MULTAN: The Archeology Department has sent Rs 45 million proposals to the Punjab government for conservation and restoration of centuries’ old shrines in Multan and Muzaffargarh districts.
The shrine of Hazrat Shah Ali Akbar is situated at Kabuli Mohallah, Suraj Miani, and of Sheikh Laddhu about 20km from Muzaffargarh. Both shrines are more than 500-year-old.
The shrine of Hazrat Shah Ali Akbar is a smaller version of the shrine of Hazrat Shah Rukn-e-Alam. The shrine’s interior has been damaged considerably by the smoke of mustard oil lamps while the candles’ smoke has spoiled the fresco painting (Naqashi) and the lime plaster. Three storeys of Shah Ali Akbar’s mausoleum and tapering angle buttresses crowned by turrets are waiting for conservation. Its walls are also decorated with brick designs and tile work. The openings are provided with grilles. Some of the openings in the second storey have lost their wooden grilles and are now blocked with brick work. The walls have horizontal wooden beam courses.
In faience embellishment and tile inscription, this tomb is richer than the tomb of Hazrat Shah Rukn-e-Alam. Internally, there are original specimens of Naqashi, though all in very precarious condition. Some of the rarest examples are arabesque designs, which can be seen in the interior walls. The floor of the tomb is laid in bricks on edge, but large square tiles with glazed designs have been laid in the entrance. The platform on which the building rests has been plastered with cement. In close vicinity are the mosque of Ali Akbar and the tomb of his mother. The latter is in more precarious condition. Sheikh Laddhu’s shrine is established in a graveyard. The tomb of Sheikh Laddhu has damaged with the passage of time and due to weather conditions and human neglect. It is a piece of cut, dressed and fine brick masonry work. The monument belongs to Salateen period and resembles with the shrine of Hazrat Bahauddin Zakariya Multani.
The proposed restoration and preservation of the shrines will provide enough material to the historians and architects to work more scientifically and efficiently in passing on information and education of Pakistan’s glorious cultural past to the new generation through modern and latest arrangements. Cultural heritage plays a vital role in cementing cooperation and friendship in various fields and paves the way for economic growth among various countries. When contacted, Archeology Sub-Divisional Officer Ghulam Muhammad said that the office has submitted conservation proposals of both shrines worth Rs 45 million to the Punjab government. The Archeology Department would spend Rs 30 million on the conservation and restoration of the shrine of Shah Ali Akbar and Rs 15 million on the shrine of Sheikh Laddhu.
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