Kuri Bagh is a small brick tomb in Old Anarkali, Lahore, where the French general Jean-François Allard, a veteran of Napoleon's cavalry who commanded Maharaja Ranjit Singh's elite horse, is buried beside his infant daughter Marie Charlotte. Allard built it in 1827 for the daughter, in the garden of his house, which is why the place is still called Kuri Bagh Lahore, "the girl's garden". It stands near the Lahore High Court and Kapurthala House, takes ten minutes to see, and is one of the few French monuments in Pakistan.
| At a glance | |
|---|---|
| Location | Old Anarkali, near Kapurthala House and the Lahore High Court |
| Built | 1827, for Marie Charlotte Allard |
| Buried here | Marie Charlotte Allard (died 5 April 1827) and General Jean-François Allard (died 23 January 1839) |
| Material | Brick and lime mortar, on a raised platform |
| Inscriptions | Persian over the entrance; a French marble plaque inside |
| Entry | No published hours or fee |
Who was General Allard?
Jean-François Allard was born in Saint-Tropez in 1785 and served in Napoleon's cavalry, rising to captain and being wounded twice. After Napoleon's fall in 1815 he left France, tried his luck in Persia, and reached Punjab, entering Ranjit Singh's service in 1822.
Ranjit Singh wanted an army that could stand up to the East India Company, and Allard's task was to raise a corps of dragoons and lancers on European lines. The result was the Fauj-i-Khas, the Maharaja's elite brigade, which grew to about 6,000 men and was drilled with French words of command under standards modelled on Napoleon's eagles. Allard rose to general and was given the Sikh state's order of the Kaukab-i-Iqbal-i-Punjab.
He married Bannu Pan Dei, a daughter of Raja Menga Ram of Chamba, and they had seven children. In the mid-1830s he took the family to France, where he was promoted Commander of the Légion d'honneur in 1835 and built a house in Saint-Tropez for his wife. He returned to Punjab alone and died of heart failure in Peshawar on 23 January 1839, a few months before Ranjit Singh himself.
Why is it called Kuri Bagh?
Kuri is Punjabi for girl, and bagh means garden. Allard's daughter Marie Charlotte died in infancy on 5 April 1827, and he built the tomb for her in the garden attached to his residence. The garden came to be known as Kuri da Bagh, and according to The News on Sunday it once spread across what is now the Old Anarkali bazaar and the Anarkali police station.
When Allard died in Peshawar, his body was brought back to Lahore and buried beside his daughter with full military honours on 19 February 1839. A French inscription on the tombstone names him as a Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur.
What does the tomb look like?
It is a compact brick and lime structure on a raised platform reached by brick steps, with a tall arched entrance. A writer in The News on Sunday in 2023 noted that it echoes the nearby Tomb of Anarkali on a much smaller scale. There is a Persian inscription above the entrance, and inside a French marble plaque records that the graves hold the remains of Marie Charlotte and General Allard.
Was the tomb lost and rediscovered?
For a long time it effectively was. The News on Sunday reports that when the French embassy asked about Allard's grave in 1992, it could not at first be found, partly because local people had come to treat it as the shrine of a saint. The Punjab Archaeology Department later identified it. Since then it has been renovated, a signboard put up and slum structures around it cleared.
Interest has grown since. In 2025 the LUMS art historian Dr Nadhra Shahbaz Khan received France's Ordre des Palmes académiques, with her work on Lahore's French heritage and on Kuri Bagh in particular cited by LUMS. Her students have proposed ways to bring the site back into use, from a garden setting to guided tours and storytelling.
How do I get to Kuri Bagh?
The tomb is in Old Anarkali, at the angle where Edward Road (now Mauj Darya Road) meets Mozang Road. The News on Sunday places it beside Munshi Chambers, a five-storey yellow building near Kapurthala House, and close to the well-known Yousaf Falooda shop, which is the easiest landmark to ask for.
- Take a ride-hailing car or rickshaw to Old Anarkali, near the Lahore High Court. The Orange Line's underground Anarkali station is in the same part of town if you are coming by train.
- Ask for Kapurthala House or Yousaf Falooda, then look for the yellow Munshi Chambers block.
- The tomb stands on its platform beside it. If you get lost, ask for "Allard ka maqbara" or "Kuri Bagh".
We have not found published opening hours or an entry fee. Go in daylight, and expect heavy traffic around the courts on weekdays.
What else is nearby?
Kuri Bagh sits in one of the densest heritage corners of Lahore:
- The Tomb of Anarkali, the larger Mughal tomb inside the Civil Secretariat.
- Anarkali Bazaar and the tomb of Qutbuddin Aibak, the Delhi sultan who died in Lahore in 1210.
- Bradlaugh Hall on Rattigan Road, a short ride north; see our Bradlaugh Hall guide.
- For the Sikh court Allard served, the Samadhi of Ranjit Singh beside the Lahore Fort.
Is Kuri Bagh worth visiting?
Yes, as a short stop if you are already in Anarkali, and especially if you are interested in the Sikh period: a father's tomb for his baby daughter, built by a Frenchman serving a Punjabi maharaja, says a good deal about the Lahore of the 1820s. It is not a destination for a half-day on its own; there is no museum, guide or café, and the setting is a congested commercial street. Combine it with the Tomb of Anarkali and Qutbuddin Aibak's tomb for an hour's walk. Our experiences page has more ideas for Lahore.
Frequently asked questions
Who is buried at Kuri Bagh in Lahore?
General Jean-François Allard, the French commander of Ranjit Singh's elite cavalry, and his infant daughter Marie Charlotte, who died in 1827.
What does Kuri Bagh mean?
The girl's garden, or daughter's garden. It was the garden of Allard's house, where he built the tomb for his daughter.
Where exactly is Kuri Bagh?
In Old Anarkali, where Mauj Darya Road (formerly Edward Road) meets Mozang Road, beside Munshi Chambers and near Kapurthala House and the Lahore High Court.
Is there an entry fee?
No fee or opening hours have been published. It is a small open monument in a busy street; visit in daylight.
Where did General Allard die?
In Peshawar, on 23 January 1839. His body was brought to Lahore and buried beside his daughter on 19 February 1839.
