Shahi Hammam... Again-Royal Houses of Bath but now a museum

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Situations and locations keep on changing. These days, I have become a full wandering soul. I am trying to be a full-time escapist. I am trying to erase all this stress, but it follows me everywhere and anywhere I go.

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It was my second tour to Lahore. The destination was the same, but I was living these moments with forty-eight others. These all were my classmates. The first spot to visit was "Shahi Hammam". I already posted about it but that tour was my solo trip and exploration. I was unaware that after two weeks of my solo tour, I would again come to the same place.

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It's the Royal Bath House from the Mughal period in the Subcontinent. Dating back to 1635, When it was built inside the Delhi Gate of Lahore. It was built under the command of Hakim Ilam Ud Din Ansari, who was the governor at that time.
It's the only surviving hammam(Bathhouse) from that time.

As I have mentioned, I already had visited Shahi Hammam. It was my second time, but my curiosity was the same or even higher. I had missed many things that time, and I explored many new things in the fresco work of Building.

I was aware of the history of the Hammam. That's why I was narrating everything to my fellows.

I narrated;
Royal Bathhouse_____

"Built for Royals and Elites of that time.
It consists of 21 Hammam chambers. These chambers are further divided into different sections. Eight chambers are cold bathhouses, the Other eight chambers are hot bathhouses, and five are steam houses.
The astonishing aspect of Bathhouse is the average system that comes through channels from the Ravi River and also goes back through channels."

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What's that?
A Boat stuck in Plastic Styrofoam?
Yes, you guessed it right. It's a wooden boat stuck in plastic Styrofoam. But why? You are asking......
It's a creative idea that is represented by an artist. The idea behind this creative visual art is that the ship of civilization is stuck in plastic. We, humans, have loaded our planet with plastic. It's a thought-provoking climate reality check for all of us.

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Sunlight was striking the mirrors up in the building. This sunlight was coming inside the chamber and lighting up the environment delicately. I enjoyed this moment.
A crack in the wall of fresco works.... a reminder that the building is aging and it's deteriorating. Its health is down, but it still carries itself with grace.

Are you seeing two angels? Yes, my dear, these are two angels. One is carrying A bottle of wine and the second one is carrying "Mann-O-Salwa"(food from heaven)
Isn't that striking?
Angels represent the royal and grand environment of the Hammam.

The three-dimensional artwork on the wall left many impressions on my mind. What to say and what not to say...
My mind was full of so many questions: How did they live? What would be their lives? How much they used to earn? How did they make this vast Hammam? How many years did it take for all those creative hands?

So many questions were alive in my mind, but I was standing still and observing everything around me.

I find full leisure in these Geometry patterns. I feel them with my fingers. It's something special and sensual.
Every crack, every pattern, every sequence is a marvel on its own. Humans are no longer creating such architectural marvels. Architecture is messed up in this age. It's chaotic like our lives but old architecture is geometrical.

From one chamber to another chamber, We were stepping. Here's another artwork of a contemporary artist, representing the city of gardens. Don't you know which one is the City of Gardens? Lahore.... but it's not your fault, as Lahore is now engulfed by smog, pollution, and flyovers. Its beauty is lost under the urbanization effect.

Some earthenwares were placed inside the glass. It is assumed that these used to be toys of the kids who used to play over there.

On a small piece, Hindi and Urdu both were written. A reminder of India and Pakistan. A reminder of collaborated culture. The culture is the same but fragmented and divided on many bases. I smiled when I saw Hindi words over there. It's unique for my eyes.

Walking through an elevated walkway, I was looking and observing the buildings and structure along with my friends. They were posing a strange question: Why was this all needed? Because they had to prove that they were royal.

Dirty Water____ are you seeing this? Yes, it's the same thing you are assuming. It's psychological art, representing the connection of dirt with the human body. Frankly, my mates laughed over there and hurriedly went to another chamber to see other things.

Here comes the underground tunnels and channels. These channels were the main carriers of water. That water used to come from the Ravi River. Water is used to go through the process of cold, hot, and steam. That's how they used to take three different baths.

These underground channels are exposed to tourists. But, stay away from touching it. I remember, On my last visit, It was only me and my echo with me, but this time, there were many others.

Sunlight is again coming through Roshandan. What... you are asking about Roshandan? Oh, it's a Persian word for a ventilator. We call it Roshandan. It was illuminating the chamber with a burst of sunlight.

From standing above, We looked at fishes on the ground. Someone asked me: Why these fishes are there without water? I replied: These are not real fishes but a visual representation of aquatic animals who are being killed by humans due to water pollution.
Hmmmmm, he uttered.

We reached the last part of the Hammam. These were three wells, which are more like tunnels.

You are now walking through the hot water reservoir, which was fed by an overhead water channel and contained water to the level marked on the wall. This water was heated by three furnaces underneath.

We came outside after visiting the Hammam's inside building. The outside area of Hammam is transformed into a cafe, but I saw no one serving any tea, coffee, or other thing. You can sit and take a picture. There is a beautiful and colorful cycle standing over there on which you can take your picture.

My mates were still standing in the Wazir Khan Hammam but I went out with my friend as we were eager to see other historical marvels.

One thing that I always adored about Mughal Architecture is the Jharoka. These Jharokas typically overlook windows made of stones or wood. One thing is confirmed: whenever I build a home, I will add Jarokas to its architecture. It's my favorite thing in Regional architecture.

I was walking through the street looking at these old Jarokas that were worn out over time. These jharokas are mourning the time.