Mughal Serai is a

caravanserai A caravanserai (or caravansary; ) was a roadside inn where travelers ( caravaners) could rest and recover from the day's journey. Caravanserais supported the flow of commerce, information and people across the network of trade routes covering ...

situated at village Shambhu on Sher Shah Suri Marg, near

Rajpura Rajpura () is a city in Patiala district in the Indian state of Punjab, India, situated along the border of the Indian state of Haryana. It is located 26 KM Patiala city, towards East from District Head Quarter. It is Tehsil Head Quarter. Rajp ...

at .

History

The serai was built during Sher Shah Suri's reign along with many others caravanserais during the construction of Grand Trunk Road in the 16th century. It provided shelter to travelers on the journey between

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. ...

and

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...

. Sher Shah paid great attention to the development of the means of communication and transportation. His name is intimately associated with the construction of roads and highways on a large scale. The longest of his roads was the one running from Sunargaon to the Indus. Besides this, there were many other important roads which were so dexterously planted that they linked almost all the strategic cities of the empire to the Imperial Capital. Of them, three deserve specific mention at this place: (1) from Agra to Burhanpur, (2) from Agra via Bianah to the borders of Marwar, and (3) from Lahore to Multan. On both sides of these roads shady trees were planted and at intervals serais were constructed for the comfort and convenience of travellers. Each of the serais had a well, a mosque and a garden in it. It was looked after by a set of officers, viz., r *a,h Imam, a Mu'azzin and some watermen, appointed by the State* Inside.

Preserved landmark

It has been well-maintained by the Punjab Archaeology Department as a tourist spot.

References

Buildings and structures in Punjab, India Mughal caravanserais Ruins in India Tourist attractions in Patiala Caravanserais in India {{India-struct-stub

History

Preserved landmark

See also

References