlines of flagons and other objects, executed in a style possessing dignity without excessive severity; zigzag bands of variegated marbles and coloured stones; mosaics in geometrical patterns; pie/ra dura work in the Florentine fashion; and mosaics in enamelled tiles. The art of embellishing buildings by the application of amples of enamelled tiles was derived, through Persia, from the old- enamelled tiles. world craftsmen of Assyria and Babylonia. It was introduced into India by the Mluhammadan invaders during the twelfth century, and from that time was frequently employed with great effect. Good early examples of this form of decoration are to be seen at Multan on the tombs of Baha-ul-hakk and Rukn-ud- din, dating from the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. The colours employed are dark blue, azure, and white. Tiles of green, yellow, and blue colour were used extensively to adorn the palace of the Hindu Raja, Man Singh, at Gwalior, which was built at the beginning of the sixteenth century. The floral patterns executed in green, yellow, and blue tile mosaics on the walls of Jahangir's tomb (A.ID. 1627-8) are extremely effective.
Monday, August 16, 2004
I was born in Lahore
I was born in Lahore in Lady Aitchison Hospital in 1950, three years after Pakistan became independent. Lahore came into being in about the first century AD. It is one of the oldest towns in Pakistan and is located on the bank of the river Ravi. There is a lot of history here but somehow the local people are not quite interested in history. There are different reasons for that. Today it is the second largest city of Pakistan and the provincial capital of Punjab. I moved back to Lahore three years ago and intend never to leave it.
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