Every time one visits the Lahore Fort, and as one walks through the Sheesh Mahal, that Mughal wonder of mirrors, to one side is an inconspicuous door that remains permanently locked. Just what is behind that door? That was a question that has now been answered - to some extent.

Several events over time have fueled my imagination that, for reasons I know not, just what existed before this Mughal era brick fort, recreated over the earlier fort of rulers over the last 3,000 years, mud-walled that they surely were.

Let me mention a few events that one could not find answers to, not even in the finest history books. The first event certainly worth mentioning is the 1956 Diwan-e-Aam archaeological dig carried out by the Archaeological Department and their British counterparts. Then comes the 2022 south-eastern fort wall collapse and how they restored it. Then there was the 2018 water drainage problems that started once a ‘modern drainage’ system was installed to replace the surely efficient ancient one. There are other examples too, but then nothing surpasses the ‘rumour’ that secret tunnels from secret doors helped the rulers escape trouble within.

The 1959 Dewan-e-Aam dig went to 50 feet and covered several layers. A mention of earlier buildings was first mentioned in the Hadood-e-Alam written before 982 AD by an unknown historian. The discovery of seven layers of housing and the lowest being timed by carbon-dating as being 4,500 years old, got famous British archaeologists interested in wanting further research on Lahore and its ancient walled city. Sadly, that has never been carried out. To add to this was an accidental mud vessel find in Mohallah Maullian inside Lohari Gate, which was carbon-dated at 3,450 years old. So came forth the theory that people from flood-ravaged Harappa had moved to the mounds of Lahore, seven in total, for safety. But let us concentrate on the Lahore Fort. The 2022 south-eastern wall collapse was purely the result of official negligence as the ‘modern’ water system started accumulating water behind the wall. The result was a wall collapse. But then behind the wall and the supporting mud there were signs of tunnels and eventually rooms and beautiful halls. What was this? It seems that in the Akbar era, and most likely even earlier, deep rooms to shield the rulers from the heat was a large complex structure. Tunnels led to other rooms, which the authorities, for understandable reasons, kept the public at bay as they worked on restoring and conserving what existed.

One learns from reliable archaeological experts that the possibility of very ancient structures existing below the Lahore Fort. So, in common parlance there are more than two forts below the existing one. Now this is an amazing discovery that with time will propel Lahore to the forefront of world archaeological wonders. Recently, the WCLA [Walled City of Lahore Authority] opened a hall below the Sheesh Mahal, where meetings and dinners are to be held. One has already taken place. In my books, this is a gross violation of the Unesco rules for ancient monuments, for such events tend to, slowly, destroy the monument itself. A visit to the place clearly shows this.

Below the Sheesh Mahal, according to an official, is a so-called ‘Summer Palace’, in which exist drains and water pools, let alone beautiful walls. The plan is to convert this place into a Museum-cum-Visitors Information Centre. But what is even more disturbing is that sacks full of ancient documents collected by the Archaeological Department, and taken over by the WCLA, have been thrown into a room.

One learns that the room has not been sprayed for prevention of insects and rodents. The already damaged ancient archives, like the ones in the Punjab Secretariat Archives now lying in an old horse stable, continue to deteriorate. In my books, this is a national tragedy of a people, collectively illiterate with the world’s lowest spending on education, especially its semi-literate leadership, more interested in power and money than knowing their history. The central question of this discourse is that will the experts and consultants and the WCLA itself bring forth evidence of earlier Lahore Fort structures, or part-structures. Will we be able to witness evidence of what the fort was during the Mubarak Shahi era, for he rebuilt the damaged fort in no small measure. To claim that nothing of that era exists at all is bizarre, and not true. Surely somewhere something exists, and it must be found.

Then there is the great Chaach ruler Bhandara who ruled Lahore for a massive 75 years, dying at the age of 93. He allegedly, so history books, popular and scientific, inform us that he stood on the Lahore Fort wall and ordered building a great Fire Temple. This amazing temple was destroyed by Mahmud, the Turko-Afghan invader in 1021. This temple, so popular imagination claims was Zoroastrian, but Indian experts claim it was a massive gold-guilted temple to the deity Agni. The Afghan looter probably was more interested in the gold, not to forget the slaves of Lahore which he sold in faraway markets. The location is this temple seems to be where today stands the old waterworks of the walled city. But where did Bhandara stand? Are there any traces of his wall, or rooms, or residence? It seems the new findings being discovered might come up with more answers. This brings us to the Temple of Lav! The existence of Lav and Kash, after whom allegedly are named Lahore and Kasur, needs a lot of imagination to believe. But then inside the Lahore Fort is the Temple of Lav. It is at the lowest point inside the fort. This means that over time the mud surface of Lahore and its fort has risen. To this extent we must learn from the experience of the Shahi Hamam inside Delhi.

When the Aga Khan Trust for Culture started working on this monument, inside which the Punjab government held wedding receptions, they discovered that the ‘hammam’ floors were 12 feet below the current outer ground level. This means that every 30 years the dust from the environment raises the ground surface by approximately a foot. If you notice the very old houses of Lahore, they all seem to be built at a lower level. In their days they were fine, only the ground surface keeps rising. The best example would be of the ‘Neevin Masjid’ in Kucha Dogran inside Lohari Gate. It was built in the 1460 AD in the Lodi Period. It is today 25 feet below the outer ground surface. So, over 560 years the ground level has risen by 25 feet. That in a way dates the Temple of Lav. The point is that over time the inner ground surface inside the Lahore Fort has risen. The question is has this ‘dusted down’ the ancient portions of the fort? Maybe - maybe not. But then as new ancient portions of the Lahore Fort emerge, one hope they will not only be properly conserved, and or rebuilt if needed, they must also be explained. We need to know our history.

Published in Dawn, October 13th, 2024