Daily Times

We have heard and read a lot about the majestic buildings made by Mughal Emperors Akbar, Jahangir, Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb and surely the walled city of Lahore and southern Lahore is still a living memory of them.

Somehow it seems as if we have forgotten or neglected the Baradari of Kamran Mirza in Lahore which is the earliest Mughal era monument in Lahore. The main reason this building is so fascinating is because it’s extremely old and archaeologists claim that it is among the first constructions by the Mughals.

Did you know that Kamran Mirza was the first Mughal governor of Lahore? He was the son of the first Mughal Emperor Babur and step brother of Mughal Emperor Humayun (second Mughal emperor). It was built around 1530-1540 by Kamran Mirza and at that time the Baradari was constructed on the western bank of the Ravi, where it overlooked the walled city of Lahore. If you ever visit this place you will see it is a typical Mughal pavilion. Historic records also tell that After Babur’s death in 1530, Kamran Mirza seized Lahore and laid a garden in which the Baradari was built.

Some historians also claim that the existing Baradari is a result of later interventions made by Mughal rulers and on the other hand, there are historians who question if Kamran Mirza ever constructed a Baradari here.

When the Baradari was constructed it was located on the bank of River Ravi but as the river bed shifted with the passage of time, the Baradari became a part of an island in the river and you will find boatmen on each bank of the Ravi offering to take the tourists to the majestic Baradari with green lawns.

Once the River was at its bloom but now the Ravi is waste dump yard and most of the times you will find it dry on patches. You can take a boat from the Ravi Bridge to get to this Baradari and sometimes when the river is dried you can also reach it by walk.

Let me tell you a little about the meaning of Baradari. It is a traditional structure found throughout the Mughal Empire and they used it as their summer pavilion. If we go into the literal meaning of this word, then bara means twelve and dar means opening or a door. Thus a Baradari has twelve openings or doors. These twelve doors were constructed to enjoy the breeze as it provides excellent ventilation. We also see the Baradaris as Huzoori Bagh, Shalimar Gardens and many other Mughal era monuments.

Kamran’s Baradari has 12 columns to hold its imposing balconies and there were two stories of the building. Features like cusped arches and use of red sand stone make the archaeologists and historians believe that these were the additions made by Mughal emperor Akbar and Shah Jahan. The walls of the Baradari are simple and plain and do not contain any floral designs painted on them, because fresco work came in the rules of Jahangir and Shah Jahan. It is the only existing Mughal structure in Lahore that is not constructed as a monument for a tomb; otherwise most of the Mughal structures have a tomb in the monument for example tomb of Ali Mardan, Gulabi Bagh Gateway, Buddu ka Awa, Tomb of Zeb un Nisa and many others. The Baradari was in the centre of a garden about 1,600 feet square, which had a number of pavilions and walls. The Baradari was standing in the centre of a high tank.

This Baradari was built as a recreational building for the Mughals and was a place where the prince could enjoy the performances of the courtesans and singers, as Mughals loved the performing arts and did their best to make them flourish.

Some historians also claim that the existing Baradari is a result of later interventions made by Mughal rulers and on the other hand, there are historians who question if Kamran Mirza ever constructed a Baradari here

This Baradari was used by the Mughals till the 18th century and when the British took over Lahore, they turned the Kamran Baradari into a toll house for the boats crossing river Ravi.

According to historic references about this Baradari it is said that a part of Baradari’s eastern façade had been damaged by floods by the 1850s and at the same time the upper storey was also damaged and dismantled. The Baradari was reconstructed in 1989 and Archaeology Department of Punjab is the custodian of this monument.

We have some interesting stories related to this Baradari. It is said that while Humayun was away in Bengal, controlling the eastern front of his empire, Kamran Mirza was assigned to look after the western border and being a rebellion he took advantage of the situation and seized Lahore and built this Baradari.

References tell that when Sher Shah overthrew Humayun and secured the Mughal throne for himself, Kamran approached the Afghan king and offered him his loyalty but the King did not accept it and later Humayun fought with Kamran Mirza and Humayun defeated him. As a punishment Kamran Mirza was blinded and sent off to Mecca to perform Hajj. The Mughals did not spare the rebellions even their blood relations.

Similar incident happened with Prince Khusroo who was the eldest son of Mughal Emperor Jahangir. Khusroo also went against his father and historic accounts tell that Jahangir was camped at this very Baradari in 1606 when the rebel prince was caught and brought before him. That was the place where Khusroo along with his supporters were punished.

This Baradari has seen the scenes or serenity and brutality. It is not in a very pleasant condition at present and needs immediate restoration and facilities for tourists. Moreover the graffiti inside the Baradari also needs to be removed and controlled for future. There can be several events at this place and it can be turned in to a hotspot for tourists as Ravi has a romance associated with it and every Lahori should experience that.

The writer can be reached at taniashahab2016@gmail.com