The Chitta Gate ( ur, ; ''"White Gate"'') is a gateway located in 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 ...

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 ...

, dating from 1650. The gate was once the

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. ...

's original "Delhi Gate," and the city's main entry-point.

Etymology

The gate derived its current name from the white lime plaster which once covered its façade.

Location

The gate is on the ''Shahi Guzargah'' ("Royal Passage") route that connects the

Lahore Fort The Lahore Fort ( ur, , lit=Royal Fort, translit=Shāhī Qilā, label=Punjabi language, Punjabi and Urdu) is a citadel in the city of Lahore, Pakistan. The fortress is located at the northern end of Walled City of Lahore, walled city Lahore, a ...

to the Delhi Gate. The gate opens onto the

Wazir Khan Chowk The Wazir Khan Chowk ( ur, ) is a town square located in the Walled City of Lahore, Pakistan that is located at the main entrance of the Wazir Khan Mosque. Location Wazir Khan Chowk is located at the main entrance to the Wazir Khan Mosque, and i ...

and is situated between the elaborately decorated

Wazir Khan Mosque ; ''Masjid Wazīr Khān'') is a 17th-century mosque located in the city of Lahore, capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab. The mosque was commissioned during the reign of the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan as a part of an ensemble of buildings tha ...

, and the

Shahi Hammam The Shahi Hammam (Urdu and pa, ; ''"Royal Baths"''), also known as the Wazir Khan Hammam, is a Turkish bath, Persian-style bath which was built in Lahore, Pakistan, in 1635 Common era, C.E. during the reign of Emperor Shah Jahan. It was built by ...

. The gateway is adjacent to the

Well of Dina Nath The Well of Dina Nath ( ur, ) was intended to be a water well in the Wazir Khan Chowk in Lahore, Pakistan. The well's construction by in the 19th century by a Sikh nobleman sparked controversy, given its location in the immediate vicinity of the ...

, and the shrine of ''Syed Sūf''.

History

The gateway was built in 1650, during the reign of Mughal Emperor

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 ...

. The gate served as Lahore's original Delhi Gate, but was replaced by the modern Delhi Gate, about 100 metres east of the current gateway. The gate served as the main entry gate to Lahore during the Mughal era.

Gallery

File:Chitta Gate (WCLA).jpg, Lahore's Chitta Gate is on the ''Shahi Guzargah'' route, and fronts the

File:00-Chitta (White ) Gate @ibnazhar 2016 (2).jpg, The interior of the gate is formed by a small chamber

References

{{Walled City of Lahore Gates of Lahore