My OperaThe Mughal Empire /Mosques and Tombs/
Sunday, October 1, 2006 12:30:22 PM
Akbar’s Tomb, Sikandra
Sikandra is a sleepy little outpost on the outskirts of Agra, and its main claim to architectural fame is the presence of Akbar’s tomb. As was so often the case, it was built by his son Jahangir.
Akbar’s tomb, continuing the charbagh formula, is set in the midst of gardens with fountains and canals, and like Humayun’s tomb, is also raised on a superstructure. Here, however, the similarities lessen, because in plan and detail, Akbar’s tomb takes much from the indigenious Rajput and Gujarati traditions.
The pavillions inside are decorated with motifs ranging from elephants, swans, lotus, swastika and chakras, along with the more conservative arabesques and calligraphy.
Apart from these monuments, we may also enumerate several lesser known structures built during the same period. Among these are Jahangir’s tomb at Shahdara near Lahore which reflects the influence of Sikandra, Itmad-ud-Daula’s (Jahangir’s father–in–law) tomb at Agra, mosques at Tatta and Ajmer, the Begam Shahi Masjid of Akbar’s widow at Lahore, and the Patthar Masjid of Srinagar. This last is one of the few notable mosques built during Jahangir’s reign. The emperor Jahangir, for all his taste, was too wasted by alcohol and sensual pleasures to ever embark seriously on military or architectural campaigns.
The growing richness of the Mughal empire brought with it traders and merchants, who were eager to make a quick profit. India was at that time running a lucrative spice trade with foreign powers such as the Dutch, the Portuguese, the French and eventually the English. The Mughal court was close to its zenith, and seemed to have no equal or challenger.
But appearances are often deceptive, and as is the case with too much prosperity, decadence was about to set in. But not before the Mughals had built some of the most impressive monuments in the world.
Sikandra
a magnificent Mausoleum
Akbar’s tomb at Sikandra is an excellent example of assimilation of different styles of architecture and it represents a significant departure from the earlier Mughal buildings. The tomb carries the characteristic flavor of the airy tiered pavilions of the Agra Fort and Fatehpur Sikri.
Islamic style of Architecture
The tomb of Akbar, though Islamic in spirit, is a blend of styles. The magnificent entrance, use of exquisite patterns, excellent jali work (intricately perforated decorative stone screens), fine Persian style calligraphy, the charbagh garden layout (four-quartered garden layout, with the main building at the center), etc., are representative of Islamic influence. On the other hand, the absence of a dome, use of chhatris (small domed canopies, supported by pillars), tiers of airy pavilions, etc., reflect a local influence, which are also found in the buildings built by Akbar in Agra Fort and the deserted city of Fatehpur Sikri.
Akbar’s Tomb
Akbar was the third emperor of the Mughal dynasty that ruled India in the medieval period. In 1556, at the tender age of 14, he was crowned the Mughal ruler following the sudden death of his father Humayun. Akbar was not only a good administrator but also a connoisseur of art and architecture. The architectural prowess of this great monarch is evident from the numerous buildings built by him within the precincts of the great Agra Fort. Most of the buildings within this fort represent a unique blending of different architectural styles. Later on, he went on to build the imperial city at Fatehpur Sikri (near Agra). The buildings at Fatehpur Sikri belong to a composite style of architecture with the predominating Islamic style cleverly blended with local Rajasthani and Gujarati styles. The style of architecture characterized by airy tiered pavilions that emerged at Fatehpur Sikri can best be described as a melting pot of different cultures. It not only made Indian culture rich but also reflected the broadminded nature of Akbar and his prosperous reign.
Before his death in 1605, Akbar started building the magnificent edifice at Sikandra, which was later completed by his son Jahangir. The tomb, as it stands today, is in a large walled garden on the Delhi–Agra road. The tomb can be entered through an elegant southern gateway, which leads into the huge enclosed garden. This magnificent gateway is covered with floral and geometrical arabesque decoration in white and colored marble is crowned with four elegant minarets in white marble. The calligraphic decoration, first of its kind, is simply grand. The gateway is a stately composition. Its high central arch is flanked by others, which are small and simple. The grandeur of this gateway renders it the most magnificent gateway to any monument in the country. The charbagh (four gardens) leads to the pyramidal structure of the emperor’s tomb. The tomb is predominately bright red-tiered structure, stacked like a castle of playing cards. The tomb is different from previous Mughal buildings in many ways. The building has five levels. The first is a podium of arches. In the center of each face is a highly inlaid framed door. The next three levels are in red sandstone and have no arches, but the flat roof is held in place by rows of pillars. On the uppermost terrace, one can see a white wall with arches and replica of the sarcophagus that lies open to the sky. Large panels of superbly crafted jali (filigree) screens form the outer wall of the verandah on all four sides. Akbar’s grave lies in the basement, reached through a portico covered with gorgeous stucco paintings in gold, blue, and green floral arabesque of Persian inscriptions.
Since Jahangir completed the structure begun by Akbar, it suffers from stylistic and conceptual incoherence. The absence of the crowning dome remains a mystery. Still, Sikandra ranks high amongst the most beautiful of all Mughal buildings.
Khushwant Singh
In our history books a few rulers were given the suffix great: Ashoka, Chandra Gupta Maurya, Akbar, Ranjit Singh. Besides their conquests and ruling over vast regions, it was their humane qualities that endeared them to their subjects. Historians don’t tell us as much about them as they should. One gap in our information about Emperor Akbar has been filled by Shireen Moosvi, Professor of History at Aligarh Muslim University. Her slender book Episodes in the life of Akbar (National Book Trust) tells us what Akbar looked like, what he ate, his hobbies, how he dealt with courtiers and common folk, his religious beliefs, the hours he spent at work and the hours he slept. We get to know him as a man as well as a great ruler.
Akbar was born on 15 October 1542, at Amarkot, to Hamida Bano, wife of Humayun who had been ousted from the Sultanate of Delhi by the Afghan Sher Shah Suri. He spent some years of his childhood in Kabul in the protective custody of his uncle who remarked how closely the child resembled Babar. He was a strong little boy. In a battle of strength with his elder and bigger cousin over the possession of a painted doom, he picked up his adversary and threw him down. He refused to learn how to read or write but did learn how to draw and paint. On the death of his father who had regained the Mughal throne in Delhi, he was crowned King at Kalanaur in 1556. For four years he let Bairam Khan run the affairs of the state; then summarily sent him off on a pilgrimage to Makka. (He was assassinated before he could leave India). He indulged in cock-fighting, riding horses and elephants, flying kites and pigeons. Above all, he loved hunting on a massive scale. Wild animals were rounded up by thousands of beaters, he shot them with bow and arrow, muskets, speared them or slew them with his sword. It was on one of such massive hunts near Bhera that he was overcome with remorse for killing dumb creatures which had done him no harm. He meditated over it for a long time and called off the hunt and hunted no more.
In 1563, Akbar had to contend with a quarrel between two close relations, Atka Khan and Adham Khan, sons of his foster-mothers. Adham murdered Atka. When Akbar heard of it, he flew into rage. He swore at him in Hindustani calling him a catamite and ordered him to be thrown down the ramparts of the fort twice till he was dead. Adham Khan’s tomb is in Mehrauli. His mother Maham Anga’s hospice faces the entrance gate of Delhi Zoo. Atka Khan’s body was also brought to Delhi. His mausoleum is close to the dargah of Nizamuddin Auliya.
Akbar liked women and stocked his harem with hundreds of beauties selected by eunuchs who were sent out as scouts to find them. He was specially enamoured of Rajputs, the bravery of their men and the beauty of their women.
Much has been written about the nine gems (nav rattan) of his court and his interest in different religions. Moosvi’s compilation from Mughal sources mention the nine gems but has a lot on his discourses at the Ibadat Khana (house of prayer) where he heard preachers of Zoroastrianism, Christianity, Hinduism and Islam propound their faiths. Though he remained illiterate to the end, he had a remarkable memory and would recite by rote passages from Rumi and Hafiz and also composed poems in Hindi and Persian. Interest in Sufism was first roused by Khawaja Salim Chishti. Akbar named his son Salim after him and built the city Fatehpur Sekri. Though constantly engaged in extending his empire, and putting down rebellions (he never lost a battle), he found time to discuss problems of the common people with governors of states. He kept a punishing schedule of work, never sleeping more than three to four hours of the day and night.
It may come as a surprise to readers that Akbar only drank water from the Ganga and his food was cooked in waters of the Yamuna and the Chenab. He ate only one meal a day at no fixed time. Gradually he gave up eating meat: «I don’t want to make my body a tomb for beasts», he said. He preferred plain rice, milk products and sweets.
Early in October 1605 Akbar was taken ill. He got high fever and diarrhoea. He sensed his end was near and sent for his eldest son. He handed over his sword to him, signifying recognition of him as his successor. He died during the night of Tuesday, on October 26, 1605. The next day Prince Salim Jahangir and his brothers took his body to Sikandara and laid it to rest. Thus ended 52 years of his glorious rule.
In love with nature
For people like us who are abysmally ignorant to the world of nature in which they live, it is a small miracle to find a few men and women who are not the least concerned with politics and corruption but spend most of their hours watching birds, trees, monkeys and insects and recording changes in them during the different seasons. One of them is Calcutta–born Ranjit Lal, who has made his home in Delhi. This man picked up a caterpillar and put it in a glass jar with a heap of leaves of the kind it was attached to. He watched it hours on end as it devoured leaf after leaf, went into his next stage, cocooned in a chrysalis, and then kept a 24–hour vigil so that he did not miss the magical moment when the worm of a few days turned into a beautiful butterfly.
Ranjit lives in an apartment overlooking the oldest Christian cemetry of Delhi in Kashmere Gate where General Nicholson, who led the assault on the city taken over by sepoys in 1857, lies buried. Its main occupants are herds of rhesus monkeys who steal food from neighbouring houses, play havoc with cars and buses parked nearby and generally have a good time playing, fighting and catapulting. Ranjit watched their antics long enough to identify them individually. He noticed that at time both males and females had red faces and behinds. He noted that the change of colour came with their periods of fertility, though like humans they indulged in sex both homo and hetero. The other areas where Ranjit does-his bird–tree–insect watching includes the stretch of the Yamuna from the Gandhi Samadhi to Majnu ka teela, the Ridge and Jackson’s Jheel. Despite Delhi being one of the most polluted cities of the world, it also has more trees to the spare kilometre than any other. So it teems with bird life and is a watchers’ paradise. The one minor problem face with his book Mostly Birds, Some Monkeys and a Pest: Nature in around Delhi (Ravi Dayal) is that it is not illustrated. His descriptions of nature make good reading but if you can’t tell a pochard from a widgeon, pin–tail or Brahmin duck, or different varieties of bulbuls and mynahs you won’t know what he is writing about.
History of Multan
Ikhlaq Ahmed Qadri in the context of the celebrations of 5000 years of Multan, beginning from November 2000 provides interesting information about this ‘city of Saints’.
Multan as a tradition which goes back to the Bronze Age. Rich in archaeology and the history, the city has a lot to offer for those in search of culture. But, more then anything, it’s the monuments that give the region a glory of its own.
Old Multan is actually a fortified city built on a huge ancient mound and with six gates set at different places. The six entrances to the old city are; Dault Gate, Bohar Gate and Lahori Gate. Three of these (Dault, Lahori and Pak) Gates have been destroyed while the remaining three are intact, although even these are actually reconstruction, from the British period. All the existing gates are of one and the same design. A circular road, locally known as the "alang" runs right around the old city, but inside the fortification wall and not outside it as in common on other old cities. However, a modern circular road also runs on the outer side of the city. The walled city is densely populated with narrow streets, winding lanes and old style houses built quite close to each other. As Multan was once a centre for wood carving, some of its old houses have good specimens of woodwork on their windows and doors.
Being a historical city, Multan is full to tombs, mosques and other monuments of Muslim origin. Apart from historical buildings, there are two other objects in the city which have almost come to be regarded as monuments on account of their excellent workmanship. These are the two huge, carved wood «Tazzia models», which are the best specimens of craftsmanship.
Multan, it is not surprising, is also known as «Mandinatu–Aulya», the city of saints. It has tombs, mosques and «Khanqahs» (hospices) of saints. Keeping in view their historical value, priceless art work, architecture style and craftsmanship involved, all these monuments are beautifully decorated and ornamented with blue titles, fresco–paints and mosaic work, and some with the delightful and soothing Kashi and Naqashi work for which Multan is famous.
Multan was an important city even before Islam but it gained importance after the arrival of Islam. Hence most of the crafts and monuments of artistic value are clearly influenced by Islam.
The Historical Tombs
The history of Multan’s Muslim architecture begins with the Muslim conquest. Little is known about the architecture of Multan prior to the 11th century, though elsewhere in Pakistan we can trace the genesis of Muslim architecture from the 8th century A.D. During the 13th and 14-th century, a new style of architecture was introduced for funerary memorials of the Muslims in and around Multan the style begin with the tomb of Baha–ud–din Zakariya and culminated in the mausoleum of Shah Rukn al–Din Rukn–I–Alam, which has been admired as «one the most splendid memorial ever erected in the honour of the dead».
These two mausoleums served as perfect models for the future architecture. The architects continued to imitate them for well over six hundred years. The popularity of the style did not lessen even when the more refined and gorgeous Mughal style of Rukn–e–Alam is the beautiful tomb of Sultan Ali Akbar at Suraji Miani near Multan, which was erected in the Mughal period (992/1585).
Some of the common features of all mausolea in Multan are their tapering walls, single dome and the glazed tile decoration on the exterior. Another widespread feature is a wooden canopy, over the main grace. Decorated with carving and grills, the ceiling of the canopy is always adorned with glazed tiles of different motifs. Occasionally the grills are made of marble, ornamented with beautiful geometric designs.
The Tomb of Saint Bahauddin Zakarya
Standing at the northeastern side of the old fort which is situated on the high mound, is the tomb of Shikh-al-Kabir, Bahauddin Abu Mohammed Zakariya Al–Qurashi. The tomb occupies the centre of a vast oblong open area measuring 260 feet N.S by 203 feet E.W and is enclosed by a perimeters brick wall. It has two main gates one on the east and the other on the West Side. There is a vow of fourteen «Hujras» on the north for the «Zaireen».
The tomb was almost completely ruined during the siege of Multan in 1848 AD by the British army but was repaired immediately by Makhdum Shah Mahmud. There is no original inscription on the body of the tomb to show the date of its construction and the subsequent repairs. However, from the fact that here lies the great Shaikh Bahauddin Zakariya who had erected it himself during his prime time, it can be said that it belongs to the early decades of the 13–th century. The Shaikh died on the 7–th of Safar (661/21 December 1262).
The Tomb of Shah Rukh–e–Alam
The mausoleum of Shah Rukn–e–Alam is also situated on the fort mound. The Shaikh was the son of Pir Sadar–Al–Din Arif born at Multan on the 9th of Friday Ramazan 649/26 November 1251. He was the grandson and successor of Shaikh Baha–al–Din Zakariya.
Shaikh Rukn–i–Alam (Rukn–al–Din) died on the 7th of Friday (735/3 Jamadial–Awwal, January 1335). He was buried in the mausoleum of his grandfather, according to his own will. After sometime, however, his coffin was transferred to the present mausoleum. It was constructed, according to a popular belief, by Ghiyas-al-Din Tughluq (1340–1350) during the days of his governorship of Depalpur, but was given by Feruz Shah Tughluq to the descendents of Shah Rukn–i–Alam for the latter’s burial. The mausoleum of Rukn–i–Alam has been admired by not only the travelers and chroniclers but also by the art-historians and archaeologist who wrote the architectural history of the subcontinent.
The tomb was built on octagon plan, 90–ft in diameter with walls which are 414 ft high and 13.3–ft thick. The mausoleum was constructed with burnt bricks and supported by timber framing, and decorated with tile faced bricks and wood beams. The whole structure is divided into three stories. Over the second story is a smaller Octagon, leaving a narrow3 passage all around the place, above which stands a hemispherical dome. As the tomb is standing on a high artificial mound, it is visible from about 45 kilometers. Most of its patterns are geometric-created by arranging the glazed tiles-and a living testimony to creative genius of their designers. The building is also decorated with some floral as well as calligraphic patterns. In the 1970s the mausoleum was thoroughly repaired and renovated by the Auqaf Department of the Punjab Government. The entire glittering glazed interior is the result of new tiles and brickwork done by the Kashigars of Multan. This clearly demonstrates the talents and dexterity of the local craftsmen.
The Tomb of Shah Sabzwari
The tomb of Shah Shamas Sabzwari is situated near the Aam Khas Bagh, about a quarter of a mile on the east of the ancient port on the high bank of the old bed of the Ravi which is now filled with a multitude of modern buildings. Shah shams Sabzwari was a celebrated «Ismaili Dai». Very little is known about Shams Sabzari’s life. According to a popular legend, he arrived in Multan at the time of Shaikh Baha-al-Din Zakariya. He breathed his last at the age of 111 years in 675/1276 and was buried in Multan.
The main features of the tomb are similar to those of the city’s other major tombs. It has a square hall in an Octagon shape topped by a high dome. There is a verandah all-round the grave-chamber, with fine arches in every side and a single entrance to the hall. In the courtyard, which is at a lower level than that of the verandah, there is small mosque. Like other decorated tombs of Multan, this tomb is also ornamented with Kaashi tile work and Naqashi work. But recently a fire damaged its entrance seriously.
The Tomb of Shah Yousuf Gardezi
This famous tomb is situated near the Bohar Gate. Its building is quite different from the city’s other tombs, with a rectangular hall and a flat, dome–less roof. The hall, which has a small door towards the end of one of its longer sides, is constructed in a big compound. On one side of the compound stands the large hall of an imambargah. The tomb’s present building is a completely renovated one. The rectangular building is thoroughly covered with the blue Multani tiles, decorated with countless floral and geometric patterns arranged in large rectangles, square and border. The skyline is a miniature replica of a fort’s battlement and has a row of arches with borders raised in relief. Below the parapet wall runs a continuous calligraphic border on all four sides. The standard of this calligraphy, however, is not very high. Only blue and while have been used, the motifs include a rich variety of floral patterns.
The Mausoleum of Sultan Ali Akbar
This tomb is situated in Suraj Miani, a locality in the northwest of the ancient city. Sultan Ali Akbar was a saint of Islamic order, and was the great grandson of Shams–Sabzwari. This is the only epigraphical evidence available about the saint on the faзade of the mausoleum, however, the tomb is a very important contribution towards the adoption assimilation and spread of Multani architecture where almost every characteristic of the Rukn–i–Alam’s tomb including the octagonal plan, tapering turrets, the three storied well balanced and harmonious elevation, embellished with colourful tiles revetment, and screened window opening, his some horizontal as well oblique so also noticeable. It is because of this that the monument has been nicknamed the «Little Rukn–i–Alam». It has glazed style design used according to the available space. The mausoleum stands on a six feet high square platform.
Tomb of Hafiz Muhammad Jamal
This tomb is situated near Aamkhas Bagh surrounded with thick heavy wall of small bricks. The main square building includes a large hall, surrounding veranda and a Majlis Khana.
The tomb was built in 19th century during the reign of Ranjit Singh (1810). The land for the tomb was given by Sawanmal, the governor of Multan in those days. The main building was constructed under the supervision of Khawaja Khuda Bakhsh «Tami Waly» and Khawaja Muhammad Isa of Khanpur. With passage of time the building and its decoration were badly damaged, although necessary repair work was carried out on the original pattern in 1972–1974. With the exception of the main entrance, the exterior of the tomb is very simple. However, the interior is profusely decorated with Kashi work and glass mosaics – Shisha MinaKari, While the tomb itself is exceptionally fine example of mosaic work. All the motifs and pattern are floral, with different colours.
Sikandra is a sleepy little outpost on the outskirts of Agra, and its main claim to architectural fame is the presence of Akbar’s tomb. As was so often the case, it was built by his son Jahangir.
Akbar’s tomb, continuing the charbagh formula, is set in the midst of gardens with fountains and canals, and like Humayun’s tomb, is also raised on a superstructure. Here, however, the similarities lessen, because in plan and detail, Akbar’s tomb takes much from the indigenious Rajput and Gujarati traditions.
The pavillions inside are decorated with motifs ranging from elephants, swans, lotus, swastika and chakras, along with the more conservative arabesques and calligraphy.
Apart from these monuments, we may also enumerate several lesser known structures built during the same period. Among these are Jahangir’s tomb at Shahdara near Lahore which reflects the influence of Sikandra, Itmad-ud-Daula’s (Jahangir’s father–in–law) tomb at Agra, mosques at Tatta and Ajmer, the Begam Shahi Masjid of Akbar’s widow at Lahore, and the Patthar Masjid of Srinagar. This last is one of the few notable mosques built during Jahangir’s reign. The emperor Jahangir, for all his taste, was too wasted by alcohol and sensual pleasures to ever embark seriously on military or architectural campaigns.
The growing richness of the Mughal empire brought with it traders and merchants, who were eager to make a quick profit. India was at that time running a lucrative spice trade with foreign powers such as the Dutch, the Portuguese, the French and eventually the English. The Mughal court was close to its zenith, and seemed to have no equal or challenger.
But appearances are often deceptive, and as is the case with too much prosperity, decadence was about to set in. But not before the Mughals had built some of the most impressive monuments in the world.
Sikandra
a magnificent Mausoleum
Akbar’s tomb at Sikandra is an excellent example of assimilation of different styles of architecture and it represents a significant departure from the earlier Mughal buildings. The tomb carries the characteristic flavor of the airy tiered pavilions of the Agra Fort and Fatehpur Sikri.
Islamic style of Architecture
The tomb of Akbar, though Islamic in spirit, is a blend of styles. The magnificent entrance, use of exquisite patterns, excellent jali work (intricately perforated decorative stone screens), fine Persian style calligraphy, the charbagh garden layout (four-quartered garden layout, with the main building at the center), etc., are representative of Islamic influence. On the other hand, the absence of a dome, use of chhatris (small domed canopies, supported by pillars), tiers of airy pavilions, etc., reflect a local influence, which are also found in the buildings built by Akbar in Agra Fort and the deserted city of Fatehpur Sikri.
Akbar’s Tomb
Akbar was the third emperor of the Mughal dynasty that ruled India in the medieval period. In 1556, at the tender age of 14, he was crowned the Mughal ruler following the sudden death of his father Humayun. Akbar was not only a good administrator but also a connoisseur of art and architecture. The architectural prowess of this great monarch is evident from the numerous buildings built by him within the precincts of the great Agra Fort. Most of the buildings within this fort represent a unique blending of different architectural styles. Later on, he went on to build the imperial city at Fatehpur Sikri (near Agra). The buildings at Fatehpur Sikri belong to a composite style of architecture with the predominating Islamic style cleverly blended with local Rajasthani and Gujarati styles. The style of architecture characterized by airy tiered pavilions that emerged at Fatehpur Sikri can best be described as a melting pot of different cultures. It not only made Indian culture rich but also reflected the broadminded nature of Akbar and his prosperous reign.
Before his death in 1605, Akbar started building the magnificent edifice at Sikandra, which was later completed by his son Jahangir. The tomb, as it stands today, is in a large walled garden on the Delhi–Agra road. The tomb can be entered through an elegant southern gateway, which leads into the huge enclosed garden. This magnificent gateway is covered with floral and geometrical arabesque decoration in white and colored marble is crowned with four elegant minarets in white marble. The calligraphic decoration, first of its kind, is simply grand. The gateway is a stately composition. Its high central arch is flanked by others, which are small and simple. The grandeur of this gateway renders it the most magnificent gateway to any monument in the country. The charbagh (four gardens) leads to the pyramidal structure of the emperor’s tomb. The tomb is predominately bright red-tiered structure, stacked like a castle of playing cards. The tomb is different from previous Mughal buildings in many ways. The building has five levels. The first is a podium of arches. In the center of each face is a highly inlaid framed door. The next three levels are in red sandstone and have no arches, but the flat roof is held in place by rows of pillars. On the uppermost terrace, one can see a white wall with arches and replica of the sarcophagus that lies open to the sky. Large panels of superbly crafted jali (filigree) screens form the outer wall of the verandah on all four sides. Akbar’s grave lies in the basement, reached through a portico covered with gorgeous stucco paintings in gold, blue, and green floral arabesque of Persian inscriptions.
Since Jahangir completed the structure begun by Akbar, it suffers from stylistic and conceptual incoherence. The absence of the crowning dome remains a mystery. Still, Sikandra ranks high amongst the most beautiful of all Mughal buildings.
Khushwant Singh
In our history books a few rulers were given the suffix great: Ashoka, Chandra Gupta Maurya, Akbar, Ranjit Singh. Besides their conquests and ruling over vast regions, it was their humane qualities that endeared them to their subjects. Historians don’t tell us as much about them as they should. One gap in our information about Emperor Akbar has been filled by Shireen Moosvi, Professor of History at Aligarh Muslim University. Her slender book Episodes in the life of Akbar (National Book Trust) tells us what Akbar looked like, what he ate, his hobbies, how he dealt with courtiers and common folk, his religious beliefs, the hours he spent at work and the hours he slept. We get to know him as a man as well as a great ruler.
Akbar was born on 15 October 1542, at Amarkot, to Hamida Bano, wife of Humayun who had been ousted from the Sultanate of Delhi by the Afghan Sher Shah Suri. He spent some years of his childhood in Kabul in the protective custody of his uncle who remarked how closely the child resembled Babar. He was a strong little boy. In a battle of strength with his elder and bigger cousin over the possession of a painted doom, he picked up his adversary and threw him down. He refused to learn how to read or write but did learn how to draw and paint. On the death of his father who had regained the Mughal throne in Delhi, he was crowned King at Kalanaur in 1556. For four years he let Bairam Khan run the affairs of the state; then summarily sent him off on a pilgrimage to Makka. (He was assassinated before he could leave India). He indulged in cock-fighting, riding horses and elephants, flying kites and pigeons. Above all, he loved hunting on a massive scale. Wild animals were rounded up by thousands of beaters, he shot them with bow and arrow, muskets, speared them or slew them with his sword. It was on one of such massive hunts near Bhera that he was overcome with remorse for killing dumb creatures which had done him no harm. He meditated over it for a long time and called off the hunt and hunted no more.
In 1563, Akbar had to contend with a quarrel between two close relations, Atka Khan and Adham Khan, sons of his foster-mothers. Adham murdered Atka. When Akbar heard of it, he flew into rage. He swore at him in Hindustani calling him a catamite and ordered him to be thrown down the ramparts of the fort twice till he was dead. Adham Khan’s tomb is in Mehrauli. His mother Maham Anga’s hospice faces the entrance gate of Delhi Zoo. Atka Khan’s body was also brought to Delhi. His mausoleum is close to the dargah of Nizamuddin Auliya.
Akbar liked women and stocked his harem with hundreds of beauties selected by eunuchs who were sent out as scouts to find them. He was specially enamoured of Rajputs, the bravery of their men and the beauty of their women.
Much has been written about the nine gems (nav rattan) of his court and his interest in different religions. Moosvi’s compilation from Mughal sources mention the nine gems but has a lot on his discourses at the Ibadat Khana (house of prayer) where he heard preachers of Zoroastrianism, Christianity, Hinduism and Islam propound their faiths. Though he remained illiterate to the end, he had a remarkable memory and would recite by rote passages from Rumi and Hafiz and also composed poems in Hindi and Persian. Interest in Sufism was first roused by Khawaja Salim Chishti. Akbar named his son Salim after him and built the city Fatehpur Sekri. Though constantly engaged in extending his empire, and putting down rebellions (he never lost a battle), he found time to discuss problems of the common people with governors of states. He kept a punishing schedule of work, never sleeping more than three to four hours of the day and night.
It may come as a surprise to readers that Akbar only drank water from the Ganga and his food was cooked in waters of the Yamuna and the Chenab. He ate only one meal a day at no fixed time. Gradually he gave up eating meat: «I don’t want to make my body a tomb for beasts», he said. He preferred plain rice, milk products and sweets.
Early in October 1605 Akbar was taken ill. He got high fever and diarrhoea. He sensed his end was near and sent for his eldest son. He handed over his sword to him, signifying recognition of him as his successor. He died during the night of Tuesday, on October 26, 1605. The next day Prince Salim Jahangir and his brothers took his body to Sikandara and laid it to rest. Thus ended 52 years of his glorious rule.
In love with nature
For people like us who are abysmally ignorant to the world of nature in which they live, it is a small miracle to find a few men and women who are not the least concerned with politics and corruption but spend most of their hours watching birds, trees, monkeys and insects and recording changes in them during the different seasons. One of them is Calcutta–born Ranjit Lal, who has made his home in Delhi. This man picked up a caterpillar and put it in a glass jar with a heap of leaves of the kind it was attached to. He watched it hours on end as it devoured leaf after leaf, went into his next stage, cocooned in a chrysalis, and then kept a 24–hour vigil so that he did not miss the magical moment when the worm of a few days turned into a beautiful butterfly.
Ranjit lives in an apartment overlooking the oldest Christian cemetry of Delhi in Kashmere Gate where General Nicholson, who led the assault on the city taken over by sepoys in 1857, lies buried. Its main occupants are herds of rhesus monkeys who steal food from neighbouring houses, play havoc with cars and buses parked nearby and generally have a good time playing, fighting and catapulting. Ranjit watched their antics long enough to identify them individually. He noticed that at time both males and females had red faces and behinds. He noted that the change of colour came with their periods of fertility, though like humans they indulged in sex both homo and hetero. The other areas where Ranjit does-his bird–tree–insect watching includes the stretch of the Yamuna from the Gandhi Samadhi to Majnu ka teela, the Ridge and Jackson’s Jheel. Despite Delhi being one of the most polluted cities of the world, it also has more trees to the spare kilometre than any other. So it teems with bird life and is a watchers’ paradise. The one minor problem face with his book Mostly Birds, Some Monkeys and a Pest: Nature in around Delhi (Ravi Dayal) is that it is not illustrated. His descriptions of nature make good reading but if you can’t tell a pochard from a widgeon, pin–tail or Brahmin duck, or different varieties of bulbuls and mynahs you won’t know what he is writing about.
History of Multan
Ikhlaq Ahmed Qadri in the context of the celebrations of 5000 years of Multan, beginning from November 2000 provides interesting information about this ‘city of Saints’.
Multan as a tradition which goes back to the Bronze Age. Rich in archaeology and the history, the city has a lot to offer for those in search of culture. But, more then anything, it’s the monuments that give the region a glory of its own.
Old Multan is actually a fortified city built on a huge ancient mound and with six gates set at different places. The six entrances to the old city are; Dault Gate, Bohar Gate and Lahori Gate. Three of these (Dault, Lahori and Pak) Gates have been destroyed while the remaining three are intact, although even these are actually reconstruction, from the British period. All the existing gates are of one and the same design. A circular road, locally known as the "alang" runs right around the old city, but inside the fortification wall and not outside it as in common on other old cities. However, a modern circular road also runs on the outer side of the city. The walled city is densely populated with narrow streets, winding lanes and old style houses built quite close to each other. As Multan was once a centre for wood carving, some of its old houses have good specimens of woodwork on their windows and doors.
Being a historical city, Multan is full to tombs, mosques and other monuments of Muslim origin. Apart from historical buildings, there are two other objects in the city which have almost come to be regarded as monuments on account of their excellent workmanship. These are the two huge, carved wood «Tazzia models», which are the best specimens of craftsmanship.
Multan, it is not surprising, is also known as «Mandinatu–Aulya», the city of saints. It has tombs, mosques and «Khanqahs» (hospices) of saints. Keeping in view their historical value, priceless art work, architecture style and craftsmanship involved, all these monuments are beautifully decorated and ornamented with blue titles, fresco–paints and mosaic work, and some with the delightful and soothing Kashi and Naqashi work for which Multan is famous.
Multan was an important city even before Islam but it gained importance after the arrival of Islam. Hence most of the crafts and monuments of artistic value are clearly influenced by Islam.
The Historical Tombs
The history of Multan’s Muslim architecture begins with the Muslim conquest. Little is known about the architecture of Multan prior to the 11th century, though elsewhere in Pakistan we can trace the genesis of Muslim architecture from the 8th century A.D. During the 13th and 14-th century, a new style of architecture was introduced for funerary memorials of the Muslims in and around Multan the style begin with the tomb of Baha–ud–din Zakariya and culminated in the mausoleum of Shah Rukn al–Din Rukn–I–Alam, which has been admired as «one the most splendid memorial ever erected in the honour of the dead».
These two mausoleums served as perfect models for the future architecture. The architects continued to imitate them for well over six hundred years. The popularity of the style did not lessen even when the more refined and gorgeous Mughal style of Rukn–e–Alam is the beautiful tomb of Sultan Ali Akbar at Suraji Miani near Multan, which was erected in the Mughal period (992/1585).
Some of the common features of all mausolea in Multan are their tapering walls, single dome and the glazed tile decoration on the exterior. Another widespread feature is a wooden canopy, over the main grace. Decorated with carving and grills, the ceiling of the canopy is always adorned with glazed tiles of different motifs. Occasionally the grills are made of marble, ornamented with beautiful geometric designs.
The Tomb of Saint Bahauddin Zakarya
Standing at the northeastern side of the old fort which is situated on the high mound, is the tomb of Shikh-al-Kabir, Bahauddin Abu Mohammed Zakariya Al–Qurashi. The tomb occupies the centre of a vast oblong open area measuring 260 feet N.S by 203 feet E.W and is enclosed by a perimeters brick wall. It has two main gates one on the east and the other on the West Side. There is a vow of fourteen «Hujras» on the north for the «Zaireen».
The tomb was almost completely ruined during the siege of Multan in 1848 AD by the British army but was repaired immediately by Makhdum Shah Mahmud. There is no original inscription on the body of the tomb to show the date of its construction and the subsequent repairs. However, from the fact that here lies the great Shaikh Bahauddin Zakariya who had erected it himself during his prime time, it can be said that it belongs to the early decades of the 13–th century. The Shaikh died on the 7–th of Safar (661/21 December 1262).
The Tomb of Shah Rukh–e–Alam
The mausoleum of Shah Rukn–e–Alam is also situated on the fort mound. The Shaikh was the son of Pir Sadar–Al–Din Arif born at Multan on the 9th of Friday Ramazan 649/26 November 1251. He was the grandson and successor of Shaikh Baha–al–Din Zakariya.
Shaikh Rukn–i–Alam (Rukn–al–Din) died on the 7th of Friday (735/3 Jamadial–Awwal, January 1335). He was buried in the mausoleum of his grandfather, according to his own will. After sometime, however, his coffin was transferred to the present mausoleum. It was constructed, according to a popular belief, by Ghiyas-al-Din Tughluq (1340–1350) during the days of his governorship of Depalpur, but was given by Feruz Shah Tughluq to the descendents of Shah Rukn–i–Alam for the latter’s burial. The mausoleum of Rukn–i–Alam has been admired by not only the travelers and chroniclers but also by the art-historians and archaeologist who wrote the architectural history of the subcontinent.
The tomb was built on octagon plan, 90–ft in diameter with walls which are 414 ft high and 13.3–ft thick. The mausoleum was constructed with burnt bricks and supported by timber framing, and decorated with tile faced bricks and wood beams. The whole structure is divided into three stories. Over the second story is a smaller Octagon, leaving a narrow3 passage all around the place, above which stands a hemispherical dome. As the tomb is standing on a high artificial mound, it is visible from about 45 kilometers. Most of its patterns are geometric-created by arranging the glazed tiles-and a living testimony to creative genius of their designers. The building is also decorated with some floral as well as calligraphic patterns. In the 1970s the mausoleum was thoroughly repaired and renovated by the Auqaf Department of the Punjab Government. The entire glittering glazed interior is the result of new tiles and brickwork done by the Kashigars of Multan. This clearly demonstrates the talents and dexterity of the local craftsmen.
The Tomb of Shah Sabzwari
The tomb of Shah Shamas Sabzwari is situated near the Aam Khas Bagh, about a quarter of a mile on the east of the ancient port on the high bank of the old bed of the Ravi which is now filled with a multitude of modern buildings. Shah shams Sabzwari was a celebrated «Ismaili Dai». Very little is known about Shams Sabzari’s life. According to a popular legend, he arrived in Multan at the time of Shaikh Baha-al-Din Zakariya. He breathed his last at the age of 111 years in 675/1276 and was buried in Multan.
The main features of the tomb are similar to those of the city’s other major tombs. It has a square hall in an Octagon shape topped by a high dome. There is a verandah all-round the grave-chamber, with fine arches in every side and a single entrance to the hall. In the courtyard, which is at a lower level than that of the verandah, there is small mosque. Like other decorated tombs of Multan, this tomb is also ornamented with Kaashi tile work and Naqashi work. But recently a fire damaged its entrance seriously.
The Tomb of Shah Yousuf Gardezi
This famous tomb is situated near the Bohar Gate. Its building is quite different from the city’s other tombs, with a rectangular hall and a flat, dome–less roof. The hall, which has a small door towards the end of one of its longer sides, is constructed in a big compound. On one side of the compound stands the large hall of an imambargah. The tomb’s present building is a completely renovated one. The rectangular building is thoroughly covered with the blue Multani tiles, decorated with countless floral and geometric patterns arranged in large rectangles, square and border. The skyline is a miniature replica of a fort’s battlement and has a row of arches with borders raised in relief. Below the parapet wall runs a continuous calligraphic border on all four sides. The standard of this calligraphy, however, is not very high. Only blue and while have been used, the motifs include a rich variety of floral patterns.
The Mausoleum of Sultan Ali Akbar
This tomb is situated in Suraj Miani, a locality in the northwest of the ancient city. Sultan Ali Akbar was a saint of Islamic order, and was the great grandson of Shams–Sabzwari. This is the only epigraphical evidence available about the saint on the faзade of the mausoleum, however, the tomb is a very important contribution towards the adoption assimilation and spread of Multani architecture where almost every characteristic of the Rukn–i–Alam’s tomb including the octagonal plan, tapering turrets, the three storied well balanced and harmonious elevation, embellished with colourful tiles revetment, and screened window opening, his some horizontal as well oblique so also noticeable. It is because of this that the monument has been nicknamed the «Little Rukn–i–Alam». It has glazed style design used according to the available space. The mausoleum stands on a six feet high square platform.
Tomb of Hafiz Muhammad Jamal
This tomb is situated near Aamkhas Bagh surrounded with thick heavy wall of small bricks. The main square building includes a large hall, surrounding veranda and a Majlis Khana.
The tomb was built in 19th century during the reign of Ranjit Singh (1810). The land for the tomb was given by Sawanmal, the governor of Multan in those days. The main building was constructed under the supervision of Khawaja Khuda Bakhsh «Tami Waly» and Khawaja Muhammad Isa of Khanpur. With passage of time the building and its decoration were badly damaged, although necessary repair work was carried out on the original pattern in 1972–1974. With the exception of the main entrance, the exterior of the tomb is very simple. However, the interior is profusely decorated with Kashi work and glass mosaics – Shisha MinaKari, While the tomb itself is exceptionally fine example of mosaic work. All the motifs and pattern are floral, with different colours.
