Daily Times

Have you ever heard of the ‘Khizri Gate’ or Darwaza of the Walled City of Lahore? Well, I bet a very few of us would know about it. This was the very gate that was replaced by the Sheranwala Gate that we still see inside the Walled City of Lahore. This was one of the 13 gates of the Walled city built by the great Mughal King Akbar, along with a fortified wall. Out of the thirteen gates, only six exist now and the Sheranwala or Khizri Gate is one of them. All the gates of the Walled city along with the gigantic wall were pulled down during the British Raj, and a circular road along with a garden was developed. Early in the 1900s, the gates were re-erected without the walls connecting them, and during the Partition riots, we lost most of the gates once again as a result of them being burnt or pulled down. However, this gate managed to survive and still stands in its place but in a derelict condition.

So let us come to the story of the Khizri gate, the one with a glorious past and a pitiful present. History books state that the gate was named after a known saint, Khawaja Khizar (A.S), who was popularly associated with waters, rivers, seas, boats, and navigation. In olden days, the river Ravi flowed very close to this gate, and it is for this reason that the gate was named Khizri. It is said that the boats were parked outside this gate from where the city residents would travel to other parts of the sub-continent, or the travelers from abroad would make their way into the city. How interesting would it have been, as we just imagine the importance and splendour of the gate with the Ravi flowing close to it and boats parked around it? I only wish I could go back into time to witness the scenes that we can only imagine now.

This gate remained as Khizri Gate until the Sikhs annexed Lahore in the 1800s. Maharaja Ranjeet Singh had a love for lions, and so, he placed two lions at this gate; therefore, historians affirm that the origin of its name as Sheranwala gate erupted in the times of Maharaja Ranjit Singh and his allocation of lions outside them. Maharaja deputed guards at the gate to look after both, the gate and the lions. Since then, the name of the gate changed from Khizri to Sheranwala, and its original name became part of history, with many of us having no clue about it at all. The existence of Khizri Mohallah inside this gate also affirms the historic facts about its previous name. Each force that took over the city left its own marks on it and so did the British with this gate. The British removed the lions in the cages, and the only sign of the lions’ existence became the carved images of them on one of the gates near Sheranwala Ghatti. These images still speak of the Maharaja’s time.

If you wish to go to this gate, it is a little ahead of Yakki Gate on the circular road amidst the heavy traffic and rush of animal and hand carts. Near the gate, Sheranwala Hospital is one of the major landmarks. Towards the gate’s left, you will be able to see the rehabilitated wall of the old city. This one kilometer piece of the whole structure was restored to demonstrate the look and feel of the original wall, which once encircled the city in 1991. Many encroachments have choked the view of the wall but some parts are still visible. Today, this gate is a heavily encroached area of the Walled city of Lahore, and most of the high rise plazas are seen here. Along the restored wall, there lies a garden which used to be a trench filled with mud during the British period. The steep road carving down from the gate is known as the Sheranwala Ghatti, and this gives support to the assumption that these gates were built so high, because the river Ravi was flowing so close to them. The deeper you go into the history of the Walled city, the more you get lost in its mystery.

Along the restored wall, there lies a garden which used to be a trench filled with mud during the British period. The steep road carving down from the gate is known as the Sheranwala Ghatti, and this gives support to the assumption that these gates were built so high, because the river Ravi was flowing so close to them. The deeper you go into the history of the Walled city, the more you get lost in its mystery

This gate, unlike the Delhi Gate or Lohari Gate, has a single story but with an unusual street networking. There are two rooms built on each side of the gate, which must have been the guard rooms. The structure of the gate is the one that was built during the British Raj. There are two pillars on the outer side, supporting the arch of the gate and the ceiling which is built slightly higher. Surely, this gate is different from all the other existing gates because of its architecture.

As you enter the gate, there is a mesmerizing structure of Ayub Ka Bangla, built in the Sikh period, which in 1849 was taken over by an Afghan chieftain by the name of Ayub Shah. Today, this structure is eaten up by cruel commercialisation as well, with a little part of it that can still be seen. As you walk a few steps ahead, you will see the remains of the Katri Bao Mumtaz, which was once in the form of depleted doors, windows, and balconies unfolding the nice woodwork, revealing countless untold stories of this fleeting world. This gate was pulled down a couple of years ago by the plaza mafia, but it was rebuilt by the residents’ pressure on them. The streets inside the gate have interesting names like Gali Beeja Raam, Koocha Kanj Lal, Mohallah Nogarah, and many more. The streets were named after the known person living in there or the occupation of the residents. During the Sikh era, a number of mansions and havelis were built inside this gate, many of which were damaged during the riots and wars. A unique feature of this gate is a school for the deaf and dumb and another, for blind people. A trail from this part can lead you to the Pakistan and Azam cloth markets. There is very less residential area left inside this gate now.

The Khizri gate has a potential of becoming a tourist spot, but one of the foremost things would be the removal of encroachments, conservation of the gate, and control over commercialisation, as many mansions have now turned into plazas. I believe it is high time to save such places in the Walled city. Otherwise, we will soon be left with only tales and nothing to show on the ground. Our heritage is our pride, and it needs to be saved for our future generations.

Published in Daily Times, May 3^rd 2018.