v
Xatianr

SECOND to Delhi alone is the capital of the land of the
^r Five Eivers, Lahore. It was for many hundred
years the centre from which revolts were started; it saw
the crowning of kings and the splendour of imperial
courts, the ravages of hordes from North and Central
Asia, and the rise and establishment of a fierce military
religious sect. Lahore traditionally dates back to
Lahaur of Hindu epic times, but history first records its
name about the first century after Christ. With its
treasure of Mughal architecture, its wonderful monu-
ments—landmarks of a stormy and fascinating history ;

with its tales of great men and beautiful women, of
fierce soldiers and polished courfciers, of distress and
prosperity, Lahore is engrossing.

Whether in the famous fort and palaces, mausoleums
or gardens, the crowded bazaars, or the shrines and
imposing mosques, the city of Lahore and its suburbs
are a synthesis of the history and development of a
whole region. In this city, a dozen tirne^ sacked and as
many rebuilt, architectural styles varying from the
severely utilitarian to the highly refined art of a powerful
and decadent court, from the austerely religious to the
unimaginative structures of warriors, are of absorbing
interest.

Lahore attained its two most powerful periods
under the Great Mughals and under the Sikh Lion,
Maharaja Eanjifc Singh. One could well bracket together
Akbar the mason of Mughal unity and of the Mughal