Just adjacent to the fabulous Mughal monument “Shalimar Gardens” in Lahore, is the shrine of a famous Sufi saint Shah Hussain, which is the venue of an annual traditional celebrations full of cultural vehemence and zeal. The festival is locally called as “Mela Chiraghan (the festival of lights)” and it is one of the largest traditional events in the province of Punjab, Pakistan. Mela Chiraghan is three day event full of holy rituals, colors, joy, music and folk dances. One of the most attractive features is the traditional food stalls that are specially designed for this carnival and mark the medieval time food items.

Dhammal with folk drum beats – Mela-Chiraghan ( Image © Nadeem Khawar )

According to an estimate, more than 500,000 pilgrims come to Lahore to attend this impressive annual Urs and the major part of the historic Grand Trunk Road near to the shrine are decorated with stalls, toy shops and food outlets. The most significant ritual is the gathering of the devotees who carry Chiraghs (Light Lamps) in the honor of Shah Hussain and some of the pilgrims also toss the lamps into a huge bonfire. The legend associated with this activity is that the prayers of the devotees will be heard soon by the Almighty and they’ll get the reward.

A sweets stall installed on the eve of Mela Chiraghan – Image © Matloob Ali

Shah Hussain is also known as Madhu Lal Hussain who was actually the closest Hindu companion of this saint. Shah Hussain is particularly known for his Sufi poetry and his verses in form of short poems are called as Kafis of Shah Hussain. A number of renowned singers and Qawwals of India and Pakistan feel pride to perform the Kafis of Shah Hussain. The nights of Mela Chiraghan of Lahore, the festival of lights are celebrated with Qawwalis and folk dances and these performances are truly spectacular and mirthful.

Minar-e-Pakistan is a monument which keeps tremendous significance in the political history of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. This tall and star shaped monument was constructed to commemorate the Pakistan Resolution of 23^rd March , 1940 in Iqbal Park Lahore. This impressive monument is situated in the most attractive area of Lahore which grabs the attention of the most of the visitors of this historic city.

Minar-e-Pakistan reminds us about the Lahore Resolution or Pakistan Resolution (Qarardad-e-Pakistan) which was the first official declaration by the people of this area for demanding a separate homeland. This session and the demonstration was executed on the call of All India Muslim League which was carrying the massive support by the Muslims of Indian Sub Continent. In 1960, after 13 years of the independence, the leaders of Muslim League expressed a desire to build a memorial in this area. The authorities started acting upon this demand and an appeal was made for the donations for its construction before the general public. Minar-e-Pakistan was designed by Nasereddin Murat Khan who was a Turkish architect. On 23^rd March, 1960 , the foundation stone was laid by the then Governor of West Pakistan and the construction was started.

Minar e Pakistan ( Image: SM Rafiq )

 It took almost eight years for the construction of this fabulous monument. The base of Minar-e-Pakistan is kept about 8 meters above the ground. The tower rises about 62 meters on the base, thus the total height of minaret is about 92 meters above the ground. The beautiful flower shaped bases of the opened petals are 9 meters high and the diameter of Minar-e-Pakistan is about 9.75 m. Minar-e-Pakistan is surrounded by two crescent-shaped pools which are four feet deep and lined with green and red marble. The dome of Minar-e-Pakistan is made up with stainless steel inlaid with fine glass pieces. There are four stages and 162 stairs that lead up to the dome. Whole building is a fantastic blend of Mughal and Modern architecture and the white marble has enhanced the beauty of its structure. For reaching the top the elevator facility is also provided and the visitors can view the amazing panoramic view of the Walled City of Lahore. In the adjacent park, the marble fountains and an artificial lake also increase the beauty of this wonderful tower. The visitors can also read the admirable inscriptions which are engraved on different levels of Minar-e-Pakistan. These include the text about the history of the Pakistan Resolution and Islamic Calligraphic Art.

A night view of Minar-e-Pakistan

As it is described earlier that the whole area around Minar-e-Pakistan, a memorial to the Pakistan Resolution is actually a cluster of many other magnificent historic monuments. The need of the day is to establish a complete buffer zone in the entire area to safeguard the delicate constructions of these monuments. Eco Watch which is a local pressure group, working for the environment and sustainable development has highlighted this issue through their famous complaint before the Environmental Protection Tribunal Punjab. In the detailed judgment of this complaint, the instructions were issued to the local authorities to establish this area as a buffer zone and adopt the suitable measures to prevent the air pollution and other environmental threats. But still no implementation has been made upon the instructions issued by the Tribunal.

One of the masterpieces of the ancient Indian architectural art is the Gwalior Fort of India, a well preserved historic complex of several monuments which is spread over an area of 3 square km and surrounded by the concrete walls of sandstone. The great Mughal Emperor Babar (1483–1531) described it as, “The pearl in the necklace of the forts of Hind” which is located on a hilltop which is 100 meters above from the plain and beholds the city of Gwalior. Gwalior is a historic city of Madhya Pardesh, India which offers a range of grand and glorious buildings from which the most famous is the Gwalior Fort. This fort is a prime example of indomitable castles of India which has remained under the control of many monarchs of the times.

Gwalior Fort of India, Image © Tomasz Zaborowicz

The history of the Gwalior Fort traces back to the fifth century AD and its architecture possess the landmarks of the Guptas, the Hunas, the Pratiharas, the Kachhwahas, the Tomars, the Pathans, the Mughals,  the Marathas and the English. The significant monuments of the Gwalior fort include Man Mandir, Teli-Ka-Mandir, Sas Bhau Temple, Badal Mahal, Alamgiri gate, Ganesa gate, Chaturbhuj gate, Rock-cut Jain collosi, Urwai gate etc.

The hill on which the Gwalior fort is built is known as Gopachal. The surrounding wall which is built all along the edge of Gopachal is almost 2 miles in length and the width varies from one km’s to 200 meters. The Man Singh Palace was built by Man Singh in the 15th century.  The Mughal emperor Aurangzeb imprisoned and later murdered his brother Murad in the same place.  It is called a ‘painted palace’ or ‘Chit Mandir’ the walls of which are painted in tremendous styles and colors. The Teli-ka-Mandir, or “Oilman’s Temple” was constructed in the 8th century, which is deemed as one of the oldest monument of the fort, and it is an amalgamations of numerous ancient construction patterns. The highest monument of the Gwalior fort is Garuda, which is a place dedicated to the Pratihara Vishnu.  The twin Vaishnava temple known as Sas Bahu that were built during the reign of the Kachchapghattas have a unique feature. They were raised several stories high solely with the help of beams and pillars, and with no arches having been used for the purpose. Another prominent part of the Gwalior Fort are its  water reservoirs which were created in the precincts of the fort  and could provide water supply to a 15,000 strong garrison, which was the estimated requirement of manpower to secure the fort.

The mighty Gwalior Fort has passed through many battles in the turbulent times and many festive occasions in the peace time. But the good thing is that this Herculean acropolis is maintained with time to time restorations by the rulers.

Most of the people around the world don’t have knowledge about the largest necropolis of the world which is the identical emblem of the historic city of Sindh, Thatta. Located in the outskirts of Thatta, Makli is a huge burial complex spread over an area 10 Sq. KM consisting of shrines , tombs and graves of hundreds of sovereigns and regal personals , thousands of soldiers and  scholars and countless others. Furthermore, according to an estimate over 125,000 saints are also believed to be buried here as well.

The historic Thatta remained the capital of three successive dynasties, Samma, Argun and Tarkhan from 1592 to 1739 and it was also a center of numerous educational institutes where pupils from all over the world used to come for learning religious teachings, philosophy, politics and many other disciplines. So a large number of such students are also buried in Makli Necropolis.

Ruins of Makli, image © Flames of Aries (flickr)

The Makli Necropolis is situated on a raised ground so it is also known as Makli Hill. According to some locals Makli is associated with the meaning of Little Mecca and many others link its name with a pious lady Mai Makli who prayed for Sultan Firuz Shah Tughlaq to conquer Thatta. She is also buried in Makli. The fantastic designs of the tombs and the artisan work engraved on the graves are worth seen. This place is so awesome to see incredible Islamic calligraphic art, circular designs, amazing domes, arches, and towers.

Artwork at Makli, image © Amoo (flickr)

For understanding Makli Necropolis, we can divide it into three sections pertaining to its time period. The first era of the great Makli is related the Mughal period (16th to 18th centuries) including the tombs of Jan  Beg, Ghazali Beg, Tughril Beg, Jan Baba, and others. The second section belongs to Tarkhan and Arghun period (16th century), includes the tombs of Isa Khan Tarkhan, Baqi Beg Tarkhan and Ahinsa Bai etc. The last section is linked with Summa hegemony (14th to 16th centuries) and consists of the tombs of Jam Nizamuddin, Mubarak Khan, and Malik Rajpal etc.

Although Makli has number of impressive monuments but the tomb of the Samma King, Jam Nizam al-Din is a splendid square structure which was constructed with sandstones and decorated with beautiful floral and ornamental designs. The tomb of Isa Khan Tarkhan who died in 1644 is another marvelous monument which is the largest in this whole burial complex. It is actually a double story stone building of glorious towers and balconies .The blue doomed shrine of Jan Beg Tarkhan is an octagonal brick structure which is decorated with aquamarine tiles. Similarly many other tombs possess exquisite carving and influential patterns.

Makli Graves, image © fezaizm (flickr)

Makli Hill is a world heritage site declared by UNESCO. But this wondrous site of the world is under ultimate state of disarray due to improper conservation and hazardous environmental effects. The delicate monuments continuously deteriorating due to salty air impact caused by the monsoon.