Sarai Amanat Khan, Takht-i-Akbari to be tourist attractions: Sidhu

Charanjit Singh Teja

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, January 7

The Department of Tourism and Cultural Affairs will develop Sarai Amanat Khan and Takht-i-Akbari, Kalanaur, as tourist spots under the Mughal circuit in the region. Navjot Singh Sidhu, Minister for Tourism and Cultural Affairs, said the detailed project reports (DPRs) had been prepared under two separate circuits i.e. Mugal and Sufi.

Under the Mugal circuit, the Central Government will release funds to preserve the Sarai Amanat Khan and the coronation platform of Mughal emperor Akbar at Kalanaur town. Both sites are protected under the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) but not on the tourist map.

Sidhu claimed that the government would develop infrastructure for tourists. “The Central Government provides funds for the preservation and development of historical sites. The state government in the past never approached the Centre under theses circuits. Now I have taken an inattentive and the government has given nod to several projects in the state. The detail project reports have been submitted and funds are expected soon,” he said.

Takht-i-Akbari, the coronation platform of Mughal emperor Jalal-ud-din Mohammad Akbar, is situated at Kalanaur town. According to history, the coronation ceremony of 14-year-old Akbar was performed by Mughal military commander Bairam Khan at Kalanaur in 1556 after the death of Humayun, father of Akbar. It is said during that time the town spread widely and close to the main town, but now it falls in the fields, away from the town.

Meanwhile, Sarai Amanat Khan was built by Persian calligrapher Amanat Khan, who is also credited with inscribing verses from the Koran on the Taj Mahal. Two gateways, Lahori Darwaza and Dilli Darwaza, flank a large open courtyard that houses a mosque, a well and a makeshift stable.

These monuments have been declared to be of national importance under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains (AMASR) Act, 1958, but it seems that the authorities concerned are least interested in the maintenance of the protected sites.

Sidhu claimed that some Sufi shrines would also add to the tourism map and developed under Sufi Circuit.