Type: Monument - Building
Province: Punjab
District: Lahore
Period: Historic
Relative Chronology: 1526 - 1857 CE
Description: It is located at Begumpura on south of Shalimar Road/G. T. Road in Mughalpura in front of Gate No.3 of the U.E.T. and near Gulai Gate east of the walled city of Lahore (where the Sikh National College stood). The builder seems to maintaining the royal style of architecture as this aspect of Mughal architecture. This domed square tomb traditionally known as Buddhu Ka Awa is among many dilapidated and neglected monuments of Lahore. According to Goulding (2006) no traces of this kiln were left as it was demolished in 1850 to provide bricks for the construction of barracks for Europeans troops at Mian Mir. The bricks quarried from the Buddhu Ka Awa for the construction of barracks were not sufficient in quantity, therefore, some Muslim tombs and mosques were also destroyed which badly damaged Muslim heritage of Lahore. In the course of time the origin of Buddhu Ka Awa seems to have been overlapped into a number of confronting views, as it is now differently identified, but we are not inclined to enter into this controversy, but with regard to Awa it will be interesting to bring forth the views of scholars. According to scholars a brick stupa might have been erected here during the Kushan Period, which was destroyed after the decline of Buddhism and the stupa seems to serve as query of bricks and as a result earned its new name Awa i.e. kiln, and finally came to be known as Buddhu Ka Awa. However, local traditions speaks about a brick potter named Buddhu, who established a brick kiln as it is known as Awa in local language and used to supply the burnt bricks for the royal edifices of Shah Jahan`s reign. French General of Maharaja Ranjit Singh named Evitable used Buddhu Ka Awa as his summer house during the Sikh reign. However, later on this area was occupied by the Pakistan railway authorities. They cut away and levelled down the Buddhu Ka Awa (kiln) to provide accommodation for railway workshops and stores, and erected a short heighted pillar as an identification to mark the area of Awa or kiln. Thus, the site of Buddhu Ka Awa is now wrapped up within controversies as it presently comprises of two monuments, a tomb and a short heighted pillar within the distance of few feet on the west of Buddhu ka Maqbara.
Latitude: 31.576306389
Longitude: 74.355883333
Ownership: Government of Punjab
Legal Status: Not Protected
Title of Publication: Miscellaneous
Published In: Miscellaneous
Year of Publication: Miscellaneous
Bibliography/Reference: Miscellaneous
