KHUKA ALSO NAMED AS NATAIN BAOLI/STEPWELL (2018)

Date of Visit:- 09-11-2018

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Inside View of landing/Stair Portion

Inside View of landing/Stair Portion

My acquaintance with Khuka Baoli came from website, ‘Stepwells Atlas” way back in 2015.  I visited Jhelum few times but could not able to visit this site due to always shortage of time. Also,  I was little bit baffled about the directions to reach my desired spot.  

However, I planned  my journey on the help of coordinates from Lahore and reached Rohtas fort. On outside front of Talaqi gate, Gurdwara Choa Sahib Site located, where Baba Guru Nanak is believed to have created water spring during one of his Udasi journeys.

A dirt road named ‘Shah Muhammad Shaheed’, running along the outer periphery of the fort and took westwards turn from Choa Shaib and crosses Kahan River to reach Rajopindi. Shah Muhammad Shaheed road is actually located on old Grand trunk road footprints. 

Rajopindi is another historical site, where a Mughal era Sarai is located. I could not stop here because of shortage of time.
On further travelling on same road in north direction, we reached at junction of Gattar-Dina Road. On left side of this junction a small village named Natain is located and on right side Khuka Village is located. Our desired site is located on ancient GT road that passes between these two villages roughly 850 meters from Gattar-Dina Road. Interestingly the step well is famous by two names “Khuka Baoli” and “Natain Baoli” derived from these villages.

Google Earth imagery showing Natain and Khuka village along the stepwell

At last, we reached to this site; Stepwells usually consist of two parts: a vertical shaft from which water is drawn and the surrounding inclined subterranean passageways, chambers and steps which provide access to the well.

The inclined landing portion has width equal to 5.38 meters and length 28.66 meters. The last buried tunnel portion is 4.00 meter in length. The diameter of vertical shaft (well) was roughly 6 meters.
The Step well, vertical shaft is converted into pumping stations by locals.

The well is used as a pumping Station

Google Earth imagery

Vertical Shaft/ Well

Sadly, no historical document and proof have been found about this structure, which could helpful in approximation of time period of this construction. Step well, Gujarati (vav), Hindi (baoli or baori), subterranean edifice and water source, an architectural form that was long popular throughout India.

However, it is believed that the present Baoli is constructed in Mughal period of somewhat reign of Emperor of Akbar or Jahangir.

 On return, we took Gattar Dina road, and have to cross under this r British era passage  

  

Wazir Khan's Baradari

18-08-2018

Wazir Khan's Baradari is one of the finest and largest of the genre, and is in well preserved state. It is perched between the Punjab Public Library (PPL), National College of Arts (NCA) and the Lahore Museum and is approached from the Punjab Public Library Road. It has been put to good use as a reading room for the adjoining library and is therefore considered a part of the library.

The building is named after its founder Hakim Ilmuddin titled Wazir Khan, the same grandee of Shah Jahan's court who gifted the city of Lahore with such sumptuous monuments as Wazir Khan's Mosque and Wazir Khan's Hammam, also known as Shahi Hammam, in the Walled City.

The chronicles record how Wazir Khan, after having completed his spectacular mosque, turned his attention to laying out a fine garden—a garden which became known as Wazir Khan's Nakhlia Garden because of the large number of date-palm trees. In the middle of the Nakhlia Garden he built an elegant baradari, which has carried his name to this day.

The baradari (lit. twelve openings) was so titled because of a sehdara centre and flanking deeply-inset arched openings or peshtaq on each side of the square, resulting in 12 dars or doorways openings. The two storey pavilion-like structure is dominated by four corner belvedere towers, terminated by sloping chajjas (eaves) and capped by cupolas. It is surrounded by pools on all four sides containing fountains which would have provided misty breeze to its occupants in the hot Lahori summers.

As in the case of Anarkali's tomb, this monument also has undergone extensive alterations having served varied functions: as part of Sikh and British cantonments, as the Settlement and Telegraph office, and also as a museum. Its use as Punjab Public Library, was lauded by Latif: "A nobler aim it could not have served. The founder of the building was himself a patron of learning and a profound scholar, and the association of his name with an institution pregnant with such significant results for the rising generation of the Punjab may be regarded as a happy coincidence."