Hazuri Bagh

Hazuri Bagh
حضوری باغ‬
The Hazuri Bagh Baradari is in the centre of the quadrangle
Location Lahore, Pakistan
Coordinates Coordinates: 31°35′18.20″N 74°18′42.43″E / 31.5883889°N 74.3117861°E / 31.5883889; 74.3117861

Hazuri Bagh (Urdu: حضوری باغ‬‎) is a garden in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan, bounded by the Lahore Fort to the east, Badshahi Mosque to the west, the Samadhi of Ranjit Singh to the north, and the Roshnai Gate to the south. The Serai Alamgiri caravanserai formerly stood where Hazuri Bagh is now located. In the centre of the park stands the Hazuri Bagh Baradari, built by Ranjit Singh in 1818 to celebrate his capture of the Koh-i-Noor diamond from Shuja Shah Durrani in 1813.[1]

Hazuri Bagh is at the centre of an ensemble of monuments including the Badshahi Mosque, Lahore Fort, Roshnai Gate, and the Samadhi of Ranjit Singh.

The garden was planned and built under the supervision of Faqir Azizuddin in the traditional Mughal style layout. After its completion, it is said, Ranjit Singh, at the suggestion of Jamadar Khushhal Singh, ordered that marble vandalized from various mausoleums of Lahore to construct a baradari (pavilion) here. This task was given to Khalifa Nooruddin. Elegant carved marble pillars support the baradari’s delicate cusped arches. The central area, where Ranjit Singh held court, has a mirrored ceiling. Both the garden and the baradari, originally a 45-foot, three-storey square with a basement approached by fifteen steps, suffered extensive damage during the fratricidal Sikh wars and was only reclaimed and laid out according to the original plan during the British period. On 19 July 1932, the uppermost story collapsed and was never reconstructed.

Every Sunday afternoon, people gather in the gardens to hear reciters recite traditional Punjabi Qisse, such as Heer Ranjha and Sassi Punnun, and other Punjabi Sufi poetry.

The tomb of Muhammad Iqbal lies across from the garden outside of the Badshahi Mosque.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Bansal, Bobby (2015). Remnants of the Sikh Empire: Historical Sikh Monuments in India & Pakistan. Hay House, Inc. ISBN 9384544930.
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