The tomb of Jehangir (Mughal Emperor who ruled from 1605 to 1627) is built inside the walled garden of Empress Noor Jehan Bagh-e-Dil Kusha at Shahdra, on the bank of Ravi in Lahore.
His son Shah Jahan built the mausoleum 10 years after his father's death.
The tomb has state of the art architecture and is the finest ornament of historical Lahore also considered the most magnificent Mughal edifice after the Taj Mahal at Agra.
Red sand stone and marble is extensively used with its facade adorned in fine-looking marble motifs and floral patterns.
The interior is embellished with floral frescos, delicate inlay work, pietra dura and brilliant marble intarsia of various colors.
The ninety nine attributes of Allah are also engraved here.
The tomb suffered a great deal of destruction at the hand of Maharajah Ranjeet Singh who stripped the ornaments off the tomb and sent them to Amritsar in order to decorate a Sikh temple.
The tomb was also used as the residence of a Sikh army officer of Spanish origin and Sultan Muhammad Khan, brother of Dost Muhammad khan of Kabul, caused great damage to the mausoleum. However the British government repaired it in 1889-90.
Presently, the tomb gardens are used to play cricket and also serve as a picnic spot for families visiting from various surrounding areas.
Though the tomb lies in poor state with its facade falling out, no one is really concerned about this great treasure we own. — Photos and Text by Hassan Soherwardy
