Another tale of unfortunate, near-criminal, neglect
A famous historian of Lahore, Noor Mohammad Chishti, writes that during the Sikh period the mosque was in the possession of one Sher Singh who was an officer of the artillery
We are rich in terms of heritage, but let’s not limit heritage to huge monuments like Lahore Fort, Drawar Fort, Shalimar Gardens, Katas Raj etc. Heritage is hidden in every nook and corner of the country especially if we talk about the walled city of Lahore, which was the original Lahore. If these pieces of heritage are not preserved then what are we doing with heritage preservation? Heritage should be taken care of where ever it is. Today let me take you to a crumbling piece of heritage inside old Lahore near Taxali gate. This is a small mosque that was built during the reign of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan. I wonder what would have been the exuberance of the mosque at that time which is now pleading for some restoration and help.
This small mosque I am writing about is located inside Taxali gate. The aged imam of the mosque endorsed that it belonged to the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan’s time and was named Taxali Wali Masjid. Till today, if you ever wish to visit this mosque you can ask anyone about it and the locals will guide you to it. If you closely observe this piece of heritage, you will see that this mosque has been built on the same trend as of the Begum Shahi and Wazir Khan mosques located inside the Walled City of Lahore and belong to the Mughal era. You will surely see the tile mosaic work and small bricks there. Most of the parts of the mosque are now cemented as the local started preserving it in their own ways, but these old works do reflect at some parts. These elements found in the mosque also endorse the Imam’s statement that it belonged to the Mughal era. The structure of the Mosque originally had four minarets, out of which two at the face had survived to a time. The mosque had a well and bath rooms towards east and north, which have all been encroached upon at present. The entire structure is now painted with white wash and all the fresco and glazed tile work cannot be seen anymore, but yes reflections are there. The well is now covered with washrooms which are used as public toilets against a token of rupees ten and with this cover the well is nowhere to be found now.
If we go into the history of this mosque it is said that it was built by Amir Abdullah Khan who was a deputy of Fidai Khan Koka under whose superintendence the Badshahi Mosque was built in Lahore. This fact also endorses that the mosque was of the Shah Jahan’s period as it was built before the Badshahi Mosque.
The mosque was named after the Taxali Gate and thus was known as Taxali Wali Masjid. The gate known as Taxali Gate was named so because of a mint located nearby which is known as Taxal in the local/Urdu language. The Taxali gate is one of the thirteen gates built by the Mughal Emperor Akbar along with a thirty feet high fortified wall. This gate does not exist now like many other gates of the walled city of Lahore.
History tells us that like many other mosques, this one too underwent changes in different reigns and rules. A famous historian of Lahore, Noor Mohammad Chishti, writes that during the Sikh period the mosque was in the possession of one Sher Singh who was an officer of the artillery.
According to the old imam of the mosque, it was a masterpiece till almost twenty years ago but now it is corroding and no authorities are taking care of it. Built in small red bricks and decorated with fresco and glazed tile it was no less than any other Mughal era mosque. With the passage of time, as no government agency is looking after it and like the case of many other mosques of old times, the locals of the area collected money and placed marble on its walls and ceilings thus hiding the original beauty and works. Of course, we cannot blame the locals for doing so because they wanted to save the mosque in their own way. It is the duty of the relevant authorities to see where the heritage is being neglected. The locals are not aware of the expertise and importance of fresco or preservation. I can surely name so many structures inside the Walled City of Lahore which are heritage and being ignored. We all keep talking about the saving of religious sites and promoting religious tourism, but in fact just like Samadhis and Gurdwaras, our own mosques are being neglected. I am still thankful to the community and locals of the area for saving it with their own ways and finances.
I think that this piece should be conserved, history of the mosque should be placed there or maybe a small board for the tourists. Written material on such monuments should be developed for making the public at large aware of it and also these structures should be highlighted on social media. I wonder why such places are not made a part of the guided tour and yes, this will make it self-sustainable if the mosque is ticketed for the tourists. But before we do all this the conservation and preservation of this mosque is important otherwise it will soon be transformed into a new structure and with the passage of time, the history will also be lost under the dust of time.
