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Historical documents in archival museum: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The show-cases containing the historical documents are in the main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.
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