CENTER FOR ART AND ARCHAEOLOGY

The Sarai, Shahabad is a Mughal-period caravansarai or rest house located east of the Old Grand Trunk Road in Shahabad, Kurukshetra district, Haryana, near the banks of the Markanda River. Although the exact date of construction is uncertain, the sarai predates 1626 CE and is associated with historical accounts involving Mahabat Khan and later Sikh occupation under Banda Bahadur in the early eighteenth century. Built of lakhori bricks, rubble masonry, and lime mortar, the structure originally had north and south gateways and an internal well, but much of its original fabric has been lost or altered. Today, the sarai has been transformed into a densely inhabited residential settlement known as ‘Kila Sikkhan,’ with parts of the gateways adapted for domestic use and a Gurudwara established within the complex. The monument is currently managed by members of the local Gurudwara committee.

The Shahi Baoli at Hodal, Palwal district, Haryana, is a Mughal-period stepwell built before 1611 CE. Constructed of rubble masonry and lime mortar, it was designed to provide access to groundwater through a stepped passage. Today, the stairway leading down to the stepwell is partly buried under garbage.

A Mughal-period public bathhouse located in the Chipitola area in Agra district of Uttar Pradesh. Constructed around 1620 CE during the reign of Emperor Jahangir, the hammam is attributed to Allah Verdi Khan. The term shahi, meaning royal, suggests an association with elite use. Built of lakhori bricks, sandstone, and lime mortar, the structure is oriented towards the northeast and is accessed through a central arched entrance in a double-storeyed eastern gateway. It was unprotected at the time of photography in 2025 and partly reused for storage and habitation, placing it under threat from ongoing urban pressure.

This step well (baoli) is well known as 'choron ki baoli' (thiefs' step well). It is located approximately half a kilometer from Meham on the Bhiwani-Meham road in Mohalla Kishangarh. It is one of the finest and the best preserved step-wells in Haryana. According to an inscription on the well, it was built by Saidu Kala, a chobdar to Emperor Shah Jahan in 1658-59 AD. The baoli, an elaborate structure of brick and kankar block, has one hundred one steps in three stages, separated by landings, leading to water level. At the end of flights of steps, is the circular well. The subsidiary staircases built within the thickness of the walls provide access to the landings. The step-well is currently surrounded by local dwellings.

The palace currently aligns the main market of the town like other monuments of the area. Built by Faujdar Khan in 1733, Sheesh Mahal complex consists of the main building and some small structures with a landscaped garden. This complex is approached by a flight of steps within a cusped arched gateway into a garden with interesting water channels and pool set within the garden. Sheesh Mahal is a double storeyed building made in local stone, slate and lime. The building is rectangular in plan with two staircases at both sides to access the first floor level. Flat wooden ceiling resting on beams span the interiors of the Mahal. The facade is adorned with arched openings and continuous peripheral stone brackets. The structures on the side of the palace and floor above the entrance block exhibit 19th century Colonial features and interventions from the British times.