Going on the
circular road if you take a turn towards the Masti Gate and approach the Rim
Market, just on the opposite side you will see a massive gate of the Lahore
Fort, the Akbari Gate. This is the royal gate on the eastern side of the Lahore
Fort which was built during the period of the third Mughal Emperor Akbar the
Great.
The gate was once
the main entrance to the Lahore Fort but regrettably the main entrance has been
changed now. The grandness of the gate echoes the majesty inside it. It is a
huge structure of bricks and two storeys. There are rooms inside the gate which
must have been used by the watch guards and other soldiers. The gate is
elevated from the ground level and an elephant can cross its wide wooden door.
The gate and its ioor is well intact till now but is not used by the public
anymore.
As we enter the
giant gate, we see the Deewan-e-Aam and backside of Jahangir’s Quadrangle. The
gate is a little messed up because of a colony built inside Fort near the gate.
Like typical village and casual mohallahs we see clothes hanged on the grill,
graffiti on the exterior and interior walls, garbage baskets and continuous
crossing of motor bikes. Children are found playing and littering around the
gate, which is not at all an endearing or a pleasant site entering the opulence
of Lahore Fort.
Inquiring about the
community residing there I was informed by the Fort management that they have
been settled there since ages, and some of them are the employees of the
Archeology department. The amazing part is that the residents of the quarters
in the colony have rented out theirs quarters to other people. This could be a
threat to the world heritage site as well as a security concern in present
circumstances, but this is to be checked by the government, I can only inform
by writing.
Coming back to
Akbari gate, it is a dull part of the Lahore fort now. Once upon a time, I can
imagine, it must have been the hub of all the hustle and bustle, the entourages
of the Kings and Queens. Today, it is the most ignored part of the magnificent
Lahore Fort. Wild plantation and overgrowth has no doubt overshadowed the grace
of the splendor. The staircase leading to the roof top is locked.
The Empress of Akbar
built a mosque Begum Shahi Mosque outside this gate in 1614 A.D that still
exists. The Mosque is also encroached upon by the Rim market and only domes can
be seen. I hope I draw the attention of the authorities to this as well.
The Akbari Gate has
a basement too. I got to know this recently. There is a small window like
access to the basement as it is all hidden in feral plantation. The management
assumes that there must be snakes and reptiles in the basement and proper
precautionary measures have to be taken for going in there and cleaning up the
place.
This place can be
developed into a picnic area for the tourists if cleaned up so that visitors
cherish it. The basement and the upper portions can be opened up for the
tourists on a small ticket if the authorities want. It is only a matter of will
and desire, nothing beyond that. All over the world the basements and tunnels
are keenly conserved and transformed into tourist sites, this is a sustainable
model for any monument. Our dilemma is that we close our heritage for people
and this is more cancerous. If we keep a monument or a place in use, it might
sustain more than being closed. I hope somebody will pay heed to what I am
writing, and I wish more voices to join me to save the heritage.
(The writer is a professional heritage photographer and
can be reached at nadeemdarphotography@gmail.com)
No comments:
Post a Comment