A CRUMBLING 17TH CENTURY TOMB IN LAHORE
Nadra Bano was the beloved wife of the Mughal Prince Dara Shikoh, who was the brother of Aurangzeb Alamgir and the eldest son of Shah Jahan. He was the same poet-prince who had served as governor of Lahore during the 1640s. During 1659, Dara Shikoh was fighting his brother Aurangzeb for the Mughal throne, which he very much desired. Unfortunately for Dara, he was defeated in the Battle of Deorai (near Ajmer). After defeat became a certainty, he and his wife Nadra tried to escape to Iran through the Bolan Pass. On their way to Iran, Nadra Begum died, most probably as a result of dysentery and extreme exhaustion. Dara sent the dead body of Nadra Begum to Lahore with his troops who were also fatigued. There, he ordered that his beloved wife be buried near the shrine of Sufi Saint Hazrat Mian Mir, who she had considered her spiritual guide along with her husband. Being a fine painter and poet Dara Shikoh attributed most of his work to his beloved wife, which is collectively known as ‘Dara Shikoh’s Album’, which she cherished until her death. Dara loved Lahore and said that his body maybe buried anywhere but his heart be buried in Lahore. As he shows his love for the City in one of his verses, “The city of Lahore ever remains flourishing, and He keeps it free from plague and famine.” So it is no surprise that he had his beloved buried here, perhaps even symbolically as the ‘heart’ he always wanted to remain in Lahore.
But where is the tomb of Nadra Begum here in Lahore, and in what condition is it? Right next to the shrine of Sufi Saint Hazrat Mian Mir, the tomb of Nadra Bano is in shambles. I think that is the dilemma with most of our precious heritage which is ignored and abandoned.
There is an interesting feature attached with this tomb. Mughal Tombs were usually built in a garden but Nadra Begum’s tomb is built amidst a water tank without a dome, which bears the flat parapet on all its four sides. These distinguished architectural features have made it look like a pavilion rather than a tomb. This tomb stands on a raised platform in the centre of a water tank, which was large enough to accommodate a lake.
And here comes the sad part of the story of this monument. The tomb is believed to have been robbed of all costly marbles and semi-precious stones during the Sikh period leaving it in a feeble state. During the British Raj, the tank was dismantled by Muhammad Sultan and its bricks used in building the Lahore Cantonment. According to Muhammad Latif, a historian, the corners of the tank were marked with pavilions, while the lofty gateways provided access to the tomb from the north and south through a masonry bridge. The gateways no longer exist but most of the causeways can still be seen. Today we see that encroachments have eaten away most of the tomb’s area. The tomb is also prey to modern destruction which is obvious from the gaudy graffiti on the walls, ceilings, pillars and tomb itself. Everywhere inside the tomb we see cheap wall chalking which is of course a shame for all of us.
The bridge still stands on solid thirty arches. It greatly resembles the tank and Baradari of Hiran Minar in Sheikhupura. A plinth ten-feet high from the surface of the tank, comprises the foundations of the tomb. Square planned tomb on each side measures forty four feet. This is a two storeyed structure and has a height of almost thirty two feet from the grave platform. The pavilion is constructed of burnt bricks and contains deep cusped arched openings. The central openings are arched, while those on the sides are flat. There are four arched openings on the ground floor in the interior around the grave and above them arches, exactly of the same type, are built in the upper storey. An interesting feature of the openings is that all the eight corners of lower and upper storeys were executed skillfully by forming a small pavilion in each of the corners. All the four facades of the pavilion are decorated with blind cusped arches and panels. They contain projection over which rises the high parapet wall. The stairs for reaching the upper-storey and roof are located at the southeast and northeast corners. The whole structure of the pavilion was lime plastered. The grave lies in the centre of the pavilion. There were small arched holes on the northern end of the grave on a raised portion for lighting up the area with oil lamps. On the northern face of the grave Quranic verses are laid in marble slab in pietra dura in Nashtaliq characters, while on the southern end, Nadra Begum’s name and her date of demise is inscribed in the marble slab in the same design.
At present, the monument is a derelict piece of 17th century art and there is no maintenance or preservation. The stair case is dilapidated and the material used in its construction is now chipping off. There is no barrier for the general public from going on the roof top through these stairs which can surely cause an unpleasant incident any time. The water and fountain channels have been converted into a cricket pitch and every evening or on weekend morning children and youngsters gather there for a fun cricket match. The marble pavilion of the tomb is also being used as a cricket pitch!
Nadra had dreamt of a peaceful and cherished life which she could not enjoy and as she remained tormented during her life. The monument having the tomb lacks cleaning and wild plantation is seen in most of the parts along with stagnant water. The walls are scribbled with cheap phrases “love” and “call me” messages. It is a torture to the poor soul who, at least, deserves peace in death. Children are playing over her tomb and addicts and homeless make it their meeting point as the sun sets. So is this what she deserved after her death? I think there should be a proper maintenance of the tomb and as it is a protected monument it should be maintained according to the standards. I am afraid that we will lose our precious heritage if such conditions prevail.
