The Tomb of Anarkali, which houses the Punjab Archives, is a structurally unique building for the purpose of preservation of records, besides being historically important.

The province of Punjab was annexed by British in 1849 and this building was under the use of the board of administration of the Punjab for the residence of their staff.

Later on, it was used by Christians for weekly divine service when some alternations were also made in the building.
During the Sikh period, this building, which is a symbol of Mughal architecture and is to have been built during the Mughal period in 1615 C.E., was also used for residence purposes by Sardar Kharak Singh.

Historical documents in archival museum:

 The record office maintains an archival museum, which is a distinctive feature of the Punjab Record Office. Mr Garrett, the first records keeper, made strenuous efforts for building up this museum.

This archival museum was established along with the record office in 1924. Sir Edward Maclagan and Sir Malcolm Hailey, the then governor of the Punjab, took a keen interest in the development of archives and this small museum was set up as a part of the archives.

Documents of historical value and portraits of historical celebrities connected with the history of the North western portion of the Indo-Pakistan subcontinent were acquired with strenuous efforts, from different sources and exhibited in the show cases.

The volume of the collections gradually increased during the times of the various keepers as each of them endeavoured not only to improve the arrangements for the exhibition of the articles but also made valuable additions to the collections.

This museum is housed in the Central Hall of the tomb. It is circular in shape and roofed with a vast and lofty dome supported inside by eight massive arches. There are eight large bays in the building.

The show-cases containing the historical documents are in the main Hall, southern, eastern and western bays.
Some paintings, prints and lithographs have also been exhibited on the first floor of the building.

Among these documents exhibited in the show-cases, there are some farmans of the great Mughals, important letters, which passed between the rulers of different states and the East India Company, the original mutiny telegrams, rare paintings pertaining to various places and events in the subcontinent, the court of Ranjit Singh (a big size painting), photographs of the viceroys, lieutenant-governors and governors up-to-date, and points of the War of Independence, 1857 and Sikh and Afghan wars.

It is worth mentioning that most of the papers and records relating to these documents have been preserved in the record office located in the same building. Efforts in the quest of such valuable documents are continuously being made to enrich the contents of the museum.

The exhibits especially the painting and lithograph were divided in 1947, an Independence, between Pakistan and India.

Although it created a big gap, yet efforts have been made to make up the gap and to collect such exhibits which depict the history and culture of the country.

Educational activities:

As documents of historical importance reflecting the political and cultural heritage of the nation have been displayed in the museum, it attracts a large number of people.

These particularly include students and scholars from universities in Pakistan and abroad as also of the local colleges and the university who come for research and preparation of their M.A./ Ph.D thesis.

There is, perhaps, no more notable and picturesque figure among the chiefs who rose to power on the ruins of the Mughal Empire than Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the founder of the short-lived Sikh kingdom of Lahore.

In the stormy days at the beginning of the 19th century, amid a fierce conflict of races and creeds, he found his opportunity, and seizing it with energy, promptitude, and genius, welded the turbulent and war-like Sikhs who followed the teachings of Guru Govind Singh into a homogeneous nation.

Under his strong and remorseless rule, the Sikhs, trained and disciplined on a military system more perfect than had before or than has been since employed in the native states of India, were rapidly converted into a formidable fighting machine.

This only broke into pieces when the folly and weakness of the great Maharaja’s successors persuaded them to use it against the English.

The Sikh monarchy was Napoleonic in the suddenness of its rise, the brilliancy of its success, and the completeness of its overthrow.

Like his contemporary, Napoleon Bonaparte, the Maharaja of Lahore failed to found a lasting dynasty on the ruins of the petty states, Rajput, Muslim, and Sikh, which he in turn attacked and destroyed.

His victories had no permanent result; his possessions, like a faggot of sticks, bound together during his lifetime by the force of his imperious will, fell asunder the moment the restraining band was served.

His throne and the tradition of his power and greatness passed into the hands of incompetent successors, who allowed the ship of the state to drift on to the rocks in irremediable wreck.

The downfall of the Sikh monarchy was chiefly due to the fact that the authority of Ranjit Singh was personal and drew no part of its strength from the inherent respect of the people for an ancient house.

Sprung from the people and the outcome of the democratic principles of Sikhism, the one chance of the survival of his dynasty was that his successors should have inherited his character and ability.