In the 16th century, as the Ravi, carrying a tumultuous bulk of water, flowed past the city of Lahore, the history of the Indian subcontinent experienced an event which profoundly impacted the land and its people.
A wandering prince from the small Central Asian principality of Ferghana was looking for a kingdom. He had a capable army and a valid lineage. But he had no empire to call his own.
Zahiruddin Mohammad Babur arrived on the threshold of the Indian subcontinent with a dream.
Babur was a descendant of Chinggis (Genghis) Khan from his maternal side and of Timur from his paternal side. What better credentials to lead an army?
Babur was not just a soldier of distinction but he was also a wise statesman, an accomplished poet and an exceptional diarist. It is said that if he had never conquered India and set up a resplendent dynasty, he still would have been remembered today as a poet of distinction.
Babur rides into action against the forces of the Delhi Sultanate
Before he died, Sher Shah Suri regretted not having burnt Lahore to ashes, to deprive his enemies of access to the city
In his quest to set up an empire befitting his ancestors’ legacy, Babur had many times thought of conquering India. In November 1525, Babur proceeded towards Punjab again, just a year before he had come to Lahore and burned it for two days. As he approached Lahore this time, the governor’s forces surrendered and Babur established his suzerainty. Five months after taking Lahore and the Punjab, in April 1526, Babur waged war on Lodhi’s seat of power in Delhi. The battle of Panipat was won by Babur - Ibrahim Lodi was killed fighting in the battlefield. As the Ravi carried its water, flowing onwards to join the Indus, the town on its banks, Lahore, was now a part of Babur’s newfound kingdom in the Indian subcontinent.
As Babur set up court in India, he longed for the fabled gardens of his earlier Central Asian domains. On his earlier sojourns into the subcontinent he had laid gardens when he found none to relax in. Descending from the direction of Kabul, he had marched towards the Salt Range to cross into the Punjab plains and the hilly terrain just before the Salt Range had provided some respite in the hot months. At Kallar Kahar he built his first garden in India. Now in Lahore, a place he burnt earlier, he laid gardens along the Ravi. Shahdara was a resting point for the Mughals coming into the subcontinent from Kabul or Kashmir. There, on the banks of Ravi, they would camp to take a break. Gardens and caravanserais were built for the relaxation of the royalty. Babur’s penchant for gardens was evident everywhere he went - he even built a garden in Dholpur close to Lahore.
A young Aurangzeb is honoured by his father at his wedding
In December 1530, six years after laying the foundation of the Mughal Empire in India, Babur died. Amidst utter chaos Humayun ascended the throne in Delhi. His brother Kamran Mirza was the governor of Lahore. Kamran, like his father, built gardens along the river Ravi. Most of the magnificent gardens that the early Mughals built along the river are no more. The prestigious Naulakha Bagh and the Haji Taj gardens have survived only in the annals of history. Bagh-i-Mirza-Kamran with its delightful baradari is the only early Mughal garden along the river Ravi that has survived. It was not just the gardens that were changing the landscape of the city, but Lahore was experiencing the germination of a new culture. Mirza Kamran’s presence in Lahore brought the Mughal preference for refined culture to the city. Poetry and literature started taking a more prominent position in the emerging Lahori society. However, the political upheavals continued: the tumultuous reign of Humayun was marred by constant strife for his kingdom. The turmoil weakened the nascent Mughal rule in India. And it opened the doors of opportunity for Sher Shah Suri, son of a government official in the previous dynasty. Sher Shah cleverly forged alliances to throw the Mughals out of the Indian subcontinent.
As Humayun fought to save his throne, Lahore became the centre for the sons of Babur to congregate and discuss the future of the Empire that their father founded not too long ago. For three months the brothers were engaged in contemplation in Lahore, forging a strategy to regain the empire. Discussions led to debates and debates led to arguments. In the end, any agreement amongst the brothers proved elusive.
As the sounds of Sher Shah’s army came closer to Lahore, with no unity amongst the Mughal princes and no agreement for a joint front against the enemy, the River Ravi saw a dejected Emperor Humayun cross its turbulent waters. That night, Humayun, camping on the western bank of the Ravi, dreamt of a son being born to him whose popularity would go far and wide. Lahore was left to Sher Shah Suri.
Akbar's discussions on philosophy and spirituality often took place when he held court in Lahore. Pictured here - the emperor meets visiting Jesuits
The Grand Trunk road, commonly known as the GT road, was built during the Maurya dynasty for the first time. Around 300 BCE, Asoka the Great had united most of the Indian subcontinent in one single empire. Asoka had built the Grand Trunk road connecting the farthest cities of his Empire. The road stretches from Kabul, to Lahore, to Delhi, and onwards to Chittagong in Bangladesh. It is one of the oldest and longest roads in the world. To facilitate his people Asoka had resting places and water wells built along the route for the ancient travellers.
In 1540 when Sher Shah ascended the throne in Delhi, the road was in a derelict condition. The Grand Trunk road that passes by Lahore was rebuilt by Sher Shah Suri, for the people of Lahore. Today Sher Shah’s constant presence is alive in the form of this long road. The intriguing Kos Minars (milestones) along the GT road, dotting the landscape of Lahore, have survived - but in oblivion.
Sher Shah’s rule did not last long - in 1545, Humayun the Mughal emperor, with support from the Safavid Empire of Iran, marched into the Indian subcontinent again. He did not encounter any hindrance as he passed the valleys and plains and reached the city of Lahore. The city had already gained importance as a frontier city to the empire. Humayun refurbished his army in Lahore and rested for some time before he launched his successful attack on Delhi.
Alamgiri Gate and the Hazoori Bagh Pavilion
In 1556 the definitive struggle was fought 219 km from Lahore in Sirhind. Humayun regained the throne in Delhi, but within a year he died in an accident.
Humayun’s son Akbar ascended the throne at this point. Akbar’s long reign, from 1556 to 1605, was most eventful: it established the Mughal suzerainty over the subcontinent for a long period.
Before Sher Shah died, he had said that he regretted leaving the western corridor unattended for the invaders. He had regretted not having burnt Lahore to ashes, in order to deprive his enemies of access to a city where they could refurbish themselves on their way to Delhi.
The city of Lahore was thriving as Akbar, a 14 year-old-emperor, consolidated power on large tracts of land and won major battles. The Mughal Empire not only grew in size but also in stature.
To keep a strong vigil on disruptive elements, Akbar wanted a strong presence in the Punjab region and the importance of Lahore magnified several times.
Akbar paid more attention to the fort in the citadel. He rebuilt the mud fort with bricks and added glorious buildings inside it.
Lahore started a new phase of evolution as Mughal engagement in the city intensified under Akbar.
Not only did Akbar rebuild the fort and raise new buildings inside it, he held court in Lahore quite often. The emperor’s frequent presence in Lahore brought new vitality to the burgeoning city.
In the early years of his reign, to consolidate his empire and quash any move from the frequent invaders from the west, it was necessary for the emperor to stay in Lahore for long periods of time.
The highly erudite discussions in the intellectually curious Akbar’s court brought many a learned man to the city of Lahore. Writers, poets, historians, philosophers and artists all started setting up new homes inside the citadel, the walled city.
Lahore started a new phase of evolution as Mughal engagement with the city intensified under Akbar
Successive Mughal emperors in Lahore contributed to its landscape and culture by building beautiful buildings and bringing in poets, scholars, artisans and craftsmen from different regions. The court culture and its indulgence in poetry and the fine arts had a profound impact on society – not just in Lahore but in much of northern India.
Mughal engagement with the city remained strong as Akbar’s son Jahangir succeeded his father in 1605. The tradition of philosophical discussions continued in Jahangir’s court. In one such discussion, the Jesuit priests from Europe visited Jahangir in Lahore.
The first English ambassador to have come to a Mughal court arrived during Emperor Jahangir’s reign in the early 17th century. Thomas Roe was in awe. He had never seen such grandeur and pomp before. The gifts that he brought for the emperor were too humble to be presented even to the courtiers. Jahangir spent long periods of time in Lahore, where the fort on the River Ravi provided the emperor all the comforts of royal life. And the elaborate gardens in Shahdara, on the banks of the Ravi, were a constant source of pleasure.
Arts and crafts flourished in Lahore. The emperor’s personal interest in miniature painting resulted in workshops producing masterpieces in Lahore. Artists and craftsmen from all over the subcontinent, Persia and Central Asia came to Lahore as it developed into a major cultural centre. Since the Mughal royalty spent so much time in Lahore, to cater to their needs, artists and craftsmen from Persia, Central Asia and Europe started setting up shops in the walled city. The carpet weavers produced beautifully woven carpets for the court and for the nobles associated with royalty. When Jahangir held court in Lahore, his empress Nur Jahan would be present. Nur Jahan, as a capable administrator, took a significant role in matters of state. She also had a distinctive aesthetic sense and a high standard of sophistication. The craftsmen and traders in silks, jewelry and perfumes were patronised by the empress. Continuing with Mughal traditions, Nur Jahan built exceptional gardens along the banks of the river Ravi. As Nur Jahan’s family rose to important positions in Jahangir’s court, their involvement in the Lahori society increased. Nur Jahan’s father and brother both had elaborate mansions in Lahore.
Jahangir’s son, Shah Jahan, was born in Lahore to his wife Jagat Gossain, a Rajput Princess. After Jahangir, the usual gruesome succession battles were fought. The powerful queen Nur Jahan was now pitted against her equally powerful brother Asaf Khan. Both the siblings sought to use their influence to get their respective sons-in-law on the throne.
Finally Asaf Khan’s son-in-law won. Shah Jahan’s coronation was held in the Lahore fort. Nur Jahan was confined in Lahore. Once an immensely powerful empress, in whose name royal decrees were issued, now she busied herself in building her husband’s mausoleum - and later her own. Her brother remained as important as before in Shah Jahan’s court. His beautiful mansion in the walled city remained full of pomp and grandeur as he became the Governor of Lahore. When Asaf Khan died, his mausoleum was built close to that of his sister in the gardens of Shahdara.
Shah Jahan’s era in Mughal history is considered the most magnificent period. This is when the arts and crafts reached a sublime level of sophistication. Shah Jahan produced one of the most resplendent architectural legacies in the world. Lahore, as a crucial frontier city, maintained its importance. Shah Jahan added more beautiful buildings inside the fort. The dazzling Sheesh Mahal and the beautiful Shalimar Gardens were built by him. The Mughal love of knowledge and poetry kept attracting scholars and men of letters to the walled city. Classic books were translated from various languages into Persian.
The Mughals’ devotion to Sufism honoured the traditions set by the region’s Sufi saints. Not only did the effervescence of Mughal intellectual development enrich the city’s philosophical dialogue, it also made it more cosmopolitan in character. Mian Mir migrated from Sindh and established residence in Lahore. Shah Jahan’s son Dara Shikoh and daughter Princess Jahanara were both disciples of Mian Mir. Both Dara Shikoh the crown prince and Jahanra were accomplished writers - and both wrote multiple books. In the 17th century the presence of Mughal royalty in Lahore defined the culture of the city.
In 1658, Aurangzeb Alamgir, though not the designated heir to the throne, ascended the throne by force of arms. He built the grand Badshahi mosque and the Alamgiri gate as an extension of the fort in Lahore.
Aurangzeb was determined to conquer the south of the Indian subcontinent. Consequently his engagement with the city of Lahore was not as intensive as that of his defeated and slain bother, Dara.
When the sun of the 18th century shone on the waters of Ravi, the Mughal Empire was shaking and its influence in the Punjab region was already dwindling.
But Lahore had blossomed and flourished under Mughal patronage, and this was not to be easily reversed.
