User:DarNadeem/sandbox

Royal Kitchens of Lahore Fort
The place you see in these photographs is neither a set of a horror movie nor a desolate tract. It is the most important part of our international Heritage site, The Lahore Fort. While I was coming up to the Lahore Fort through the postern gate, I read the plaque stating some facts about the Royal Kitchen. I could not recall the place; in fact I had never visited it before. I looked around for someone to ask about the place and saw a man sitting on the edge of the raised platform having a card stating Tourist Guide. I walked up to the man whose name was Peter, the tourist guide working for last fifteen years in Lahore Fort. The tourist guide led me to a narrow passage all covered with waist high wild grass. I thought for a while of all the snakes and insects breathing in those towering wild plants and shrubs. I was awe stunned at the sight I came across. It was a beautiful place but in shambles beyond belief. The roofs of different parts of the building had collapsed. The walls, all built in small brick, had huge cracks which were an alarm of unforeseen collision. The majestic arches formed the entire Royal Kitchen area. I could visualize the splendor of the place in the past with the hustle and bustle of the chefs and helpers while cooking food for the kings, queens and the courtiers. Cooking the food and carrying it to the private chambers and dining rooms of the kings and queens. I imagined how lively the place would have been with the laughter, jokes, stories and incidents of daily routine. The place must have been hygienic and well maintained in those times. Unfortunately now the royal kitchen is pleading for maintenance. Peter, the tourist guide told me that the Royal Kitchens were constructed during the reign of Emperor Shah Jahan. It was where the food was prepared along with a huge variety of drinks and sweets. When the Sikh took over the Lahore Fort, the Royal Kitchens were damaged like other buildings of Fort. The kitchen was converted into a food store room. During the same period it was used as a stable for horses and other animals. The British in 1849 converted it into interrogation cells and jails. During that time the open verandas were enclosed with bricks. New structures and elements like iron doors and beams were added along with the construction of an upper storey. The upper storey served as offices for policemen. The electricity supply lines, sewage system and water drains were laid during the British period. After partition, the Police Department used the place as interrogation cells until late 1980’s, when they were handed over to the Archaeology Department. After partition the building of Royal Kitchen was agonized more than ever. The beams, wooden doors, windows were missing. Maybe those were pulled down during the riots. The building was extremely dilapidated and later some of the dilapidated parts were demolished and the offices of Archeology were constructed there. What we see today is the remaining part of the Royal Kitchen. The Royal Kitchen presently is extremely deplorable and has cracking down threats as the building is ignored and never faced any type of serious efforts regarding conservation or restoration since Sikh and British rules. This is sad that our heritage is not being looked after nor it is promoted. The Royal Kitchens are not open for tourists; rather no one can go there due to the wilderness and over growth of wild plants. In a discussion with the walled city of Lahore Authority, I got to know about its re-use and conservation plans. The authority might conserve and reopen it as a Mughal restaurant in near future. Let’s hope that this project is materialized and would be a great effort for saving the cracking walls of our heritage.