Summer Palace

The summer palace is the basement of Sheesh Mahal. Sheesh Mahal has two openings that lead to the summer palace.  One is from the elephant stairs of Lahore Fort. A tiny wooden door will be on your left from where you can access this masterpiece, but presently it is closed to the public. If you wish to take a tour you need to get a tourist guide from Lahore Fort.

It was built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan as a summer house for the Royal families. He built it along with the Sheesh Mahal. Being a summer chamber the astonishing feature of the palace is its ventilation systems. The place remains cold during the scorching summer heat and humidity and warm during the freezing winters. It was also the secret escape route of the royal families. If there were some attacks, the royal females and children would make their way out of the Fort through these tunnels which led to the River Ravi. At that time River Ravi was flowing close to Lahore Fort and the basement was built according to the escaping needs in those times.

Interesting facts about the cold flooring of this palace. beneath the upper floor was another one and between the two floors a sewerage system was laid through which the water of river Ravi ran and kept the floors cold in summer. These were special channels of water and did not harm the foundations of the building. So how was the palace warm during the winter, that’s another interesting feature!  The water was heated and then sent to the water channels under the floor.

In some arches and chambers of this palace, the original fresco work is still intact. The palace was ornamented with silver, gold, and fresco paintings.