LAST OF THE ARCHITECTS OF MIMAR FAMILY OF LAHORE;
MIAN KAREEM BAKSH FATHER OF M.A. RAHMAN CHUGHTAI.

When environments change, so does expected requirements from cultural people. A new civilization requires adjustments. Mian Salah Mimar remained stuck to his traditional vision of things. His son Mian Raheem Baksh found balance both in traditional and modern atmosphere. Certificates from many English administrators speak of this adjustment. His son Mian Kareem Baksh caught between the flux of cultural movements.

My uncle Dr Abdullah Chaghatai used to say that his father was responsible for building at least hundred mosques in Lahore alone. These were not grand mosques with grand dimensions. But small versions to cater to the issues in Sikh and British times. The time where Azan (nor prayers) was not allowed, so small mosques in individual neighbourhoods. And the end formula was economy of things. One example which my uncle Abdur Raheem told me about was the mosque of Mai Hiran, the wife of a poor mashqee or water carrier. The death of the Mashqee moved his wife in a new directions. She wanted to honour her husband by building a mosque in his memory. Their house and its land was there, and she had Rs 500. She sent for Mian Kareem Baksh and asked him to build a mosque in the memory of her husband for that amount of money. The money would be used for the design, the clearance from the Municipal Corporation, the bricks, the mortar, the doors and everything required for same. Including the labour of Mian Kareem Baksh. A dramatic adjustment from mosques for Emperors and Princesses to a poor lady like Mai Hiran, the beloved  wife of a Water carrier. Do not know the present condition, but it still stood when I went to photograph it in 1976. Certainly there was love in its construction, the same love generated in the construction of the Taj Mahal. 

 My father M.A. Rahman Chughtai used to recall many incidents of his relation with his father. He would normally say that Mian Kareem Baksh used to leave for work early in the morning and would come home late at night. He was in the habit of wearing wooden slippers, and those slippers used to emit a loud clanking noise as he walked into the lane of the house. It was a signal for all three brothers to rush into bed under all circumstances. The father would allow all three brothers to fly kites but after Basant would tear all the ones left over. Other things like fishing, hunting were there too. The ambition of the father was that the son should clear school, and go to Engineering University and get a degree from there. An ambition to make him an architect in the tradition of elders. Mian Kareem Baksh also had the wish that his son would become a Hafizul Quran and he would be very proud if he would lead the recitation of Taraweeh prayers in Ramazan. Interesting that Chughtai Sahib had mastered the learning of at least half the Quran but could not complete the whole Quran. The quest for emphasis on the Quran itself, started from Chabuk Sawaran itself, with the bold reckoning of Abdullah Chakarwati. That influence prevailed on Chughtai Sahib all his life, and hearing of the recitations and lectures of Dr Allama Iqbal, at the Islamia High School Lahore, guided him towards the Quranic insights of Allama Ghulam Ahmad Pervaiz.  Indeed the reconstruction of religious thoughts in Islam came very much alive in M.A. Rahman Chughtai.

The artistic insight in Chughtai Sahib also came very early. The incident was of his making a crow on the minaret of the small mosque in front of their house, and showing the same to his father Mian Kareem Baksh. A small child’s bold attempt at making an image. The minaret still stands there today, and we will enclose a picture of it. Probably the minaret was work of Mian Kareem Baksh too, as the mosque then was Masjid Mulla Ghaus, now it is Noor Masjid. On his home from school, he would watch a very old artist work on miniatures, in Gumti Bazaar, and it stimulated him towards such aesthetics. Indeed the line and colour maestro was being born under the eyes of Mian Kareem Baksh.

Mian Kareem Baksh died in 1913. And his last work was on the Haveli of Bijri Nath inside Delhi Gate, Lahore. I went there too, as it was in the possession of a relative, Aurangzeb (a great book collector) and was shown remains of a Stone Sundial on the roof. Amazing work for its time. Mian Kareem Baksh is buried in Miani Qabristan with his two wives, Chiragh Bibi and Mehrunnisa.  Under Mehrunnisa grave is the grave of Muhammed Hussain, step brother of M.A. Rahman Chughtai. A graduate in those times, and a Royal tutor to the exiled Princes of Afghanistan. Interesting his portion of the house in Chabuk Sawaran still stands there. A blog is in the making for that man too.  We have put all this record in the public interest before it is lost forever! Lovers of Chughtai Sahib must keep record intact with them for future reference.

BOTH MIAN SALAH MIMAR AND MIAN RAHEEM BAKSH MIMAR;
FATHER AND SON:  FULFILLING LEGACY USTAD AHMAD MIMAR.

Information is always there. One has to know where to search and how to acquire it from unknown sources. Not all sources are friendly to your inquisitiveness. Harshness comes in too. When we started fresh research in 1975, people warned us. Nothing much can be expected in these times. But when you do not give up links start coming on their own. And perhaps the souls of those departed also help in your research and bring in  lost documents accessible to you. This is such a story.

It started with the death of Baba Miran Baksh and his hujra in the Wazeer Khan Mosque, and his School of Naqashi there. His two sons had access to the hujra, but when finally Auqaf took over the mosque, they were asked to vacate the same.  Things of Baba were still there. But to people the valuable things came first. His Sitar, his painting instruments and some manuscripts and art works of his actions (we searched for them too). Looted you can say, but nobody picked up his host of documents of periods of past. The ordinary sweeper left them in the house of Baba Miran Baksh in the Katra of Buzurg Shah, an eminent hakeem of Lahore. Even there it was of no interest to anyone, but when a lady of the house, married and living in Samnabad, came visiting, she felt attached and took them to her home and saved them in an old trunk of the house. We reached her there and we came across our first breakthrough in research. The rest is history.  

There was a time when everyone knew a few tiers of their ancestry. Simply for even on legal documents and registration deeds, a number of fathers and grandfathers were always shown. More in Mughal times. My father Abdur Rahman Chughtai knew this part very well. He was simply Abdur Rahman son of Mian Kareem Baksh son of Mian Raheem Baksh son of Mian Salah Mimar. But there was one clarification with all of them. They carried the nomenclature of Mimar with all of their names. Yes the family knew their ancestry coincided with architecture in all ways. They also knew from many sources their ancestors were involved in important Mughal architecture constructions. They knew the links with the Badshahi mosque Lahore.  That is why  before his death in 1913, around 1910 Mian Kareem  Baksh Mimar paid a visit to Agra and Delhi to see first hand some of the important constructions there. One son Abdullah Chaghatai was so obsessed with the Taj Mahal, that he took his PHD from Paris in the subject of Taj Mahal in 1938. The first professional study of the same, a thesis hard to find but very much printed in Paris, France.  And then other scholars started researching on same subject and an ancestral tree of the architect Ustad Ahmad Mimar Lahori was emerging in existence. Ustad Ahmad Mimar had important professional children and grandchildren and their works were well known. A tree was coming with full clarification. 

We have already discussed ancestry of Ustad Ahmad and now must talk of three sons. Attaullah,  Lutufullah and  Nurullah. An important addition to Attaullah Rushdi is name of Hafiz Hafeez urf  Nur Muhammed and for Nurullah we add Aleemullah, besides Qaleemullah as his two sons. The most well known family is of Lutufullah and many names are added here.

Starting with Khairullah (son of Lutufullah), known as Abu Khair, we add a number of names. First Mirza Muhammed Ali was well known. Previously the name of Zainul Abedeen urf Mako was added as son of Mirza Muhammed Ali. We added Mirza Ahmad Ali to the names as his brother. But we added many more names. Mirza Ashur Baig son of Mirza Akbar Muhandis. Mirza Akbar was also a son and Khairullah refers to him as Burkurdar Akbar. Mirza Bismillah Baig is another addition. There are other names gleaned from various manuscripts. Not all can be stated in a blog.

There were certainly more children of Lutufullah and we add first Mirza Abid who was a Muhandis too. Jaipur manuscripts a record him too. Also responsible for translating astronomical treatises from Sanskrit to Perrsian. Another probable is Muhammed Ahmad. And his family adds too. There is even another Lutufullah from this family extension.

Imamuddin Riazi has the strongest links. He yearned for a son. Some daughter’s are on record. Character of one of  his daughters is in a letter addressed elsewhere.  Finally he was blessed with Amiruddin Ali . Amiruddin’s two sons are known. One Aulad Ali and other Karamuddin, perhaps from two wives.  From there we have Mian Salah Mimar and Mian Ghulam Rasool. The rest we know till present.

Mian Salah two sons Elahi Baksh urf Natha and Raheem Baksh. Raheem Baksh two children Kareem Baksh and daughter Karam nisa. Karam nisa married to Baba Miran Baksh. Mian Kareem Baksh had four sons. One our artist Abdur Rahman  Chughtai. So relating one line is simple. Abdur Rahman Chughtai, son of Mian Kareem Baksh, son of Mian Raheem Baksh., son of Mian Salah, son of Karamuddin, son of Amiruddin Ali, son of Imamuddin Riazi, son of Lutufullah, son of Ahmad, son of Yusuf, son of Hussain, son of Abdul Lateef Herawi, means from Herat. The family recognized as Hurro Chagata.

Khalsa State records list two important names. Qadir Baksh Mimar as Darogha Imarat of the Sikh Court, and Raheem Baksh inclusive. Very clear statement regarding the Samadh of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. R.P. Shrivastha makes a link with the Golden Temple Amritsar. A lot of Muslim names are attached to same, very well known Mimar family. Certificates of various English administrators link Mian Raheem Baksh to completion of Lahore Railway Station, under the contract of Muhammed Sultan Tekaydar. Also the link with the first Freemason Hall in Lahore, now used as Lady Maclagon School on Bank road, Lahore. We will try to attach as many documents as possible here. An additional blog will be there to highlight the works of Mian Salah Mimar and Mian Raheem Baksh Mimar, father and son in the tradition of Ustad Ahmad Mimar, doing their best in difficult times. Enjoy!

Appendix

Research requiressearching for all known placesfor clues. An additional point was the National Museum of Pakistan in Karachi. There is this manuscript in it, which may be linked to Raheem Baksh Mimar, as the dates are correct, as well as the indication in the seal, which is similar to the seal on  the death certificate of Mian Salah Mimar. In any case worthwhile to look at it:

 POST SCRIPT

In the National Museum of Pakistan there is an extremely rare work, perhaps even a unique copy, of a SHAJRAT AL-ANWAR-I-FAKHRI, whose author is identified as RAHEEM BAKSH. The interesting part is that it is written by a Mughal Prince of the Royal family, namely MIRZA BIDAR BAKHT SON OF SHAH ALAM BADSHAH. It is dated 9^th November, 1828, or 1244 AH, the period of young but mature Raheem Baksh.

It is a collection of biographical notes in thirty two chapters, on the lives of 32 divines of Chisti-Nizami order. It ends in a versified colophon RAHEEM BAKSH MARA.  The interesting part is that the seal of Mian Raheem Baksh says the same thing.

In which and what way the manuscript was favoured by a young Mughal Prince to the extent that he volunteered to write it in his own hands is something which cannot be understood today. Suffice that it was done and it suggests the connection of Mian Raheem Baksh to the Royal Court, perhaps Mirza Bidar Bakht was in Lahore itself.

The museum catalogue number is NM 1969.285 written in 1232 AH 1817 AD. Copied in 1244 AH 1828 AD.