Field guides / Punjab / Mandi Bahauddin / Tomb of Shaikh Ali Baig
Field guide · Heritage
Mandi Bahauddin
Mandi Bahauddin District · Punjab, Pakistan
Tomb of Shaikh Ali Baig
An octagonal Mughal-era tomb on a raised platform at Hanjeera, near Helan village in Phalia tehsil, Mandi Bahauddin; a federally protected monument.
The Tomb of Shaikh Ali Baig stands in open fields east of Helan village, near Phalia in Mandi Bahauddin district, where it is known locally as Hanjeera. It was built in the 1580s for Shaikh Ali Beg bin Hasan Ali. From outside it is an octagon of brick laid in lime mortar, each face about 5.7 m (19 ft) wide, raised on a platform with steps at the front and crowned by a dome topped with an inverted lotus. Inside, the chamber is square, about 6.7 m (22 ft) a side.
Why go
- ✦A dated tomb of Akbar's reign, from the 1580s
- ✦Persian verses by Jami, Hafiz and Sa'di painted on the inner walls
- ✦Qalib kari plasterwork and traces of flower and bird murals
- ✦Protected under the Antiquities Act 1975
History
The tomb is dated 1585 in the Pakistan Heritage survey and 1588 in a later visit account. Local tradition holds that Shaikh Ali Baig served at Akbar's court and was killed fighting the Gakhars, though the story is disputed; others remember him as a Sufi saint, and families in the area count him among their ancestors. The Department of Archaeology recorded the tomb under Gujrat district, before Phalia became part of Mandi Bahauddin in 1993, and it is protected under the Antiquities Act 1975.
Architecture
Four arched openings alternate with half-octagonal niches round the eight faces, and the arches are worked in qalib kari, moulded lime plaster. Inside, pendentives turn the square chamber into an octagon beneath a hemispherical dome on a tall drum. The walls carried verses by Jami, Hafiz and Sa'di painted in green on red ochre, with flowering plants, nightingales and medallions of the Kalima in the spandrels; some of it can still be made out. The tombstone is carved with Qur'anic verses and hadith. Three graves are recorded; one account places Shaikh Ali Baig's own grave in a crypt below, reached by a small opening at the front of the platform.
How to Reach
In open fields east of Helan village, about 6 km from the main Gujrat–Phalia road in Phalia tehsil. Use the map on this page for directions.
Planning tip
Best Time to Visit, October to March, when the Punjab plains are cool.
Getting there, In open fields east of Helan village, about 6 km from the main Gujrat–Phalia road in Phalia tehsil. Use the map on this page for directions.
Allow, About half an hour.
What to Do
Nearby
Straight-line distance from Tomb of Shaikh Ali Baig, within 5 km.
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