The _sarā’e_, or caravansary, at Allahabad, built by Sultan Khusrū, is a
noble one, and the gateway through which you pass to the _bāghīcha_, or
garden bearing his name, is very fine. The garden is a large space of
ground, enclosed by a high wall, containing three tombs and a
_baithakhāna_, or pavilion. These palace-like tombs, amongst which is
that of Sultan Khusrū’s, are splendid mausoleums. Tho first and largest
monument is that of the Sultan, in which he is buried; it is a handsome
building, and within it is deposited a beautifully-illuminated kurān.
Sultan Khusrū married a daughter of the Wuzeer Azim Khan; he was the son
of Jehāngīr, and his mother was the daughter of the Rajpūt Prince
Bagwandas, of Amber. The other monuments are those of Noorjahān and the
Jodh Bā’ī; the fourth building is a pavilion, in which visitors are
allowed to live for a short time, during a visit to the garden. Around
the tombs are some of the finest and most beautiful tamarind-trees.
These trees, called by the natives _imlī_, are generally found around or
sheltering the tombs of revered or sacred characters. The natives are
impressed with a notion that it is dangerous to sleep under the
tamarind-tree, especially during the night.
Just beyond the gates of the _sarā’e_, is a _bāolī_, a magnificent well,
with underground apartments; it is a most remarkable and curious place,
and the well is a noble one.
A company of pilgrims, carriers of holy water, are _en route_ to the
junction, to fill their bottles at the _benī_, or bathing-place. They
are passing some of the tombs of the faithful.
In the foreground are some aloes. In India the hedges are full of this
plant, and it flowers annually.