Begumpura might come across as a familiar name of a locality in Lahore, but have you ever gone into the in-depth history of this place which was once known as ‘royal land’? Most of us avoid going there today because of traffic congestion and mess on the route which leads to it. Begumpura is located on the east of the University of Engineering the Technology (UET) and north of Grand Trunk Road. This place was called Begumpura as it was named after the mother of Nawab Khan Bahadar Zakriya Khan’s who was known as Begum Jan Sahiba and it was in her lifetime that Begumpura was built. As per historic accounts, the localities of Mughalpura, Baghbanpura and Begumpura were built as an elites’ society for the aristocrats and nobles living in Lahore during the era of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan Once it was the house of the grand nobility of Lahore but unfortunately Begumpura today is no more a land of the grand palaces and mosques that once made its landscape. As per historic accounts, the localities of Mughalpura, Baghbanpura and Begumpura were built as an elites’ society for the aristocrats and nobles living in Lahore during the era of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. During the Mughal rule two routes led to Lahore from Delhi. The original route was towards the walled city’s Delhi Gate and the other was a road along the old River Ravi path through the villages of Begumpura and Baghbanpura. This is one of the reasons that there were so many havelis and monuments on the second route just like we see on the royal trail inside Delhi Gate. It is also said that with the construction of the Shalimar Gardens, this Begumpura route became the new alignment of the Grand Trunk Road. The graveyard, grand buildings and mosques adjoining it belonged to Nawab Zakariya Khan, the governor of Lahore during the reign of Muhammed Shah and Mughalpura was also located next to it where the rich and famous of the Shah Jahan era lived. It is said that this complex was the grandest in Mughal India. Begumpura, which was like a village, had developed over a 100-years from the mid-seventeenth to the mid-eighteenth century. This place included tombs, gardens, gates, walls, wells, mosques, shrines, and havelis. Unfortunately except for a few monuments we do not see many havelis or tombs of the nobles now and the access to the place is also an uphill task for those who wish to visit. Begumpura suffered the same fate as many other Mughal built areas and monuments in Lahore. The Afghan rulers came and plundered Lahore and Begumpura was also pillaged. Then the Sikhs came and started damaging Mughal built structures and proudly and ruthlessly sold the bricks, marbles, stones and tiles. They did the same with Lahore Fort and Tomb of Jahangir. When the Sikh rulers Lehna Singh, Ganda Singh and Gujjar Singh came to power this area was targeted by Gujjar Singh who shattered the entire place and built Qila Gujjar Singh. The place was taken over by the head of the artillery of the Khalsa Army during Maharaja Ranjeet Singh’s rule and later it was leased out to farmers. The Kangra Chieftain Rajah Sansar Chand occupied the place with consent of the maharaja. Begumpura was later rented out to Brahmins and they did the worse by dismantling the graves and selling off the tiles, marbles slabs and the bricks in thousands. Singh Majathia later took over the land from the Brahmins and plundered the graves and buildings and sold the expensive tiles, marbles and bricks. Then came Afghan chief Nawab Ghazi from Kabul and claimed himself as the descendant of the land and threw out the farmers. At that time a legal case began and Nawab Ghazi was not able to prove his ownership and thus the entire area was handed over to General Gulab Singh Poondia, who set up a military cantonment at Begumpura. The first thing General Gulab Singh did was to convert the mosque of Begumpura into an ammunition dump; this is the same what the Sikhs did with other mosques in Lahore and famous among them is the Mariam Zamani Mosque inside the Walled City of Lahore. We see that there is a mosque with yellow tile work and a gateway with Sikh styled plaster work and brick details. The picturesque mosque of Begumpura could be seen from a far distance in old times but today it is lost in the new constructions which have surrounded it. Later General Gulab Singh also ordered the digging of the houses and buildings to get the precious stones and bricks in order to raise money. Till 1849 this area remained with General Gulab Singh. Then came the British rule, and a ‘numberdar’ by the name of Keena filed a claim of ownership but on having no proof he could not get the land. Another person Fazal Shah claimed inheritance upon which he was given the land. He too started selling the bricks and after some time the appeal of the farmers came up and Fazal Shah was evicted and they got the right of tenancy, with ownership rights going to the State. The place was in the height of its splendor in the time of Zakariya Khan, who lived here with his family and adorned it with grand palaces, elegant gardens, mosques and tanks. Now, sadly it is among the most remote areas of Lahore. Now let us come to some of the main monuments still intact in the lost village of Begumpura, Gulabi Bagh Gateway and Dai Anga’s Tomb. The Gulabi Bagh does not maintain its original size and splendour and neither does the tomb. A little ahead of the garden and tomb is located the Cypress Tomb. It is the tomb of Sharf-un-Nisa Begum who was the unmarried sister of Nawab Zakariya Khan. Given to piety and religious ritual, she used to recite the Holy Quran each morning in the tower, climbing and descending by a ladder. The Shalimar Gardens are also located in the same vicinity and the shrine of Khawaja Mehmud. I think all these can be turned into a nice tourist trail and if there are some havelis left in Begumpura, those should also be restored and turned into a tourist site. I am sure that most of you must be stunned after reading this heart rending and emotional story of Begumpura. I wish all the past glory of this royal village could be restored. Published in Daily Times, November 25th 2018.