Punjab, the land of five rivers has many places of which reflect the historical grandeur of the place. Amanat Khan Sarai is famous for its ornamental gateway and glazed tile decorations. A must see, it is located at a distance of 38km on the Tarn Taran-Attari road from Amritsar.
A trip from Amritsar to Amanat Khan Sarai would take one to one of the only four remaining serais of Punjab dating back to the Mughal period. Sarai, as the name implicates refer to an inn, this was built and constructed by Amanat Khan, the calligrapher of the famous monument Taj Mahal, to provide shelter to the tourists or travellers.
The Amanat Khan Sarai is situated amidst all its nostalgia in Amritsar. Time has ravaged much of its beauty and glory but what has remained can surely give an idea of the impressive arrangement that once existed in this sarai.
Sarai Amanat Khan is all the more special with its arched get ways that have been exquisitely sculpted out reflecting the Mughal style of architecture. The ruins of the glazed tile décor, invokes nostalgia of a bygone era. Sarai Amanat Khan has two fascinating gateways known as Lahori Darwza and Delhi Darwaza.
The beauty of Amanat Khan Sarai is also largely due to the ‘Bouli’ that is attached to the ruined well of the serai. Lying almost unnoticed, this richness from the Mughal period is situated in a small village to the south west of the main city of Amritsar. The beautiful Sarai Amanat Khan houses the tomb of Amanat Khan, majestically guarded by the minarets on the four sides of the tomb.
Within the courtyard of Sarai Amanat Khan a mosque, a well and even open space to keep bullocks and horses are also provided. The arched way of the sarai directs towards to the prayer room. Attractive glazed tile-work adorns the spandrels of the arches. The mosque in the vicinity is adorned with beautiful verses in Persian. The sarai had an arrangement of hundreds of rooms and is almost 100 yards both in length and breadth. This sarai like the others served for the accommodation to the people passing the royal road from Atari to Govindwal.
The place is historically rich and it is also easily accessible from Amritsar to Amanat Khan Sarai. Sarai Amanat Khan has been announced as a “monument of national importance” under the ‘Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act 1958’.
