SSC
The 'Sarai Nurmahal', a Mughal caravanserai built under the patronage of Nur Jahan, is located in which present-day district?
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Answer: Option B — Jalandhar, Punjab
Detailed Solution
The "Sarai Nurmahal", a Mughal caravanserai (rest house for travellers), is located in the town of Nurmahal, in the Jalandhar district of Punjab.
About the sarai:
- It was built between about 1618 and 1620, under the patronage of Nur Jahan, the queen of the emperor Jahangir.
- The town of Nurmahal itself was named after her (Nur Mahal was her earlier title).
- It was built on the Mughal highway between Delhi and Lahore, to provide shelter for travellers, merchants and their animals.
- It is a large square enclosure with high walls and two grand gateways (the Lahori Gate and the Delhi Gate).
- Inside, there are rows of rooms for travellers around a large courtyard, along with a mosque, wells and stables.
- The western (Lahori) gateway is richly carved with figures of elephants, horsemen, birds, animals, flowers and mythical creatures, which is unusual for Islamic buildings.
- It is a protected monument.
About Nur Jahan as a patron:
- Nur Jahan was a great patron of architecture and gardens.
- She built the tomb of her father, Itimad-ud-Daulah.
- She commissioned the Sarai Nurmahal and other sarais.
- She laid out gardens in Kashmir and elsewhere.
- She also built the tomb of her husband, Jahangir.
- She issued coins in her own name and took an active part in the administration.
Mughal sarais:
- Sarais were built along major roads to provide rest, food and protection for travellers.
- Sher Shah Suri built many sarais along his roads.
- The Mughals continued this practice, and many nobles and royal women built sarais as acts of charity.
- Famous Mughal sarais include the Sarai Amanat Khan (near Amritsar), the Sarai Doraha (Ludhiana), and the Sarai Lashkari Khan (Ludhiana).
About Jalandhar:
- It is an old city in the Doaba region of Punjab, between the Beas and Sutlej rivers.
- It is known today for its sports goods industry.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Agra, Lahore and Ajmer are not the location of this sarai.
Quick tip
Remember: Sarai Nurmahal = Nurmahal town, Jalandhar district, Punjab (built about 1618-20 under Nur Jahan; carved Lahori gate; on the Delhi-Lahore highway).
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Monuments & Religious Places — Preparation
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This topic covers India's important monuments, temples, mosques, churches, gurudwaras and pilgrimage sites, who built them and when, their architectural styles, and India's UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Questions ask who built a monument, where it is located, or which dynasty or style it belongs to. For example, the Qutub Minar was begun by Qutbuddin Aibak, and the Sun Temple at Konark was built by the Eastern Ganga king Narasimhadeva I. Revise the UNESCO World Heritage Sites as a list, noting the most recent additions. Practise the monuments and religious places questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.