Buddhu's Tomb ( ur, ; ''"Buddhū kā muqbara"''), also known as Buddhu kā Āwā ( ur, ; ''"Buddhu's kiln"''), is a 17th-century tomb located in

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city. ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

. The tomb is traditionally attributed to that of a Lahore resident named ''Buddhu'', though research suggests the tomb was actually built for the wife of ''Khan-e-Dauran'' Bahadur Nusrat Jang. Some

Sikh Sikhs ( or ; pa, ਸਿੱਖ, ' ) are people who adhere to Sikhism, Sikhism (Sikhi), a Monotheism, monotheistic religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Gu ...

s regard the tomb to be a

gurdwara A gurdwara (sometimes written as gurudwara) (Gurmukhi: ਗੁਰਦੁਆਰਾ ''guradu'ārā'', meaning "Door to the Guru") is a place of assembly and worship for Sikhs. Sikhs also refer to gurdwaras as ''Gurdwara Sahib''. People from all faiths ...

built by ''Buddhu''.

Location

The tomb is located alongside the

Grand Trunk Road The Grand Trunk Road (formerly known as Uttarapath, Sarak-e-Azam, Shah Rah-e-Azam, Badshahi Sarak, and Long Walk) is one of Asia's oldest and longest major roads. For at least 2,500 years it has linked Central Asia to the Indian subcontinent. ...

, east of the

Walled City of Lahore The Walled City of Lahore (Punjabi language, Punjabi & ur, , ''"Inner City"''), also known as Old City, forms the historic core of Lahore, Pakistan. The city was established around 1000 CE in the western half of the Walled City, which was for ...

. The tomb is situated across the GT Road from the University of Engineering and Technology.

History

The tomb was built around 1641, and is traditionally ascribed to be the tomb of ''Buddhu'', son of ''Suddhu'' - a local brick maker who supplied bricks for several royal buildings in Lahore during the

Shah Jahan Shihab-ud-Din Muhammad Khurram (5 January 1592 – 22 January 1666), better known by his regnal name Shah Jahan I (; ), was the fifth emperor of the Mughal Empire, reigning from January 1628 until July 1658. Under his emperorship, the Mugha ...

period. Historical record suggests that the tomb was actually built for the wife of ''Khan-e-Dauran'' Bahadur Nusrat Jang - an ''amir'' of the Mughal royal court. The amir was himself was later buried in it following his death in 1643. In keeping with Mughal funerary tradition, the tomb was likely located in a garden which no longer survives. The site was used by Prince

Sher Singh Sher Singh (4 December 1807 – 15 September 1843) was the fourth Maharaja of the Sikh Empire. Elder of the twins of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, founder of the Sikh Empire and Maharani Mehtab Kaur. His reign began on 18 January 1840 following his ...

as his army's headquarters during his invasion of Lahore.

Architecture

The base level of the tomb is square shaped, and has an doorway in each side. Each doorway is flanked by a small recessed arch. Atop the base is an octagonal layer upon which the tomb's prominent dome is placed, measuring 32 feet in diameter. The tomb is decorated with glazed blue and yellow tile-work, laid primarily in floral designs. The tomb's dome is decorated with blue tile-work in a

chevron Chevron (often relating to V-shaped patterns) may refer to: Science and technology * Chevron (aerospace), sawtooth patterns on some jet engines * Chevron (anatomy), a bone * ''Eulithis testata'', a moth * Chevron (geology), a fold in rock lay ...

pattern.

Associated legend

The tomb has traditionally be ascribed to be the brick-kiln of ''Buddhu''. ''Buddhu's'' servants are said to have refused ''Abdul Haq'', a disciple of

Mian Mir Baba Sain Mir Mohammed Sahib (c. 1550 – 22 August 1635), popularly known as Mian Mir or Miyan Mir, was a famous Sindhi Sufi Muslim saint who resided in Lahore, specifically in the town of ''Dharampura'' (in present-day Pakistan). He was a d ...

, from warming himself at the brick kiln. Haq cursed the kiln, leading to its eventual decline. ''Buddhu'' was forced to atone for his sin, but the insult was considered so great that the kiln remained out of service thereafter. A

version of the legend asserts that ''Buddhu'' had refused to feed ''Bhai Kamliya'', and was later cursed by him until ''Buddhu'' was able to repent to

Guru Arjan Guru Arjan (Gurmukhi: ਗੁਰੂ ਅਰਜਨ, pronunciation: ; 15 April 1563 – 30 May 1606) was the first of the two Gurus martyred in the Sikh faith and the fifth of the ten total Sikh Gurus. He compiled the first official edition of th ...

before his business was restored. Sikhs assert that the tomb was actually built as part of a

Conservation

The site is protected by the ''Antiquities Act 1975''. The site was partially restored in 2014 by Dr. Abdul Rehman, with support from an alumni fund for

Fulbright scholars The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States Cultural Exchange Programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people of ...

, an
The United States Educational Foundation in Pakistan

Impact of Metro construction

The monument is situated along the planned route of the Orange Line of the

Lahore Metro Lahore Metro is an automated rapid transit system in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan and the first driverless metro in Pakistan. Three metro lines have been proposed, of which the Orange Line is operational. It is also Pakistan's first metro line sys ...

. Heritage campaigners submitted a petition to the

Lahore High Court The Lahore High Court () is based in Lahore, Pakistan. It was established as a high court on 21 March 1882. The Lahore High Court has jurisdiction over Punjab (Pakistan). The High Court's principal seat is in Lahore, but there are benches in th ...

as the planned metro line will pass close to Buddhu's Tomb, the

Shalimar Gardens Shalimar or Shalamar refers to three historic royal gardens (or Baghs) of the Mughal Empire in South Asia: * Shalimar Bagh, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India; built in 1619 * Shalimar Gardens, Lahore, Pakistan; a UNESCO World Heritage Site built in ...

, and nine other sites in the city in violation of the Punjab Special Premises Ordinance, 1985 and Antiquity Act, 1975.

Gallery

File:Gulabi_Bagh_Tomb6.JPG, The tombs interior is decorated with calligraphy File:Damaged dome of Tomb of Buddu.jpg, The underside of the tomb was decorated with ''ghalib kari'' to create a 3-dimensional pattern File:Bddha's Tomb wide view.jpg, The tomb stands upon a small brick

plinth A pedestal (from French ''piédestal'', Italian ''piedistallo'' 'foot of a stall') or plinth is a support at the bottom of a statue, vase, column, or certain altars. Smaller pedestals, especially if round in shape, may be called socles. In c ...

References

{{LahoreTopics Lahore Mughal tombs Architecture of Lahore Buildings and structures in Lahore Tourist attractions in Lahore Islamic architecture Indo-Islamic architecture