LAHORE: The Walled City of Lahore Authority (WCLA) has completed the conservation of the tomb of a senior French army officer, General Jean Francois Allard, in Anarkali, popularly known as ‘Kuri Bagh’ (Daughter’s Garden) at a cost of Rs3.9 million.

General Allard was a French General and he had joined the army of Maharaja Ranjeet Singh. He and his daughter are buried in this garden. The project has been initiated and funded by Ambassade De France Au Pakistan (French Embassy) and it was started in June 2022. French Ambassador Nicolas Galley inaugurated the monument on Tuesday.

The Walled City of Lahore Authority carried out the conservation and renovation of the Tomb. Flooring, entrance gate, landscaping, outdoor furniture and drainage system have also been repaired. History plaques related to the monument have also been placed there.

It is a small tomb with a dome octagonal in plan. On the top of main entrance, a tablet with a Persian script is fixed bearing the name and the death date of Marie Charlotte.

Commenting on the monument, WCLA Director Conservation Najamus Saqib said that it was an important historical site and has now been conserved with the best practices. According to history, Maharaja Ranjeet Singh who ruled Punjab from 1799 to 1839 had hired the services of many European army officers to train his army. One of those officers was General Jean Francois Allard.

He had a daughter named Marie Charlotte, who died on April 5, 1827, at Lahore. General Allard buried her on a small mound in a garden attached to his house and subsequently constructed a small tomb on her daughter’s grave. After the death of General Allard in 1839 at Peshawar, he was buried next to his daughter in the same tomb. Later, the garden was known by the name of ‘Kuri Da Bagh (Daughter’s Garden) and the tomb as ‘Kuri Da Maqbara’ (Daughter’s Tomb).

The General was born in Saint Tropez (south France), and served in Napoleon’s army; he was awarded the Legion of Honour (the highest French order of merit, both military and civil) and was promoted to the rank of Captain of the French 7th Hussar Regiment.

After the Battle of Waterloo Allard drifted, going to Persia where he visited Abbas Mirza to propose his services. He was promised the rank of Colonel, but never actually received the troops corresponding to his function. In 1820, Allard left for Punjab and in 1822 he entered the service of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. He was commissioned to raise a corps of dragoons and lancers. On completion of this task, Allard was awarded the rank of general and became the leader of the European officer corps in the Maharaja’s service.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022