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Lahore~Shalimar Gardens PAKISTAN try to imagine Shalamar garden as it was during Mughal times: a magnificent royal stopping-place in the eastern suburbs of Lahore. In those days travelers would approach the garden on foot or on horseback. Even if one were in Lahore, it took many hours to get there. During that time, the traveler would realize how closely Shalamar garden was related to the Ravi River. The garden stood virtually alone upon the riverbank. Its three broad terraces stepped majestically down to the floodplain. A broad canal led from the river to the garden, feeding hundreds of fountains, pools, and lushly irrigated plantings. The surrounding landscape seemed flat, dry, and scrubby in comparison. View of a Kashmiri Garden

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shot this on 23 march 2012
Rohtas Fort, (Qila Rohtas) is an exceptional example of early Muslim military architecture in Central and South Asia, for it was built essentially for military purposes. Following the defeat of the Mughal Emperor Humayun in 1541, Sher Shah Suri built a strong fortified complex at Rohtas, a strategic site about 16 kilometres north-west of the city of Jhelum. The gigantic fort is founded on steep rocks jutting into the river Kahan, its ramparts protected on the west and north sides by the river and by high hills on its east and south. It was never taken by assault and survives intact to the present day. The main fortifications consist of the massive walls, which extended for more than 4km; they are lined with bastions and pierced by monumental gateways. There are indications that more structures had existed earlier, which either collapsed due to neglect, or were demolished in Mughal or later periods. The Rohtas Fort is now a protected monument under the Antiquities Act 1975, and maintained by the Department of Archaeology, Government of Pakistan. Owing to its marvelous qualities of strength and solidity, and being the finest specimen of medieval military architecture in Pakistan, the fort was inscribed in the World Heritage List, by UNESCO, in 1997. Although built for purely military purposes, yet a few of its twelve gates were exceptionally fine examples of the architecture of that period. The Sohail Gate, guarding the south west wall, is in fair condition even today and it is being used as a rest house. This gate is an example illustrating that how a feature built for strength could also be made architecturally graceful. As it is more than eighty feet in height so it provides a grand entrance to the magnificent fort complex. Every part of its structure has been carried out in broad and simple manner, each line and plane has a sober and massive elegance, while the whole is aesthetically competent. Within the fort a small town has developed and several thousand people live here — at Rohtas Fort.

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shot this on 23 march 2012
Rohtas Fort, (Qila Rohtas) is an exceptional example of early Muslim military architecture in Central and South Asia, for it was built essentially for military purposes. Following the defeat of the Mughal Emperor Humayun in 1541, Sher Shah Suri built a strong fortified complex at Rohtas, a strategic site about 16 kilometres north-west of the city of Jhelum. The gigantic fort is founded on steep rocks jutting into the river Kahan, its ramparts protected on the west and north sides by the river and by high hills on its east and south. It was never taken by assault and survives intact to the present day. The main fortifications consist of the massive walls, which extended for more than 4km; they are lined with bastions and pierced by monumental gateways. There are indications that more structures had existed earlier, which either collapsed due to neglect, or were demolished in Mughal or later periods. The Rohtas Fort is now a protected monument under the Antiquities Act 1975, and maintained by the Department of Archaeology, Government of Pakistan. Owing to its marvelous qualities of strength and solidity, and being the finest specimen of medieval military architecture in Pakistan, the fort was inscribed in the World Heritage List, by UNESCO, in 1997. Although built for purely military purposes, yet a few of its twelve gates were exceptionally fine examples of the architecture of that period. The Sohail Gate, guarding the south west wall, is in fair condition even today and it is being used as a rest house. This gate is an example illustrating that how a feature built for strength could also be made architecturally graceful. As it is more than eighty feet in height so it provides a grand entrance to the magnificent fort complex. Every part of its structure has been carried out in broad and simple manner, each line and plane has a sober and massive elegance, while the whole is aesthetically competent. Within the fort a small town has developed and several thousand people live here — at Rohtas Fort.

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visited on 24 march 2012

Katas raj temple is a Hindu mandir situated in Choa Saidan Shah, Chakwal district, Punjab in Pakistan. Most of the temples, located some 40 km from the modern city of Chakwal in the Potohar region of northern Punjab in Pakistan, were built during the reign of Hindu kings. These several temples were built around 900 years ago or more, although the earliest of the Katasraj temples dates back to the latter half of the 6th century A.D [1]. Scholars believe that most of the temples were actually constructed when the Shahi kingdom, driven from Afghanistan when their ethnic cousin Mahmud of Ghanavi came to power, fled to the region and set up base there.

The mandir was not abandoned by local Hindus when they migrated to East Punjab in 1947. It has always been the site of holy pilgrimage for people of various faiths. Even nowadays, worshippers from all faiths perform pilgrimages to the mandir every year and bathe in the sacred pool around which Katasraj is built. — in Katas, Punjab

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Guinness World record Pakistan makes world’s largest painting

LAHORE: A group of 1,000 or so students of colleges and universities from all over Punjab on Friday made the world’s largest painting – 41,685 square feet 

t is learnt that the previous record of 33,000 square-foot painting had been acclaimed by the Guinness World Records.

According to the organisers, the world’s largest painting was accomplished in seven hours. A large number of people attended the festivity at the stadium.

Purple Art & Communications Director Public Relations Salma Turab told Dawn the pervious record of the largest painting was made in Nigeria in 2010 and Pakistan had broken it. She however said none of the Guinness World Records representatives came here.

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Pakistan celebrates Asia Cup victory!

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