Jandiala Sher Khan is well known for being the birthplace of the famous Punjabi poet Waris Shah, the writer of the most celebrated love story of this region, Heer Ranjha. He was born here in 1722 and died and was buried here in 1798. The town has a beautiful mausoleum of this poet, who is known as the Shakespeare of the Punjabi language. His mausoleum is is situated in the same town, which I visited on 24.03.2011.
Jandiala Sher Khan is an old town, and during the Mughal period, it was a significant place. During my first visit almost eight years ago, I did not know about the existence of a baoli and an old mosque in the town. The purpose of my second visit was specifically to explore this baoli and the adjacent mosque. I was informed by a local man that the baoli and the adjacent mosque were almost in ruins and had only recently been restored. That was indeed happy news. The baoli is located at 31°49'8.00"N, 73°54'53.01"E, in District Sheikhupura.
باولی جنڈ یالہ شیر خان مغلیہ فن تعمیر کا شاہکار
اس باؤلی کی تعمیر 976ھ مطابق 1568ء کو ہوئی۔ باؤلی اس کنویں کو کہتے ہیں، جس میں سطح آب تک سیڑھیاں بنائی گئی ہوں۔ اس باؤلی پر لگا ہوا اصل کتبہ پتھر کی لوح پر سطح پر ابھرے ہوئے سات فارسی اشعار پر مشتمل ہے۔ یہ کتبہ جو اس عمارت کے ماتھے کا جھومر تھا، 1975 میں ڈپٹی کمشنر نے بحکم جنرل غلام جیلانی خان، سابق گورنر پنجاب، اس باؤلی سے الگ کرکے عجائب گھر لاہور ارسال کردیا۔ جو کہ آج بھی اسلامی گیلری عجائب گھر لاہور میں دیکھا جاسکتا ہے۔ اس عمارت کی ترمیم وآرائش جناب شاہد رفیع اللہ خان، وفاقی سیکریٹری آثار قدیمہ حکومت پاکستان نے 2008 میں کروائی۔ گزشتہ 36 سال سے یہ باؤلی بے نام و نشان تھی۔ اس تاریخی ورثہ کی ناگفتہ بہ حالت دیکھتے ہوئے باشعور معززین علاقہ دل گرفتہ تھے۔ چنانچہ انہوں نے اس تاریخی ورثہ کی نشاۃ ثانیہ کا مصمم ارادہ کرلیا اور 2011 میں پہلے پہلے کتبہ کی جگہ نیا کتبہ اصل ہی کی طرح دوبارہ بنوا کرلگوا دیا اوراس کا اردو ترجمہ بھی منسلک کروادیا تاکہ لوگ اس باؤلی کی تاریخی حیثیت سے روشناس ہوسکیں۔ جن حضرات نے تنصیب الواح کا اہتمام کیا ان ک اسمائے گرامی درج کیئے جاتے ہیں:
- بدست: جناب شیر اکبر خان ولد محمود اکبر خان (ایم این اے) آل شیر خان
- زیر سرپرستی: جناب سعید احمد خان ولد غلام محمد خان (ریٹائرڈ ایس پی) آل شیر خان
- تحقیق و تعاون: سائیں معراج دین ولد حکیم محمد ابراہیم سوشل ورکر و جنرل کونسلر جنڈیالہ شیر خان
- خصوصی کاوش: جناب یونس محمد قاضی ولد محمد عبداللہ جنڈیالہ شیر خان
تاریخ تنصیب: یکم محرم الحرام 1433ھ مطابق 27 نومبر 2011ء
Baoli of Jandiala Sher Khan – A Marvel of Mughal Architecture
This baoli (stepwell) was constructed in 976 Hijri, corresponding to 1568 AD. A baoli is a type of well in which steps are built leading down to the water level. The original inscription on this baoli was engraved in raised Persian script on a stone tablet, containing seven Persian couplets. This inscription, once the crown jewel of the building’s facade, was removed from the baoli in 1975 by the Deputy Commissioner on the orders of General Ghulam Jilani Khan, the former Governor of Punjab, and sent to the Lahore Museum. It can still be seen today in the Islamic Gallery of the Lahore Museum.
The renovation and restoration of this structure were carried out in 2008 by Mr. Shahid Rafiullah Khan, the Federal Secretary of Archaeology, Government of Pakistan. For the previous 36 years, this baoli remained without a name or identity. Seeing the deplorable condition of this historical heritage, the conscious and respectable people of the area were deeply saddened. Thus, they resolved to revive this historic legacy. In 2011, they had a new inscription made—exactly like the original—and placed it at the original location. Additionally, they had its Urdu translation installed alongside, so that people could become aware of the historical significance of this baoli.
The names of the individuals who arranged for the installation of the plaques are listed below:
In search of some information about the baoli or Jandiala Sher Khan, I found a website that gives a lot of information about this monument. The link is given below:
In the reign of Emperor Akbar, the successful king, from the blessed genealogy.
on the precept of Syed Ghaznavi the prestigious and distinguished Khan.
Sher Khan the embodiment of generosity, from whose open hands the sky got its glow.From his philanthropy, constructed a step-well, from which the Chashma-e-Aftab (Spring of the Sun) also stood envious.Seeing the bucket of this step-well, the bucket of the sky (the Sun) is embarrassed and facing its pulley, the sky, is distressed.If the Mah-e-Nakhshab (Legendary moon of Persia which rises from a well called Nakhshab) sees this step-well in the night, due to hesitation, would not try to come out of its well.If wisdom would discover its Tareekh, then say in response ”Beh az Cha-i-Nakhshab" (Better than Nakhshab).
(Tareekh refers to a date using Abjad numerals, which corresponds to the year 976 A.H., or 1564 in the Gregorian calendar).
The design of the step-well is quintessentially Akbarian. The groundplan is conceived as a central domed chamber surrounded by eight smaller rooms, a motif known as hasht bihisht ("eight paradises"), a Mughal innovation derived from Timurid precedent. In Akbar's era, the hasht bihisht motif was employed in all manner of buildings, such that "Ideas of funerary and residential architecture were almost entirely interchangeable" (Koch, p. 46). However, palace dwellings, gatehouses, and other non-mortuary buildings usually employed a flat roof rather than a projecting central dome, a rule maintained here. The profile of the roof was typically enlivened with multiple chattris that substituted for domes; at times these took the form of highly refined pith-helmet like structures such as those found at Fatepur Sikri, whereas those at Jandiala were less refined and more substantial.
Sher Khan's endowment of the baoli was immortalized by a plaque in Persian calligraphy that used to hang on the site, but was moved to the Lahore Museum for safekeeping in 1971 (for photos, refer to the final two images in the series above). The plaque describes when the baoli was built and praises its construction in poetic and flowery language:
According to drawings prepared by the Department of Archaeology, the superstructure of the baoli measures 21.62 meters on each side. The baoli itself has an internal radius of 7.54 meters.
As late as 2010 or thereabouts, the baoli was in extremely poor condition and partially collapsed. It was recently restored with a total reconstruction of the destroyed portions. Although the reconstructed pieces lack the ornamentation and elegance of the original design, they allow the visitor to experience the scope and grandeur of Sher Khan's vision.
Sketches Drawn by Timothy M Ciccone, ink on mylar based on CAD rendering.
This baoli is a very important structure because there are only a few baolis in Pakistan. At the moment, I can recall only five: the baolis in Rohtas Fort, Wan Bhachran in District Mianwali, near Dina, Wan Tarap in District Attock, and another in Wah.
I am very happy that the Department of Archaeology is now paying attention to the restoration of old historical buildings. After Katas Temples, Sheranwala Bagh, and Hiran Minar, this is the fourth site I have recently visited and found to be completely restored. The concerned department has indeed done a commendable job. It is also very easily accessible, as you can see in the map given below.
Tariq Amir
January 30, 2018.
Doha - Qatar.
