Tomb of Jahangir

When Jahangir left Lahore for Kashmir, he passed away in Rajauri. His remains were returned to Lahore and interred in the Bagh-i Dilkusha, a walled garden on the banks of the Ravi that belonged to Nur Jahan. The 55-acre grounds of the mausoleum are arranged with bisecting perpendicular paths in the traditional charbagh style. Large northern and southern gates lead to the entrance; the southern gate has a red Sikri sandstone façade and white marble inlay. The ninety-nine names of Allah and the date of Jahangir’s death are written in black calligraphy, together with valuable stones placed in realistic flower patterns.

Between the tombs of Jahangir and Asif Khan lies the group of tombs known as Akbari Sarai. There are 180 rows of small cells, each fronted with a verandah and an open passageway, built around the open courtyard of the Sarai, which is surrounded on all sides by a high terrace. Burjis adorn the corners of the Sarai. The Sarai boasts two grand entrances, one on the north side and the other on the south, both in the traditional Mughal architecture.

The prime minister of Jahangir, I’timad-ud-Daula, had a daughter named Nur Jahan. She was given the name Mehr-un-Nisaa, which is Persian for “Light of the World,” and was born in 1577 to Persian parents. She married Sher Afghan, a Mughal courtier, when she was 17 years old. The thirteen-year marriage produced one daughter, Mehr-un-lone Nisaa’s child, who was born after the union. Mehr-un-Nisaa joined Emperor Jahangir’s harem as a lady-in-waiting to one of his stepmothers in 1607, following the death of her husband. She spent four years in the harem when Jahangir accidentally came to her in March 1611 at the Nowruz spring festival. He proposed to her right away, having fallen in love with her attractiveness. In May of the same year, she got married and became Jahangir’s 20th wife.

The style of Nur Jahan’s mausoleum is similar to Jahangir’s, but it is smaller and lacks corner minarets. When the marble decoration of the tomb was stolen in the 19th century to be used on other monuments, the tomb sustained significant damage. Even the sarcophagus, which is no longer standing, was destroyed. The cenotaph that is currently located in the middle of the tomb was recently restored. More recently, the tomb underwent overly enthusiastic restoration, which led to the destruction of some of the last remaining pieces of the original ornamentation.