Love Story Of Salim & Anarkali
The son of the great Mughal emperor Akbar, Salim, fell in love with an ordinary, but beautiful courtesan Anarkali. Anarkali was known for her dancing skills, as much as for her beauty. Salim was mesmerized by her beauty and fell in love as soon as he saw her. But, the emperor could not digest the fact that his son was in love with an ordinary courtesan. He started pressurizing Anarkali and devised all sorts of tactics to make her fall in the eyes of the young, love-smitten prince. When Salim came to know of this, he declared a war against his own father. But the mighty emperor's gigantic army proved too much for the young prince to handle. He was defeated and sentenced to death.
This was when Anarkali intervened and renounced her love to save her beloved from the jaws of death. She was entombed alive in a brick wall, right in front of her lover's eyes. Some people, however, say that she did not die. The tomb was constructed on the opening of a secret tunnel unknown to Salim. It is said she escaped through that tunnel and fled the place, never to return again. Thus, ended the tragic love story of Salim and Anarkali. However, Salim lived on to become Emperor Jahangir, who loved Anarkali throughout his life and remembered only her when he was dying.
A tomb that is believed to be of Anarkali, is located in the premises of Punjab Civil Secretariat in Lahore and now houses the Punjab Records Office. The tomb was previously transformed to a church by an invading British officer. There is also a market located at a near by road, The Mall road, which is famously known as the Anarkali Bazaar. It is believed to the one of the oldest markets in Pakistan. While no one knows whether Anarkali actually existed or not, her legend is still alive in millions of hearts across Indian and Pakistan.
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