As I gazed down the Walled City from a window in Sheesh Mahal, a plethora of thoughts flooded my mind. Lahore, the city of lights, home to the Aryans, the Sikhs, the Mongols and the British at some point in time… time, the fourth dimension. Every pillar, every corridor, and every wall is a standing testament to the fact that time is just an illusion: it never stops.
One look at the Akbari Gate and i was forced to think about the Emperor who once walked down the Diwan-i-‘ Am, towards the Main City. Squires lining the sides of the pathway, admirers gathering outside the Akbari Gate, pillars of Badshahi Mosque towering above everything else. Gates would open, allowing the emperor to gaze at the marvels outside.
The city roared.
“This is the gate that the Emperor Shah Jehan used to enter the Walled City. A straight road from here would lead straight to the Delhi Gate which connected the Walled City to Delhi, one of the cultural hubs of the Mughal Era”, the guide said as he pointed towards a pathway. “This route would lead us straight to the Wazir Khan Mosque. Adorned with Fresco paintings and Qashani tile work, the Wazir Khan Mosque has been described as a ‘mole on the cheek of Lahore’. And rightfully so”, the guide added.
The city continued to roar.
That walk towards the Mosque turned out to be rather long as the guide desperately tried to keep the group together. Just like a Mario game, we dodged our way ahead.
As we entered the Mosque, an overwhelming feeling of stillness and calmness took over. First glimpse of the Mosque reinvigorated the lessons I had learnt about the Mughal History. How can such a peaceful place stand right in the middle of such a crowded city?
High arching galleries, surrounding the brick-paved courtyard. Engraved patterns of honeycomb on the ceiling, to the old, robust walls embellished with mosaic tiles made from Arabic calligraphy and floral motifs, to the towering pillars in all four corners – everything made me wonder about the hands which gave birth to such a marvel.
As we walked back towards the Lahore Fort, I realized something. It is not the City of Lahore that has gotten lost over time but us who have lost our way.
