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<p><b>New page</b></p><div>{{Infobox historic site<br />
| designation1 = MANI<br />
| caption = The courtyard of the sarai. The western side and gateway is seen in the background.<br />
| image = Dakhni Sarai in Evening.jpg<br />
| designation1_number = N-PB-12<br />
| location = [[Mallian Kalan]], [[Punjab, India|Punjab]], India<br />
| built = 1640<br />
| architecture = [[Mughal architecture]]<br />
| coordinates = {{Coord|format=dms|display=inline,title}}<br />
}}<br />
'''Dakhni Sarai''', also known as '''Dakhini Sarai''', is a [[caravanserai]] located on the outskirts of [[Mallian Kalan]], in the Indian state of [[Punjab]].{{Sfn|Parihar|1984|p=22}}<br />
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Located on the medieval route between [[Agra]] and [[Lahore]], it was built in the 17th century. It is an example of [[Mughal architecture|Mughal]] architecture. It is in the form of a quadrangle, with large gateways on the eastern and western sides. A mosque is also located within the complex.{{Sfn|Parihar|1984|p=22-23}}<br />
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==Background==<br />
A [[caravanserai]] (or ''sarai'') is a type of roadside [[inn]], providing accommodation for travelers and caravans. During the reign of the [[Mughal Empire|Mughal empire]], several ''sarais'' were built at regular intervals along the major highways of the empire.{{Sfn|Begley|1983|p=167}} The Dakhni ''sarai'' is located on the medieval (now little-used) [[Grand Trunk Road#Suri and Mughal Empires|highway]] between [[Agra]] and [[Lahore]].{{Sfn|Begley|1983|p=167}}<br />
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Owing to the absence of a foundation inscription, the ''sarai'' is dated on the basis of its style. Its architectural features and designs resemble those of the [[Wazir Khan Mosque]], suggesting that it may have been constructed around the same time, in the 1630s, and possibly commissioned by the same patron, that is, [[Wazir Khan (Lahore)|Wazir Khan]].{{Sfn|Begley|1983|p=172-173}} Other sources mention it having been built by [[Ali Mardan Khan]], in 1640.{{Sfn|Parihar|1984|p=22}} <br />
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In 1870, a [[leper colony]] was established at the ''sarai'', and it had a capacity of 300 patients.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mJsIAAAAQAAJ&dq=dakhni+sarai&pg=RA3-PA65 |title=Gazetteer of the Ambala District: 1883 |date=1883 |pages=66 |language=en }}</ref>{{Sfn|Parihar|1984|p=23}} <br />
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== Description ==<br />
[[File:Dakhni Sarai near nakoder.JPG|thumb|The western gateway. Each gateway is flanked by octagonal bastions which contain five levels of recessed panels, and is topped with a ''[[chhatri]]''.]]<br />
It is located on the highway between [[Agra]] and [[Lahore]], and was intended to provide shelters to travelers along the route.{{Sfn|Begley|1983|p=167}} The ''sarai'' is in the form of a quadrangle, with dimensions of {{Dimensions|180|172}} meters. It consists of a [[courtyard]], surrounded by thirty rooms on each side. Each room is 3.8 meters long and 3.3 meters wide. An additional, larger room is located at the center of both the northern and southern sides, while large gateways are provided at the center of the eastern and western sides.{{Sfn|Parihar|1984|p=22-23}}<br />
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Each gateway features a central [[arch]] that serves as the entrance, flanked on both sides by smaller [[Niche (architecture)|recessed]] arches. Above these, two stories of triple openings with projecting balconies are present. The openings of the middle story were adorned with ''[[jali]]'' screens, traces of which survive on the eastern gateway. At either end of each gateway, octagonal [[Bastion|bastions]] are provided. Each of the bastions contain recessed panels arranged in five levels, and is topped with a ''[[chhatri]]''.{{Sfn|Parihar|1984|p=22}}{{Sfn|Parihar|1984|p=22}}<br />
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Towards the southwest is a mosque, which is surrounded by a wall. The mosque is crowned with three [[Dome|domes]], and its façade is flanked by two [[Minaret|minarets]]. It measures {{Dimensions|21.5|16}} meters. To the east of the mosque are some ruins, presumably of a ''[[hammam]]''.{{Sfn|Parihar|1984|p=23}}<br />
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==References==<br />
{{Reflist}}<br />
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=== Bibliography ===<br />
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* {{Cite book |last=Parihar |first=Subhash |url=https://archive.org/details/in.gov.ignca.72767/page/n39/mode/2up |title=Mughal Monuments in the Punjab and Haryana |publisher=Inter-India Publications |year=1984 |pages=22–23 }}<br />
* {{Cite journal |last=Begley |first=Wayne E. |date=1983 |title=Four Mughal Caravanserais Built during the Reigns of Jahāngīr and Shāh Jahān |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/1523076 |journal=Muqarnas |volume=1 |pages=167–179 |doi=10.2307/1523076 |jstor=1523076 |issn=0732-2992 |url-access=subscription }}<br />
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== Further reading ==<br />
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* {{Cite magazine |last=Parihar |first=Subhash |date=March 1991 |title=Dakhini Sarai: An Architectural Study |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zQhDAAAAYAAJ&q=%22Dakhini+Sarai%22 |magazine=Indica (Bombay) |volume=28 |issue=1 }}<br />
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[[Category:Mughal caravanserais]]</div>BaileyMetzler