CENTER FOR ART AND ARCHAEOLOGY

Sarai Shambhu is a Mughal-period caravansarai or rest house located at Shambhu in Patiala district of Punjab, approximately 100 metres north of the old Grand Trunk Road. Although no inscription records its patronage, architectural evidence suggests that the sarai was constructed in the first quarter of the seventeenth century, likely during the reign of Jahangir. Built primarily of lakhori bricks set in lime mortar, the sarai is planned as a rectangular fortified enclosure with double-storied gateways on the east and west, octagonal corner bastions, and semi-circular bastions reinforcing the northern and southern walls. Rows of traveller cells line the interior, and a mosque raised on a platform occupies the central area of the enclosure. The monument is protected by the Department of Cultural Affairs, Archaeology and Museums, Punjab and survives in good condition, with minor surface deterioration and signs of vandalism visible in places.

This Mughal-period sarai or rest house is located in the centre of Sultanpur Lodhi, to the south of the Kali Bein river and east of the Sultanpur–Kapurthala road in Kapurthala district of Punjab. Although it bears no inscription, stylistic features place its construction in the seventeenth century, likely during the reign of Shah Jahan (r. 1628-58). Built of lakhori bricks set in lime mortar, the sarai originally comprised a rectangular enclosure with corner bastions, a monumental northern gateway, traveller cells, wells, and a mosque within the courtyard. The monument is protected by the Department of Cultural Affairs, Archaeology and Museums, Punjab and survives in a heavily altered state, with only fragments of the original structure remaining. A portion of the sarai was being used as a police station and as a dumping ground for scrap vehicles.