Anarkali's Tomb (Lahore)

 tomb(s), Mughal Empire, interesting place

Anarkali (Pomogranate Blossom) was the title given to Nadira Begum or Sharf-un-Nisa, one of the favourites of the harem of Emperor Akbar. According to legend (though it is not corroborated by any comtemporary sources, including the autobiography of Jahangir), one day, while the Emperor was seated in an apartment lined with mirrors, he saw the reflection of young Anarkali in the mirror returning the smile of Prince Salim (who later became the Emperor Jahangir). Suspecting that Anarkali was having an affair with his son, he ordered that she be buried alive. She was placed in an upright position at the selected place and walled in with bricks. Prince Salim felt intense remorse at her death and had a monument raised over her sepulcher once he became Emperor.

The tomb, to the south of Lahore's Old City, has lost most of its original decoration. Octagonal in plan, its sides alternately measure 44 feet and 30 feet. It stands on an octagonal platform. On each corner there is a domed octagonal tower, and in the centre, a large dome on a high cylindrical neck. A notable feature of this massive structure is its upper storey gallery and bold outlines. It is one of the earliest existing examples of a double domed structure in Pakistan. The lower shell of the dome is constructed of small bricks in five stages or rings. The central dome is supported inside by eight arches 12 feet 3 inches thick. It is a masterpiece of solid masonry work of the early Mughal period.

In the time of Ranjit Singh, the building was occupied by his son Kharak Singh, who gave it to an Italian general, Ventura, who converted it into a private residence. The monolithic marble gravestone had already been removed. Later, it served as an office for the Punjab Board of Administration until 1851, when it was converted into a Protestant church. In 1891 it reverted to the Punjab government.

The sarcophagus, made of a block of pure marble of extraordinary beauty and exquisite workmanship, was put away in one of the side bays when the building was first converted into a church. It was then placed in the spot from which the altar had been removed rather than being replaced in its original central position. In 1940 the grave was found intact in its original position, five feet below the present floor. From accounts of its discovery, the grave is apparently of plastered brick-work, inscribed on the top and sides with the ninety-nine attributes of God and below with the inscription, "the profoundly enamored Salim, son of Akbar." The sarcophagus bears two dates, 1599 (supposed to refer to the death of Anarkali) and 1615 (supposed to be the date of the tomb's erection). Historians now believe the tomb to be that of Sahab-e-Jamal, one of the wives of Jahangir, who died in Lahore in 1599.