Naulakha Pavilion

Naulakha Pavilion
Naulakha Pavilion
General information
Type Public monument
Architectural style Mughal
Location Pakistan Lahore, Pakistan
Coordinates 31°35′23″N 74°18′47″E / 31.589827°N 74.313165°E / 31.589827; 74.313165
Construction started 1631
Completed 1633
Design and construction
Architect Wazir Khan
Civil engineer Abd al-Karim

The Naulakha Pavilion is a prominent white marble personal chamber with curvilinear roof, located besides the Sheesh Mahal courtyard, in the northern section of Lahore Fort in Lahore, Pakistan. The structure was originally inlaid with precious and semi-precious stones and overlooked the Ravi river. Today, it is one of the 21 monuments situated within the Lahore Fort, with its western façade providing a panoramic view of the ancient city of Lahore. In 1981, as part of the larger Lahore Fort Complex, it became inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Contents

Etymology

When the pavilion was built in 1633 by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan as a small summer house, it cost around 900,000 rupees, an exorbitant amount at the time.[1] It is called Naulakha because in Urdu language, the word means 'worth 9 lakhs rupees'.[2] This also brought the word Naulakha into common use to signify something precious.[3]

Another prominent example of similar use of name is Naulakha Temple in Deoghar, Baidyanathdham (Jharkhand).

History

The Lahore Fort was built in 1566 under the rule of Mughal emperor Akbar the Great on the location of an earlier mud-fort. The solid brick masonry complex was later extended and modified by subsequent emperors. Naulakha Pavilion is among the buildings that were erected or reconstructed between 1628 and 1634 under Shah Jahan's rule.[4] Due to his personal interest in the design and construction, Shah Jahan's architectural traditions manifest distinctive symmetry and hierarchical accents. Naulakha Pavilion is part of the Shah Burj block in the northwest section of the fort that was actually built by his predecessor Jahangir.[4]

In 1927, the building was listed by the Department of Archaeology of British India. In 1975, it was listed as a protected monument under the Antiquities Act by Pakistan's Department of Archaeology, whereas in 1981, as part of the larger Lahore Fort Complex, it became inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.[5]

More recently, the building and its materials have started showing signs of damage and discolouration due to the air pollution. The pollutants such as sulphur dioxide and other emissions, have already affected the white marble of the nearby Sheesh Mahal in the Lahore Fort Complex.[6]

Design

The pavilion is rectangular in shape, situated in the west of Sheesh Mahal, and is prominent because of its centrally arched and extraordinarily curved roof. This unique feature is symbolic of Shajahani architecture.[7] It reflects a mixture of contemporary traditions (at the time of its construction) of sloping-roof from Bengal, and Baldachin from Europe. This demonstrates the imperial as well as religious image of the subject.[8] The original roof was probably gilded.[9] The inner walls are minutely inlaid with precious and semi-precious stones[10] and silver with delicate parchin kari ornamentation are considered among the finest in the world.[9]Glazed tile mosaics have been used to decorate the spandrels of the arched openings with floral designs and images of angels, genies, and solomonic symbols.[11] The marble screens of the pavilion are crowned with merlons to prevent inmates being seen from the grounds in between the Fort and the river.[12] The overall quadrangle comprises private quarters for royal family[13] and closely resembles Agra fort.

Inspirations

Pakistan Embassy in Washington, D.C.

As a unique and impressive monument of Mughal architecture,[14] the building became a source of inspiration to Rudyard Kipling during his early days in Lahore. One of his novels is titled The Naulahka (sic), written in collaboration with Wolcott Balestier, the brother of his then-fiancée Caroline.[15] The novel is about a precious necklace, which is called the Naulahka. When Kipling settled in his house in Dummerston, Vermont, he named it Naulakha, after the pavilion.[16] To him, Naulakha symbolised the virtues, peacefulness, and solitude of the rural Vermont.[17]

The Naulakha Pavilion motif was used on the reverse of the Pakistani one rupee banknote, issued by the Government of Pakistan in 1964. The motif was subsequently replaced with the Tomb of Muhammad Iqbal in 1980s, until the one rupee Banknote was taken out of circulation in 2005.[18] The Pakistan Embassy building in Washington D.C. is partly modelled on the Naulakha Pavilion.

Gallery

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Rajput (1963), pp. 8-9
  2. ^ In the monetary system consolidated by Mughals across India, they adopted Indian numbering system, in which one lakh denotes 100,000 units.
  3. ^ Dogar (1995), p. 65
  4. ^ a b Koch (1991), p. 114
  5. ^ Khan (1997)
  6. ^ Khan, Shehar Bano (2004) Wither heritage? Dawn (newspaper). July 11. Retrieved on 12 March 2008
  7. ^ Koch (1991), p. 93
  8. ^ Asher (1992), p. 180
  9. ^ a b Lahore Fort Complex: Naulakha Pavilion at Archnet. Retrieved on 4 May 2008.
  10. ^ Turner (1996) p. 365
  11. ^ Chaudhry (1998), Asher (1992)
  12. ^ Khan (1997) p. 117
  13. ^ Fergusson (1967) p. 304
  14. ^ Wilber (1964) p. 195
  15. ^ Kaplan, Robert D. (1989) Lahore as Kipling Knew It. The New York Times. Retrieved on 8 March 2008
  16. ^ Kipling (1996). see p.36 and p.173
  17. ^ Naulakha (Kipling House) in rural Vermont. Retrieved on 8 March 2008
  18. ^ Naulakha Pavilion motif on reverse of One Rupee Pakistani Note in Purple and Blue at Reference Site for Islamic Banknotes. Retrieved on 4 May 2008

References

  • Asher, Catherine E G (1992) Architecture of Mughal India. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521267285
  • Burki, Shahid Javed (1991) Historical Dictionary of Pakistan. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 0810824116
  • Chaudhry, Nazir Ahmed (1998) Lahore: Glimpses of a Glorious Heritage . Sang-e-Meel Publications. ISBN 9693509447
  • Dogar, Muhammad Aasim (1995) Splendour of Lahore Fort. Ilm Dost Publishers.
  • Fergusson, James (1967) History of Indian and Eastern Architecture. Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers.
  • Haider, Zulqarnain (1978) Pietra Dura Decorations of Naulakha at Lahore Fort. (Mujallah-e-Taḥqĭq, Kullīyah-e-ʻUlūm-e-Islāmiyah va Adabiyāt-e-Sharqiyah). Faculty of Islamic and Oriental Learning University of the Punjab.
  • Khan, Ahmed Nabi (1997) Studies in Islamic Archaeology of Pakistan. Sang-e-Meel Publications. ISBN 9693507177
  • Kipling, Rudyard (1996) Writings on Writing. Cambridge University Press. 241 pages. ISBN 0521445272
  • Koch, Ebba (1991). Mughal Architecture: An Outline of Its History and Development, 1526-1858. Prestel. ISBN 3791310704
  • Rajput A B (1963) Architecture in Pakistan. Pakistan Publications
  • Taher, Muhammad (1997) Encyclopaedic Survey of Islamic Culture. Anmol Publications. ISBN 8174884874
  • Turner, Jane (1996) The Dictionary of Art. Grove. ISBN 1884446000
  • Wilber, Donald Newton (1964) Pakistan, Its People, Its Society. HRAF Press

External links


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Naulakha (Rudyard Kipling House) — U.S. National Register of Historic Places U.S. National Historic Landmark …   Wikipedia

  • Naulakha — (meaning worth 9 lakhs rupees in Urdu) may refer to: Naulakha Pavilion, a century arched chamber at Lahore Fort, Pakistan built for Shah Jahan in 1633 Naulakha Palace, a ruined 17th century palace in Gondal, India The Naulahka, a novel by Wolcott …   Wikipedia

  • Sheesh Mahal — Infobox Building building name = Sheesh Mahal native building name= |250px caption = former names = building type = Public monument architectural style = Mughal structural system = location = Flagicon|Pakistan Lahore, Pakistan owner = current… …   Wikipedia

  • Moti Masjid (Lahore) — Moti Masjid Basic information Location Lahore …   Wikipedia

  • Rudyard Kipling — Infobox Writer name = Rudyard Kipling caption =Kipling in his study, 1895 pseudonym = birthname = birthdate = birth date|1865|12|30|mf=y birthplace = Bombay, India deathdate = death date and age|df=yes|1936|1|18|1865|12|30 deathplace = Middlesex… …   Wikipedia

  • Lahore Fort — Infobox World Heritage Site WHS = Fort and Shalamar Gardens in Lahore State Party = PAK Type = Cultural Criteria = i, ii, iii ID = 171 Region = Asia Pacific Year = 1981 Session = 5th Danger = 2000 Link = http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/171The… …   Wikipedia

  • Hazuri Bagh — (Urdu: حضوری باغ) is a garden in Lahore, Pakistan, bounded by the Lahore Fort (east side), Badshahi Mosque (west side), the Samadhi of Ranjit Singh (north side) and the Roshnai Gate (south side). In the center stands the Hazuri Bagh Baradari,… …   Wikipedia

  • Mughal architecture — Taj Mahal at Agra, the epitome of Mughal Architecture Mughal architecture, an amalgam of Islamic, Persian[1][2], Turkish an …   Wikipedia

  • Shah Jahan — For other people named Shah Jahan, see Shah Jahan (disambiguation). Shah Jahan Shah Jahan on a globe from the Smithsonian Institution …   Wikipedia

  • Walled City of Lahore — The Walled City of Lahore, also known as the Old City , or Anderoon Shehr (اندرون شهر) , is the section of Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan that was fortified by a city wall during the Mughal era. Origins of Walled City of Lahore Our search for the… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”