The abandoned grandeur
Going on the circular road, if you take a turn towards the Masti Gate and approach the Rim Market, just on the opposite side you will see a massive gate of the Lahore Fort, the Akbari Gate. This is the royal gate on the eastern side of the Lahore Fort which was built during the period of the third Mughal Emperor, Akbar the Great.
The gate was once the main entrance to the Lahore Fort but regrettably the main entrance has been changed now. The grandness of the gate echoes the majesty inside it. It is a huge structure of bricks and two storeys. There are rooms inside the gate which must have been used by the watch guards and other soldiers. The gate is elevated from the ground level and an elephant can cross its wide wooden door. The gate and its door is well intact till now but is not used by the public anymore.
As we enter the giant gate, we see the Diwan-e-Aam and backside of Jahangir’s Quadrangle. The gate is a little messed up because of a colony built inside the Fort near it. Like typical village and casual mohallahs we see clothes hanged on the grill, graffiti on the exterior and interior walls, garbage baskets and continuous crossing of motor bikes. Children are found playing and littering around the gate, which is not at all an endearing or a pleasant site entering the opulence of Lahore Fort.
Inquiring about the community residing there I was informed by the Fort management that they have been settled there since ages, and some of them are the employees of the Archaeology department. The amazing part is that residents in the colony have rented out theirs quarters to other people. This could be a threat to the world heritage site as well as a security concern in present circumstances, but this is to be checked by the government, I can only inform by writing.
Coming back to the Akbari gate, it is a dull part of the Lahore fort now. Once upon a time, I can imagine, it must have been the hub of all hustle and bustle, the entourages of kings and queens. Today, it is the most ignored part of the magnificent Lahore fort. Wild plantation and overgrowth has no doubt overshadowed the grace of the splendour. The staircase leading to the roof top is locked.
The empress of Akbar built a mosque, the Begum Shahi Mosque, outside this gate in 1614 AD that still exists. The mosque is also encroached upon by the Rim market and only the domes can be seen. I hope I draw the attention of the authorities to this as well.
The Akbari Gate has a basement too. I got to know this recently. There is a small window like access to the basement as it is all hidden by the plantation. The management assumes that there must be snakes and reptiles in the basement and proper precautionary measures have to be taken for going in there and cleaning up the place.
This place can be developed into a picnic area for the tourists if cleaned up so that visitors cherish it. The basement and the upper portions can be opened up for the tourists on a small ticket if the authorities want. It is only a matter of will and desire, nothing beyond that. All over the world the basements and tunnels are keenly conserved and transformed into tourist sites, this is a sustainable model for any monument. Our dilemma is that we close our heritage for people and this is more cancerous. If we keep a monument or a place in use, it might sustain more than being closed. I hope somebody will pay heed to what I am writing, and I wish more voices to join me to save the heritage.
