Of Mausoleums, Tombs and Gardens

If Kanhia Lal was alive today and commissioned to write Lahore’s history, he would have certainly characterized demolition of Shalimar’s waterway as “fourteenth sadma (shock)”, a minor compared to the thirteen of its predecessors. I was shocked myself; destruction of Hindu temples by angry mob is a different matter, but designed destruction of monument of immense historical importance is a serious matter. The gradual disintegration of such sites is a continuous process that goes on unnoticed throughout the country. These man-made wonders, passed on to us by luck of draw, are at the verge of extinction, thanks to our deliberate neglect and lack of respect for our heritage. Lahore being the part-time capital of Chughtai Empire has so many of these marvels that even the people of Lahore have no idea that they exist and therefore oblivious of their plight.

In a quest to familiarize myself to our golden heritage, I set out to seek such treasures, a journey taken up by so many before me, nonetheless, I wanted to see it for myself. There are numerous sites in and around Lahore, and I ended up choosing two sites for my visit: Dai Anga’s mosque and Dai Anga’s tomb. The not so ordinary name of these localities was the primary reason for this selection, but also I must have passed these sites on numerous occasions never paying the attention that it deserved. Now was the time to make up for those missed opportunities so one fine October morning I braced myself for a journey in our past. I started my expedition from Lahore Railway Station first stop Dai Anga’s mosque.

Lahore Railway and its adjoining areas were built on the ruins of a once magnificent and rich neighborhood known as Dai Anga’s Mohalla. Dai is the Urdu equivalence of wet-nurse and Anga, from Persian ang as “part of” was the title conferred upon princes’ wet- nurses. This Mohalla and magnificent mosque was named after Emperor Shah Jehan’s wet-nurse Zaib-un-Nisa, the founder. The mosque was built in 1635 A.D and Emperor Shah Jehan bequeathed extensive property upon the founder for mosque’s maintenance and upkeep. In time, this place turned into an affluent neighborhood and the mosque one of the most frequented mosques in Lahore.

The mosque is a work of art; remains of fine calligraphy and beautiful enameled tile work still exist in its original form. The mosque initially had four bulb-like domes each having three stages. Now only three of these wonderful domes exist, and each having two stages instead of original three. The original minarets have long disappeared and instead have been replaced by ordinary looking structures that do not compliment the rest of the building. The mosque is situated at a rather odd place. Facing its main entrance is a raised platform employed for parking saloon cars of Railway officials and other VIPs.

There is a perfect explanation for its rather unusual setting. The areas around this mosque were plundered and pillaged during the rise of Sikh militancy in Punjab. The Sikh gang organized as misls, ravaged most of the Punjab and especially Lahore. The moribund Mughal government of Lahore found it impossible to protect its citizens living in suburbs which resulted in abandonment of many localities such as Dai Anga’s Mohalla by the residents who took refuge elsewhere. When Ranjit Singh ascended on Lahore’s throne, the area around this mosque was mostly in ruins except for few mausoleums of holy men. Dai Anga mosque became part of Ranjit Singh fantasy of using Muslim places of worship and reverence as residences for his forces and powder magazine. So for half-a-century this beautiful piece of architecture served as a powder magazine for the derelict who had little respect for anything but himself.

Its misfortunes did not end with the demise of Lahore Empire; the so-called civilized English saab log used it as a residence having obtained the blessings of the English Crown, descendant of the King who waged holy war on Muslims for liberation of holy lands. It is ironic that the British historians hold Ranjit Singh in contempt for desecrating the places of worship, yet they are guilty of similar misconduct in addition to bigotry, which the former was never accused of. The great Railways of India, acquired Dai Anga mosque for Rs.12, 000, only to be used as an office building. The thought, that a mosque which once resounded with the call of muezin inviting the faithful to prayers, would one day be used by an official of the British Railway system directing the rail traffic between Lahore and Delhi, is not all that pleasant. Ah, how the might has fallen!

The mosque while in use of the Railways had a boundary wall built around it. The boundary wall separated the mosque from the living quarters and the platform. Mosque and its compound seemingly were well protected from any encroachments. In 1904, the mosque was declared as an historical monument and since then, it has been under the supervision of the department, supposedly the guardian of such sites. However, the present state of the mosque is a testament of our lack of concern and mixed up priorities. While millions are being spent on beautifying the Main Boulevard and the Mall road, and historical sites are left to rot.

Its compound has receded due to illegal constructions that has been going on in and around the mosque’s compound for years. The remainder of compound makes up the lawn on the front, places of ablution to the left, storage room to the right, imam’s residences in the back and a school next to it.

The front lawn is littered with log of woods and the grass is growing wild. On the extreme left corner of the compound behind the place of ablution exists a cheap and gaudy structure that we were told is a school of some sort, belittles the grandeur and sanctity of this place. I wonder who authorized the construction of a school within the premises of a protected monument. Facing this makeshift school, are two houses in close proximity, built for the exclusive use of the mosque’s imam. The last imam passed away some five years back, however his family has refused to vacate the house, following in the footstep of the family of his predecessor who passed away some twenty- five years ago. “ A permanent imam can only be placed if the accommodation is available, states, the honorary treasurer of the mosque, “and it seems impossible at the moment”. Mohammad Iqbal and his group of volunteers have made several attempt for the removal of the school and as well as the eviction of the illegal occupants to no avail. The officialdom entrusted to deal with such matters has other important things to deal with.

Besides the ugly encroachments and filth, flowing just outside its front gate, disrepair and neglect is abundantly visible. The ugliness of shanty houses built right on top of the boundary wall coupled with the open sewers in the back are enough to convince any visitor of our lack of concern. The imam’s families living in the houses built in the back have plastered the entire back wall of the mosque with cement adding insult to the injury. I am sure that the government machinery conducting visits of dignitaries, that we were told are frequent, have some logical excuse for its dilapidation. My enthusiasm had regressed by the time I was done there, however I was determined to visit Dai Anga’s mausoleum. Considering what I had seen so far, I knew that worse has yet to come. If we as Muslims can allow our places of worship to disintegrate to the point of extinction, the mausoleum of a relatively unknown entity stands no chance.

Having lived a life of splendor and grandeur, Dai Anga was buried in the middle of a magnificent garden built during the time of Emperor Shah Jehan in the close proximity of legendary Shalimar Gardens. The Gardens were named Ghulabi Bagh, and the adjoining locality was named Begum Pura after the wife of the founder Sultan Beg. The Sikh insurgents desecrated Dai Anga’s mausoleum and razed Ghuabi Bagh. The gateway to the garden still exists reminding the passerby of his or her own frailties.

The entrance to Ghulabi Bagh is well protected by placing a fence around it. There is steel door chained and locked. One has to scoot through the little space available in between the door and the fence. The gateway to the garden is mostly intact and the tile work and calligraphy undiminished. The rest of the structure, its chambers and hallways are all in dire straits. The once excellent tile work had either faded or hidden beneath dust that has accumulated over the years. The chamber walls, where inscriptions for Quran are still to be seen are littered with graffiti. The stairway leading to the roof has collapsed. The occupant of the house next to it has annexed a structure, mostly in ruins to the left of the gateway. The entire compound that lies between the gateway and Dai Anga’s mausoleum is threatened by encroachment from all sides. Dai Anga tomb a few yards from the gateway is in ruins. Half hearted attempts of repair are visible, resulting in disappearance of the tile work. The inside of the mausoleum is in dire straits. The walls and roof of the chambers and rooms have been charred by smoke presumably from the stragglers taking refuge there during winters. Judging from the looks of this site, one can safely suggest that the Sikhs probably did little damage to this place compared to what we have done for the last half century.

The mosque and the fate of its founder’s last resting place, is a living testament of the rise and fall of fortunes, of empires, and most of all the values; the most unfortunate of the rest. But the story of Dai Anga’s mosque and her tomb is just the tip of the iceberg.

My day ended at Ghulabi Bagh, but my journey had just begun!!!!