Hello everyone
I hope you all are doing fine. I have been busy a little for quite a time but i wanted to share one of my recent visit to a place known for its magnificent history. LAHORE FORT, also known as SHAHI QILA, is a place rich in architecture and worth a visit.
A few days back, our class decided to arrange a tour. As our final year has started and everyone has got busy, so we decided that it will be time well spent. When i saw the schedule of trip, they were missing the Lahore Fort in it, upon asking, i was delivered with "IT'S SO COMMON", Hey man, that's a place which holds a recognition for the city we are going to.
Anyways, it was added to the schedule later on and we reached the place. I wanted a student discount while buying the ticket but sadly i didn't have my student card so i had to pay the full price.
I have visited it many times but this entrance every time gets me thinking, how the heck, they have made this large entrance gates in those times.
If you looked at the entrance and have been thinking how the building is still in a good state, here's the answer. The government keep doing renovation of the necessary points. This is the place just left to the entrance, might be a garden at those times. Looked like a pigeon habitat to me.
Buildings like this have made some people really successful in their lives. Here is an example if you look in the image (that shuttle service). They charge 100pkr per person as they know the fort is too large (around 20 hectares).
As i have already told you people that this fort is too large to visit all by feet. So i just looked at some places from far and captured them. This i heard from the people nearby was the residence for soldiers and guards of the fort. It can't be true as i also heard from another group that it was the HAREM.
Ok, all done for the reading, now hands up and take out what you have in the pocket. Haha, kidding. This is the entrance to SHAHI DARBAR guarded with two big cannons. There might be other arrangements of security at those times. The fort is really big as i experienced from my own eyesight.
This is the view only from the front of SHAHI DARBAR. You can see that not the half of the fort is completed yet and i have skipped some points otherwise this blog could keep you all day reading and scrolling through.
I just kept my feets in the straight direction without moving here and there otherwise i might have lost in the architecture (or some bad spirit might have captured me, yes, i also heard the rumours that some spirits from the past still roam this fort)...
Here comes our SHAHI DARBAR, A shahi darbar is a place where kings in old times listened to their public and solved their matters. If you look at the second image from the above two, you'll see the place where king sat and the people used to stand in the place beneath.
This is how the people used to stand and place their complains Infront of their kings at that time. It is said that this fort served a series of MUGHAL EMPERORS.
Every emporer made a lot of change in it's architecture in his own time. That's why it's said that this FORT is rich in variety of architecture. There is a complex history of Its initial building ranging from MAHMUD OF GHAZNI TO MUGHAL EMPORER AKBAR.
Here comes the residence of king named as DIWAN E KHAS where no common people were allowed to enter. Same was the situation that day as some construction work was going on in there which i mentioned at start that government do renovate some points of the Fort.
The sides of the DIWAN E KHAS had buildings of queens, prince and princess. Some of them were also being repaired. One of the famous was AKBARI MUSEUM.
There is no doubt this place was the residence of QUEEN AKBARI which later on they turned into museum to make some money (I guess). But no, there was no ticket so it was purely for her memory.
The galleries inside literally gave me old vibes. I was sure they used some kind of scent for this.
Oh, here, if a woman is reading this article, this part is surely of her interest. These clothes are said to be used by queen Akbari. I was really amazed that this must be so expensive and unique cloth. I waited for the guard to move aside so that i could touch it.
The guard finally moved and i touched it, but... The cloth was so thick and felt like a cheap one to me. I bet no woman in today's world would have liked that clothe. I must bring some female with me next time to make it sure.
There were some paintings too hanged inside, i am not sure if they belong to queen or the administration added it later to catch some attention.
Last but not the least, THE PICTURE WALL. This picture is of great importance as you can search on Google about it. It represents a mixture of heritage and architecture. The mosaic , human, birds, all together. Saying a lot of things... Only if you think.
As i stated earlier, many people are earning well because of this fort. There were stalls of small objects representing old heritage and culture of that time. Many people seemed interesting in buying those at really expensive rates. I could do nothing but to stare them buying all that only to throw them away on their way back home.
Well, it all ended here as our representative texted to reach back to buses so i moved back.
Well, that's all from my side.
GOODLUCK AND BEST WISHES
