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During the successive reigns of Khilji and Tughlaq dynasties, spanning over a perion of about 126 years, lahore does not appear so prominently in the political history of the times. The Mughals continued on sprees of invasions of the surrounding areas. It was during this period that a number of Mughals settled near the town of Lahore, where their inhabitated quarters came to be known as Mughalpura.
Originally the son of a Turk slave of ghias-ud-din Balban, shazi khan laid the foundation of the ruling dynasty of the tughlaq kings 1321-1414 when he ascended the throne in 1321 under the title of ghias-ud-din Tughlaq.
On the death of Mahmud Tughlaq in 1412, syed Khizr khan marched over delhi and after expelling the former s successor, ascended the throne. During the reign of syeds for abnout sixty six years lahore did not enjhoy andy place of prominence in the political scenario.
Badar had hardly crossed the Indus when Dowlat khan, coming from the hill-country, advanced to dipalput. The emperor, on lhis fifth and last excursion, subjugating the area, without entering lahore which came well in lhis control, marched on the delhi where in panipat he defeated Ibrahim lodhi to lay the foundation of Mughal rule in Hindustan. It was on 20the April, 1526.
During the Mughal rule, especially in the reigns of the early emperors, lahore once again gained importance4 and served as a place of royal residence. This period saw it becoming the seat of learning to which were attracted men of letters from places like Bukhara, Samarkand etc. It also witnessed its golden period of material abundance when fine gardens were laid out, remarkable feat in cnal digging achieved, spacious mosques built, caravan serais and palaces constructed, thus giving impetus to its architecture unmatched in any age of its long history.
Three days after the death of Badar, his son Humayun ascended the throne in the city of Agra on 29th december, 1530. Kamran, his brother, Whod held Kabul and Qandhar at that time covertly tried his luck at the throne but could not succeed, even with intrigues, beyond claiming Lahore, and then whole of Punjab as far aa Sutlej. The emperor being of a mild disposition, confirmed his brother in his government of Kabul, Qandhar and Punjab.
After his defeat at Kannauj at the hands of Sher Shah Suri, Emperor Humayun fled with his brothers Hindal and Askeri and sought refuge at Lahore. As Kamran had made peace with Sher Shah by ceding Punjab to him, Humayun, with the imperia; family, was compelled to quit and cross the Ravi on 31st October,1540. The Mirza separted from the Emperor near Hazara and His Majesty proceeded to Sindh in search of help to regain his lost empire.
Sher Shah suri who had pursued the emperor from Agra, through Punjab, laid the foundation of a fort at Rohtas in the GAkkhar areas to meet any eventualityu should Humayun join hands with his brothers and try his luck again.
In January, 1555 Humayun crossed the Indus after an exile of over fourteen years. He met with no resistance and entered Lahore. After making appointments for the administration of the city and the province of Punjab, he marched on to Sirhind.
On the death of Humayun in 1556, his son Jalal-ud-din Akbar who was then only therteen, ascended the throne. He was at the time encamped at Kalanor during an excursion against Sikander Shah Suri. After his accession, the first important event that lahore witnessed was the capture, and then escape, of its Governot, Shah Abu'l Ma,ali.
The Emperor arrived at lahore during the second year of his reign and stayed here for four months and fourteen days. It was during this time that one of his ablest administrators of the later years, Abdul Rahim Khan-e-Khanan, was born at lahore in the house of his tutor and famous General, Bairam Khan.
After his victorious march on Kabul in 1579 the Emperor held feasts and great rejoicing in the capital of Punjab on his return journey. The Daulat Khana-e-Aam, or the Halls of Public Audience, which consisted of one hundred and fourteen porticos, was especially decorated for the festivities. Akbar marched towards Fatehpur in the following year.
In the thirty-fourth regnal year, when Akbar went to Kashmir, he left Todar Mal Khatri the famous financier and revenue accountant, in charge of Lahore. Todar Mal hadbeen raised to the rank of Wazir of the empire int hrte twenty-second year of the reign of Akbar and was made governor of Punjab after he was given the rank of Seven Thousand. Hew died in Lahore in 1581 ,In the following year also in Lahore died Urfi, the great poet of Akbar,s court.
Akbar made Lahore his headquarters for fourteen year, from 1584 to 1598. It was from here that he conducted his military operations against Kashmir, planned wars with north-eastern Afghans, undertook the conquest of Sindh and qandhar and managed his campaigns against the yousafzais.
The Emperor Akbar married his son, Prince Saleem, to the daughter of Rai Singh at Lahore in the thirty-first year of his reign.
Akbar seemed to have deverloped notions of religious liberality during his long stay at Lahore. He also erected two buildings outside the city for feeding poor Hindus and Muslims, one of which he called Dharampura and other Khairpura. At a later stage a separate receiving-house was added for jogis, and given the name of Jogipura.
Akbar revived the old persian festival of Nauroz in honour of the sun, which he adored at the time of its rising when he appeared daily in the jharaka, or balcony window, of the palace to be worshipped as an embodiment of the deity.
The Emperor partiality was not confined to any particular religion,. He was courteous to the Christians as well. At the earnest requestrr of the Emperor, the portuguese government at Goa sent missionaries to his court at Lahore, in 1595. Their hopes, however, did not realize and they eventually left for Goa, His son and successor, Jahangir, was more liberal. He allowed Portuguese Jesuits to establish a mission and build a church and school at lahore. He also appointed stipend for the priests. Shahjahan, Emperor Jahangir s son and successor, being a strict Muslim stopped these pensions and demolished the church.
Lahore was also visited around 1584 by four Englishmen-Newbury, fitch, Storey and Leeds-members of a company in Turkey. It was also here on 5th October, 1595 that a Jewel of Akbar s court , Faizi died.
Prince Saleem ascended the throne at Agra in 1606 and assumed the title of Jahangir. Six months later, his eldest son, khusrow,broke into open rebellion and fled to Lahore, to which he laid siege. The prince was overpowered and brought to the court in fetters. His life was spared but the rebel grandees and the army espousing with Khusrow were eliminated after horrible punishment.
The fourth Sikh Guru, Guru Arjan, was placed in confinement at lahroe, for conspiring against the Emperor in the same rebellion. He died of rigours of imprisonment, thought his followers attribute his extinction to a miracle.
Jahangir was fond of Lahore, and held his court here on his way to Kabul and Kashmir. In the following year he was met here by the Amirs of Iraq and Khorasan , the envoy of Persia, and the agent of the Sharif of Makka.'
In the fifth regnal year Jahangir appointed Sheikh Farid Bokhari as governor of Punjab. He built at lahore a mohallah after hisname, a large bath and a chowk, or square.
In the fifteenth year of his reign, Emperor Jahangir visited the new palace of prince Khurram. Lahore also witnessed great rejoicing the same year when the son Prince Shahr Yar, the fifth son of the Emperor, was married to the daughter of Nurjahan by Ali quli Beg.
In the twenty-second year of his reign, the Emperor fell ill in Kashmir. He was on his way to Lahore when he died at Fajauri in 1628. In accordance with his will, his body was sent to Lahore and buried in thegarden of Nurjahan.
For 200 years, beginning from about 1525 a.d, Lahore was a thriving cultural centre of the great Mughal Empire. Mughal Emperors beautified Lahore with palaces, gardens and mosques. During the British regime, many monuments in Lahore which blended beautifully with the Mughal, Gothic and Victorian styles of archifecture.
Lahore is the second largest city of Pakistan and the provincial capital of Punjab. Apart from being the cultural and academic centre of the country, Lahore is the Mughal "show-window" of Pakistan. Reminiscence of its hoary past are the remains of a subterranean temple in the northern part of the Royal Fort, attributed to Rama, the legendary hero of Ramayana. Lying on the main trade and invasion routes to the south Asia, Lahore has been ruled and plundered by a number of dynasties and hordes. However, it touched the zenith of its glory during the rule of the Mughals. The Mughals, who were famous as builders, gave Lahore some of its finest architectural monuments that are extinct today.
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