Dungeons of Lahore Fort to be opened to the public
The Punjab Archaeology Department, which took charge of the Lahore Fort and Shalimar Gardens earlier this year, has decided to open up the extensive dungeons of the fort to the public.
The Punjab Archaeology Department, which took charge of the Lahore Fort and Shalimar Gardens earlier this year, has decided to open up the extensive dungeons of the fort to the public.
This is the first time that people will be permitted into the dungeons, which have been used since colonial times as a detention centre, especially for political prisoners. The use of the dungeons for this purpose ended after 1988, but the deep caverns below ground remained closed to the public.
An important Hindu site, the Lav Temple, located on the fort premises, is also to be reopened. The temple has considerable significance for Hindus, but has remained shut to the public for decades.
The temple is named after Lav, one of the two sons of the Hindu warrior king Rama. Many historians believe the city of Lahore is in fact named after Lav, a well-known prince of his time.
Kush, Rama's second son, founded the town of Kasu (present day Kasur). The temple is located near the Alamgiri gate of Lahore fort, where the old jails of the fort used to be.
Under Zia-ul Haq's regime the temple was completely closed because the dungeons beneath it were being used by the police. The temple was occasionally opened to important visitors after 1985.
However, after the destruction of the Babri Masjid it was sealed, and a plate bearing its name and history removed.
Most visitors to the fort do not even realise the temple exists. The local Hindu community has however repeatedly requested the temple be re-opened, as it has huge significance for them.
A Unesco team that will visit Lahore soon will also discuss conservation plans for the fort and other buildings in the city.
While there are 103 buildings on the 'protected' list in the city, it is thought that over 1,000 buildings of historical significance exist. The Punjab Archaeology Department also wishes to carry out a survey to assess their conditions and to compile more detailed information about them for the public.
It has also decided to turn the largest dungeons underneath the fort into giant art exhibition halls and to reopen the underground 'summer palace' in the fort. This was used by the Moghul emperors to escape the heat of summer, and is decorated with frescos and inlays that have not been seen by the public for decades.
