Rediscovering Dai Anga’s Tomb on the GT Road

Monuments hold a peculiar kind of silence, a silence that speaks about how certain places are waiting to be remembered. Everything in this world holds significance for as long as it has an eye to appreciate its existence. I felt this while I was standing inside the tomb of Dai Anga in Begampura, Lahore. While life goes on as usual on the busy road ahead of it, no one really notices the stories that lie behind the silent walls of this tomb.

Lahore has always been known as a place rich in its history and culture, dominating conversations around Mughal art, whether it concerns places like the Badshahi Mosque or Masjid Wazir Khan. Yet people often overlook places like the tomb of Dai Anga, which carries an equally profound history and significance.

A Woman Worth Remembering

The real name of Dai Anga was Zaib-un-Nisa. “Dai” is an Urdu word meaning “nurse.” Zaib-un-Nisa was the wet nurse of Emperor Shah Jahan. Under the Mughals, the wet nurse held a sacred place in the life of the royal child. Such a bond translated into real power and influence that lasted lifetimes.

Dai Anga’s family had deep-rooted relations with the royal family. Her husband, Murad Khan, served as a magistrate under Emperor Jahangir. Her son, Muhammad Rashid Khan, gave his life in service to Shah Jahan’s eldest son, Dara Shikoh. Likewise, the counsel of Dai Anga carried weight in one of the most important courts the subcontinent has ever known.

Before leaving for her pilgrimage, Dai Anga commissioned a mosque in the Naulakha area of Lahore. This mosque is still........

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