SULTAN KHUSRŪ’S MAUSOLEUM.
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.