A 17TH CENTURY MONUMENT IN LAHORE
Like many other monuments of Mughal era this place was also plundered during the Sikh rule.
The marble and other precious stones were removed and bricks were stolen by brick sellers.
Many of us have heard of Nawab Mian Khan’s Haveli in Rang Mehal near Shah Almi inside Walled City Lahore. Today I am not writing about this haveli but yes I will take you to another place related to the builder and owner of this haveli. This is the Tomb of Nawab Mian Khan right here in Lahore.
Nawab Mian Khan was the son of Nawab Saadullah Khan who was the Prime Minister of Lahore during the reign of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan. Mian Saadullah Khan was an orphan whose inquisitiveness for learning led him to a local Madrassa in Walled City near Wazir Khan Mosque. Later he moved to Delhi and there with his intellect and oratorical skills he made his way into the court of Shah Jahan. Impressed by his grasp of knowledge, Shah Jahan offered him a job. It was because of Mian Saadullah Khan’s honesty and integrity in dealing with the Emperor’s finances that Shah Jahan bestowed upon him the title of “Allama Fihami Jumlatul Mulk”. Then with a cash prize of Rs. 250,000, Shah Jahan sent him to Lahore as his Prime Minister. Saadullah Khan as Prime Minister built many important landmarks still existing in Lahore and Chiniot. These include Shahi Masjid of Chiniot, Haveli Mian Khan in Rang Mehal and Pathran Wali Haveli in Lahore. It is widely believed that Aurangzeb was so impressed by Mian Saadullah Khan’s character that he asked his courtesans to try to be like him. Nawab Mian Khan following the footsteps of his father became an influential person of Lahore. Nawab Mian Khan also had his affiliations with Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb the successor of Shah Jahan and served as the Governor of Lahore during Aurangzeb’s rule. Nawab’s father served the Mughals well and was known as a loyal to the family and so was the Nawab himself. Main Khan died in 1671 during the reign of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb.
Now let me take you to the tomb of Governor of Lahore. As you are on the GT road you can take a turn to Shiwala Chowk in Singhpura area of Bhogiwal. Here you will see a well preserved baradari. According to Kanhaiya Lal’s Tareekh-e-Lahore written in 1884, it is the same baradari that houses Mian Khan’s grave. Yes, the grave of Nawab Mian Khan is right here in Lahore and many of us might not know that. Well, it is not a tourist sight and only the ones in search of heritage or for the love of exploring heritage can find it and make their way in it. Main Khan died in 1671 during the reign of Aurangzeb and was buried inside this baradari. Unlike other baradaris constructed in that era, this one is relatively small. Since Nawab hailed from Chiniot in Punjab, and Chiniot being famous for having black stone, he used the same black stone in all of his constructions. History states that at the time of its construction, hundreds of thousands of rupees were reportedly spent on the tomb of Mian Khan – son of a man valued by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb. Exquisite floral patterns border the roof of the baradari, paying tribute to the artistic details that were so popular in that era. On all four sides of the baradari, there is a large high rise podium. The floor of the podium is made of large slabs of black stone and in fact, the whole podium including the sides is constructed of the same Chinioti black stone. In the middle of the main podium, there is another black stone podium of the height of 1/2 a yard on which the building of the baradari stands. In the middle of the baradari, there is another podium of the height of 6 inches upon which stood the marble tomb of Mian Khan which was removed by Raja Suchet Singh– commander of Ranjit Singh’s crack cavalry brigade the Charyari Sowars and ruler of Ramnagar – and now only the podium remains. The baradari was surrounded by a garden with a fountain like many other Mughal era gardens. The south end of the garden had a gate chamber which does not exist now. Also, two identical mosques were built on the western and eastern ends of the garden.
Like many other monuments of Mughal era this place was also plundered during the Sikh rule. The marble and other precious stones were removed and bricks were stolen by brick sellers. For some time, the tomb structures came under possession of Sheikh Imam-ud-Din who removed a large number of black stone slabs from the main podium on which the baradari stands and used them in his haveli. By the time of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the structure was in ruins but had retained some beauty. Having found it without an owner, Raja Suchet Singh occupied it, repaired the surrounding walls, and planted a garden in its grounds. During his life-time, the place was known as Raja Suchet Singh’s Bagh. During the British rule, it was put on auction and was bought by Nawab Ali Raza Khan Qazilbaksh for 2200 rupees.
Many a changes have taken place in the buildings that originally occupied the tomb garden. Some were taken down and rebuilt by Raja Suchet Singh while others were renovated by Nawab Ali Raza Khan. There was also an “answering mosque” on the eastern side in exact same dimensions and style as the one on the western side. Only the mosque on the western side was used while the one on the eastern side was only for architectural symmetry.
Today the structure of this baradari and tomb stand intact and as you approach the site the neighbours welcome you to this place. Sad part is that it is not a part of our tourist spots. Knowing the importance of the man who lies buried there and the one who built it, this place should have been a noticeable place in Lahore. Still it’s not late. There can be story telling sessions about Nawab Mian Khan and his father, a small walk in museum can be built with a picture gallery or maybe a restaurant can be opened there so that the place can have a self-sustainable model. I think that it’s a high time that such ignored monuments should be preserved and opened for public as tourist spots.
