Forgotten Past

Pakistan and Pakistanis are not very good at remembering or respecting our heritage, even though we have a rich and vibrant history with monuments and architecture from the Mughal and British era which could very well generate millions for the coffers of this country, the Government has done nothing to maintain or present these amazing chapters from our history to the world at large, and the general public has had no shame in engraving their worthless names over priceless frescos. Hiran Minar complex is one such wonder.

broken 8Gu2d 16003

baradari Kzhki 16003

The original Minar (tower) was built by the Mughal Emperor Jehangir in 1606 in memory of his favorite deer "Mansraj", the grave of the deer is in the tower. The water tank, baradari(pavilion) and causeway connecting the baradari with the mainland and hiran minar were constructed by Emperor Shah Jehan in 1620 and used as a royal residence during hunting trips. The complex is supposed to have been surrounded by a forest and had extensive well maintained gardens, currently the whole complex is in bad shape, the lawns and gardens are badly in need of maintenance so are the buildings which need protection from the people who pride themselves in writing their names over ancient frescos. If something like this was located in a country that honored and respected their heritage, it would be a place worth seeing, it would be the site for events and functions, and people would flock to it to see the architecture, the paintings and the gardens through which Emperors once walked.

painting 4qOlx 16003

The only painting found intact probably because it was too high to deface.