Lakhori bricks (also Badshahi bricks, Kakaiya bricks, Lakhauri bricks) are flat, thin, red burnt-clay bricks, originating from the Indian subcontinent that became increasingly popular element of Mughal architecture during Shah Jahan, and remained so till early 20th century when lakhori bricks and similar Nanak Shahi bricks were replaced by the larger standard 9"x4"x3" bricks called ghumma bricks that were introduced by the colonial British India. [1] [2] [3] [4]
Several still surviving famous 17th to 19th century structures of Mughal India, characterized by jharokhas, jalis, fluted sandstone columns, ornamental gateways and grand cusped-arch entrances are made of lakhori bricks, including fort palaces (such as Red Fort), protective bastions and pavilions (as seen in Bawana Zail Fortess), havelis (such as Bagore-ki-Haveli, Chunnamal Haveli, Ghalib ki Haveli, Dharampura Haveli and Hemu's Haveli), temples and gurudwaras (such as in Maharaja Patiala's Bahadurgarh Fort), mosques and tombs (such as Mehram Serai, Teele Wali Masjid), water wells and baoli stepwells (such as Choro Ki Baoli), bridges (such as Mughal bridge at Karnal), Kos minar road-side milestones (such as at Palwal along Grand Trunk Road) and other notable structures. [5] [6] [7] [8] [9]
The exact origin of lakhori bricks is not confirmed, especially if they existed, or not, prior to becoming more prevalent in use during the Mughal India. Prior to the rise in frequent use of lakhori bricks during Mughal India, Indian architecture primarily used trabeated prop and lintel (point and slot) gravity-based technique of shaping large stones to fit into each other that required no mortar. [1] The reason lakhori bricks became more popular during the Mughal period, starting from Shah Jahan's reign, is mainly because lakhori bricks that were used to construct structures with the typical elements of Mughal architecture such as arches, jalis, jharokas, mouldings, cornices, cladding, etc. were easy to create intricate patterns due to the small shape and slim size of lakhori bricks. [10]
The slim and compact Lakhorie bricks became popular across pan-Indian subcontinental Mughal Empire, specially in North India, [1] resulting in several variations in their dimensions as well as due to the use of lower strength local soil by poor people and higher strength clay by affluent people. Restoration architect author Anil Laul reasons that poor people used local soil to bake slimmer bricks using locally available cheaper dung cakes as fuel and richer people used higher-end thicker and bigger bricks made of higher strength clay baked in kilns using not so easily locally available more expensive coal, both methods yielded bricks of similar strength but different proportions at different economic levels of strata. [11]
The lower the caste, the slimmer and smaller the brick, the higher the caste, the bigger the brick. It was not that they practiced or propagated the caste system. All that needs to be understood is that a poor person could use the local soil to burn slimmer and better bricks, using lesser fuel, to get a home that would withstand the vagaries of the elements and resist erosion and corrosion alike. In doing so, he could use even cow dung cakes as fuel for burning which would give him the desired brick. The rationale was obvious. The slimmer the brick- the lesser energy required to bake it. The higher caste could afford blending of clays and superior forms of fuel and transport produce over distances.
— Restoration architect author Anil Laul, Green is Red, Urban red herrings: excerpts from the "Green is Red" [11]
Due to the lack of understanding, sometimes contemporary writers confuse the lakhori bricks with other similar but distinct regional variants. For example, some writers use "Lakhori bricks and Nanak Shahi bricks" implying two different things, and others use "Lakhori bricks or Nanak Shahi bricks" inadvertently implying either same or two different things, leading to confusion as if they are same, especially if these words are casually mentioned interchangeably.
Lakhori bricks were used by Mughal Empire that spanned across the Indian subcontinent, [1] whereas Nanak Shahi bricks were used mainly across the Sikh Empire, [12] that was spread across Punjab region in north-west Indian subcontinent, [13] when Sikhs were in conflict with Mughal Empire due to the religious persecution of Sikhs by Mughal Muslims. [14] [15] [16] Coins struck by Sikh rulers between 1764 CE to 1777 CE were called "Gobind Shahi" coins (bearing inscription in the name of Guru Gobind Singh), and coins struck from 1777 onward were called "Nanak Shahi" coins (bearing inscription in the name of Guru Nanak). [17] [18]
A similar concept applies to the Nanak Shahi bricks of Sikh Empire, i.e. Lakhori and Nanak Shahi bricks being two similar, but a different type of bricks due to the regional variations as well as political reasons. Closely related similar things may be considered separate, and on the other hand considerably different things might be considered the same, in both cases due to the social-political-religious contextual reasons, for example closely related mutually intelligible Sanskritised-Hindustani language Hindi versus Arabised-Hindustani language Urdu being favored as separate languages by Hindus and Muslims respectively as seen in the context of Hindu-Muslim conflict that resulted in Partition of India, whereas mutually unintelligible speech varieties that differ considerably in structure such as Moroccan Arabic, Yemeni Arabic and Lebanese Arabic are considered the same language due to the pan-Islamism religious movement. [19] [20] [21]
Mughal-era lakhorie bricks predate the Nanak Shahi bricks as seen in Bahadurgarh Fort of Patiala that was built by Mughal Nawab Saif Khan in 1658 CE using earlier-era lakhori bricks, and nearly 80 years later it was renovated using later-era Nanak Shahi bricks and renamed in the honor of Guru Teg Bahadur (where Guru Teg Bahadur stayed at this fort for three months and nine days before leaving for Delhi when he was executed by Aurangzeb in 1675 CE) by Maharaja of Patiala Karam Singh in 1837 CE. [12] [22] [23] [24] Since the timeline of both Mughal Empire and Sikh Empire overlapped, both Lakhori bricks and Nanak Shahi bricks were used around the same time in their respective dominions. Restoration architect author Anil Laul clarifies "We, therefore, had slim bricks known as the Lakhori and Nanakshahi bricks in India and the slim Roman bricks or their equivalents for many other parts of the world." [11]
They were used to construct structures with crushed bricks and lime mortar, and walls were usually plastered with lime mortar. [1] The concrete mixture of that era was a preparation of lime, surki (trass), jaggery and bael fruit (wood apple) pulp where some recipe used as much as 23 ingredients including urad ki daal (paste of vigna mungo pulse). [25]
Patiala is a city in southeastern Punjab, northwestern India. It is the fourth largest city in the state and is the administrative capital of Patiala district. Patiala is located around the Qila Mubarak constructed by a chieftain Ala Singh, who founded the royal dynasty of Patiala State in 1763, and after whom the city is named.
Ranjit Singh was the founder and first maharaja of the Sikh Empire, ruling from 1801 until his death in 1839. He ruled the northwest Indian subcontinent in the early half of the 19th century. He survived smallpox in infancy but lost sight in his left eye. He fought his first battle alongside his father at age 10.
The Lahore Fort is a citadel in the city of Lahore in Punjab, Pakistan. The fortress is located at the northern end of the Walled City of Lahore and spreads over an area greater than 20 hectares. It contains 21 notable monuments, some of which date to the era of Emperor Akbar. The Lahore Fort is notable for having been almost entirely rebuilt in the 17th century, when the Mughal Empire was at the height of its splendor and opulence.
The Walled City of Lahore, also known as the Old City, forms the historic core of the city of Lahore in Punjab, Pakistan. The city was established around 1000 CE in the western half of the Walled City, which was fortified by a mud wall during the medieval era. It is the cultural centre of the Punjab region.
A haveli is a traditional townhouse, mansion, or manor house, in the Indian subcontinent, usually one with historical and architectural significance, and located in a town or city. The word haveli is derived from Arabic hawali, meaning "partition" or "private space", popularised under the Mughal Empire, and was devoid of any architectural affiliations. Later, the word haveli came to be used as a generic term for various styles of regional mansions, manor houses, and townhouses found in the Indian subcontinent.
The Sikh Empire was a regional power based in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent. It existed from 1799, when Maharaja Ranjit Singh captured Lahore, to 1849, when it was defeated and conquered by the British East India Company in the Second Anglo-Sikh War. It was forged on the foundations of the Khalsa from a collection of autonomous misls. At its peak in the 19th century, the empire extended from Gilgit and Tibet in the north to the deserts of Sindh in the south and from the Khyber Pass in the west to the Sutlej in the east as far as Oudh. It was divided into four provinces: Lahore, which became the Sikh capital; Multan; Peshawar; and Kashmir from 1799 to 1849. Religiously diverse, with an estimated population of 4.5 million in 1831, it was the last major region of the Indian subcontinent to be annexed by the British Empire.
Majha is a region located in the central parts of the historical Punjab region, currently split between the republics of India and Pakistan. It extends north from the right banks of the river Beas, and reaches as far north as the river Jhelum. People of the Majha region are given the demonym "Mājhī" or "Majhail". Most inhabitants of the region speak the Majhi dialect, which is the basis of the standard register of the Punjabi language. The most populous city in the area is Lahore on the Pakistani side, and Amritsar on the Indian side of the border.
Guru Nanak founded the Sikh religion in the Punjab region of the northern part of the Indian subcontinent in the 15th century and opposed many traditional practices like fasting, Upanayana, idolatry, caste system, ascetism, azan, economic materialism, and gender discrimination.
Sadhaura is a town, near Yamunanagar city with Municipal Committee in Yamunanagar district in the Indian state of Haryana. The city of Yamunanagar, it is of great historic significance. Sadhaura is very old town many historical temples/Dargah are there like Manokamna Temple, Laxmi narayan Temple, Roza Peer Dargah are some famous places in Sadhaura.
Sikh architecture is a style of architecture that was developed under the Sikh Confederacy and Sikh Empire during the 18th and 19th centuries in the Punjab region. Due to its progressive style, it is constantly evolving into many newly developing branches with new contemporary styles. Although Sikh architecture was initially developed within Sikhism its style has been used in many non-religious buildings due to its beauty. 300 years ago, Sikh architecture was distinguished for its many curves and straight lines; Keshgarh Sahib and the Harmandir Sahib are prime examples.
Indian Sikhs number approximately 21 million people and account for 1.7% of India's population as of 2011, forming the country's fourth-largest religious group. The majority of the nation's Sikhs live in the northern state of Punjab, which is the only Sikh-majority administrative division in the world.
Nanakshahi bricks, also known as Lakhuri bricks, were decorative bricks used for structural walls during the Mughal era. They were employed for constructing historical Sikh architecture, such as at the Golden Temple complex. The British colonists also made use of the bricks in Punjab.
The Sikhs are adherents to Sikhism, the fifth largest organized religion in the world, with around 25 million adherents. Sikh History is around 500 years and in that time the Sikhs have developed unique expressions of art and culture which are influenced by their faith and synthesize traditions from many other cultures depending on the locality of the adherents of the religion. Sikhism is the only religion that originated in the Punjab region with all other religions coming from outside Punjab. All the Sikh gurus, many saints, and many of the martyrs in Sikh history were from Punjab and from the Punjabi people. Punjabi culture and Sikhism are mistakenly considered inseparably intertwined. "Sikh" properly refers to adherents of Sikhism as a religion, strictly not an ethnic group. However, because Sikhism has seldom sought converts, most Sikhs share strong ethno-religious ties, therefore it is a common stereotype that all Sikhs share the same ethnicity. Many countries, such as the U.K., therefore misconcievingly recognize Sikh as a designated ethnicity on their censuses. The American non-profit organization United Sikhs has fought to have Sikhs included on the U.S. census as well, arguing that Sikhs "self-identify as an 'ethnic minority'" and believe "that they are more than just a religion".
Lala Chunnamal Ki Haveli is a rare haveli surviving in a well-preserved condition within the Old Delhi area.
The Haveli Todar Mal popularly known as Jahaz Haveli or Jahaz Mahal is the 17th century residence (haveli) of Todar Mal, who became the diwan in the court of Nawab Wazir Khan, the Governor of Sirhind, under Mughal Empire. Today, it is remembered for the cremation of young martyred sons of Guru Gobind Singh and his mother.
The Sikh Rule in Lahore initiated from the conquest and rule of the Sikh Misls and extended till the Sikh Empire of Ranjit Singh which ended in 1849. The Sikhs began gaining power following the decline of the Mughal Empire in Punjab and consisted of a collection of autonomous Punjabi Misls, which were governed by Misldars, mainly in the Punjab region.
Lohgarh is a historic town in Bilaspur tehsil of Yamunanagar district of Haryana in India. It was the capital of First Sikh State under Baba Banda Singh Bahadur from 1710 to 1716.
Ghalib ki Haveli was the residence of the 19th century Urdu poet Mirza Ghalib and is now a heritage site located in the Gali Qasim Jan, Ballimaran, Old Delhi and reflects the period when the Mughal era was on the decline in India.
Sikhism in Bangladesh has an extensive heritage and history, although Sikhs had always been a minority community in Bengal. Their founder, Guru Nanak visited a number of places in Bengal in the early sixteenth century where he introduced Sikhism to locals and founded numerous establishments. In its early history, the Sikh gurus despatched their followers to propagate Sikh teachings in Bengal and issued hukamnamas to that region. Guru Tegh Bahadur lived in Bengal for two years, and his successor Guru Gobind Singh also visited the region. Sikhism in Bengal continued to exist during the colonial period as Sikhs found employment in the region, but it declined after the partition in 1947. Among the eighteen historical gurdwaras in Bangladesh, only five are extant. The Gurdwara Nanak Shahi of Dhaka is the principal and largest gurdwara in the country. The Sikh population in the country almost entirely consists of businessmen and government officials from the neighbouring Republic of India.
Bawana Fortress or Bawana Zail, also Bawana Jail and Bawana tehsil is a historic fortress at Bawana in Delhi in India, it was built in 1860s by Jat chaudhary (chiefs) of the area who became zaildar of Bawana zail during the British raj.