The
‘Shah Alam Gate’ is named after one of the sons of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb,
Shah Alam I, a gentle and generous Prince, who died at Lahore in 1712. However,
before his death, the gate was called the ‘Baherwala Gate’. During
independence, the gate was burnt and only its name exists today. One of the
biggest commercial markets, named ‘Shah Alam Market’, exists in this gate. Let
me be your guide on this slightly historical and primarily contemporary saga of
the Shah Alam Gate. Coming from Waassahwala Bazaar (bamboo market) on Circular
Road, the main entrance of the gate is called Shahalmi Chowk. Though no gate
exists, the Ganda naala (canal water drainage system, now historically used for
sewage disposal) still exists due to our national penchant for preserving the
bad and eradicating the good. For example most of the architectural heritage is
destroyed but unfortunately the Ganda naala (open sewage drain) flows
abundantly. On the very left of the Ganda naala is a big market of optical
goods, and on the right there is a huge market for cable wires.
Moving
inside the gate there is a gigantic market for everything, and I mean
everything, from cosmetics products to all kinds of electronic home appliances.
Just think of a product and you’ll find it here, believe me. I am sure that in
the very near future they will also be selling F-16 parts or even the complete
jet in that market. Famously known as Bara market, it is a wholesale market for
mostly smuggled products. Who said we are not prospering, whether in the right
direction or wrong seems irrelevent. Another great thing about this gate is the
traffic jams. All over the inner city, Shahalmi Gate is famous for its traffic
jams along with the broken down roads and streets. You will be stunned to hear
that every day people do business worth millions and billions of rupees, but
they don’t have a single penny to spend on repairs just outside their shops on
the messy streets.
As
you move in, the main road ends on another chowk, called the Rang Mahal Chowk
and boasts chand garies (motorcycle rickshaws) our equivalent of spaceage
technology, only for our streets and local passengers. The tomb of Malik Ayaz
can still be seen in the Rang Mahal commercial area. Now for a little history
during our tour; Malik Ayaz was a Turkmen slave who rose to the rank of officer
and general in the army of Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni (also known as Mahmud
Ghaznavi). His rise to power was a reward for the devotion and love he had for
his master. In 1021 the Sultan raised Ayaz to kingship, awarding him the throne
of Lahore, which the Sultan had taken after a long siege and a fierce battle in
which the city was torched and depopulated. As the first Muslim governor of
Lahore, he rebuilt and repopulated the city. He also added many important
features, i.e. a masonry fort which he built in 1037-1040 on the ruins of the
previous one, demolished in the fighting, and city gates (as recorded by Munshi
Sujan Rae Bhandari, author of the Khulasatut Tawarikh). The present Lahore Fort
is built in the same location. Under his reign the city became a cultural and
academic centre, renowned for poetry. The poetry and culture is still there,
but in a very different shape.
Walk
a little further and you will come upon the Suha Bazaar (gold market), and
opposite is Kasaira Bazaar in which pots, pans and utensils are sold. The
display of utensils, previously of brass and now of aluminum scrap plastic and
steel; provide a decorative attraction just like the gold jewelry in Suha
Bazaar. At places you might hear noises emanating from the craftsmen’s hammers
and anvils, shaping utensils. Craftsmen working in their traditional way are
part of the scene of these lanes and gullies. Rounding to the left through Kucha
Chabok Sawaraan, one finds oneself in the wider premises of Chowk Rang Mahal
after the narrowness of the streets and bazaars that one has traversed from
Mochi Gate onwards. There is Haveli Mian Khan. The Eastern side of the
haveli was converted into Rang Mahal Mission High School, now, Rang Mahal
Christian High School, where once great teachers like K.L. Rulia-Ram, Kahna
Singh and Khadim Rizvi taught. This centenarian school building is in a state
of dilapidation and decay as is generally the case with our education system.
Alas! The rest of the haveli exists only in old books found on the Lahore’s
history. It has turned into a huge plaza. Again we can see how keenly our
authorities are taking interest in the preservation and conversation of our
dying heritage.
As
we walk through the Kashmiri Bazar towards Delhi Gate, we reach the Suneri
Mosque or Golden Mosque. This mosque is located in the centre of Lahore city,
and was originally known as Tilayee Masjid the founder of the mosque was Nawab
Syed Bhikari Khan, son of Raushan-ud-Daula Turrabaz Khan, deputy governor of
Lahore during the reign of Muhammad Shah and the viceroyalty of Mir
Noin-ul-Malik. The Golden Mosque is situated in the Kashmiri Bazaar, and was
built in 1753 AD. It features three beautiful golden domes. The mosque is
elevated on a higher plinth, surrounded by old bazaars. It has a beautiful
gateway and a courtyard; the marble domes cover seven prayer chambers. Four
lofty minarets stand at the four corners of the mosque, each with an outer circumference
of 20 meters, soaring up to 54 meters.
It dismays me to
paint such a gloomy picture of a once magnificent place, but I cannot bring
myself to gloss over the harsh realities. My aim is to awaken the authorities
to do something for this precious treasure. It’s beautiful architecture and the
culture is worth us helping collectively to preserve. Thank you.
