The University started its career in 1921 as the Mughalpura Technical College, deriving its name from the famous suburb of the old city of Lahore, richly dotted with architectural heritage of the great Mughals including the magnificent Shalimar Gardens. Its more familiar name of the pre-University era, the Maclagan Engineering College, was given to it in 1923 when Sir Edwards Maclagan, the then Governor of the Punjab, laid the foundation stone of the building, now called the Main Block, which still retains its majesty in spite of the wear and tear of over eight decades. At that stage the institution offered courses of study in two disciplines, namely Electrical and Mechanical Engineering. These courses, though known for their excellence, did not lead to a University degree. The year 1932 is a major milestone in the evolution of this institution when it was affiliated with the University of the Punjab for award of a Bachelor's Degree in Engineering. At the dawn of Independence in 1947, it had well-established B.Sc. Degree courses in civil, electrical and mechanical engineering, and the quality of its scholastic standards won it a place of prestige throughout British India.