CENTER FOR ART AND ARCHAEOLOGY

Sarai Lashkar Khan is a late Mughal caravansarai or rest house located near Kot Panaich in Ludhiana district of Punjab, approximately 300 metres southwest of the Grand Trunk Road. An inscription on the eastern gateway records its construction in 1080 AH (1669–70 CE) by Lashkar Khan, a Mughal military general under Emperor Aurangzeb. Built of lakhori bricks with red sandstone and lime mortar, the sarai is planned as a square enclosure with double-storied gateways, octagonal bastions, rows of cells, a mosque in the southern half of the courtyard, and two wells. The monument is protected by the Department of Cultural Affairs, Archaeology and Museums, Punjab and survives in generally good condition, set within an open rural landscape, with minor surface weathering and vegetation growth visible.

Sarai Lashkar Khan is situated 12 km to the west of Khanna, on the National Highway 1/Grand Trunk Road in the district of Ludhiana. According to the inscription on its eastern gateway the sarai was erected by Lashkar Khan, a Mughal Military General, during the reign of Emperor Aurangzeb, in 1669-70 AD. This sarai is also made of bricks. The sarai maintains an aesthetic restraint unlike the other ones in this route perhaps characteristic of the religious views of Aurangzeb. Another distinct feature of this sarai is the absence of bastions in the middle of the northern and the southern walls and the arrangement of rooms in the interior, corresponding to this portion. The central arched portal, which is of stone, is flanked by two storeys of triple openings. At the top of each gateway runs an inscription engraved on white marble slabs. The courtyard of the sarai has 30 rooms on each side i.e. 15 on either side of the gateways and an equal number on each side of the central higher compartments in the northern and the southern walls. The mosque is located in the southern part of the courtyard. Its domes are damaged. There are two wells in the sarai which is being used for irrigation of the entire land which has been converted as a farm for past many years. A kos minar is also located nearby. The sarai is currently in a dilapidated condition. The inner courtyard around which the rooms are located serve as farmland.

Sarai Nurmahal is a Mughal-period rest house located to the south of Nurmahal town in Jalandhar district of Punjab. An inscription records its construction between 1028–1030 AH (1618–21 CE) under the patronage of Nur Jahan Begum, through her governor, Nawab Zakariya Khan. Planned as a square enclosure with octagonal corner bastions, the sarai features a monumental western gateway richly carved with figural, floral, and geometric motifs, as well as a mosque and a hammam within the courtyard. Today, the monument is under the Archaeological Survey of India (Chandigarh Circle) with portions adapted for public use.

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.