# Aam Khas Bagh, Sirhind: The Mughal Royal Inn, Sard Khana and Visitor Guide

- Link: https://chdlife.com/aam-khas-bagh-sirhind-mughal-royal-inn/
- Published: 2026-09-21T04:44:45+05:30
- Author: Rahul Goyal

✍️ _By [Rahul Goyal](https://chdlife.com/author/rahul/)_ · Chandigarh Life

**Quick answer:** Aam Khas Bagh in Sirhind, Punjab, is the ruined Mughal royal inn
on the old Delhi–Lahore road, where the district portal says the royal couple stayed
on journeys to and from Lahore. It has an “air-conditioned” Sard Khana, a Sheesh
Mahal, a hamam and a tank. Google Maps shows about **42 km** and **53 minutes** 
from Chandigarh, and its two listings disagree on opening hours, so confirm before
you go.

Sirhind is best known for its gurdwaras, but it was also a Mughal provincial capital,
and Aam Khas Bagh is the clearest reminder. This guide draws on the Fatehgarh Sahib
district portal, Wikipedia and Google Maps, and it says where the accounts differ,
especially on who built what.

![Two-storey ruined brick palace with empty arched openings and peeling plaster 
behind a lawn and a low tank wall at Aam Khas Bagh, Sirhind](https://chdlife.com/
wp-content/uploads/2026/10/aam-khas-bagh-sirhind-daulat-khana-ekhas.webp "Aam Khas
Bagh, Sirhind: The Mughal Royal Inn, Sard Khana and Visitor Guide 1")

The ruined Daulat Khana-e-Khas at Aam Khas Bagh, Sirhind, in September 2016. Photo:
Kanu Bhardwaj, [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Aam_Khas_Bagh_Sirhind_Daulat_Khana-Ekhas.jpg),
via Wikimedia Commons ([licence](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)).

## Aam Khas Bagh at a glance

| Detail | What we found | 
| What it is | The remains of a Mughal highway inn and royal halting place, listed by the district portal as a historic place | 
| Where | Aam Khas Bagh Road, Sirhind, Punjab 140406; plus code J9QW+6F6 on Google Maps | 
| From Chandigarh | About 42.0 km, roughly 53 minutes via SH 12A on Google Maps; other routes are 42.1 km and 42.4 km | 
| Timings | Google Maps has two listings that disagree: one showed “opens 6 am” during our overnight check, the other shows open 24 hours. A visitor comment says 6 AM to 7 PM, closed on Mondays, which we could not confirm | 
| Who built it | Sources differ: see below | 
| Condition | Wikipedia says several buildings are in poor condition; the photographs show roofless, weathered walls | 
| Visitor rating | 4.3 on Google Maps for both listings, about 3,200 reviews in total (21 September 2026) |

## Who built Aam Khas Bagh?

The district portal says Aam Khas Bagh was built for the public and for the exclusive
use of Emperor Shah Jahan, and that the royal couple stayed here while travelling
to and from Lahore. Wikipedia describes it as the remains of a highway inn, divided
into an “Aam” part for public use and a “Khas” part for private use by royalty. 
It says the inn was first built by Akbar and planned by the architect Hafiz Rakhna,
rebuilt by Shah Jahan on the Mughal military road between Delhi and Lahore, and 
added to by Jahangir.

The same Wikipedia article credits Jahangir with the Sard Khana, the Sheesh Mahal,
the hamam and the tank, and Shah Jahan with the Daulat Khana-e-Khas, so the attributions
do not line up neatly even within one source. We give them as reported and would
not treat any one emperor as settled.

## What to see

 * **Sard Khana:** the “air-conditioned” chamber (the district portal spells it 
   Sarad Khana). Wikipedia says water was drawn by pulleys from an adjoining well
   and run through channels in the walls to feed fountains and waterfalls; the district
   portal says the remains show a perfect system of air-conditioning.
 * **Sheesh Mahal (Daulat-Khana-e-Khas):** Wikipedia says some glazed tiles that
   decorated the domes are still visible. The district portal names the Sheesh Mahal
   as Daulat-Khana-e-Khas, while Wikipedia lists a separate double-storey Daulat
   Khana-e-Khas as Shah Jahan’s private residence.
 * **Hamam and tank:** water was carried through underground terracotta channels
   and heated by an unusual method, according to the district portal and Wikipedia.
   Wikipedia adds that a central platform of the tank has fallen and that quarters
   for Mughal staff stood on its east and west sides.
 * **Garden, nursery and orchard:** the district portal mentions a garden and nursery;
   Wikipedia adds an orchard of about 11 acres with mango, pear and guava, some 
   trees more than 70 years old.
 * **Tourist complex:** the district portal says a tourist complex called Maulasari
   is run within Aam Khas Bagh.

![Looking down a deep brick-lined well overgrown with green plants near the Sard
Khana at Aam Khas Bagh, Sirhind](https://chdlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/
aam-khas-bagh-sirhind-wells-near-saradkhana.webp "Aam Khas Bagh, Sirhind: The Mughal
Royal Inn, Sard Khana and Visitor Guide 2")

A brick well near the Sard Khana at Aam Khas Bagh, Sirhind, in September 2016. Photo:
Kanu Bhardwaj, [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Aam_Khas_Bagh,_Sirhind_Wells_Near_Saradkhana.jpg),
via Wikimedia Commons ([licence](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)).

## Light and sound show

The district portal says that during the Shaheedi Jor Mela at Fatehgarh Sahib, a
light and sound programme on the history of Sirhind and the martyrdom of Guru Gobind
Singh’s younger sons is shown at night in Aam Khas Bagh. Wikipedia names the play
as Sirhind Di Deewar. Dates follow the mela, which falls in December on 11–13 Poh
per the district portal, so check the current schedule with the local administration.

## Sirhind in context

Wikipedia says Sirhind became a provincial capital under the Mughals, controlling
the Lahore–Delhi highway, and quotes a popular notion that the name comes from “
Sar-i-Hind”, the frontier or gateway of Hind. It also repeats a saying that in its
heyday the city had 360 mosques, gardens, tombs, caravanserais and wells, which 
we treat as tradition, not a count.

## Other historic sites nearby

 * **Haveli of Diwan Todar Mal (Jahaji Haveli):** listed by Wikipedia as a historic
   place in Sirhind and by the district portal as Haveli Todar Mal; Google Maps 
   rates Jahaz Haweli Diwan TodarMal 4.7 from about 1,000 reviews.
 * **Tombs of Ustad and Shagird:** the district portal lists both tombs, and Wikipedia
   says they are about a kilometre west of Rauza Sharif in the village of Talanian.
 * **Banyan tree at Cholti Kalan:** the district portal describes one of the largest
   banyan trees in the country, with a canopy spread over 3 to 4 acres, reached 
   by a link road of about 8 km from Sarai Banjara village. It gives the tree’s 
   age only as “a few hundred years” according to local information.

## How to reach Aam Khas Bagh from Chandigarh

Google Maps shows about 42.0 km and 53 minutes via SH 12A, and two alternatives 
of 42.1 km and 42.4 km at the same travel time. The district portal says the nearest
airport is Chandigarh/Mohali, about 50 km from Fatehgarh Sahib, and that Sirhind
Junction, on the Delhi–Amritsar line, is the rail stop.

## Plan a longer day trip

 * [Sikh heritage day trip: Fatehgarh Sahib and Virasat-e-Khalsa](https://chdlife.com/sikh-heritage-day-trip-fatehgarh-sahib-virasat-e-khalsa/)
   for the gurdwaras in the same town.
 * [Historical places in Chandigarh](https://chdlife.com/historical-places-in-chandigarh/)
   and [forts near Chandigarh](https://chdlife.com/forts-near-chandigarh/) for more
   heritage stops.
 * [Gurdwara Fatehgarh Sahib](https://chdlife.com/gurdwara-fatehgarh-sahib-sirhind/)
   and [Rauza Sharif](https://chdlife.com/rauza-sharif-sirhind-dargah-shaikh-ahmad-sirhindi/)
   are in the same town; [Sanghol Museum](https://chdlife.com/sanghol-museum-archaeological-site-fatehgarh-sahib/)
   is in the same district, and [Fateh Burj](https://chdlife.com/fateh-burj-chappar-chiri-mohali/)
   marks the 1710 battle.

## Frequently asked questions

### What is Aam Khas Bagh?

It is the ruined Mughal highway inn and royal halting place in Sirhind, Punjab, 
on the old Delhi–Lahore road, with a Sard Khana, a Sheesh Mahal, a hamam and a tank.

### Who built Aam Khas Bagh?

The district portal says it was built for Emperor Shah Jahan. Wikipedia says Akbar
first built it, Shah Jahan rebuilt it and Jahangir added to it, and it credits different
buildings to Jahangir and Shah Jahan.

### What is the Sard Khana?

It is the chamber known for its air-cooling system, in which water was drawn from
a nearby well and passed through channels in the walls, according to Wikipedia. 
The district portal spells it Sarad Khana.

### How far is Aam Khas Bagh from Chandigarh?

Google Maps shows about 42.0 km and roughly 53 minutes via SH 12A.

### What are the timings?

Google Maps has two listings that disagree: one showed “opens 6 am” during our overnight
check and the other shows open 24 hours. Confirm locally before you go.

### Is there a light and sound show?

The district portal says one is staged at night in Aam Khas Bagh during the Shaheedi
Jor Mela at Fatehgarh Sahib in December.

## Sources

 * [Fatehgarh Sahib district administration, Aam Khas Bagh](https://fatehgarhsahib.nic.in/tourist-place/aam-khas-bagh/)
 * [Fatehgarh Sahib district administration, Other Visiting Places](https://fatehgarhsahib.nic.in/tourist-place/other-visiting-places/)
 * [Fatehgarh Sahib district administration, Banayan Tree](https://fatehgarhsahib.nic.in/tourist-place/banayan-tree/)
 * [Wikipedia, Aam Khas Bagh](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aam_Khas_Bagh)
 * [Wikipedia, Sirhind](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sirhind)
 * [Google Maps, Aam Khas Bagh, Sirhind (listings, hours, directions from Chandigarh; read 21 Sep 2026)](https://www.google.com/maps/search/Aam+Khas+Bagh+Sirhind)