Thursday 20 April 2017

Grand Trunk Road & Stepwell/Baoli of Brahmnabad

The orientation of GT road after Amirstar is not same as it is now days it passes along the Shah nahar and cross Manahala. But in that path Ranjeet Singh has to take a turn for reaching to Amirtsar. So, he constructed a road from Amirtsar to Lahore fort of straight orientation.

Three years back, we have visited one of the two last standing KOS Minar in outskirts of Lahore near Manhala village. KOS Minar or Mile Pillars are medieval milestones that were made by the 16th century Afghan Ruler Sher Shah Suri and later on by Mughal emperors. Well most of us who got interest in historical architectures of Lahore, knows that one of the remains of KOS Minar located in Gari Shahu area of Lahore. 

The GT road which go by from Manhala in past also passes through Sarai Amanat Khan, Burj Raja Tal in Amirtsar District and crosses purani Bhaini Minhala, Cancanna Sarai, Brahmanabad mehfuzpura and then reaches Gari Shahu; from Gari Shahu to Chowk Dara Shikoh and finally enters in Delhi Darwaza. This road was actually Badshahi road  built by Mughal Emperor Jhangir. But in Raja Ranjit Singh times this road was totally neglected  and  Mahraja built a new road connecting Amritsar to Lahore via Dhanoa Kalan village Pul Kanjari.

Wandering on this vanished rout, some year’s back I found remains of an old Mughal era mosque. We also found there some graves of old Nanak Shahi bricks in Bhaini village.

Luckily, I also have come across the ruins of a bridge in Mohla Gujjarpura near Lakho Dehar, Ferozwala Tehsil it is also believed that it was part of the GT Road in the Mughal era.

In the book, ‘The Silkroads Highway and Culture’ by Vadime Elisseeff, he describe about the “Baoli of Brahmanabad” (Source Dr. Saifur Rahman Dar).
“From Manhala of Khan-i-Khana, the road used to go to Brahmanabad, where an interesting baoli with a small pavilion is now in very poor state and will soon be filled in if no remedial action is taken”


I able to find that place a month back, there is also a tomb of Mughal era present in vicinity. The condition of structure is really miserable and soon will be vanished forever.