Baqir Khan Mosque; the remnant of a once prosperous region

Once the governor of Multan, Baqir Khan also built a village called Baqirabad

MULTAN:  

Composed of three domes and devoid of any historical inscriptions, Baqir Khan Mosque is a small piece of the Mughal era in Block V, New Multan.

Built by Baqir Khan, the mosque is narrow and devoid of any inscriptions which could help historians to ascertain its exact date of construction.

Khan was the former governor of Multan during the reign of the Mughals. He was appointed as governor 1723 to 1726. However, it remains unclear as to which king appointed him as governor; several historians are of the opinion that he served as governor during the reign of Naseeruddin Muhammad Shah also known as Muhammad Shah Rangeela.

During his lifetime, Khan built made major architectural contributions. Not only did he build Baqir Khan Mosque but he also constructed a small village called Baqirabad. Khan also built a castle but the structure has not been able to stand the test of time and has eroded.

In his book ‘Tawareekh-i-Multan’, Munshi Hukam Chand writes that the mosque was constructed so that people can offer Eid prayers.

During Khan’s tenure, the path leading towards Eidgaah Mosque, an existing masjid, was blocked due to severe floods. This became troublesome for the citizens who had no place to worship. As a result, Khan ordered the construction of a new mosque approximately two miles away; Baqir Khan Mosque was constructed east of Eidgaah Mosque, near Durdana Langana Canal.

Previously, there were 13 acres of land attached to the mosque. However, residential colonies cropped in the area after it was expanded. The doors, domes and the exterior of the mosque are still intact while the interior has been decorated with more contemporary art.

Two of the mosque’s pillars and the tomb were constructed with small bricks and are considered a testament to Mughal era architecture. Newer additions have been added to the structure; an additional building, a yard, a veranda and a main gate have all been newly constructed.

Back when it was built, the mosque was the only concrete structure of its kind in the region. People used to travel great distances in order to pray at the mosque, especially on Fridays and during Eid.

After Pakistan was founded in 1947, the mosque could easily be spotted from Qazafi Chowk due to the fact that the area surrounding it was uninhabited. It was the only Jami Masjid in the area.

Baqir Khan Mosque remained uninhabited for a long time until Sikh rule when the then governor of Multan, Deewan Sawan Mill, used the mosque for oath-taking ceremonies where people would surrender.

In addition to this, Khan also established a village and named it Baqirabad. The village was inhabited during the Mughal era but slowly became uninhabited. Further, due to the fact that this region lies in the middle of Lahore and Multan, it became a popular route for invaders. Majority of the Sikh invaders used this route to enter the region. Similarly in 1848, the British army used this route to invade. The area of Baqirabad still remains largely uninhabited even today.

Another one of Khan’s contributions includes a well towards the west of Hazrat Bahauddin Zakariya’s shrine where people could perform ablution. However, during British rule the well was closed and an iron grill was placed over it. Believers who visited the shrine used to place money at the well. The district administration only recently initiated work to restore this well.