[2][3] Bara Katra was built between 1644 and 1646 AD by Mir Abul Qasim, the diwan (chief revenue official)[4] of Mughal prince Shah Shuja.

[6] Abul Qasim al-Husaini at-Tabtaba as-Simnani built this edifice, endowing it with twenty-two shops, attached to it, on the rightful and lawful condition that the officials in charge of the endowment would expend the income derived from them upon the repairs of the building and upon the poor and that they should not take any rent from any deserving person alighting therein, so that the pious act may reflect upon the monarch in this world and that they should not act contrariwise, or else they would be called to account on the Day of Retribution.

The building follows the traditional pattern of Central Asian caravanserais and is embellished as per Mughal architecture.

The underside of the alcove, spandrels, and surrounding walls are decorated with plastered panels exhibiting a variety of forms, including four-centered, cusped, horseshoe, and flat arches.

[6] In the 19th century, Orientalist James Atkinson described the building as "a stupendous pile of grand and beautiful architecture".

[7] The southern entrance leads to a guardroom, then an octagonal domed hall (the ceiling of which is plastered and decorated with net-patters and foliage designs), and finally to the courtyard.

Bara Katra was mainly used for customs clearance and resting space for merchants and travelers.