LAHORE – A SURVIVOR

Lahore is amongst the few cities in South Asia boasting an uninterrupted, yet checkered ancient history. The city’s geographically strategic location hypnotically pulled the vested interests of Persian and Afghani kingdoms, which clashed with those of northern Indians. It has, thus, experienced an almost continuous flow of visitors, pilgrims, and inevitably invaders. Lahore, once the camping ground of the early Aryans was under the rule of the prince of Chauhan at the time of the first Muslim invasions. For centuries, the Hindu rulers of Lahore withstood the invasions, attacks, and plundering, while eventually being defeated by the forces of Mahmud of Ghazni obliterating the Hindu principality of Lahore. The city has witnessed a fascinating concoction of turbulence, tranquility, invasions, and catastrophic devastations. It has survived the Sultanates (1206-1524), the Mughal Empire (1524-1712), and Sikh Raj (1764-1849), followed by the British colonial period and a painful Partition in 1947. Therefore, its prosperity ebbed and flowed as a result of the sovereign changes. The city has been erased, revamped, recreated, and embellished multiple times, layers over layers – Lahore is undeniably a survivor.

THE FORTIFIED NUCLEUS

When you conquer a gem as precious as Lahore, protecting it from eyeing invaders may induce sleepless nights. Maybe building a wall around the city helped the Mughal emperor Akbar embrace slumber peacefully. In 1584, Akbar made Lahore his headquarters and enclosed the city within 30 feet high brick walls. The wall was segmented with thirteen grand wood and iron gates, allowing entrance into the city. I can still distinctly recall the names of the gates – Delhi Gate, Yakki Gate, Sheranwala Gate, Kashmiri Gate, Masti Gate, Roshnai Gate, Lohari Gate, Bhatti Gate, Shah Alami Gate, Akbari Gate, Mochi Gate, Taxali Gate, and Mori Gate.

I remember cramming the names of the gates for my history exam in school. I found myself easily distracted and day-dreaming about the tales concealed within the once stoic gates of the city during the zenith of the Mughal Rule – the visuals of Mughal emperors, mounted on their royal horses while entering through the grand gates, the alluring stroll of dancing girls of the once-thriving Hira Mandi, heady scent of spices sold in the surrounding bazaars, powers of healing potions invented by hakims and the grandeur of architectural marvels erected by the Mughals occupied my active imagination. There is no denying that the Mughals were romantics – lovers of art and architecture. No wonder Shah Jehan erected the Taj Mahal in loving memory of his wife, and Hiran Minar to honor his treasured antelope; rather than educational institutions. Immersed in my sea of thoughts, I took my sweet time memorizing the names of the gates!

During the Sikh reign, Ranjit Singh expanded his empire and added a moat around the city for defense. But the walls and the moat couldn’t withstand the British colonization. The measures taken to safeguard the city by its preceding rulers crumbled to the ground. The British eradicated the fortifying walls, filled the moat, and created a Circular Garden around the city.

Carefully avoiding the congested Walled City, the colonizers embarked upon the development of its surrounding outskirts, studding it with a unique expression of Indo-Gothic architecture. In the early 1900s, the British rebuilt the thirteen gates varying from its original Mughal era form. These are the gates we see today. Some of them were burnt to the ground while others collapsed when battling the raging war against time. Six of the remaining gates still stand, amongst which Roshnai Gate is the lonely survivor of the Mughal era.

If the mighty walls were erected once again, I wonder if they would protect the Walled City from its demons. Probably not, because the invaders lie deep within the fabric of the city, treacherously creeping into the remnants of its heritage. No tangible wall is tall or sturdy enough for protection. In today’s context, the wall is a metaphor for utopian ideas and alternative trajectories that allow the varying stakeholders of the Walled City to co-exist blissfully.

The tumbled walls still hold a city within a city – this city is the heart of my delirious utopia.