The Dakhni Sarai — Local services in Punjab

Dakhni Sarai

Dakhni Sarai is located in Nakodar which is 25 Km away from Jalandhar. It is a place where the priceless specimens of Mughal processions are kept. It consists of hundred and twenty four cells around a closed courtyard. It is a very beautiful place to visit. This Sarai lies about 12 km away from Nakodar in Jalandhar. The Sarai is named after the village in its location. It is said that the Sarai was built by the well recognized Mughal noble Ali Mardan Khan and he built it at a time when Mughal emperor Shah Jahan was in power in 1640 AD.

Dakhni Sarai is covered with a wall all around. It consists of one hundred & twenty four cubicles in the region of a closed courtyard in the midst of two impressive gateways. It is in the centre of eastern and western four-sided figure. There is a mosque and a well inside the courtyard. The half auditorium doorway of Dakhni Sarai is ornamented with glassy floor covering whereas its interior contains decorated design over bottle green plaster.

A wall closing the Sarai is strengthened by a circular stronghold on the outside on all four corners. The three storied front elevation of the doorway shows indentation and openings on both side, the less important opening is being closed with finely pierced red sandstone tracery screens. A gateway out of the wall is reinforced with octagonal towers and is crowned with domical cupolas. Side openings are ornamented with blank tile-work which shows floral and geometrical designs. The central arch is framed with panels and arch spandrels.

Nakodar is well connected to all major cities of Northern India by buses. State buses as well as private luxury coaches are available and they connect Nakodar to other cities like Amritsar, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Delhi and Chandigarh. One can take a bus to visit Dakhni Sarai. The nearest airport to Jalandhar is located at Amritsar city. This is an international airport and has excellent connectivity to many countries and cities. It receives flights from countries such as London, Muscat and Sharjah. It is well connected to all major airports of India. There is a railway station in Jalandhar which is well connected to major cities in the North such as Delhi, Amritsar and Jammu. From railway station to Dakhni Sarai one can take a public transport or taxi...

Awesome place for picnic. Glazed tile art work is a technique that has been employed for decoration in most of the Mughal monuments during 16 – 17th Century in India. Dakhni Sarai is one of the finest and best preserved specimens of Mughal caravan sarais from India. Glaze tile samples of Dakhni Sarai were analyzed for glaze segments and colours that were used during the Mughal era. The samples were studied using stereomicroscopic analysis, EMPA – WDS, SEM-EDX and by thermal analysis using DTA/TGA. The EMPA-WDS results indicated the usage of lead colorants – tin for yellow glazes, copper-cobalt for blue glazes, and a mixture of two for green glaze tiles. The thickness and slip fusion of the tiles with the inner have also been studied. The result showed that oxides of copper/cobalt/lead used as colorant in varied proportion have imparted color to the glaze under different firing environment and temperature. The presence of copper/cobalt could be either due to its deliberate addition as part of the manufacturing process or as traces in raw material. The results proved that the manufacturing techniques of 16th century Mughal galze tile art work show resemblance to contemporary...

Also known as jahangir fort.. quaint and peaceful place. Serai at Nurmahal is well known, a lesser known but equally exquisitve is the Dakhni Serai,on the Nakodar-Kapurthala Road ( 12 Km. from Nakodar ) near Village Mahlian Kalan.It is a fine example of Indo Persian style perfected during Mughal period. Constructed during the reign of Shah Jahan ( 1627-58) by Mughal mansabdar Ali Mardan Khan , the huge serai has124 rooms dotted all around its fortified rectangular enclosure. Two three storey high magnificient gates, Lahori Gate and Delhi Gate allow entry in to the Serai. Nakodar along with Nurmahal were important towns along the old G.T. Road from Delhi to Lahore. The present route of G.T. from Ludhiana ( Lodhiana ) onwards to Lahore was redone during the British te to be placed on the main railway line and G.T.road highway connecting Delhi with Lahore and beyond...