Hiran Minar

Hiran Minar was built by Jahangir in the early seventeenth century in memory of Mansiraj, an antelope he had kept and hunted with, and the tower stands thirty metres high with an inscription recording the animal by name, which makes it one of the more unusual monuments of the Mughal period. Beside it the emperor's engineers laid out a great square water tank, roughly two hundred metres on each side, with a brick pavilion on an island at the centre reached by a causeway, ramps at the corners so animals could drink, and a system of channels and sluices to feed it. The whole ensemble served as a hunting retreat. The tank still holds water, the pavilion still stands, and the complex is quiet on weekdays, with families picnicking and boats occasionally on the water. It is the best surviving Mughal hunting complex in the country.

History

The minaret was built in 1606 in a royal hunting reserve near Lahore as a monument to Emperor Jahangir's beloved antelope, Mansiraj, following an old Persian custom of raising markers over the skulls of game animals. The complex was declared a protected monument in 1916 under the ancient monuments law of 1904 (Wikipedia, Hiran Minar).

Highlights

• The minar - the thirty-metre tower over the antelope's grave.
• The water tank - a vast square reservoir with corner ramps.
• The island pavilion - an octagonal brick building reached by a causeway.
• The water system - channels and sluices that fed the tank.

When to go

October to March; summer in central Punjab is severe and the site has little shade. Weekdays are quiet, weekends bring picnicking crowds. Late afternoon light on the brick and the water is the best of it.

What to expect

The site is not well maintained: water quality in the tank varies, litter accumulates at the picnic areas, and interpretation is minimal. The tower interior is usually closed. Facilities are basic. It takes about an hour unless you sit by the water.

Nearby

Lahore is under an hour southeast; Nankana Sahib lies to the southwest.

Key facts