Delhi's Heritage Structures

[IndiansUnite]

Bijai Mandal - built in the 1300's near Sarvpriya Vihar/Kalu Sarai. This is a part of Jahanpanah - Delhi's 4th medieval city

view on google maps

from wiki:

Bijay Mandal is a building with a layout plan of 74 m (242.8 ft) x82 m (269.0 ft) dimensions, with a well proportioned square dome. It cannot be categorized as a tower or a palace. It is a typical Toghlaqi structure with an octagonal plan built in rubble masonry (with massive battered sloping walls on east, west and southern directions) on a raised platform with door ways in each cardinal direction. The purpose of this unusual structure and the ruins of the Sar Dara Palace was described by Ibn Battuta as the palace with multiple chambers and the large public audience hall as the famed Hazar Sutan Palace. It was also interpreted as serving as an observation tower to monitor the activities of his troops.

Copyright PrasoonRana


Copyright I In India


Copyright wohpal

[IndiansUnite]

Adham Khan's tomb - built in 1561 in Mehrauli. This guy was a military general under Akbar.

view on google maps

A little profile of him from wiki:

In 1561, he fell out with Ataga Khan, Akbar's Prime Minister, and husband of Ji Ji Anga, another wet nurse, and killed him, whereupon he was thrown down from the ramparts of Agra Fort twice, by the order of the emperor Akbar and died.

His mother after fortieth day of mourning also died out of grief, and both were buried in this tomb believed to be commissioned built by Akbar, in a conspicuous octagonal design, not seen in any Mughal building of that era, a designed perhaps designated to the traitors, as it was common design features visible in the tombs of the previous Sur Dynasty, and also the Lodhi dynasty now within the present Lodhi Gardens (Delhi), which the Mughals considered traitors.

In 1830s, a British officer named Blake of Bengal Civil Service, converted this tomb into his residential apartment and removed the graves to make way for his dining hall. Though the officer died soon, it continued to be used as a rest house for many years by the British, and at one point even as a police station and a post office. The tomb was vacated and later restored by the orders of Lord Curzon, and the grave of Adham Khan has since been restored to the site, and lies right below the central dome, though that of his mother Maham Anga never was.

Copyright Virgodad



Ciopyright VarunShiv


Copyright Dilliwallah


with the Qutb Minar - Copyright Carol Mitchell


Edit: Here's a painting uploaded on Wiki which shows him being thrown down Agra's fort by the orders of Akbar

[tanzirian]

Although most commentaries will state that the Mughal Empire went into decline following the death of Auruangzeb, imperial authority was actually undiminished during the brief reign (1707-1712) of his son, who took the title Shah Alam Bahadur Shah (and is alternately known as Shah Alam I or Bahadur Shah I). Shah Alam Bahadur Shah built the Moti Masjid (Pearl Mosque) at Mehrauli, the last of several marble mosques constructed by the Mughals. Many of the later Mughal emperors are buried adjacent to this mosque. The last emperor, Bahadur Shah II, had his own plot reserved, but was exiled to Rangoon by the British following the 1857 uprising.
The mosque is still relatively well preserved, with the exception of the once prominent guldastas which spiked upwards, the tops of the dome finials, and a few other pieces here and there. Among the interesting features of this mosque are the minarets, which are cuboidal rather cylindrical. This interest in vertical elements is carried over from Aurangzeb’s time and points to directions that imperial architecture might have taken if the empire had remained viable. This mosque is one of many Delhi monuments which, with some careful restoration / reconstruction, could be made almost as good as new. However, given the often crass and destructive nature of the ASI’s restoration efforts at the Red Fort, perhaps it’s better to leave things as they are.
Some pics of the mosque today (the first pic is from wiki; the other ones are from the website of the Indira Gandhi National Center for the Arts):







A painting and a photograph of the mosque from the 1800s, showing intact guldastas and other elements.

[IndiansUnite]

Originally Posted by tanzirian

Many of the later Mughal emperors are buried adjacent to this mosque. The last emperor, Bahadur Shah II, had his own plot reserved, but was exiled to Rangoon by the British following the 1857 uprising.

Trying to build a list of the folks buried here and at the nearby Qutbuddin Kaki's dargah. Interesting to note that the first and last names in this tribe of inconsequential Mughal rulers had Bahadur Shah as a part of their full names - either by throne title or by original name.

Shah Alam Bahadur Shah I (Builder of the Masjid)
Jalandar Shah ---> Humayun's tomb
Farrukhsiyar ----> Humayun's Tomb
Rafi ud-Darajat --> nearby Qutbuddin Kaki's Dargah
Rafi ud-Daulah --> Qutbuddin Kamal's Dargah (in Mehrauli?)
Muhammad Shah (Rangeela) --> Nizamuddin Auliya
Ahmad Shah Bahadur ----> Humayun's Tomb
Alamgir II --> Humayun's Tomb
Shah Alam II
Akbar Shah II
Bahadur Shah II --> Rangoon

[IndiansUnite]

Here's a quick rudimentary map which shows the location of Delhi's 7 medieval cities. As you can make out, these cities were initially concentrated in today's South Delhi and later moved to Central Delhi - closer to the Yamuna river.

Apart from Shahjahanabad (#7) and Lal Kot(#1) to an extent, the markings for all other cities have been made to show the rough location of the city centre or fort boundaries and in no way represent the exact boundaries of the city/settlement.





#1 - Lal Kot (fort) - Built in the 730s by the Tomars, it was renamed Qila Rai Pithora by the Chauhans in the late 1100s. The Qutab Minar Complex was built on a part of this.

#2 - Siri (fort) - Built by the Khiljis during the late 1200's - early 1300s, the Siri Fort Sports Complex stands here today.
2A- Hauz Khas village - Was a part of Siri city. Now it's an urban village with places to eat, smoke hookah and drink.

#3 - Tughlaqabad - Built by Ghiyas-ud-din Tughlaq in the 1320s, people still live in the village inside the fort.

#4 - Jahanpanah - Built by Muhammad bin Tughlaq in the 1320s, this is supposed to have encircled Lal Kot and Siri Fort. Today the ruins of its structures (like the Bijai Mandal I posted above) can be seen in Malviya Nagar. The Khirki Masjid lies just opposite Select Citywalk mall.

#5 - Ferozabad (Kotla)- Built by Firoze Shah Tughlak in the mid 1300s, the FSK cricket stadium and Ambedkar Hockey stadium lie here.

#6 - Din-Panah - Built by Humayunn in the 1530s, it was captured by Sher Shah Suri who built the Old Fort/Purana Qila here.

#7 - Shahjahanabad - Built by Shahjahan in the 1640s, this is popularly known as Old Delhi/Purani Dilli today.

[IndiansUnite]

Sabz Burj - Not much is known about this dome but it is supposed to have pre-dated Humayun's rule (pre-1530). It was originally green in color but the ASI during restoration efforts added blue tiles to it. This is one of my favorite little monuments in town.

View on google maps - It stands in the middle of the intersection (roundabout) of Mathura Rd and Lodhi Rd.

Copyright Karunesh Johri




Copyright eenar_6


Copyright vikram


Here you can see its dome popping out on the left side - copyright jofree

[mohit1]

thanks Indiansunite for sharing all pics and info

[tanzirian]

Among the gardens comissioned by the Mughal emperors were three named Shalimar. The first and finest was the one built by Jahangir near Srinagar in 1619. The second, and probably best known today, is in Lahore, built by Shah Jahan around 1641. However, there was a third, just as grand as the other two, but almost forgotten today...also built by Shah Jahan (in 1653), within the bounds of modern Delhi (Hyderpur, more precisely). The first coronation of emperor Alamgir (Aurangzeb) took place in this garden in 1658 (a second, much more lavish, coronation took place the following year). Today the garden is very delapidated, but to a fan of Mughal architecture like myself there is considerable interest here.

Some comparisons with the garden in Lahore are useful, since they were built only about a decade apart. While the garden in Lahore is much better preserved overall, the three surviving pavilions in Delhi retain more original Shah Jahan-era decorative elements than do their counterparts in Lahore. As in Lahore, there is a large rectangular central pavilion. In Lahore, the original patterned flooring is preserved, but the rest of the pavilion has been stripped of all decoration. I am not certain, but there may be have structural alterations as well. In Delhi, the basic structure of central pavilion (referred to as Sheesh Mahal) is well preserved, and is a particularly elegant example of Shah Jahani style. While the interior decoration no longer survives, here and there along the outside are surviving examples of the intricate and elegant decoration for which the period is renowned, and which undoubtedly once featured on the Lahori counterpart as well. On either corner at the top, there were once characteristic chhatris. Extending from the central pavilion are two lower lying wings in a lesser state of preservation. Another feature of Delhi’s garden, again similar to Lahore, is a large rectangular fountain tank with scalloped edges. The tank at Lahore is a beautifully preserved example of high Mughal style. At Delhi, only a fading footprint remains. Across the tank, in Lahore, are two crude brick and plaster pavilions flanking the central axis. These pavilions have been heavily modified – the product of rough reconstruction in colonial times. In Delhi, however, the corresponding pavilions retain their basic original structure, again with bits and pieces of the original decoration.

While only about half the footprint of Delhi’s Shalimar Bagh survives today, there is no reason why, with meticulous restoration and judicious reconstruction, that this site could not regain some of its lost beauty. On the other hand, given the ASI’s frequently rushed and occasionally destructive “restoration” efforts with similar structures at the Red Fort, I do fear what happens when preservation attempts are executed in a poor fashion.

Some pictures from the IGNCA:

[jas29]

I remember hearing a couple of years back plans to restore 3 Mughal gardens-

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/he...ardens/717939/

Has anything materialised? I think Shalimar Bagh especially could be turned around and become a majhor tourist site.

[webdevelop]

I went for the Delhi Heritage walks this Sunday 10 July, beautiful weather a perfect day to be outdoors. This Delhi Heritage Walks was started by young enthusiasts in 2009 and they organize one walk every Sunday and sometimes on weekdays on special requests. The walk which I went for was the Lodhi Walk and to my pleasant surprise the walk started bang on time.

[IndiansUnite]

Originally Posted by jas29

I remember hearing a couple of years back plans to restore 3 Mughal gardens-
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/he...ardens/717939/
Has anything materialised? I think Shalimar Bagh especially could be turned around and become a majhor tourist site.

Plans to restore them are still in the works, as they have been since 2000.

They currently look like any other semi-developed park (Roshanara is infact part of a club) in the city but a proper restoration of the "remaining" parts of all 3 would really help to attract more people as they're all unique in their own way - Shalimar has sheesh mahal, Qudsia has a masjid and right opp. the Kashmere gate metro station while Roshanara has a tomb and baradari.

And while we’re at the topic of gardens, thought I'd point that the redeveloped Coronation Park (also in North Delhi) is supposed to be opened sometime very soon. According to this article, the work entails "landscaping the park and redeveloping the obelisk, besides constructing a flagpost, an interpretation center, water bodies, an amphitheatre, pathways and entry points".

[World8115]

History surrounds Kashmere Gate

The City is dotted by numerous historic monuments of the British and Mughal period. These structures, with some real and some not-so-real stories attached to them, are spread across Delhi, which has been a capital of different kingdoms and empires.

However, Kashmere Gate in Old Delhi is one of the places in the City which has history erected or cremated at every nook and corner. Kashmere Gate and the area around it has witnessed some of the major events of the First Struggle of Independence in 1857.

During Shahjahan’s ruling, 14 gates were built around the City, which led to different regions of the country and this one led straight to Kashmir. It is one of the four gates besides Delhi Gate, Turkman Gate and Ajmeri Gate that has survived. Right in front of Ritz Cinema, the now renovated gate welcomes all.

Since it has some of the most important ruins of that era, the area around Kashmere Gate is loved by monument lovers. It hosts among others, St. James’ Church – one of Delhi’s oldest churches; a cemetery; a mosque; Dara Shikoh’s library in IP University campus; the telegraph memorial; old St Stephen’s College; British Magazine and other. A small walk around the area gives you an opportunity to visit many monuments.

Dedicated to British Brigadier General John Nicholson, who died at a young age, Nicholson Cemetery is few meters away from Kashmere Gate Metro Station, gate no. 4. The cemetery has some beautifully carved gravestones and memorials. Nicholson has died fighting with Indian soldiers in the 1857 uprising. His grave is on right side of the entrance of the cemetery.

At a short distance is St. James’ Church built in 1836 by James Skinner, an Anglo-Indian military adventurer. He raised two cavalry regiments, which are part of Indian Army till now. One of the oldest churches of Delhi has the grave of William Fraser, a great friend of Skinner. Badly damaged in 1857 by the rebel sepoys, the renovated church is now a landmark in the area.

Very close to the church lie the remains of Dara Shikoh in the old campus of Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University. According to the Indian National Trust For Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), “the Dara Shikoh library building was once part of the estate of Dara Shikoh, eldest son of Shahjahan. In the early 19th century, it became the Residency for the British Resident and from 1844-1857 it housed the Delhi College of Engineering.”

Nearby is what used to be St. Stephen’s College, prior to its shifting to the North Campus of DU. The building today houses office of the Election Commission. Founded in 1881 by the Cambridge Mission, the college began with a few students and about three teachers in this area. From 1891 to 1941 it was housed in then Delhi College of Engineering campus. In 1941 it shifted to its present site. A short walk in the area gives a tip of the rich history that this City carries.

[Yagya]

आइए, करें राष्ट्रपति भवन की सैर

राष्ट्रपति प्रणब मुखर्जी मानना है कि राष्ट्रपति भवन को आम लोगों के करीब होना चाहिए। ऐसे में हम आपको ले जा रहे हैं राष्ट्रपति भवन में ताकि आप भी जान, देख सकें इसकी भव्यता...

http://www.ndtv.com/video/player/ndt...y/264468?hphin

[tikkasriharsha]

Safdarjung Tomb