Plight of proud heritage
Aurangzeb Alamgir ascended the throne after Emperor Shah Jahan in 1658 at Agra. During 49 years of his rule he also stayed at Lahore and was known for building mosques. During his reign the Mughal Empire reached its greatest magnitude. Unlike his father, Aurangzeb was not much interested in architecture, rather he was known to be of a more ascetic nature and being religious he encouraged Islamic calligraphy. Aurangzeb’s policies partly abandoned the legacy of pluralism, which remains a very controversial aspect of his reign. His period of influence also saw the building of the Lahore Badshahi Mosque, and Bibi Ka Maqbara in Aurangabad. He was a strong and effective ruler, but following his death the expansionary period of the Mughal Empire came to an end, and centralised control of the empire declined rapidly.
Today I am taking you to an unnoticed mosque that was built during the reign of this great emperor, Aurangzeb. The mosque is situated in Mohalla Chabuk Sawaran inside the Walled City. It can be reached through Mochi Gate, Rang Mahal or Sunehri Masjid. Reaching Rang Mahal you can ask any native to tell you about this mosque. First, the people will give you an astounding look and then guide you on your way. The logic for the surprising look is that the mosque is not much known to people and most of the residents of the Walled City’s other parts are also unfamiliar with it. Well, that is a depressing situation of our heritage.
As you see the name plaque on the mosque the date of its original construction is given as AH 1080, which is 1669 according to the Christian calendar. During this era Emperor Aurangzeb Alamgir ruled Lahore and thus the mosque’s relation to that era is evident. It s also said by the historians that some person whose name might have been “Sarfaraz Khan” or “Afraz Khan” was the one who constructed it.
The mosque was said to be a jewel when it was built according to history books, though only a few books mention it. It was not less than any other mosque that was embellished with paintings and fresco during the Mughal era. The locals told me that the mosque was once extensively decorated with Kashi Kari work, the evidence that gives it the name of Chinian. The tile mosaic presented numerous floral designs in addition to inscriptions in Naskh and Nastaliq scripts. The ceiling was beautified with tile mosaic decoration. In the interior the plaster also carried water-based paintings, the fresco. None of this can be seen inside the mosque now as it has been plastered with white wash and white tiles have been pasted on its walls covering the original paintings and fresco work. Latest mirror work has been done in the central chamber with the hundred names of Allah written on it. You will find latest sound system inside the mosque now. In short nothing from the old decorations exists anymore. It is quite distressing and painful to see heritage disappear like this.
The mosque’s building witnessed ups and downs like many other mosques of that era. According to what historians write about it and also from word of mouth it is believed that the mosque was originally a single story high plinth, but has now sunk with the passage of time. Originally it had the main entrance from north through a majestic gateway which was destroyed during the Sikh period to re-use its material elsewhere. During the Sikh era many buildings and havelis of the Mughal era were destroyed and the material was used elsewhere. The tomb of Mughal Emperor Jahangir’s material was used by Maharaja Ranjit Singh while constructing the upper storey of the Hazuri Bagh pavilion. That pavilion was destroyed later and does not exist now.
Anyway, coming back our topic, the mosque has now entrances which are situated on the northern and the eastern sides. With the eastern access arrangements for ablution are provided. It is, however, sketchy that there must have been a tank for the purpose at this place in old days.
There is an open courtyard and the chamber is divided into two portions. It carries three domes, the central one of which is placed on a higher neck. They are in the form of double domes from the inside. The same pattern of domes is found in many of the Mughal Era mosques. The chamber of the mosque has three openings, and has a very concrete construction. A flight of steps to reach the rooftop has been provided from the back wall through one of the Hujras as more storeys have been added. This structure, along with references from history books, once again endorses the fact that it was built during the Mughal Era. Now, you will find motor bikes parked inside the mosque. This is not a tourist spot as there is no projection or publicity of the mosque and you will hardly find anything related to it on the internet or Google.
This is the plight of our heritage that it is ignored despite being in front of our eyes. Today, this mosque, which was a jewel once, has lost all its glory because of negligence and lack of attention. This also shows that our people are not aware of the importance of tile mosaic or fresco. Many of the monuments and buildings of the Mughal era having these decorative features are often painted with white wash. I think there should be some awareness campaign among the locals of the Walled City about this. Another observation is that many of the small mosques have lost their original fabric because the locals are unaware of the heritage and its worth. The locals of the Walled City of Lahore must be educated that if such elements are found they should be protected and some authority should be informed. Usually the mosques are under the supervision of the Auqaf Department, but I guess it is a laxity at their end as well; otherwise we would not have lost the heritage. Another option of saving heritage is to introduce the place as a tourist site, and the funds generated through tourism can be used on the preservation of the place. I wonder when our authorities will change their working pattern and start protecting the smallest parts of the heritage as well. Even if this Chinian Wali Masjid has lost its physical worth, its history is still intact. Why can’t the authorities make it a tourist spot? In things don’t change we will lose our heritage altogether.