LAHORE, March 27: The purpose for which about one acre of land in the thickly populated Singhpura-Bhogiwal area where a garden and grave of Mian Khan, the Lahore governor of Shah Jahan period, is to be used, remains an unresolved issue.
The land, which has been the property of the Qizalbash family since the mid-nineteenth century, was donated by the family in the early 1990s for “public welfare.”
Since then the land, which once had a splendid Mughal garden and now has the decaying grave of Mian Khan on a dilapidated platform, has been lying idle. Residents of the area have proposed preservation of Mian Khan’s grave, development of a recreational park and establishment of a centre for folk arts.
The plot is in the close proximity of the shrine of Shah Husain and Madho Lal. A youth group last year organized an impressive show featuring folk artists on the occasion of Baisakhi and Mela Chiraghan. The group wants an encore performance this year to coincide with the Mela Chiraghan which begins on Saturday.
Mian Khan was the son of Emperor Shah Jahan’s minister Nawab Sadullah Khan who came from Chiniot. The two-storey garden, built almost simultaneously with his famous haveli at Rang Mahal, was a typical Mughal structure. It had water tanks, channels and fountains. Each of the quadrangles on the first terrace had a waterfall. Supported by splendid columns, the upper portion chambers had vaulted roofs and etched ceilings.
Another hallmark of the building was two beautiful mosques which were famous for their black stone tiles used in floors and walls. Adjacent to it were the havelis of Mian Khan. These were called Mushki Mahal after the slave who supervised the construction.
Mian Khan was buried in this garden. The grave was centrally located on a platform embellished with white and black marble. The epitome and the grave were engraved in precious stones with floral patterns all around.
During the Sikh period, the garden was given to Raja Suchait Singh of Kashmir. He used most of the white marble and the black stone in the construction of his haveli in the area now called Sootar Mandi. He also demolished some of the old buildings and constructed new structures which he used for recreation.
The British declared the land as nuzul. It was purchased in an auction by Nawab Ali Raza Qizalbash (died 1865) for Rs2,200.