CENTER FOR ART AND ARCHAEOLOGY

Sarai Nur Mahal is situated in a small town Nur Mahal, located on the Lohian Khas-Nakodar -Ludhiana line, in Jalandhar district. During the Mughal period this route was part of an important highway leading from Agra to Lahore. The sarai was commissioned by Nur Jahan, the most famous and prominent wife of Mughal Emperor Jahangir. It is regarded as the most magnificent sarai built during Jahangir’s time. This sarai stands out for its unconventional depiction of prolific realistic figures which were usually avoided by the abstract tastes of Islam and in the use of Hindu motifs such as dueling elephants, pairs of peacocks, and three-dimensional lotus flowers. The eastern and western sides of the Sarai are facilitated with imposing portals on either side that bear most of the decoration carved in sandstone on the facade. The sarai is square in design and had rooms on all the four sides for travellers; The northern wall has greatly altered due to many shops and offices that occupy this space now. The gateways are multileveled and have many rooms which would have accommodated the staff. The mosque of the sarai is in the northeast quarter of the courtyard standing on an elevated platform. The public-bath (Hummam) which was also constructed for the travellers on the east side of the mosque, survives today. The bath-building was modified later to suit the needs of a 20th century rest - house which was run in this building until the sarai complex was taken into the protection of the Archaeological Survey of India. Almost half of the sarai had worn down due to natural and man made devastations before it was taken over by ASI and the monument was restored.

Sarai Pukhta, Palwal

The sarai is a fortified enclosure, rectangular in plan form, where each corner terminates in a octagonal bastion. These bastions are covered by presence of a dome and inverted lotus moulding. Two gateways are present opposite each other on east and west sides of the enclosure. The gateway on the east is not in use and is bricked up. West gateway is double storied structure with a cusped arched marking the opening in the center, with large wood doors. The facade of the gateway is decorated with recessed niches arranged as panels on the both side of the arched opening. 26 square and single storied rooms are present on each side of the enclosure wall, around the courtyard, with a deep verandah in the front. Larger rooms are present in the middle of these rooms on the north and south direction, covered with domical vaults while all other rooms have flat ceilings. The enclosure is constructed of brick and left unplastered. A few ornate details in plaster can be observed at ceiling level of the gate. Exterior facade are adorned with decorative features like crenallations at the upper level. The structure has undergone several changes over the years and is now being used as a Tehsil Court.

Sarai Raja Todar Mal, Rajpura, Punjab

Taraori is a small town situated north of Delhi, on the Grand Trunk Road, in Karnal district of Haryana. At present only the sarai and a masonry tank on the southern side of the sarai survive. The gateways of the sarai are placed in its northern and southern walls. The gateways were three storeyed structure. While the southern gateway is still in a better condition, upper storeys of the northern gateway has crumbled. There are painted decorations still seen on the soffit of the larger entrance arch of the southern gateway. The main motif is a flower plant in a pot. The mosque of the sarai is in the south-western side and now accommodates a Gurudwara. At present the sarai is heavily inhabited by the families who migrated to these parts during the partition of India in 1947. Many tanks were built along the Agra-Lahore highway; some survive at Sikandra, Faridabad, Taraori, Sarai Banjara, and Raja Tala etc. Traditionally construction of the tank along with the sarai Taraori is attributed to Aurangzeb. It is a tank of large compass, rectangular in shape, enclosed with brick wall. This tank was filled with rainwater or maybe some water channel from a nearby stream or river.

Sarasvati Temple, Ablur