Serai Amanat Khan’s connection with Taj

Manmeet Singh Gill

Tribune News Service

Tarn Taran, September 4

About 20 km from the Attari check post where thousands from across the country throng to witness the ‘beating the retreat’ ceremony every day, lies in oblivion the mausoleum of Amanat Khan Shirazi, official calligrapher the Taj Mahal.

The specimens of the legendary calligrapher’s work can still be seen inside the ‘masjid’ at Serai Amanat Khan, an old and dilapidated rest house of the Mughal era built on the old Grand Trunk Road constructed by Sher Shah Suri which passed through Tarn Taran.

Even as Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has been carrying out its renovation and conservation for decades, most residents of the nearby villages are not aware of the place’s connection with the Taj Mahal.

Amanat Khan Shiraji, an Iranian with original name Abdul Haq, was the brother of Afzal Haq who rose to become the prime minister of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. Shirazi, after his death, was buried alongside the serai which he built during his lifetime.

The building was declared a national monument through the gazette notification Number PN 19571, dated June 25, 1928.

Owing to the slow pace of restoration, the ASI has so far managed restructuring of two-storied gateways with arched entrances, portions of cells for travellers, the masjid, the central verge connecting two entrances and a few other areas.

Most part of the building is still in a shambles with roofs of many structures missing. While many of the illegal occupants who converted the portions of building into their residences have left, some are still reluctant.

“Notices have been served on the occupants to vacate the property. Work is still going on as much needs to be done,” said an official of the ASI.

The dimensions of the Serai Amanat Khan as identified by the ASI are eastern side-187 metre, western side 170 metre, northern side 165 metre and southern side 165 metre.

Place for traders to rest

The serai (rest house) was the place where traders and officials of the darbar rested for night during their travel from Lahore to Delhi. The empire had constructed serais after every few kilometres on the trade route from Lahore to Delhi. The nearest serai in the east direction was at Noor-Deen-Ke village on the outskirts of Tarn Taran town and in west at Rajatal near Attari. While structures of Noor-Deen-Ke are still visible, the one at Rajatal has completely vanished.