A majesty lost
Splendour floats in every nook and corner of Lahore Fort but much saddened with the dust of negligence! The remains of the majesty of the past are now seen dying while walking in many parts of the Fort. The backside of Diwan-e-Aam (the hall of forty pillars) is the Dolat Khana-e-Khas-o-Aam (Hall of Public and Private Audience) of the Mughal Emperor Akbar. The most magnificent part of the building is the Jharoka or the state balcony where the emperor would sit to meet his courtiers. The interior of Dolat Khana-e-Khas-o-Aam is a double story apartment which is decorated with exquisite stucco tracery in geometric and floral designs. The decorative motifs were originally gilded and the traces of gold are still visible at various places. There are beautiful cusped marble arches in different chambers.
While standing in the grand arches of the Dolat Khana-e-Khas-o-Aam one gets a beautiful unique view of the entire Jahangir’s Quadrangle. No doubt the improved lawns and plantation gives it more life now! This is one of the oldest parts and first few buildings inside Lahore Fort. Like many other parts of the Fort, this place had also been under several uses and changes during the Sikh and British Raj. The fresco and gold paintings were damaged during those eras.
Mughal Emperor Akbar is the one who shaped the Lahore Fort as we see it today. He demolished the earlier mud construction and built in burnt brick in 1566. Akbar’s successors, Jahangir, Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb added several buildings to the Fort, and each area is associated with the ruler’s name. After the collapse of the Mughal dynasty in the Punjab in the 18th century, the Sikhs occupied the Fort. Maharaja Ranjit Singh added several pavilions on the upper ramparts. In 1849, the Fort came under the British military occupation. Modifications were made during the British colonial period but consisted mainly of converting older buildings into hospitals, barracks, and brought into use for other colonial functions.
Here comes the use of the place now. The state balcony still stands today as a mark of justice and equity the rulers practiced in the days gone by. The place is now closed to the public. It is a pitiable situation that one of the focal parts of the grand Lahore Fort is not a tourist site anymore. In my childhood I remember climbing up the staircase to Dolat Khana-e-Khas-o-Aam with my father, without any permission or contact with the Fort administration. Unfortunately, now the access can surely be made to the building if you have terms with the administration, or the delegates and VIPs are allowed there. This is the extreme of VIP culture in our country which has not even spared the monuments and heritage.
The miserable part is the rooms under the Dolat Khana-e-Khas-o-Aam which have been turned into godown and stores by the Archaeology Department. These rooms were the private chambers of the Mughal Emperor Akbar and now have lost all the grandeur and glory. These are also locked up for the public, by declaring them stores. If the entire Lahore Fort is to serve as offices and stores for antiquities (which hardly are there) then what is the point of letting the tourists in there. The Fort should be declared as State Store!
One can see the cracks and deplorable condition of the building which was so called preserved many times by the Archaeology Department. Broken pots and plant trays are being used as a railing in the arches. We find dead birds and skeletons lying in the corridors of the majestic building. Maybe the cleaning of the building would also damage it that’s why it is not cleaned. Dust has covered the entire decorative walls and ceiling with cobwebs hanging as jewels. It is most ugly scene especially for a photographer. The state balcony is itself today in a state of plea and cry.
Closing the place for tourists means no attention is paid to the building. In my opinion, the heritage opened for public is best preserved rather than putting it under lock and key. In my recent visits to the Lahore Fort, I got to know that the management has been changed, let’s hope that there is some heed paid to this lost majesty as well by the Walled City of Lahore Authority. The officers of WCLA told me that there are some plans for the conservation of Lahore Fort, and I hope they also take up the opening of these sites for tourists again.
