"Jahangir's HUNTING Lodge" Sheikupura by besal

Sheikupura Travel Guide: 3 reviews and 29 photos

Sheikhupura, on the outskirts of Lahore, derived its name from a nickname for Prince Jahangir. It was one of Jahangir's princely dominions during his father Akbar's reign. Just north of Sheikhupura town lies a hunting complex known as the Hiran Minar.

Hunting grounds were an important part of the physical environment of Mughal emperors, and the Hiran Minar is one of the best known and most beautiful of such sites. Its structures consist of a large, almost-square water tank with an octagonal pavilion in its center, built during the reign of Shah Jahan; a causeway with its own gateway connects the pavilion with the mainland and a 100-foot-high minar, or minaret. At the center of each side of the tank, a brick ramp slopes down to the water, providing access for royal animals and wild game. The minar itself was built by Emperor Jahangir in 1606 to honor the memory of a pet hunting antelope named Mansraj.

Another special feature of Hiran Minar is its location and environment: the top of the minar is perhaps the best place in the province of Punjab to get a feel for the broader landscape and its relationship to a Mughal site. Looking north from the top of the minar, one can see a patch of forest which is similar to the scrub forest vegetation of Mughal times, while to the west are extensively-irrigated fields, a product of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, but similar in size and appearance to the well-irrigated fields of the Mughal period.

http://www.mughalgardens.org/html/sheikhupura_hiran.html

Room with a View

Tower

Pros and Cons

Pros:Beautiful Seculded Moghul Architect
Cons:Difficult to find

Last visit to Sheikupura: Jan 2006
Intro Updated Jan 23, 2006
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Reviews (3)

Have your Picnic Things to Do (3)

In the open grounds, surrounding the monument, you can bring your own picnic basket and have a refresshing meal. Beware... more travel advice

Climb the tower Things to Do (3)

On our last visit, the tower was opened for people to climb. I had heard that this had been closed due to the fact that... more travel advice

Boating in the artificial pond - Sheikupura

Boating Things to Do (3)

The small artificial lake provides you an opportunity to circumvent the monument in a rented paddle boat. more travel advice

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Comments (3)

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cachaseiro May 22, 2010 at 9:19 AM

wow man that is really great photos.
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MushtaqBhatti May 24, 2009 at 8:52 AM

Hiran Minar is a historic, beautiful and worth watching place in Sheikhupura. It has many stories like a tunnel from Lahore (Mughal Fort) to Hiran Minar etc. Mushtaq Hussain Bhatti
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Faiza-Ifrah Jul 10, 2007 at 7:29 PM

ok so i am first on this page. i loved ur daughter's story:-D that climb is hard. i could not climb it in 1992.