The Women of Lahore, a walk organised by Lahore Ka Ravi, celebrates the ladies who inspired the culture and beauty of Lahore through centuries
Recently, on a bright and sunny Sunday, when Lahore shone in all its glory, and days of smog and fog were seemingly over, a couple of friends planned an excursion. Next, we had booked with Lahore Ka Ravi for their special trail, called the Women of Lahore.
It was meant to celebrate the “seven women [who had] inspired the culture and beauty of Lahore” through centuries, in areas such as politics, art and music. God knows we all came back having fallen in love with the city all over again.
For the uninitiated, Lahore Ka Ravi is an immersive storytelling initiative, led by the ever so eloquent Ghazi Taimoor and a bunch of other young historians. The idea is to “foster an understanding of the rich and diverse heritage of Lahore.” They don’t call themselves a tour company but a “social and educational movement.”
One of us thought that it would be a women-only walk, but it turned out to be one that focused on issues the region had faced over time and the strong role of women in helping the patriarchs sail through.
Our first stop was Kuri Da Bagh (the Daughter’s Garden), which stood right opposite the FBR building in Old Anarkali. The place is surrounded by busy markets and run-down buildings. The entrance leads you to a smallish tomb whose octagonal structure with petals thrown around on the dome pay homage to the times of Ranjit Singh, the 19th Century Sikh Maharaja of the Punjab. The building’s crisp white paint shone against the blue morning sky.
We were led upstairs where we were greeted by a Persian scripture announcing the date of death of Marie Charlotte buried inside. Next to her grave is that of her father, General Jean Francois Allard, a European army officer who was hired by the Maharaja.
Charlotte died on April 5, 1827, in Lahore, at a very young age. This garden is believed to be part of Gen Allard’s mansion which now houses a small tomb constructed in memory of his daughter.
Gen Allard died in Peshawar in 1839. As per his wish, he was buried next to his daughter. The place speaks of the precious bond between the father and his daughter.
We then headed to the Tomb of Zaib-un-Nisa, the eldest daughter of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb Alamgir, rumored to have been exiled by her father for having fallen for an officer in the emperor’s court. It is said that Zaib-un-Nisa spent the last years of her life in Lahore where she engaged in art work.
Historians claim that Chauburji was built by Princess Zaib-un-Nisa, though it remains a mystery whether she was buried here or in India, Lahore fondly remembers her and her story of love and heartbreak, defiance and punishment, and for her art which thrived against all odds.
To quote Ghazi Taimoor, “Lahore ought to be seen as a palimpsest where a couple of minutes’ walk will take you to Ranjit Singh’s empire, some more will take you to the Mughal empire, and a mere turn of gaze will lead you into the Colonial times.” One such amalgamation of art, Colonialism, Sikh rule and Hindu architecture can be seen at Government Islamia Graduate College, Civil Lines. One may think that this is not really an amalgamation rather a clash of different regimes, but the argument is that this is a depiction of the true essence of Lahore. Be it the change of name of the college — from Dayanand Anglo Vedic College to Islamia College; or the point from where Bhagat Singh mistakenly shot John Saunders when he meant to kill the chief of police to avenge Lala Lajpat Rai; or the Sanskrit plaque which shows donations made to the college by Hindus and Sikhs; Lahore seems to have seen it all.
“Lahore ought to be seen as a palimpsest where a couple of minutes’ walk will take you to Ranjit Singh’s empire, some more will take you to the Mughal empire and a mere turn of gaze will lead you into the Colonial times.”
Some of the most striking structures are the samadhis of the women of Ranjit Singh’s family that stand tall alongside the college’s red building, depicting the marriage of Hindu, Sikh and Colonial architectures.
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hose of us who’ve grown up watching Bollywood have some favourite myths about history that whetted our excitement for the next stop in the Women of Lahore trail: the Tomb of Anarkali.
Many believe that she is a fictional character created by Imtiaz Ali Taj in 1922. Others talk of a beautiful nautch girl named Anarkali whose undying love for Prince Saleem actually led to her imprisonment. Then there are those who say she was allowed to slip away, on the condition that she’d never show up again. The best known Bollywood feature on the subject is Mughal-i-Azam, with the phenomenally beautiful Madhubala essaying the role of Anarkali.
The Lahore Ka Ravi team said something that enabled us to look at the story of Anarkali and her connection with Lahore in a much richer light: “A myth has a life of its own.”
Where Bollywood has given us love stories that are immortal in our hearts, it has also played with many stories in the name of creative liberty. Anyone who has watched Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s hit Netflix show, Heeramandi, would agree that it has no relevance to the actual Heera Mandi. From its architecture, which contrasts with the one depicted in the show, to the ideas of resilience, nobility and talent, a lot has been tampered with. The women have been reduced to mere seductresses.
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s Punjabis, messing up names does not come as a surprise to us. However, our next stop sure evoked some laughs. As we reached the Mariam Zamani mosque, near Masti Gate, we were told that the gate was originally called the Masjidi or Maseeti gate owing to the presence of this beautiful mosque. However, as time passed and colloquial language made its way in, the name became Masti Gate.
The Mariam Zamani mosque is named after a woman who is believed to be the wife of Mughal Emperor Akbar. It’s a small mosque, with stunning frescoes, that sits quietly hidden away in an otherwise bustling area of the city.
Our last stop was a bit of a surprise, as the team hadn’t told us about it. It turned out to be truly special. We were taken to the Bibian Pak Daman shrine. It is believed to be the shrine of Hazrat Bibi Ruqaiyya Bint-i-Ali, who is buried alongside five other women of the family. It is said that these women, fleeing persecution in Iraq were asked to go to Hind to preach the message of Islam. The women stood up to the tyrants and came to be revered.
Lahore Ka Ravi is doing a commendable job of walking common people through such historical places and characters.
Faaria Khan is a lecturer at LUMS and a human rights researcher. Her research interests lie at the intersection of education, gender and South Asian minorities