Tomb of Ranjit Singh: Distant view of the mausoleum from the Shalamar Gardens
Date
Circa 1910
Location
Architecture Library, Hesburgh Libraries
With the disintegration of the Mughal empire in the 18th century, Lahore and its hinterland suffered frequent conquests. Although some noteworthy construction continued, the overall result was decline until the Sikh leader Ranjit Singh (died 1839) gained control of the Punjab in 1818. He commissioned buildings in a uniquely Sikh style, featuring foliated domes and decorative plasterwork. The Sikhs continued the tradition of garden construction in Lahore, and added new building types such as temples (gurdwaras) and funerary structures (samadhs), the grandest of which is Ranjit Singh's samadh near the fort. Two small monuments to the west of the main mausoleum commemorate Ranjit Singh's son Maharaja Kharak Singh and grandson Nau Nihal Singh, and their wives.
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