Site Name: Sirhind
Date: ca. 1605-1658 CE
Subject: Part 2, five arched bridge supported by cylindrical piers
CENTER FOR ART AND ARCHAEOLOGY
The bridge at Sirhind is a Mughal-period
masonry bridge located approximately 4 km north-west of Sirhind town, on the
road leading to Fatehgarh Sahib district of Punjab, near the historic Aam Khas
Bagh. Built of brick and lime mortar, the bridge comprises three sections
articulated by a series of pointed arches resting on broad piers with
cutwaters. Although traditionally attributed to either Jahangir or Shah Jahan,
architectural and contextual evidence suggests a date not later than 1634 CE when
Shah Jahan made substantial additions to the Aam Khas Bagh. The bridge is unprotected
and continues to span the seasonal Sirhind choa (rivulet), which drains the
surrounding landscape during the monsoon.
