Nusrat Khan Tomb - 1660's
Sights/Architecture
Nusrat Khan was a courtier who lived in the era of Shah Jahan. His tomb stands near the center of a large tract of land owned by Pakistan Railways and is impossible to access without security clearance. The overall design is very similar to theKhan-e-Jahan Bahadur Kokaltash Tomb which stands less than a kilometer to the south.
Among the earliest references to the tomb in the post-Mughal era may be found in the book "Tarikh-e-Lahore" (The History of Lahore) written by Rai Bahadur Kanhaiya Lal, an engineer who served in Lahore from 1850-85. In that work he records that the tomb had been surrounded by a vast garden with subsidiary buildings, much of which was already derelict or demolished by Lal's own era. He also records that the tomb was appropriated during Maharaja Singh's reign by General Auguste Court, a French soldier who provided technical assistance and training to the Sikh army. Court occupied the tomb as his principle residence and removed its grave, paving over the floor to create living space. Court continued to occupy the tomb until the assassination of Maharaja Sher Singh in September 1843, whereupon he fled to Firozpur in British territory. In 1844 he returned to France with his Punjabi wife and children, living out the rest of his days in Paris until his death in 1880.
At present the tomb has been repurposed as a place of veneration for Khwaja Hassan. Although the tomb has no historical connection to that individual (Nusrat Khan was also known as Khwaja Sabir, not Khwaja Hassan), the tomb is used in that capacity.
For more details: Nusrat Khan Tomb
Among the earliest references to the tomb in the post-Mughal era may be found in the book "Tarikh-e-Lahore" (The History of Lahore) written by Rai Bahadur Kanhaiya Lal, an engineer who served in Lahore from 1850-85. In that work he records that the tomb had been surrounded by a vast garden with subsidiary buildings, much of which was already derelict or demolished by Lal's own era. He also records that the tomb was appropriated during Maharaja Singh's reign by General Auguste Court, a French soldier who provided technical assistance and training to the Sikh army. Court occupied the tomb as his principle residence and removed its grave, paving over the floor to create living space. Court continued to occupy the tomb until the assassination of Maharaja Sher Singh in September 1843, whereupon he fled to Firozpur in British territory. In 1844 he returned to France with his Punjabi wife and children, living out the rest of his days in Paris until his death in 1880.
At present the tomb has been repurposed as a place of veneration for Khwaja Hassan. Although the tomb has no historical connection to that individual (Nusrat Khan was also known as Khwaja Sabir, not Khwaja Hassan), the tomb is used in that capacity.
For more details: Nusrat Khan Tomb
|
|