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Lahore as it was - IV By Lahori's I have been giving you an account of my city from Handbook of Lahore by JL Kipling and TH Thornton, 1860. The book was reprinted by the National College of Arts (NCA) recently. Towards the end of the book the authors give a description of the city during the reign of Akbar the Great by Abul Fazal's Ain-i-Akbari. It runs thus: 'Lahore is a very large and populous city. The fort and the palace are of brick and lime, and, when this city was for some time the seat of Government, many other capital buildings were erected, and gardens laid out with taste and elegance. It became the grand resort of people of all nations, and their manufactures were brought to the highest pitch of perfection. Through His Majesty's (Akbar's) encouragement, gardeners were brought from Iran and Turan, who cultivated the vine and various kinds of melons. The manufacture of silk and woollen carpets was introduced, together with that of brocades. In short, here could be obtained the choicest productions of Iran and Turan.' The Emperor Jehangir built but little, but there are specimens of his architecture in the greater Khawabgah, or Sleeping Palace, the Moti Masjid or Pearl Mosque, formerly the Chappelle Royale for the imperial harem, but now used as the Government treasury; and the tomb of Anarkali, which, after having served a variety of secular purposes, has ended in becoming the Station Church. The following account of Lahore as it was in the reign of Jehangir, taken from a narrative of the travels of Richard Still and John Crowther, two Englishmen who found their way to Punjab, 'in search of trade,' in 1626, will be of interest: 'Lahore,' they say, 'is one of the best cities of India, plentiful of all things, or, in Master Coryat's words, 'such a delicate and even tract of ground as I never saw before.' A row of trees extends itself on both sides the way from the town's end of Lahore, twenty days' journey, to the town's end of Agra, most of them bearing a kind of mulberry. The way is dangerous by night for thieves; by day, secure.... Every five or six course (kass) there are fare seraies of the kings or nobles, beautifying the way, in memory of their names, and entertainment of travellers, where you may have a chamber and a place to get your horse with a store of horse-meat; but in many of them, little provision for men, by reason of the Banian superstition.... Merchants resort to this city out of all parts of India, embarking their goods for Tatta, the chief city in Sind. Twelve or fourteen thousand camels lading yearly pass from hence to Persia by Candahar.' During the reign of Shahjehan, Lahore, though no longer the dar-ul-hukumat, or capital, was still a place of importance. It lay on the route of the imperial marches to Kashmir, and was the arsenal and rendezvous of the armies dispatched to Balkh and the North West Frontier. It, therefore, continued to increase in size and splendour. The palace was enlarged and beautified under the superintendence of Asof Khan, and the entire frontage covered with brilliantly coloured designs in porcelain work. The beautiful tomb of Jehangir, at Shahdara; the mosque of Wazir Khan, on the south side of the city; the gardens of Shalamar; the gateway of the Gulabi Bagh; the Idgah; the tomb of the Meean Meer; the summer-house of Wazir Khan, now used as the Station Library; the gateway of Zeb-un-Nisa; and, lastly, the tombs which line the road between Anarkali and Shalamar gardens, are among the works of the period. The route from Agra to Lahore, in early part of the seventeenth century, is described by a European traveller. One continued alley, drawn in a straight line, and planted on both sides with date-trees, palm-trees, coco-trees, and other kind of fruit trees.' An interesting account of Lahore as it was in the period of the Emperor Shahjehan is given in the accompanying translated extract from the itinerary of Fra Sebastian Manrique, a Spanish monk, who visited Lahore in 1641. 'On the 21st day from our departure from Agra, at sunrise, we came in sight of the city of Lahore, which is large and capacious; but large as it appeared, there were not houses enough for the accommodation of the people, who were encamped for half a league outside the city. It is a handsome and well-ordered city, with large gateways and pavilions of various colours. I entered the city - a very difficult undertaking on account of the number of people who filled the streets, some on foot, some on camels, some on elephants, and others in small carts, jostling one against the other as they went along. Those who best could, passed on first. This being the receiving hour at court, many of the gentry were proceeding there, accompanied by as many as 500 followers on horseback. Finding it difficult to proceed on account of the concourse of people, we decided to change our route, and returned about a musket's shot from the crowd and took our stand under some trees outside the city, where were a number of people selling and preparing food for the multitude, who were moving about - some eating, some selling, and others looking on. I was one among the latter, and my curiosity prompted me to proceed still further, until, at last, I arrived at the principal bazaar, where the odour from without prepared you for what you were to see inside - a great many shops, or, more properly speaking, kitchens, in which were sold meats of various kinds, animals, domestic and wild. In place of the pig, which is never used, horse-flesh is supplied you instead. Some shops contained fowls of all kinds; in others might be seen things of all descriptions suited to the taste of all classes, such as butter, oil scents, brinjals, mangoes, plantains, &c. Neither was there wanting in this bazaar the most simple commodity, such as rice, herbs, and vegetables. The common bread is made of a mixture of all kinds of flour baked on sheets of iron and in earthen pots, and is known by the name of apas. People who travel in caravans use a second kind of bread, named curuchas, which is made of white flour. This bread is also used by the better classes. A third bread, named regunis, is a finer bread made of the best flour and purified butter. Besides what I have already enumerated, there is a great deal more to be seen in these bazaars; but I think I have mentioned enough to satisfy the curious reader. But what I most admired was the moderate price at which these things might be had. A man might eat abundantly and royally for two silver reals (five pence) per day. The abundance of the provisions and cleanliness of the streets surprised me much: also the peace and quietness with which everything was conducted, as well as the justness and rectitude of people towards each other; so that merchant and merchandise remain perfectly secure from thieves. 'The city of Lahore is beautifully situated, commanding agreeable views, having on one side a river with crystal waters which descend from the mountains of Kashmir, and continues its course, moistening and fertilizing the ground, till it arrives at the city of Mooltan, where it pays its tribute to the famous Indus. Lahore, the second city of Mughal empire (as well on account of riches as its size) is ornamented with fine palaces and gardens, also tanks and fountains. As to the abundance of provisions, it would be unnecessary here to describe it. The riches of the principal street (known as the Bazar del Choco), if shown to advantage, would equal the richest European mart.' Please Visit our Sponsor (Ads open in separate window)
