The Capital City of India
New Delhi, the capital city of India, unwinds a splendor rich with cultural heritage. The successive seat of power, Delhi is adorned with powerful history, historical monuments, museums, galleries, panoramic gardens and cultural shows. Comprising into two distinct Delhi, the Old Delhi and the New Delhi,
The city is a travel hub of entire India. Narrating the city's Mughal past, Old Delhi, takes you through the narrow lanes of Chandani Chalk, passing through formidable mosques of Jama Masjid, just opposite to it lies the famous monument of Red fort. The imperial city of New Delhi highlights the monumental structures of India Gate, President House representing the colonial style of architecture. Besides its monumental heritage, Delhi is also a shopper's paradise and has most exciting nightlife in its disco-thecae, restaurants, and cinema halls
Famous Places of Delhi
Delhi was chosen as the throne of chivalry by successive dynasties. One of the most preferred destinations on tourist's itinerary, Delhi is endowed with plethora of attractions.For its tourists, this buzzing capital has a lot in its store. The Red Fort, Qutab Minar, the Jama Masjid are some of the wonders of architecture that crown the honor of Delhi.
Besides, Delhi has a delightful nightlife in its various discotheques, nightclubs and pubs.
Delhi Temples
Birla Mandir
Also Known As Lakshmi-Narayan Mandir
Also Known As Birla Mandir
Strictly speaking, this structure is not part of the New Delhi Lutyens designed. Famous Birla Mandir in Delhi is essentially a Hindu temple which came up alongside with New Delhi and has therefore been pegged with it. Popularly known as the Birla Mandir, it is the first of the temples built across the country by the industrial family of Birla. Located just off Connaught Place on Mandir Marg, it is dedicated to Vishnu, the second of the Hindu Trinity of creator-preserver-destroyer, and his consort Lakshmi, the Goddess of wealth.
¤ The Most Important Temples of Hindus
Built in 1938, famous Birla Mandir in Delhi was inaugurated by Mahatma Gandhi (Father of the Indian Nation) on the express condition that people of all castes and especially untouchables would be allowed in. (Refer to section People). Consequently a plaque at the gate reiterates that people of all faiths and classes are welcome. Till date, it remains one of the most popular temples in Delhi.
¤ The Architectural Brilliance of The Birla Mandir (Temple)
Birla Mandir is also famous for the festival of Janmashtami (birth of the Hindu deity Krishna). The festival is celebrated here with much goodwill and cheer.
The temple is designed in the Orissan style, with tall curved towers capped by large amalakas (circular ribbed motif at the summit of a temple tower). The exterior is faced with the white marble and red sandstone typical of Delhi’s Mughal architecture. The interior court is overlooked by two-storey verandahs on three sides; there are gardens and fountains at the rear. The profusion of sculptures, idols, spires and jalis, the Birla Mandir in Delhi is also considered as splendor in terms of its architecture.
Kali Bari Mandir
A stone’s throw from Birla Mandir to the right is the much smaller but quite popular temple devoted to the Goddess Kali. Especially dear to the Bengali community of Delhi, Kali Bari Mandir in Delhi is the centre of celebration during the festival of Durga Puja held every October. Since Kali is believed to be the manifestation of Durga in her most terrifying, warlike avatar, liquor is offered to the goddess in this temple.
The Kali Bari Mandir is rather small and very simple in design. From within the temple grows a huge peepul tree that pierces through the ceiling to shade the temple. The peepul is considered sacred by Hindus and red threads are tied around its bark when beseeching a boon.
Kalkaji Temple
Situated beyond the commercial complex of Nehru Place lies this temple dedicated to the goddess Kalka Devi. Its oldest section dates back to 1764 and additions were made in the mid-19 th century. However most of the building is modern. Thousands of pilgrims throng the temple, especially in October during the nine days of navratrey, when a huge fair is held here.
Lotus Temple - Modern Temple of Delhi
Lotus Temple - a modern of Delhi is one such temple that facilitates the Bhai's Faith of Worship. The Baha’i House of Worship is dedicated to the oneness of all religions and mankind. Subsidiary buildings that afford relief to the suffering, sustenance to the poor, shelter to the wayfarer, solace to the bereaved and education to the ignorant will abound around the House of Worship.
There is no clergy in the Baha’i Faith and its service consists of prayers and readings of selections from Baha’i scriptures, and religious texts of the other faiths of the world.
¤ The Bahai's Faith
The Baha’is lay great emphasis on prayer and meditation. These, they believe are important instruments for the progress of the human soul, both in this world and the next. The Baha’is pray to one God, the Creator of the Universe.
The act of praying is described as ‘Conversation with God’.Meditation is perceived as the ‘Key for opening the doors of mysteries’. In that state, man withdraws himself from all outside objects and immerses himself in the ocean of spiritual life.
In the Baha’i Holy Writings, there are prayers for all occasions. Prayers can be offered individually or collectively. Great importance is given to prayers as is revealed in all the Scriptures.
However, the Baha’i Writings specify that the mere act of praying is not sufficient. The inspiration drawn from one's prayers must be translated into action that promotes the well being of humanity.
Delhi Mosques
Bara Gumbad Masjid (1494)
Towards the right, set a little back from Muhammad Shah's tomb is the Bara Gumbad. This is a square tomb with an all-encompassing massive dome, which leaves hardly any space for a roof. It is decorated with stuccowork and painting from inside, while the outside is a mix of grey, red and black.
Begumpuri Masjid
Begumpuri Masjid Jahanpanah, so lovingly planned and so carelessly given up by Muhammad-bin-Tughlaq (1325-1351), is survived by painfully little today. Remaining buildings speak of grandiose and much planning; the idea was to encompass all the Delhis before it in one all-embracing fortress. However like most ideas of Muhammad-bin-Tughlaq (see history) it defied all practical steps taken to make it a reality and Jahanpanah was left as it was when about halfway through.
¤ The Colossal Fort Walls
Whatever left of it has been swallowed up by grasping tentacles of the ever-expanding south Delhi. The walls of Jahanpanah are surprisingly huge; some even have rooms built into them to store provisions and war equipment. You can spot some sections of the wall at Satpula, near Khirkee Village.
¤ Begumpuri Masjid
The Begumpuri Masjid, which occupied the place of pride in the sultan's capital being bang in its centre, is so formal looking that you almost expect it to have a stiff upper lip. It was obviously built for majesty, what with its towering stature and striking profile. It was obviously meant to be, and was, much more than just a mosque. It was a social and communal hub – it housed a madrasa and a treasury. People met here for business and other transactions and the city's grain markets were often held just outside the mosque's entrance.
The masjid itself is built in the typically Spartan Tughlaq style. It frowns down on everyone from an elevated platform, which makes for an immense courtyard surrounded by arcaded cloisters. Its cool and breezy interiors were probably as quiet and serene then as they are now. One can imagine pious devotees spending time here in silent meditation, reflecting on Allah and His decrees.
¤ Attractive Canopy
As one climbs up to the masjid, its massive pointed dome suddenly pops out of the towering doorways that it had been hiding behind. There were originally forty-fur smaller domes too, however some of these have either fallen or are crumbling. These used to be atop the riwaq (cloister), strewn across the courtyard above the porticos.
An interesting façade of twenty four arched openings greets the visitor to this mosque. On either side of the mosque you will see tapering minarets which are characteristic Tughlaq material. Architecture freaks don't miss the core of the courtyard, which is akin to the Jaunpur Mosques and the only example of its kind in Delhi.
One wonders why this mosque was ever abandoned, considering that India is teeming with medieval mosques that still in worship. There are steps which can take you right to the top of mosque; you can get an excellent view of the Bijai Mandal next door.
Fatehpuri Masjid
Fatehpuri Masjid The red sandstone Fatehpuri masjid stands on the western end of Chandini Chowk. It is topped off by a dome and is flanked by tall minarets. It was built by one of Shah Jahan's wives Fatehpuri Begum in 1650.
Jama Masjid
¤ The Biggest Mosque In India
Near the Red Fort about 500m away is the Jama masjid, the biggest mosque in India. It was begun by Shah Jahan in 1650 and completed six years later and the whole cost about a million rupees. It is hard to imagine a building more suited to evoking the awe of the majesty of Allah in man. The mosque stands on a rocky elevation. Its huge gateway looks down at you like fastidious connoisseur from an immense platform which has steps that lead up to it.
Constructed in Sandstone and white marble, Jama Masjid can be entered from both the directions - North and the South Gates. The eastern gateway is supposed to remain open in Friday and was used by the emperor himself. Jama Masjid is cluttered by devotees who offer namaz, especially during Muslim Festival. For those who don't belong to non - Muslim community, a specified time is mentioned to enter the mosque.
Quick bytes
State : 1658
Constructed by : Shah Jahan in Delhi
Visiting Hours : October to March.
Number of People : 20,000 people
Eastern gateway : open only on Fridays
Beyond the intimidating entrance, is a vast courtyard measuring nearly 100msq. It is flanked by pillared corridors which run all along the courtyard and have domed pavilions in the middle on either side.
The prayer hall, measuring 61m by 27.5m, is quite a marvel. It is has a magnificent façade of eleven arches, the central one being higher than the others and serving as the entrance. It is topped off by three magnificent domes which are richly ornamented and have black and white marble stripes – much like the Nizamuddin Dargah.
Khirkee Masjid
¤ The Construction
The Khirkee mosque was built by Khan-i-jahan Junan Shah the prime minister of Feroze Shah Tughlaq in 1380. The mosque gets its name from its exquisite windows or khirkees.
Gordon Risley Hearn in his The Seven Cities of Delhi (1906) after describing the mosque as 'a very fine one' says:
In plan it is square and within the encircling wall there is a colonnade; but the interior, instead of being left open, as other mosques of the time were, has arcades in the shape of a cross; four courts are thus left open… the windows in the outer walls are closed by heavy sand stone grilles… (the) mosque is well worthy of inspection…
¤ The Great Interior Work
The inner courtyards, which attracted the attention of Hearn, are indeed very fascinating for an architecture and history student. Two covered passages go across it and intersect each other, bang in the middle, at right angles and so the courtyard is divided into four squares. The roof is supported by massive monolithic columns, which were typical of this period. The gateways and prayer niche are flanked by sloping towers.
Quwwat-ul-Islam Masjid
¤ A Must Visit Site
The Quwwat-ul-Islam Masjid can be a bewildering experience for those unfamiliar with its history. On one hand there is the beautiful, curvaceous Islamic calligraphy, the arabesque designs and then there are pillars with clearly pre-Islamic Hindu motifs. The reason is of course quite simple; the pillars were taken from the 27 temples of Qila Rai Pithora, the city of the Rajput king Prithviraj Chauhan (see history). This in fact has been recorded by Qutub-ud-din in his inscriptions, who calls it the Jami Masjid (Friday Mosque) in his inscriptions.
¤ The Construction of The Mosque
The mosque was started in 1192 by Qutub-ud-din Aibak, the first ruler of the Slave Dynasty (called so because the founder was once a royal slave). It was finished four years later. However the masjid, much like the Qutub complex itself, never stopped growing and many subsequent rulers, like Altamash in 1230 and Alauddin Khalji in 1315, added their own bits to it.
¤ The Exquisite Interiors
As soon as you passing through the entrance (watch out for the steep steps) of the poetically beautiful Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque the intricately carved temple ceiling catches your eye. In front of you will be the spectacular courtyard of the mosque which is lined by the rows of the profusely adorned pillars talked about earlier on both sides. Hindu motifs, like tasseled ropes, bells, tendrils, cows and leaves, frolic all over the mosque. The very first indication of the Islamic character of the building come from the elegant pointed arches with curvaceous and serpentine calligraphy of texts from Quran in Arabic crowning them, towards the west of the mosque.
A massive stone screen was erected in front of the prayer hall, with a central arch and two similar, though smaller, arches on either side; all of these are shaped like an 'S' (ogee-shaped). The prayer hall of the mosque stands to the west. It consists of a central arch which is over 6.15m (20ft) high and profusely carved, crowded with exquisite decorations and is one of the earliest and finest examples of the fusion of Hindu and Islamic art.
¤ The Extension of The Structure
Later Qutub-ud-din's son-in-law and successor, Altamash had the prayer hall screen extended, and added three more arches besides the original five. The difference between the two arches is interesting: the earlier arches are not really the 'true' arch which is such a hallmark of Islamic architecture, Altamash's arches were built by workmen from Afghanistan and are stylistically quite distinct. They use Islamic motifs such as geometrical shapes rather than naturalistic designs (which were frowned upon by the Muslim clergy) that Hindus used. Ala-ud-din Khalji added a courtyard to the mosquethe entrance to which is the amazing Alai Darwaza.
In the mosque compound is the small but pretty tomb of Imam Zamim, who was the Imam (head priest) of the mosque during Sikander Lodi's (1488-1517) reign.
Delhi Forts
Delhi Red Fort
¤ The Construction
Built during the reign of Shah Jahan, the Lal Qila (or Red Fort) has been a mute witness to innumerable conspiracies, scandals, battles..... Completed in a span of nine years, it cost about ten million rupees , with about half the sum going towards the building of palaces.
The fort is octagonal in shape, like most Islamic buildings in India. The north of the fort is connected to the smaller Salimgarh fort. The Red Fort is an intimidating structure. It measures 900m by 550m, with its rampart walls covering a perimeter of 2.41km. It towers at a height of 33.5m. On the outside, you can still see the moat that was originally connected with the Yamuna River.
¤ The Major Gateways
Besides the Lahori Gate, the entry point is the Hathipol (elephant gate), where the king and his visitors would dismount from their elephants. The other major attractions of the Red Fort are the Mumtaz Mahal, the Rang Mahal, the Khas Mahal, the Diwan-i-Am, the Diwan-i-Khas, the Hamam and the Shah Burj.
Every year, on the 15th of August, the National Flag of India is hoisted at the Red Fort by the Prime Minister , celebrating India's independence..
Purana Qila (Old Fort)
¤ Humayun- The Mughal Emperor Costructed The Fort
When the second Mughal emperor Humayun decided to make a city of his own he decided on the site of the ancient city of Indraprastha. Humayun was quite a scholar with a fine grasp on such matters and so it is certain that the site was chosen deliberately. When his Sher Shah Suri overthrew him, he destroyed most of Dinpanah (refuge of the faithful) as the city of Humayun was called to make way for his own Dilli Sher Shahi or Shergarh. Incidentally, Humayun was probably the only emperor in history who built a city in Delhi and did not give it his own name – this was typical of Humayun's rather sophisticated and dreamy character. The Layout of The Massive Colossal
In plan the Old fort, now simply called Purana Qila by Delhites, is irregularly orbital. The walls of the immense Qila tower down on the road that takes one to Pragati Maidan from the height of 18m, and run on for about 2km. It has three main gates – the Humayun darwaza, Talaqi darwaza and Bara darwaza (which one uses to enter the fort today). The double-storeyed gates are quite huge and are built with red sandstone. of all the gates entry was forbidden from Talaqi (forbidden) darwaza, the northern gate. It is not clear why this was so. Other Attractions of The Fort
Sher Shah Suri and his successor could not complete the city, and when Humayun defeated Sher Shah's son to take back his city, he did not deal with Dilli Sher shahi as the latter had done with Dinpanah. In fact the Mughal emperor very handsomely completed the city and even used several of the buildings like the Sher Mandal, a rather pretty two-storeyed octagonal building. Humayun used this as his library and, then tripped to his death from its steps.
¤ Excavation of Grey Ware Pottery
Several excavations have taken place in the Purana Qila in an attempt to prove, or disprove as the case may be, whether it is indeed the site of Indraprastha or not. Diggings have yielded Painted Grey Ware pottery which has been dated to 1000BC. Similar stuff has been noticed in other sites associated with the epic Mahabharata as well, which seem to conclusively prove that this indeed was the place where Indraprastha once flourished. These excavation have also thrown up material, like coins, associated with the Gupta (about 4-5th century AD) and post-Gupta ages (700-800AD) of Indian history as well.
¤ Qila-i-kuhna Masjid
One of the most fascinating buildings, and also one of the few that still survive, in the Purana Qila is the Qila-i-kuhna masjid. Sher Shah Suri built it in 1541 (also see History) and he was obviously out to make a definite style statement. The mosque is quite a place; its prayer hall measures 51.20m by 14.90m and has five doorways with the 'true' horseshoe-shaped arches. Apparently the idea was the build the whole mosque in marble, but the supply ran out and red sandstone had to be used instead. But the builder used the material at hand very skillfully and the result is quite spectacular – the red sandstone and the marble contrast beautifully with each other to give the mosque a very distinctive air. The mihrabs (prayer niches) inside the mosque are richly decorated with concentric arches. From the prayer hall, staircases lead you to the second storey where a narrow passage runs along the rectangular hall. The central alcove is topped by a beautifully worked dome. In the courtyard at one time there was a shallow tank, which had a fountain. The mosque has an inscription which says 'As long as there are people on this earth, may this edifice be frequented, and people be happy in it.' A noble thought – amen to it.
Tughlaqabad Fort
¤ Fort Stands In Isolation
'Ya base gujjar, ya rahe ujjar.' (May [this city] be the abode of nomads or remain in wilderness.)
These words, with which the great Sufi saint Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya cursed Ghiyas-ud-din's city, seem to still echo all over the ghostly ruins of Tughlaqabad. The citadel frowns down ominously like some Gothic palace all over the Qutub-Badarpur road and seems to prefer its splendid isolation. Which is of course not exactly what Ghiyas-ud-din Tughlaq had in mind when he started out building it. It would have broken the old sultan's heart if he had seen just how swiftly the saint's curse went into action; soon after his death in fact.
¤ Ghiyas-ud-din Tughlaq Raised The City
It seems that even when he was far from being a king Ghiyas-ud-din Tughlaq had dreamed of raising his city, Tughlaqabad. Earlier, Ghiyas-ud-din had been a general (he rose to being the governor of an important province like Punjab, but that's another story) in Ala-ud-din Khalji's army. Once while on the road with Ala-ud-din, Ghiyas-ud-din, on spotting this area, mentioned to the sultan what an ideal setting it seemed to provide for a new city. Upon this the king indulgently (and, knowing Ala-ud-din, also perhaps patronizingly) replied, 'When you become king, build it.' Knowing full well, as every boss, that while he was around there was not a shadow of a chance of anyone else taking his place. After the death of Ala-ud-din various events conspired to put the general on the throne at last. Then he fulfilled his long-cherished dream.
¤ A Stratigical Layout of The Fort
Romanticism apart, Tughlaqabad also made perfect strategic sense. Those were the times the Mongols were a real menace to society and generally a pain in the neck for all the sultans of the Delhi Sultanate. Almost everything that the sultans built was aimed baffling the Mongols with sheer structural magnificence (read somewhere to duck in and hope for the best).
Tughlaqabad fort, situated as it was on high rocky ground, was ideally located to withstand sieges. Ghiyas-ud-din Tughlaq helped matters along by putting up formidable walls which, though short on aesthetic value, are excellent examples of solid unimaginative masonry and not the type that any invading army could hope to scale in a hurry. Tughlaq put ramparts towering at heights of anywhere between 9m (30ft) to 15.2m (50ft), and rising up to 29.8m (98ft) around the citadel, between himself and the Mongols.
The fort is half-hexagonal in shape and Ghiyas-ud-din seems to have built defenses around and in it till he was blue in the face. The outer walls are built around the silhouette of the surrounding land and, what with their height and width, add formidably to the natural barriers. They were also well defended. On the north, east and west sides it is protected by trenches that go far down, and in the south a lake acts sentinel.
¤ To Reach The Inner Complex of The Fort
The parapets have small loopholes all over them from where Ghiyas-ud-din's soldiers to spot invaders quickly and start saying it with arrows. The fort has or at least had thirteen portals and the inner citadel has three more. If you could reach them that is, because it was defended in depth by three layers of battlements.
For all the defense, the city of Tughlaqabad hardly saw any warfare. Perhaps that is why it bears such an air of dejection – it could never fulfill the task it was built for. You enter the fortress by a highway, which was set one 27 arches, almost all of them have vanished now. Water being prized commodity (and allegedly one of the reasons why Tughlaqabad was finally abandoned) there was a huge reservoir to store rainwater in the fortress; you can still see it.
When one enters the fort, the first impression is of emptiness; the ruins begin registering later. It is difficult to imagine that if one was somehow transported a few centuries back, these very walls would come alive, with people brushing past you and if things got really lively one could even find oneself in the midst of a full-scale Mongol invasion.
As you enter, to the left, used to be the palaces and to the right still stand the ruins of the a tower (Bijai Mandal, not to be confused with the one in Jahanpanah; also see Bijai Mandal), several halls and a subterraneous passage that led to the Bijai Mandal in Jahanpanah. Just beyond was the city, with its streets (all laid out in a grid), houses, mosques, peoples and bazaars.
¤ An Excellent View
A walk up the walls is well worth the while and, well, one of the main reasons why people come here at all. The vista is glorious; the ruins inside the fort, Ghiyas-ud-din's tomb next door and remains of the Adilabad fort (built by Ghiyas-ud-din's son Muhammad) lay scattered in front of you like petty detail.
Walking along the southern side of the fortress next to the outer wall is a way out of the impregnable fortress which one supposes was reserved for dire emergencies in case of prolonged sieges. This was a standard practise all over India; a secret escape route was part of the building plan in any fortress. Don't feel tempted to try it, if you value your neck. Further towards the west there is an abysmal tank which you don't want to go falling into – it is called the road to hell (Jahannum ka raasta) and for obvious reasons.
For a place of its size, Tughlaqabad was built with surprising speed, just four years. and of course abandoned with equal speed in 1327. Muhammad-bin-Tughlaq, probably being one of those modern free thinking guys who didn't want to be known by his father's laurels, chose to make a city of his own called Jahanpanah. One of his first achievement being to do away with Ghiyasuddin by arranging one of those accidents that were so frequent in medieval ages; a pavillion built to welcome Ghiyas-ud-din fell on him, of all things.
Anyway, with the sultan's death, the city's short-lived glory to an abrupt end.
'Ya base gujjar, ya rahe ujjar.' (May [this city] be the abode of nomads or remain in wilderness.)
These words, with which the great Sufi saint Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya cursed Ghiyas-ud-din's city, seem to still echo all over the ghostly ruins of Tughlaqabad. The citadel frowns down ominously like some Gothic palace all over the Qutub-Badarpur road and seems to prefer its splendid isolation. Which is of course not exactly what Ghiyas-ud-din Tughlaq had in mind when he started out building it. It would have broken the old sultan's heart if he had seen just how swiftly the saint's curse went into action; soon after his death in fact.
¤ Ghiyas-ud-din Tughlaq Raised The City
It seems that even when he was far from being a king Ghiyas-ud-din Tughlaq had dreamed of raising his city, Tughlaqabad. Earlier, Ghiyas-ud-din had been a general (he rose to being the governor of an important province like Punjab, but that's another story) in Ala-ud-din Khalji's army. Once while on the road with Ala-ud-din, Ghiyas-ud-din, on spotting this area, mentioned to the sultan what an ideal setting it seemed to provide for a new city. Upon this the king indulgently (and, knowing Ala-ud-din, also perhaps patronizingly) replied, 'When you become king, build it.' Knowing full well, as every boss, that while he was around there was not a shadow of a chance of anyone else taking his place. After the death of Ala-ud-din various events conspired to put the general on the throne at last. Then he fulfilled his long-cherished dream.
¤ A Stratigical Layout of The Fort
Romanticism apart, Tughlaqabad also made perfect strategic sense. Those were the times the Mongols were a real menace to society and generally a pain in the neck for all the sultans of the Delhi Sultanate. Almost everything that the sultans built was aimed baffling the Mongols with sheer structural magnificence (read somewhere to duck in and hope for the best).
Tughlaqabad fort, situated as it was on high rocky ground, was ideally located to withstand sieges. Ghiyas-ud-din Tughlaq helped matters along by putting up formidable walls which, though short on aesthetic value, are excellent examples of solid unimaginative masonry and not the type that any invading army could hope to scale in a hurry. Tughlaq put ramparts towering at heights of anywhere between 9m (30ft) to 15.2m (50ft), and rising up to 29.8m (98ft) around the citadel, between himself and the Mongols.
The fort is half-hexagonal in shape and Ghiyas-ud-din seems to have built defenses around and in it till he was blue in the face. The outer walls are built around the silhouette of the surrounding land and, what with their height and width, add formidably to the natural barriers. They were also well defended. On the north, east and west sides it is protected by trenches that go far down, and in the south a lake acts sentinel.
¤ To Reach The Inner Complex of The Fort
The parapets have small loopholes all over them from where Ghiyas-ud-din's soldiers to spot invaders quickly and start saying it with arrows. The fort has or at least had thirteen portals and the inner citadel has three more. If you could reach them that is, because it was defended in depth by three layers of battlements.
For all the defense, the city of Tughlaqabad hardly saw any warfare. Perhaps that is why it bears such an air of dejection – it could never fulfill the task it was built for. You enter the fortress by a highway, which was set one 27 arches, almost all of them have vanished now. Water being prized commodity (and allegedly one of the reasons why Tughlaqabad was finally abandoned) there was a huge reservoir to store rainwater in the fortress; you can still see it.
When one enters the fort, the first impression is of emptiness; the ruins begin registering later. It is difficult to imagine that if one was somehow transported a few centuries back, these very walls would come alive, with people brushing past you and if things got really lively one could even find oneself in the midst of a full-scale Mongol invasion.
As you enter, to the left, used to be the palaces and to the right still stand the ruins of the a tower (Bijai Mandal, not to be confused with the one in Jahanpanah; also see Bijai Mandal), several halls and a subterraneous passage that led to the Bijai Mandal in Jahanpanah. Just beyond was the city, with its streets (all laid out in a grid), houses, mosques, peoples and bazaars.
¤ An Excellent View
A walk up the walls is well worth the while and, well, one of the main reasons why people come here at all. The vista is glorious; the ruins inside the fort, Ghiyas-ud-din's tomb next door and remains of the Adilabad fort (built by Ghiyas-ud-din's son Muhammad) lay scattered in front of you like petty detail.
Walking along the southern side of the fortress next to the outer wall is a way out of the impregnable fortress which one supposes was reserved for dire emergencies in case of prolonged sieges. This was a standard practise all over India; a secret escape route was part of the building plan in any fortress. Don't feel tempted to try it, if you value your neck. Further towards the west there is an abysmal tank which you don't want to go falling into – it is called the road to hell (Jahannum ka raasta) and for obvious reasons.
For a place of its size, Tughlaqabad was built with surprising speed, just four years. and of course abandoned with equal speed in 1327. Muhammad-bin-Tughlaq, probably being one of those modern free thinking guys who didn't want to be known by his father's laurels, chose to make a city of his own called Jahanpanah. One of his first achievement being to do away with Ghiyasuddin by arranging one of those accidents that were so frequent in medieval ages; a pavillion built to welcome Ghiyas-ud-din fell on him, of all things.
Anyway, with the sultan's death, the city's short-lived glory to an abrupt end.
Nai ki Kot--The Fortresses of Adilabad
South of Tughlaqabad and once connected to it by a causeay is the fortress of Adilabad, which was built by Muhammad-bin-Tughlaq. In plan it is a smaller version of Tughlaqabad, with the trademark sloping walls of huge stone. Inside Adilabad was the legendary Qasr-i-hazaar satun or the Palace of a thousand pillars, which seems to have been a really popular idea back then (see Bijai Mandal). The palace had a huge audience hall, which was built on columns of varnished wood. Towards the southern gateway you can still see a vaulted corridor which used to be flanked by guardrooms. Adilabad has all the marks of a fine Tughlaq building with that style's typically austere walls, bare surfaces, corbeled arches and crenellation.
Outside the fortress towards the east is the Barber's fort. It is not known whether a barber actually ever lived in the tiny fortress of Nai ka kot (barber's fort), but it seems Ghiyas-ud-din certianly did. He used this place as a temporary residence when Tughlaqabad was coming up. It is built in the same style as Adilabad.
Delhi Monuments
Jantar Mantar
¤ An Observatory
The Jantar Mantar was built in 1710 by Raja Jai Singh II of Jaipur (1699-1743) in Delhi. This is an observatory consisting of mason-built astronomical instruments to chart the course of the heavens. Jai Singh, who was a very scholarly king with a very keen interest in astronomy and astrology, had other observatories built too – in Ujjain, Jaipur, Mathura (which no longer survives) and Varanasi.
The first among these was this one in Delhi. The yantras (instruments, which has been distorted to Jantar) are built of brick rubble and plastered with lime. The yantras have evocative names like, samrat yantra, jai prakash, ram yantra and niyati chakra; each of which are used to for various astronomical calculations.
The Jantar Mantar was built in 1710 by Raja Jai Singh II of Jaipur (1699-1743) in Delhi. This is an observatory consisting of mason-built astronomical instruments to chart the course of the heavens. Jai Singh, who was a very scholarly king with a very keen interest in astronomy and astrology, had other observatories built too – in Ujjain, Jaipur, Mathura (which no longer survives) and Varanasi.
The first among these was this one in Delhi. The yantras (instruments, which has been distorted to Jantar) are built of brick rubble and plastered with lime. The yantras have evocative names like, samrat yantra, jai prakash, ram yantra and niyati chakra; each of which are used to for various astronomical calculations.
Alai Darwaza
The southern gateway of the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque was extended by Alauddin Khalji in 1311. The Alai Darwaza is the first through and through Islamic building in character, architecture and ornamentation. Its construction is painstakingly accurate, the decoration are the politically correct geometric designs and is a typical Khali building. It displays a certain Seljuqian influence, like in the huge dome with a central knob, pointed arches shaped like horseshoes, and the 'lotus-bud' fringes of the arches.
¤ The Construction of Darwaza
The Darwaza is built of red sandstone with arched openings on all sides. It is topped off by a wide but shallow dome rising from an octagon-shaped base. The northern arch is semicircular, while the others have the pointed 'true' arch horseshoe shape. The arch frames are embellished with 'lotus-bud' designs, which are also seen in the perforated screens on the sides of the gate. The gateway is very skillfully decorated with complex carvings of the geometric patterns and white marble bands of calligraphy.
Alai Minar
The ambitious rubble Alai Minar started by Alauddin Khalji but the sultan lived to see it only the height of 24.5m. It was built to match the enlarged Quwwat-ul-Islam masjid (which was also Khalji's work). Today it is used more like an illustration, by parents, of what-happens-when-you-get-over-ambitious; viz the plans remain unfinished. Ambition has never really been encouraged as a virtue in India.
Qutub Minar
¤ Constructed As A Holy Minar
The world famous towering Qutub Minar, started in 1192 by Qutub-ud-din Aibak (1192-98), breathes down the neck of the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque. There is a slight difference of opinion as to its purpose: it probably was a tower of victory, but then again it could have been built to be a minar (tower), attached to the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque, for the muezzin (priest) to climb up top for a prayer.
¤ Other Belief of Its Construction
Among Delhites there are lots of other theories about the origin of the tower. Some say it was the observatory of the great scientist Aryabhatta of ancient India, other claim that it was built by Prithvi Chauhan for his daughter to see the Yamuna. In fact everything short of an extraterrestrial origin has been attributed to it. The presence of the ancient non-rusting Iron Pillar within the complex further appears to add credence to the first theory. However the tower, its entire design and architecture are undisputedly Islamic and all the other theories are just matters of wild surmise.
Considering how shortchanged he was for time, it is doubtful that Qutub-ud-din got much further than a couple of levels of the minar, in fact many suggest that lived to see only the first storey complete. Altamash, his successor, completed the remaining tower.
¤ Measures Taken To Keep The Minar In Perfect Shape
It is clear that the tower was very close to the sultanate's heart, since repeated efforts were made to keep it in perfect shape. In its long career, the tower got hit by lightening twice – something that, of course, with its height it was literally asking for. Once during the reign of Muhammad-bin-Tughlaq, who very decently repaired the ensuing damage. The next time was in the indefatigable builder Feroze Shah Tughlaq's time, when the topmost storey got damaged. Feroze Shah, who of course couldn't well leave things alone, not only repaired the floor, but also sneaked in another level.
The result of this combined effort is an interesting mix in styles that is clearly discernable all over the tower. Each of the original three storeys has different designs. The base storey has alternate angular and circular flutings while those of the second one are round and the third one has only angular flutings. Their alignment is mercifully similar, so giving the tower a rhythmic harmony. The pretty projecting balconies have a very interesting pattern, with icicle-shaped pendentive (an intricate design in which triangular pieces of vaulting spring from the corners of a rectangular area and support a rounded or polygonal dome) type of brackets. The attractiveness of the balconies is heightened by the bands of sonorous inscriptions. The diameter (at base) of the Qutub Minar is 14.32m and about 2.75m at the top.
¤ The Attraction of Crownig Cupola
The tower had a crowning cupola on the top at one time, however this was struck down sometime in the early 19th century, an earthquake felled it. This was replced by a well meaning English engineer Major Smith. However it must have looked quite an eyesore for when Lord Hardinge was Governor-general of British India, he had it removed. You can see it now on the spruce lawns of the Qutub complex. Come to think of it, it must have been eyesore – it's called Smith’s folly.
Delhi Tombs
Humayun's Tomb
¤ One of The Planned Structures
The plan of the building is simply brilliant and very mathematical. The tomb is set bang in the middle of large square-patterned typically imperial Mughal-style garden which is neatly divided into sub-squares by paved lanes. There fourth side of the tomb is not walled; simply because the river was supposed to make up for the wall, but it flows there no more. The high arches and double dome that became so associated with Mughal architecture make their debut here. The place is studded with fountains which were extremely popular in those days – a Mughal might have been poor in many things, but never in fountains. The intricate and delicately beautiful latticework on the tomb remained the trademark of Mughal architecture right down the ages.
Further down is the Jamali Kamali masjid and tomb, which has recently been renovated by INTACH, an autonomous cultural organization. Jamali was the alias of the Sufi saint Shaikh Fazlullah, who was also known as Jalal Khan. The saint had a prodigious life – he lived right through Sikander Lodi's reign, the famous battle of Panipat in 1526, Babur and died during the lifetime of Humayun. Who Kamali was remains a tantalizing mystery.
¤ The Construction
The tomb and mosque bearing their names lie within yards of each other. They were started in Babur's time in about 1528 and finished in Humayun's reign by 1535-36.
¤ The Tomb
The tomb lies immediately behind the mosque and is a smallish chamber. Small but not humble. Upon entering it your eye is immediately caught by the richly ornamented ceiling and walls. They are covered with tiles of various hues and patterns in incised and painted plaster. Several verses compose by Jamali are also inscribed on the walls.
The beautiful and spruce lawns of Jamali Kamali make it a popular picnic spot for Delhites.
In the same complex is the tomb of Shams-ud-din Altamash (1211-36), the son-in-law and successor of Qutub-ud-din Aibak.
Altamash is widely regarded as the real founder of the Delhi sultanate and had a very successful reign (see history).
His tomb was built in 1235 and is quite an interesting example of Islamic architecture in India. It marks the phase when the sultans had stopped spare parts from broken temples for their buildings. The building was made from foundation up and not assembled.
It seems that there had been plans to cover the tomb chamber with a dome, as is obvious from the squinches which make their first appearance in this building. It is said, once the dome fell but was replaced by Feroze Shah Tughlaq and then again fell down, beating even his patience for it was not replaced.
Inside the tomb there are three mihrabs (prayer niches). The central one of these is located higher than the other two and is profusely decorated with marble. The tomb itself is quite simple, but its entrance is intricately carved with geometrical and arabesque patterns. There are some Hindu motifs too though – like wheels, the lotus, diamonds and so on.
Cathedral Church of the Redemption
Here’s another church designed by Medd and by an odd coincidence, again the result of an architectural competition.
Across the road from Bangla Sahib Gurudwara just off Connaught Place, the Sacred Heart Cathedral stands between two of Delhi’s finest schools, St Columba’s and Convent of Jesus and Mary.
Built in 1930-34, it closes the vista from the North Secretariat at a strategic intersection between Connaught Circus and Raisina Hill. It is a bold, elegant design in the Lutyens tradition with an Italianate south front enriched by an oval mosaic cartouche of St Francis. In the same colour scheme as Medd’s earlier Cathedral Church of the Redemption, this one is a definite improvement!
¤ All India War Memorial
India Gate is constructed as a memorial and was built in the memory of 90,00 soldiers who laid down their lives during world war I. Located at Rajpath, India Gate is 42 m high and is popular relaxation area during the summer evenings. India Gate also act as popular pinic spot during winter. Also known as the All India War Memorial, India Gate was designed and constructed by Lutyens. He was the who is considered the chief proclaimer in designing the New Delhi plans.
¤ The Architectural Marvel.
A tour of Lutyens’ Delhi just has to kick off with the stately India Gate at the east end of the broad Janpath (earlier Kingsway) that leads to the Rashtrapati Bhawan. Another additional 13,516 names engraved on the arch and foundations form a separate memorial to the British and Indian soldiers killed on the North-West Frontier in the Afghan War of 1919. The foundation stone was laid by HRH the Duke of Connaught in 1921 and the monument was dedicated to the nation 10 years later by the then Viceroy, Lord Irwin. Another memorial, Amar Jawan Jyoti was added much later after India had said goodbye to its imperial rulers. It is in the form of a flame that burns day and night under the arch to remind the nation of soldiers who perished in the Indo-Pakistan War of December 1971.
The entire arch stands on a low base of red Bharatpur stone and rises in stages to a huge cornice, beneath which are inscribed Imperial suns. Above on both sides is inscribed INDIA, flanked by MCM and to the right, XIX. The shallow domed bowl at the top was intended to be filled with burning oil on anniversaries but this is rarely done.
Quick bytes
Location : New Delhi
Famous As : All India War Memorial
Designed By : Edwin Lutyens In 1921
Height : 42m
¤ The Breathtaking View of India Gate
Nowadays, if you drive down the smooth wide expanse of Rajpath on a midsummer night, you might be excused for assuming that a huge glittering carnival is in progress at India Gate. The entire boulevard up to the monument is lined with cars, scooters, motorcycles and what-have-you. In fact all of Delhi seems to have converged to the emerald lawns of India Gate. The air is thick with chatter, laughter and the cries of assorted vendors peddling their wares. You can snack on anything from fruit chaat (fruit salad with hot, spicy dressing), through bhelpuri (a snack of puffed rice, spices and hot, sweet and sour chutney), chana jor garam (spicy chickpeas), dal ka pakodas (fried lentil-flour dumplings), potato chips to ice cream, candy floss and aerated drinks.
¤ A Perfect Place For A Halt
Most of the revellers come equipped with balls, Frisbees or just a pack of playing cards. But India Gate has lots to offer in the name of entertainment. You can watch monkeys perform, enjoy a camel ride, blow soap bubbles all over the lawns, play with balloons and even get your insides turned inside out on a ferris wheel.
But if you ask us, the best thing to do is to loll on the cool lawns, lick a bar of ice candy and watch the floodlit arch and the fountains nearby that seem magically lit up with coloured lights.
¤ British Started Spreading in India The British began trickling into Delhi in the late 18th century. By then the East India Company was already firmly entrenched in Calcutta while Delhi was merely regarded as a northern outpost of little importance. Lieutenant William Franklin was dispatched to Delhi by the directors of the East India Company ‘to survey the then unknown heartlands of the empire of the Great Mughal’. Franklin’s account was published in 1795:
The environs are crowded with the remains of spacious gardens and country-houses of the nobility. The prospect towards Delhi, as far as the eye can reach, is covered with the remains of gardens, pavilions, mosques and burying places. The environs of this once magnificent and celebrated city appear now nothing more than a shapeless heap of ruins British Occupying Delhi
This was the twilight zone in the history of Delhi when Mughal power was fast plummeting while the Company’s star was on the ascendant. The clincher came with the Battle of Delhi when Company troops led by General Lake defeated the Marathas on the banks of the Yamuna. Here’s Oswald Wood’s account of the British occupation of Delhi: On 11th September 1803 the Mahrattas were defeated and three days after, the English entered Delhi as the real masters of the Mughal. The arrangements made for the maintenance of the King Shah Alam were ‘that a specified portion of the territories in the vicinity of Delhi situated on the right bank of the Jamna should be assigned as part of the provision for the maintenance of the Royal Family. That these lands should remain under charge of the Resident at Delhi and that the revenue should be collected and justice should be administered in the name of his Majesty Shah Alam under regulations to be fixed by the British Government…’
¤ The Coming Up of Residency
In one fell swoop, Shah Alam was reduced to a figurehead with the reins of Delhi firmly in the hands of the British. The emperor promptly granted Dara Shikoh’s Library near Kashmiri Gate to the British and that’s where the Residency came up. The first resident of the Delhi territory was Sir David Ochterlony. The early representatives of the Company in Delhi were nothing like the arrogant, racist, stuffed shirts that one commonly associates with the British Raj. Men like Ochterlony and William Fraser embraced many Indian customs, habits and often had a haremful of Indian wives. Delhi in the late 18th and early 19th centuries was innocent of racial and cultural prejudice. Without Victorian memsahibs to curl the upper lip at ‘natives’, Delhi was full of eccentric yet learned Scotsmen who genuinely loved and respected India. This period, though shortlived, was perhaps the only time when Indians and the British struck a bond of affection.
The Northern Ridge, the Civil Lines and the area around Kashmiri Gate became the centre of much hectic building by the British. It’s such a surprise for the first-time visitor to find British Architecture in a sea of Mughal monuments. Hire a taxi, find a good guidebook and charge into North Delhi for some close encounters of the Raj kind.
¤ British Residency
The Residency stands along Lothian Road and has been for many years part of the Delhi College of Engineering. It also has an office of the Archaeological Survey of India. Given the fate of most government buildings in India, it is no surprise to discover that the erstwhile Residency has fallen on hard times. Signs of this are discernible even as you approach Lothian Road, one of Old Delhi’s most impoverished parts.
Till about 65 years ago, this road was a thriving and fashionable shopping area frequented by the British and Anglo-Indians. Unfortunately, when Lutyens’ Delhi came up in the 30s, most of the area’s middle class migrated to the new metropolis.
The residency is a yellow-coloured mansion surrounded by a compound wall. Neem and ashok trees line the front, partially obscuring it from view. Its front is formed by a flat colonnade of classical pillars and chiks (wickerwork slats) are fitted between them for shade. A small flight of stairs leads up, through a shady verandah, to the front door. This edifice is not very remarkable in itself. What makes it so is the fact that it was built on the site of Dara Shikoh’s (Shahjahan’s favourite son) library.
When Shah Alam granted the British the ruins of the library, Sir David Ochterlony saw no reason to demolish it – he just carried out repairs and ordered a colonial façade to be built around it. This came to be the Residency. Ochterlony, its first occupant, lived here like a nawab surrounded by khitmatgars and 13 Indian wives. He dressed like a nawab, smoked the hookah and hosted lavish nautch parties.
Unfortunately this first symbol of British power in Delhi is in a state of disrepair now. The government even contemplated demolishing it in the 1980s but it was saved due to the efforts of conservationists. Noted travel writer William Dalrymple records his disappointment and disillusionment at the fate of the historic edifice: ‘Dusty filing cabinets stand where the nautch girls once danced. Doors hang loose on their hinges. Everywhere paint and plaster is peeling. So total is the transformation that it is difficult to people the empty corridors with the bustling Company servants, glittering Mughal omrahs (noblemen) and celebrated courtesans.’
¤ Lothian Cemetery
Netaji Subhash Marg runs past the Red Fort, down a hill and under Lothian Bridge, a railway bridge. Just after it, Lothian Cemetery lurks on the right, its gate beneath a grey crenellated tower. Graves are scattered within the compound and its assortment of gravestones includes a grand sandstone one to Thomas Dunn, erected by James Skinner.
¤ British Magazine
Netaji Subhash Marg branches off into a Y-junction as you travel farther from Lothian Cemetery. Take the branch on the right called Lothian Road. You’ll soon find an arched ruin in the middle of it – these are remains of the British Magazine. This huge ammunition storehouse was deliberately blown up on May 11, 1857 when the nine men defending it could not hold out any longer. To prevent it from falling into the hands of the Indian freedom fighters, who had mutinied in Meerut the previous day, Lieutenant Willoughby determinedly set it afire. The bang was said to have been heard at Meerut, 50km away. Over the central gate is a memorial to Lieutenant Willoughby and his fearless men. In the southeast corner of the rear are the steps by which the survivors escaped.
¤ Telegraph Memorial
The grey pillar beyond the Magazine is the Telegraph Memorial from which the Anglo-Indian operator warned the British army of what was going on.
¤ Flagstaff Tower
This would have remained just an ordinary watch and hunting tower if the 1857 Mutiny had not happened. What makes it historically important is the fact that British women and children – survivors of the Delhi massacre – gathered here on the fateful day of May 11, 1857 before fleeing to Karnal. The tower stands tall on the highest part of the Northern Ridge just where Flag Staff Road intersects Magazine Road. Flagstaff Tower was one of the first substantial buildings to be constructed by the British on the Ridge. It was probably built when the army cantonment was moved in 1928.
¤ University office
To the west of the tower, along Vishwavidyalaya Marg, is a large house now used as the office of the University of Delhi. It was built for the Coronation Durbar in 1903 for use by the Viceroy, and was used as the Viceregal Lodge till New Delhi was inaugurated in 1931.
¤ Vice Chancellor’s office
The University of Delhi Campus has some lovely buildings from the Residency period. The vice-chancellor’s office was used as a circuit house or official guesthouse for the British officers in the Civil Lines area. Did you know that it was in a room in this building that Louis Mountbatten, the last Viceroy of British India, proposed to Edwina Ashley, the future Countess Mountbatten? A plaque has been put up in the room to commemorate the event.
¤ Mutiny Memorial
On the way down from the Ridge, along Rani Jhansi Road is a strange Gothic tower that is a poor copy of the Prince Albert Memorial in London. This is the Mutiny Memorial – an octagonal, tapering tower built to commemorate the British and the Indians who fought on their side in 1857.
In panels around its base are recorded the 2,163 officers and men who were killed, wounded and went missing between 8 June and 7 September 1857. Against a list of the encounters in 1857 are three columns: killed, wounded and missing. All the officers and soldiers have further been categorized as Native and European
The Mutiny memorial was renamed Ajitgarh on the 25th anniversary of India’s freedom and aptly converted into a memorial for the Indian martyrs who rose against colonial rule. A new plaque on the site attempts to set the record straight:
The ‘enemy’ of the inscriptions on this monument were those who rose against colonial rule and fought bravely for national liberation in 1857. In memory of the heroism of these immortal martyrs for Indian freedom, this plaque was unveiled on the 25th anniversary of the nation’s attainment of Freedom, 28th August 1972.
¤ Coronation Durbar Site
North of Old Delhi, way beyond any residential colony, is Delhi’s very own junkyard of history. Most of the statues erected by the British have been unceremoniously dumped in this park. Getting here needs some doing but a visit can be quite rewarding for true-blue Raj fans. Drive past the Civil Lines and Kingsway Camp to reach the Coronation Memorial site, now no more than an abandoned park with wild grass and weeds.
This was the site of the three Durbars enacted in Delhi and a lone obelisk is a poor memorial to that. It was here in 1911 that King George V was declared Emperor of India and announced the shifting of the capital from Calcutta to Delhi. If you look closely you can still see a statue of him rise ghost-like out of the bushes nearby, where it was dumped after being removed from the canopy near India Gate. It depicts King George V in the coronation robe he wore on the occasion. Other imperial dignitaries can be spotted keeping the King company. Do go and say hello to Lord Willingdon and Lord Hardinge who were lovingly been placed on red sandstone plinths.
¤ The Attraction of Cenotaphs
Facing the elephantine arch of India Gate is a classical version of the chhattri or cenotaph so dear to Hindu kings and the sure symbol of regality in India. Lutyens perhaps designed it as a token gesture to keep the King who wanted oriental features happy. But chances are he would still have preferred to describe it as an open cupola or a baldachino.
¤ The Construction
Made of cream and pink stone, it is set in a rectangular pool with fountains and once contained an excellent marble statue of King George V by C.S. Jagger. However thanks to Indian politicians, who frequently break out into a rash of wanting to undo history or more aptly its reminders, the statue was dispatched to Delhi’s junkyard of history – the Coronation Memorial Park beyond Kingsway camp.
The canopy of course stands unmolested and is decorated with allegorical sculpture and symbols of kingship. The nautilus shells symbolize Britain’s maritime prowess – Britain was, after all, at one time the undisputed queen of the seas. The canopy is a pleasant counterpoint to the bulk of India Gate and you can frequently spot pigeons perching on it.
¤ Also Known As Sansad Bhawan - A Large Legislative Assembly
If it were not for the Montagu-Chelmsford reforms of 1919, the Parliament House may not have been built. It’s corny how the building most indispensable to modern Indian democracy came up as an afterthought. Earlier called the Circular House, it was added to the layout at a later stage following the reforms which created a large Legislative Assembly.
This edifice is the brainchild of Herbert Baker and was much criticized in comparison with Lutyens creations. An article by Robert Byron in Architectural Review, January 1931describes it thus: "The Council Chamber has been Sir Herbert’s unhappiest venture. Its effect from a distance has been described. It resembles a Spanish bull-ring, lying like a mill-wheel dropped accidentally on its side.
Quick bytesState : Delhi
Location : On the northwest of Vijay Chowk, next to the Secretariat buildings at the end of Parliament Street (Sansad Marg).
Time to Visit : Entry into Parliament House requires official permission, whether Parliament is in session or not. Visitors can enter the public galleries of the Indian Parliament with prior permission, after receiving an official pass.
Famous as : The place where the Indian Parliament meets and the world's largest democracy functions.
Admission Fee : Free, but prior permission required (foreigners/citizens: from their embassies or High commissions/ from the reception office on Raisina Road)
Photography charges : nil (prior permission required)
¤ The Massive Structure
To the northwest of Vijay Chowk, this huge circular, colonnaded building comprises three semicircular chambers for the Legislatures and a Central Library crowned by a 27.4m high dome. It is 173m in diameter and covers 2.02 hectares in area, with colonnaded verandahs enclosing the entire circumference. The three semi-circular areas were designed for the Chamber of Princes, the Council of State and the Legislative Assembly. Today they house the chambers of the Lok Sabha (House of the People), Rajya Sabha (Upper House) and the library. A verandah with 144 columns surrounds the three chambers. The boundary wall has blocks of sandstone carved in geometrical patterns that echo the Mughal jalis.
An entry pass to the library can be obtained from the Visitor’s reception on Raisina Road by providing a letter of introduction from a Member of Parliament. The library working hours are from 1000-1800. To obtain a visitor’s pass to Sansad Bhawan, Indian nationals should apply to the Parliament Secretariat. Foreign nationals should apply through their embassies or high commissions.
¤ The Attractions
This was one of the first buildings to come up in Connaught Place and houses a popular cinema hall. Jackals and wild pigs still roamed the area when it was being built. Initially Regal Cinema could not attract many patrons but soon it became very popular with Delhi’s rich elite. There used to be a bar in the lobby for gentlemen and a special matinee show for ladies.
Unlike any other cinema hall in Delhi, Regal has a porch which is forever plastered with colourful, sometimes lewd, film posters. The pavement has been taken over for all manner of activity. There are booksellers, ice-cream vendors, curio shops, music shops, lottery ticket booths and weighing machines – all pressed together cheek by jowl. Regal has fallen on bad times since its glorious heydays. It is a rather seedy, ill-kempt theatre that often shows semi-porn movies to titillate its essentially working class clientele.
Apart from the cinema, the building is home to shops and restaurants too. One of the earliest stores in the block was the Army and Navy Store which has now closed down. and in its place stand the Khadi Gramodyog Bhawan. But one place that’s a must is the Standard Bakery which turns out excellent softies, pastries and masala kulchas (a type of spicy bread).
¤ Rashtrapati Bhawan (Viceroy Palace)-Best Known Monument of British Empire
The Viceroy Palace remains Lutyens most significant achievement. It is befittingly the crowning glory of the British Empire and architecture in India. Today, it is perhaps India’s best known monument after the Taj Mahal and the Qutub Minar. Bigger than the Palace of Versailles, it cost a whopping £12,53,000 and now houses the President of India. It is unquestionably a masterpiece of symmetry, discipline, silhouette, colour and harmony. of course, it has come in for much criticism too but that has mostly been limited to the imperial intent behind it rather than its architecture.
¤ Picturesque Location
Better known now as the Rashtrapati Bhawan, the sprawling palace straddles the crown of Raisina Hill and is the focal point of New Delhi. The majestic Rajpath (earlier Kings Way) leads up to the palace on Raisina Hill and here comes into view the one fatal flaw in design. Lutyens and Baker had a major showdown about the height of the slope approaching the palace which was at that time caricatured as the ‘War of the Gradient’. Lutyens wanted the palace to come into view as one climbed Raisina Hill. Unfortunately, Baker miscalculated. The palace disappears from sight till only the copper dome is visible. Furious with Baker, Lutyens said he had ‘met his Bakerloo’.
The palace is flanked by the two Secretariats and the three together, open into a huge square called the Viceroy’s Court where the Jaipur Column stands tall. The Viceroys Court, which frames the main entrance to the house, has lateral entrances on the axis of the Jaipur Column. Here the levels were reduced artificially and cascades of steps are flanked by huge sandstone elephants and ranks of imperial lions modelled by the sculptor C.S. Jagger.
¤ The Attractions of The Palace
The main entrance is approached by a broad flight of steps which lead to a 12-column portico. Do notice the enormous projecting cornice or chajja, a Mughal device, which blends so effortlessly with the classical style of the monument. Lutyens’ ability to smoothly incorporate light oriental touches is all the more remarkable given his active and profound dislike for Indian architecture.
The most outstanding feature of the House – you can spot it while you are still a kilometre away – is the huge neo-Buddhist copper dome that rises over a vast colonnaded frontage. Beneath the dome is the circular Durbar Hall 22.8m in diameter. The coloured marbles used in the hall come from all parts of India. The Viceroy’s throne, ceremonially placed in this chamber, faced the main entrance and commanded a view along the great axial vista of Kingsway (now Rajpath). At present the hall is the venue of all official ceremonies such as the swearing in of the Prime Minister, the Cabinet and the Members of Parliament. It is in this very chamber that the President annually confers the Arjuna Awards for Excellence.
The columns at the front entrance have bells carved into their capitals. Lutyens reasoned that ‘the ringing of bells sound the end of an empire and stone bells never sound’. Despite this, the empire came to an end a brief 16 years later.
¤ The Great Interiors
The principal floor comprises a magnificent series of state apartments. The State Drawing Room is barrel-vaulted and plainly treated with domestic fireplaces. The State Ballroom is enriched with Old English mirror glass. The State Library is based on the form of Wren’s St Stephen’s, Walbrook. The State Dining Room is lined with teak panelling enriched with the star of India. The concept of Imperial order and hierarchy permeates the entire house.
Marble staircases flanking the Durbar Hall provide access to the private apartments above. There are 54 bedrooms together with additional accommodation for guests. Lord Irwin, its first occupant, ‘kept losing his way’ but insisted that "in spite of its size, it was essentially a liveable-in-house."
¤ Mughal Garden
To the west the palace overlooks an enormous Mughal garden designed by Lutyens. Here the principles of hierarchy, order, symmetry and unity are extended from the house into the landscape. A series of ornamental fountains, walls, gazebos and screens combine with scores of trees, flowers and shrubs to create a paradise so delightful that Indians called the garden ‘God’s own Heaven’. The Irwins supervised the planting of the garden which grew in tropical profusion softening the formal pattern of lawns and waterways. Popularly known as the Mughal Garden, it is open to public every spring but be prepared for the tight security check.
¤ The Glory of The Palace
After India became independent, the sheer size of the building overwhelmed its new keepers. Mahatma Gandhi suggested it be turned into a hospital. Thankfully, nobody took him seriously. The Durbar Hall served as a museum for several years till the building which now houses the National Museum was completed.
Here’s what Mark-Bence Jones remarked about life at the Viceroy’s House in his book Palaces of the Raj. Do note the then-and-now comparison he makes on a later visit to the palace, long after the British had gone.
"Then there were the banquets held during sessions of the Chamber of Princes, when every other guest at the long table was the ruler of a State. The gold plate glittered in its crimson-lined niche, the lustres glinted, the scarlet and gold khitmagars moved deftly against the teak-panelled walls, and from an adjoining room came the music of the Viceroy’s band."
"In India that replaced the Raj, Lutyens’ Palace has managed to keep some of its glory. …As the home of a modern democratic President, it is certainly on the large side, but the Indians have been wise enough to maintain a Presidential establishment worthy of the setting. Scarlet-clad guards still sit on their chargers beneath the stone sentry boxes, khitmagars in white, red and gold line the corridors."
Humayun's Tomb
¤ The Construction of the Massive Tomb
The construction of Humayun's tomb was taken up by the grief-stricken wife of Humayun, Hamida Banu, also known as Bega Begam in 1565. Legend has it that the design of the Taj was inspired from this tomb's. In pure architectural sense, this building is probably superior and much more beautiful that the stunning Taj. Sacrilege? But really, the only thing this building lacks is the showy marble.
¤ A Magnificent Architecture
The complex took nine years to complete and the tomb itself is a dazzling landmark in the evolution of Mughal architecture in India. Hamida Begum is said to have spent one and a half million rupees on it and you just have to see it to know that every penny was worth it.
The construction of Humayun's tomb was taken up by the grief-stricken wife of Humayun, Hamida Banu, also known as Bega Begam in 1565. Legend has it that the design of the Taj was inspired from this tomb's. In pure architectural sense, this building is probably superior and much more beautiful that the stunning Taj. Sacrilege? But really, the only thing this building lacks is the showy marble.
¤ A Magnificent Architecture
The complex took nine years to complete and the tomb itself is a dazzling landmark in the evolution of Mughal architecture in India. Hamida Begum is said to have spent one and a half million rupees on it and you just have to see it to know that every penny was worth it.
¤ One of The Planned Structures
The plan of the building is simply brilliant and very mathematical. The tomb is set bang in the middle of large square-patterned typically imperial Mughal-style garden which is neatly divided into sub-squares by paved lanes. There fourth side of the tomb is not walled; simply because the river was supposed to make up for the wall, but it flows there no more. The high arches and double dome that became so associated with Mughal architecture make their debut here. The place is studded with fountains which were extremely popular in those days – a Mughal might have been poor in many things, but never in fountains. The intricate and delicately beautiful latticework on the tomb remained the trademark of Mughal architecture right down the ages.
Jamali Kamali Tomb
Further down is the Jamali Kamali masjid and tomb, which has recently been renovated by INTACH, an autonomous cultural organization. Jamali was the alias of the Sufi saint Shaikh Fazlullah, who was also known as Jalal Khan. The saint had a prodigious life – he lived right through Sikander Lodi's reign, the famous battle of Panipat in 1526, Babur and died during the lifetime of Humayun. Who Kamali was remains a tantalizing mystery.
¤ The Construction
The tomb and mosque bearing their names lie within yards of each other. They were started in Babur's time in about 1528 and finished in Humayun's reign by 1535-36.
¤ The Tomb
The tomb lies immediately behind the mosque and is a smallish chamber. Small but not humble. Upon entering it your eye is immediately caught by the richly ornamented ceiling and walls. They are covered with tiles of various hues and patterns in incised and painted plaster. Several verses compose by Jamali are also inscribed on the walls.
The beautiful and spruce lawns of Jamali Kamali make it a popular picnic spot for Delhites.
The Tombs of Sheikh Alauddin and Sheikh Yusuf Qattal
On way to the masjid, a short distance away you'll probably spot the tombs of Sheikh Alauddin (died 1541-42), descendant of the famous Sufi saint Shaikh Faridu'd-din Shakarganj and Shiekh Yusuf Qattal (died 1527) who was a disciple of Qazi Jalaluddin of Lahore.
¤ The Artistic Work
Both the tombs are somewhat similar in design. They are small pavillions with domes that rest on twelve pillars. The pillars have some magnificent red sandstone latticework screens between them. However there are some individual features. The tomb of Sheikh Alauddin is somewhat more ornate than that of Yusuf Qatal. It has coloured and chiseled plaster symbols on the arches and the parapets. Bands of intricate written inscriptions run on the ceiling of the dome. The tomb of Yusuf Qattal is comparatively smaller, but enchanting nonetheless and its dome is encircled by encaustic tiles.
¤ The Artistic Work
Both the tombs are somewhat similar in design. They are small pavillions with domes that rest on twelve pillars. The pillars have some magnificent red sandstone latticework screens between them. However there are some individual features. The tomb of Sheikh Alauddin is somewhat more ornate than that of Yusuf Qatal. It has coloured and chiseled plaster symbols on the arches and the parapets. Bands of intricate written inscriptions run on the ceiling of the dome. The tomb of Yusuf Qattal is comparatively smaller, but enchanting nonetheless and its dome is encircled by encaustic tiles.
Sultan Ghari’s Tomb
About 8km from the Qutub Minar, on road from andheria More, is Sultan Ghari's tomb. It was built by Altamash in 1231 for his son and heir-apparent Nasiruddin Mahmud, who died in battle in 1229 in Lakhnauti (Lucknow). It is built in the same style as the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque and is assembled from assorted destroyed Hindu temples and other buildings.
¤ The Insides of The Tomb
You approach the octagonal tomb-chamber from a raised courtyard. Under a rubble-built platform the tomb is built like a crypt (ghar). The platform is encompassed by rows of columns on the east and west sides and the other sides are plain walls. These together with the domed parapets on the corners make the tomb look more like a fortress.
It is possible that the corridors of this tomb were at one time used as a madrasa. In the centre of the western wing there is a marble prayer niche which is richly and profusely embellished all over with verses from the Holy Quran.
¤ Other Attractions
Th exterior of the tomb had been grey sandstone to begin with, but Feroze Shah Tughlaq (1351-88) changed all that and had it faced all over with marble. Next to the Sultan Ghari tomb, lie the tombs of the other two sons of Altamash Ruknuddin Feroze Shah (died 1237) and Muizzudin Bahram Shah (died 1241), who occupied the throne of Delhi for very brief periods, before and after the sultan's favorite child and heir Raziya Sultana.
The Tomb of Altamash
In the same complex is the tomb of Shams-ud-din Altamash (1211-36), the son-in-law and successor of Qutub-ud-din Aibak.
Altamash is widely regarded as the real founder of the Delhi sultanate and had a very successful reign (see history).
His tomb was built in 1235 and is quite an interesting example of Islamic architecture in India. It marks the phase when the sultans had stopped spare parts from broken temples for their buildings. The building was made from foundation up and not assembled.
It seems that there had been plans to cover the tomb chamber with a dome, as is obvious from the squinches which make their first appearance in this building. It is said, once the dome fell but was replaced by Feroze Shah Tughlaq and then again fell down, beating even his patience for it was not replaced.
Inside the tomb there are three mihrabs (prayer niches). The central one of these is located higher than the other two and is profusely decorated with marble. The tomb itself is quite simple, but its entrance is intricately carved with geometrical and arabesque patterns. There are some Hindu motifs too though – like wheels, the lotus, diamonds and so on.
The Tomb of Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq
South to the fortress of Tughlaqabad is the tomb of its builder, Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq. A once fortified causeway lead to the tomb compound, which at one time stood within a large reservoir. Ghiyas-ud-din Tughlaq was obviously a man of set ideas – while he was about fortifying everything in sight, he fortified his tomb as well. What against is hard to say; probably Mongols who took the term happy hunting grounds too literally.
The reservoir is no longer stores any water and the bridge over it has been broken off in the middle to make way for an extremely busy road. The tomb is based roughly on a pentagon in plan and its entrance is guarded by massive portals.
¤ Simple Architecture
The mausoleum itself is very simple, very much the warrior's tomb. Simple with the same sloping red sandstone walls which are Tughlaq hallmarks. Each wall has arched gateways decorated with the inevitable, but beautiful, latticework and white marble. The dome is entirely of white marble and is quite striking indeed. This rather severe tomb does allow itself a few inscribed panels, arch borders, latticework screens and 'lotus-bud' edges which decorate it.
Towards the left of the entrance, in the corridor, there is a tiny grave which is said to be that of the sultan's favorite dog; which is not exactly a typical thing for a Muslim, who consider dogs unclean, to do.
¤ The Family Mausoleum
The mausoleum is quite a family affair. In here sleeps not only Ghiyas-ud-din but also his wife, Makh Dumai Jahan and his second son Mahmud Khan, who died with him under the pavilion. Near the northern side of the tomb there is an octagonal tomb with an inscribed slab over its southern door, according to which Zafar Khan lies buried here. Who this Zafar Khan was is not recorded, but this was the first tomb to be built here and gave Ghiyas-ud-din the idea of building his own mausoleum here too. The top of the enclosed walls offers excellent views of both Tughlaqabad and Adilabad Forts.
Delhi Churches
Cathedral Church of the Redemption
¤ Location
Crowning the northern vista from the Jaipur Column and west of Sansad Bhawan is the Cathedral Church of the Redemption built in 1927-35. Designed by H A N Medd it appears, from all records, to be the result of an architectural competition. One wonders how as there’s nothing remarkable about the building – the British have made finer churches in India. For those familiar with Lutyens’ work in Britain, it is strikingly reminiscent of his Free Church in Hampstead Garden Suburb.
¤ A Simple Layout
Built in coursed rubble masonry with split red sandstone, it lacks both beauty and gravitas. What the architect has achieved to perfection, however, is the softening of the harsh Indian sunlight with the help of small, recessed openings. The moving force behind the church’s construction was Lord Irwin. He presented the picture at the east end and a silver cross as a thanksgiving for his escape from an attempt to blow up his train in 1929.
Roman Catholic Church of the Sacred Heart
Here’s another church designed by Medd and by an odd coincidence, again the result of an architectural competition.
Across the road from Bangla Sahib Gurudwara just off Connaught Place, the Sacred Heart Cathedral stands between two of Delhi’s finest schools, St Columba’s and Convent of Jesus and Mary.
Built in 1930-34, it closes the vista from the North Secretariat at a strategic intersection between Connaught Circus and Raisina Hill. It is a bold, elegant design in the Lutyens tradition with an Italianate south front enriched by an oval mosaic cartouche of St Francis. In the same colour scheme as Medd’s earlier Cathedral Church of the Redemption, this one is a definite improvement!
Colonial Architecture
India Gate
¤ All India War Memorial
India Gate is constructed as a memorial and was built in the memory of 90,00 soldiers who laid down their lives during world war I. Located at Rajpath, India Gate is 42 m high and is popular relaxation area during the summer evenings. India Gate also act as popular pinic spot during winter. Also known as the All India War Memorial, India Gate was designed and constructed by Lutyens. He was the who is considered the chief proclaimer in designing the New Delhi plans.
¤ The Architectural Marvel.
A tour of Lutyens’ Delhi just has to kick off with the stately India Gate at the east end of the broad Janpath (earlier Kingsway) that leads to the Rashtrapati Bhawan. Another additional 13,516 names engraved on the arch and foundations form a separate memorial to the British and Indian soldiers killed on the North-West Frontier in the Afghan War of 1919. The foundation stone was laid by HRH the Duke of Connaught in 1921 and the monument was dedicated to the nation 10 years later by the then Viceroy, Lord Irwin. Another memorial, Amar Jawan Jyoti was added much later after India had said goodbye to its imperial rulers. It is in the form of a flame that burns day and night under the arch to remind the nation of soldiers who perished in the Indo-Pakistan War of December 1971.
The entire arch stands on a low base of red Bharatpur stone and rises in stages to a huge cornice, beneath which are inscribed Imperial suns. Above on both sides is inscribed INDIA, flanked by MCM and to the right, XIX. The shallow domed bowl at the top was intended to be filled with burning oil on anniversaries but this is rarely done.
Quick bytes
Location : New Delhi
Famous As : All India War Memorial
Designed By : Edwin Lutyens In 1921
Height : 42m
¤ The Breathtaking View of India Gate
Nowadays, if you drive down the smooth wide expanse of Rajpath on a midsummer night, you might be excused for assuming that a huge glittering carnival is in progress at India Gate. The entire boulevard up to the monument is lined with cars, scooters, motorcycles and what-have-you. In fact all of Delhi seems to have converged to the emerald lawns of India Gate. The air is thick with chatter, laughter and the cries of assorted vendors peddling their wares. You can snack on anything from fruit chaat (fruit salad with hot, spicy dressing), through bhelpuri (a snack of puffed rice, spices and hot, sweet and sour chutney), chana jor garam (spicy chickpeas), dal ka pakodas (fried lentil-flour dumplings), potato chips to ice cream, candy floss and aerated drinks.
¤ A Perfect Place For A Halt
Most of the revellers come equipped with balls, Frisbees or just a pack of playing cards. But India Gate has lots to offer in the name of entertainment. You can watch monkeys perform, enjoy a camel ride, blow soap bubbles all over the lawns, play with balloons and even get your insides turned inside out on a ferris wheel.
But if you ask us, the best thing to do is to loll on the cool lawns, lick a bar of ice candy and watch the floodlit arch and the fountains nearby that seem magically lit up with coloured lights.
The Supreme Court of India
The apex court is one of CPWD’s most splendid architectural achievements. It came up in 1958 and is located on Tilak Marg. The Supreme Court of India functioned from the Parliament House till it moved to the present building. It has a 27.6 metre high dome and a spacious colonnaded verandah. For a peek inside, you’ll have to obtain a visitor’s pass from the front office.
The Residency Period
¤ British Started Spreading in India The British began trickling into Delhi in the late 18th century. By then the East India Company was already firmly entrenched in Calcutta while Delhi was merely regarded as a northern outpost of little importance. Lieutenant William Franklin was dispatched to Delhi by the directors of the East India Company ‘to survey the then unknown heartlands of the empire of the Great Mughal’. Franklin’s account was published in 1795:
The environs are crowded with the remains of spacious gardens and country-houses of the nobility. The prospect towards Delhi, as far as the eye can reach, is covered with the remains of gardens, pavilions, mosques and burying places. The environs of this once magnificent and celebrated city appear now nothing more than a shapeless heap of ruins British Occupying Delhi
This was the twilight zone in the history of Delhi when Mughal power was fast plummeting while the Company’s star was on the ascendant. The clincher came with the Battle of Delhi when Company troops led by General Lake defeated the Marathas on the banks of the Yamuna. Here’s Oswald Wood’s account of the British occupation of Delhi: On 11th September 1803 the Mahrattas were defeated and three days after, the English entered Delhi as the real masters of the Mughal. The arrangements made for the maintenance of the King Shah Alam were ‘that a specified portion of the territories in the vicinity of Delhi situated on the right bank of the Jamna should be assigned as part of the provision for the maintenance of the Royal Family. That these lands should remain under charge of the Resident at Delhi and that the revenue should be collected and justice should be administered in the name of his Majesty Shah Alam under regulations to be fixed by the British Government…’
¤ The Coming Up of Residency
In one fell swoop, Shah Alam was reduced to a figurehead with the reins of Delhi firmly in the hands of the British. The emperor promptly granted Dara Shikoh’s Library near Kashmiri Gate to the British and that’s where the Residency came up. The first resident of the Delhi territory was Sir David Ochterlony. The early representatives of the Company in Delhi were nothing like the arrogant, racist, stuffed shirts that one commonly associates with the British Raj. Men like Ochterlony and William Fraser embraced many Indian customs, habits and often had a haremful of Indian wives. Delhi in the late 18th and early 19th centuries was innocent of racial and cultural prejudice. Without Victorian memsahibs to curl the upper lip at ‘natives’, Delhi was full of eccentric yet learned Scotsmen who genuinely loved and respected India. This period, though shortlived, was perhaps the only time when Indians and the British struck a bond of affection.
The Northern Ridge, the Civil Lines and the area around Kashmiri Gate became the centre of much hectic building by the British. It’s such a surprise for the first-time visitor to find British Architecture in a sea of Mughal monuments. Hire a taxi, find a good guidebook and charge into North Delhi for some close encounters of the Raj kind.
¤ British Residency
The Residency stands along Lothian Road and has been for many years part of the Delhi College of Engineering. It also has an office of the Archaeological Survey of India. Given the fate of most government buildings in India, it is no surprise to discover that the erstwhile Residency has fallen on hard times. Signs of this are discernible even as you approach Lothian Road, one of Old Delhi’s most impoverished parts.
Till about 65 years ago, this road was a thriving and fashionable shopping area frequented by the British and Anglo-Indians. Unfortunately, when Lutyens’ Delhi came up in the 30s, most of the area’s middle class migrated to the new metropolis.
The residency is a yellow-coloured mansion surrounded by a compound wall. Neem and ashok trees line the front, partially obscuring it from view. Its front is formed by a flat colonnade of classical pillars and chiks (wickerwork slats) are fitted between them for shade. A small flight of stairs leads up, through a shady verandah, to the front door. This edifice is not very remarkable in itself. What makes it so is the fact that it was built on the site of Dara Shikoh’s (Shahjahan’s favourite son) library.
When Shah Alam granted the British the ruins of the library, Sir David Ochterlony saw no reason to demolish it – he just carried out repairs and ordered a colonial façade to be built around it. This came to be the Residency. Ochterlony, its first occupant, lived here like a nawab surrounded by khitmatgars and 13 Indian wives. He dressed like a nawab, smoked the hookah and hosted lavish nautch parties.
Unfortunately this first symbol of British power in Delhi is in a state of disrepair now. The government even contemplated demolishing it in the 1980s but it was saved due to the efforts of conservationists. Noted travel writer William Dalrymple records his disappointment and disillusionment at the fate of the historic edifice: ‘Dusty filing cabinets stand where the nautch girls once danced. Doors hang loose on their hinges. Everywhere paint and plaster is peeling. So total is the transformation that it is difficult to people the empty corridors with the bustling Company servants, glittering Mughal omrahs (noblemen) and celebrated courtesans.’
¤ Lothian Cemetery
Netaji Subhash Marg runs past the Red Fort, down a hill and under Lothian Bridge, a railway bridge. Just after it, Lothian Cemetery lurks on the right, its gate beneath a grey crenellated tower. Graves are scattered within the compound and its assortment of gravestones includes a grand sandstone one to Thomas Dunn, erected by James Skinner.
¤ British Magazine
Netaji Subhash Marg branches off into a Y-junction as you travel farther from Lothian Cemetery. Take the branch on the right called Lothian Road. You’ll soon find an arched ruin in the middle of it – these are remains of the British Magazine. This huge ammunition storehouse was deliberately blown up on May 11, 1857 when the nine men defending it could not hold out any longer. To prevent it from falling into the hands of the Indian freedom fighters, who had mutinied in Meerut the previous day, Lieutenant Willoughby determinedly set it afire. The bang was said to have been heard at Meerut, 50km away. Over the central gate is a memorial to Lieutenant Willoughby and his fearless men. In the southeast corner of the rear are the steps by which the survivors escaped.
¤ Telegraph Memorial
The grey pillar beyond the Magazine is the Telegraph Memorial from which the Anglo-Indian operator warned the British army of what was going on.
¤ Flagstaff Tower
This would have remained just an ordinary watch and hunting tower if the 1857 Mutiny had not happened. What makes it historically important is the fact that British women and children – survivors of the Delhi massacre – gathered here on the fateful day of May 11, 1857 before fleeing to Karnal. The tower stands tall on the highest part of the Northern Ridge just where Flag Staff Road intersects Magazine Road. Flagstaff Tower was one of the first substantial buildings to be constructed by the British on the Ridge. It was probably built when the army cantonment was moved in 1928.
¤ University office
To the west of the tower, along Vishwavidyalaya Marg, is a large house now used as the office of the University of Delhi. It was built for the Coronation Durbar in 1903 for use by the Viceroy, and was used as the Viceregal Lodge till New Delhi was inaugurated in 1931.
¤ Vice Chancellor’s office
The University of Delhi Campus has some lovely buildings from the Residency period. The vice-chancellor’s office was used as a circuit house or official guesthouse for the British officers in the Civil Lines area. Did you know that it was in a room in this building that Louis Mountbatten, the last Viceroy of British India, proposed to Edwina Ashley, the future Countess Mountbatten? A plaque has been put up in the room to commemorate the event.
¤ Mutiny Memorial
On the way down from the Ridge, along Rani Jhansi Road is a strange Gothic tower that is a poor copy of the Prince Albert Memorial in London. This is the Mutiny Memorial – an octagonal, tapering tower built to commemorate the British and the Indians who fought on their side in 1857.
In panels around its base are recorded the 2,163 officers and men who were killed, wounded and went missing between 8 June and 7 September 1857. Against a list of the encounters in 1857 are three columns: killed, wounded and missing. All the officers and soldiers have further been categorized as Native and European
The Mutiny memorial was renamed Ajitgarh on the 25th anniversary of India’s freedom and aptly converted into a memorial for the Indian martyrs who rose against colonial rule. A new plaque on the site attempts to set the record straight:
The ‘enemy’ of the inscriptions on this monument were those who rose against colonial rule and fought bravely for national liberation in 1857. In memory of the heroism of these immortal martyrs for Indian freedom, this plaque was unveiled on the 25th anniversary of the nation’s attainment of Freedom, 28th August 1972.
¤ Coronation Durbar Site
North of Old Delhi, way beyond any residential colony, is Delhi’s very own junkyard of history. Most of the statues erected by the British have been unceremoniously dumped in this park. Getting here needs some doing but a visit can be quite rewarding for true-blue Raj fans. Drive past the Civil Lines and Kingsway Camp to reach the Coronation Memorial site, now no more than an abandoned park with wild grass and weeds.
This was the site of the three Durbars enacted in Delhi and a lone obelisk is a poor memorial to that. It was here in 1911 that King George V was declared Emperor of India and announced the shifting of the capital from Calcutta to Delhi. If you look closely you can still see a statue of him rise ghost-like out of the bushes nearby, where it was dumped after being removed from the canopy near India Gate. It depicts King George V in the coronation robe he wore on the occasion. Other imperial dignitaries can be spotted keeping the King company. Do go and say hello to Lord Willingdon and Lord Hardinge who were lovingly been placed on red sandstone plinths.
King George V Memorial
¤ The Attraction of Cenotaphs
Facing the elephantine arch of India Gate is a classical version of the chhattri or cenotaph so dear to Hindu kings and the sure symbol of regality in India. Lutyens perhaps designed it as a token gesture to keep the King who wanted oriental features happy. But chances are he would still have preferred to describe it as an open cupola or a baldachino.
¤ The Construction
Made of cream and pink stone, it is set in a rectangular pool with fountains and once contained an excellent marble statue of King George V by C.S. Jagger. However thanks to Indian politicians, who frequently break out into a rash of wanting to undo history or more aptly its reminders, the statue was dispatched to Delhi’s junkyard of history – the Coronation Memorial Park beyond Kingsway camp.
The canopy of course stands unmolested and is decorated with allegorical sculpture and symbols of kingship. The nautilus shells symbolize Britain’s maritime prowess – Britain was, after all, at one time the undisputed queen of the seas. The canopy is a pleasant counterpoint to the bulk of India Gate and you can frequently spot pigeons perching on it.
Parliament House of India
¤ Also Known As Sansad Bhawan - A Large Legislative Assembly
If it were not for the Montagu-Chelmsford reforms of 1919, the Parliament House may not have been built. It’s corny how the building most indispensable to modern Indian democracy came up as an afterthought. Earlier called the Circular House, it was added to the layout at a later stage following the reforms which created a large Legislative Assembly.
This edifice is the brainchild of Herbert Baker and was much criticized in comparison with Lutyens creations. An article by Robert Byron in Architectural Review, January 1931describes it thus: "The Council Chamber has been Sir Herbert’s unhappiest venture. Its effect from a distance has been described. It resembles a Spanish bull-ring, lying like a mill-wheel dropped accidentally on its side.
Quick bytesState : Delhi
Location : On the northwest of Vijay Chowk, next to the Secretariat buildings at the end of Parliament Street (Sansad Marg).
Time to Visit : Entry into Parliament House requires official permission, whether Parliament is in session or not. Visitors can enter the public galleries of the Indian Parliament with prior permission, after receiving an official pass.
Famous as : The place where the Indian Parliament meets and the world's largest democracy functions.
Admission Fee : Free, but prior permission required (foreigners/citizens: from their embassies or High commissions/ from the reception office on Raisina Road)
Photography charges : nil (prior permission required)
¤ The Massive Structure
To the northwest of Vijay Chowk, this huge circular, colonnaded building comprises three semicircular chambers for the Legislatures and a Central Library crowned by a 27.4m high dome. It is 173m in diameter and covers 2.02 hectares in area, with colonnaded verandahs enclosing the entire circumference. The three semi-circular areas were designed for the Chamber of Princes, the Council of State and the Legislative Assembly. Today they house the chambers of the Lok Sabha (House of the People), Rajya Sabha (Upper House) and the library. A verandah with 144 columns surrounds the three chambers. The boundary wall has blocks of sandstone carved in geometrical patterns that echo the Mughal jalis.
An entry pass to the library can be obtained from the Visitor’s reception on Raisina Road by providing a letter of introduction from a Member of Parliament. The library working hours are from 1000-1800. To obtain a visitor’s pass to Sansad Bhawan, Indian nationals should apply to the Parliament Secretariat. Foreign nationals should apply through their embassies or high commissions.
The Regal Building
¤ The Attractions
This was one of the first buildings to come up in Connaught Place and houses a popular cinema hall. Jackals and wild pigs still roamed the area when it was being built. Initially Regal Cinema could not attract many patrons but soon it became very popular with Delhi’s rich elite. There used to be a bar in the lobby for gentlemen and a special matinee show for ladies.
Unlike any other cinema hall in Delhi, Regal has a porch which is forever plastered with colourful, sometimes lewd, film posters. The pavement has been taken over for all manner of activity. There are booksellers, ice-cream vendors, curio shops, music shops, lottery ticket booths and weighing machines – all pressed together cheek by jowl. Regal has fallen on bad times since its glorious heydays. It is a rather seedy, ill-kempt theatre that often shows semi-porn movies to titillate its essentially working class clientele.
Apart from the cinema, the building is home to shops and restaurants too. One of the earliest stores in the block was the Army and Navy Store which has now closed down. and in its place stand the Khadi Gramodyog Bhawan. But one place that’s a must is the Standard Bakery which turns out excellent softies, pastries and masala kulchas (a type of spicy bread).
Rashtrapati Bhawan
¤ Rashtrapati Bhawan (Viceroy Palace)-Best Known Monument of British Empire
The Viceroy Palace remains Lutyens most significant achievement. It is befittingly the crowning glory of the British Empire and architecture in India. Today, it is perhaps India’s best known monument after the Taj Mahal and the Qutub Minar. Bigger than the Palace of Versailles, it cost a whopping £12,53,000 and now houses the President of India. It is unquestionably a masterpiece of symmetry, discipline, silhouette, colour and harmony. of course, it has come in for much criticism too but that has mostly been limited to the imperial intent behind it rather than its architecture.
¤ Picturesque Location
Better known now as the Rashtrapati Bhawan, the sprawling palace straddles the crown of Raisina Hill and is the focal point of New Delhi. The majestic Rajpath (earlier Kings Way) leads up to the palace on Raisina Hill and here comes into view the one fatal flaw in design. Lutyens and Baker had a major showdown about the height of the slope approaching the palace which was at that time caricatured as the ‘War of the Gradient’. Lutyens wanted the palace to come into view as one climbed Raisina Hill. Unfortunately, Baker miscalculated. The palace disappears from sight till only the copper dome is visible. Furious with Baker, Lutyens said he had ‘met his Bakerloo’.
The palace is flanked by the two Secretariats and the three together, open into a huge square called the Viceroy’s Court where the Jaipur Column stands tall. The Viceroys Court, which frames the main entrance to the house, has lateral entrances on the axis of the Jaipur Column. Here the levels were reduced artificially and cascades of steps are flanked by huge sandstone elephants and ranks of imperial lions modelled by the sculptor C.S. Jagger.
¤ The Attractions of The Palace
The main entrance is approached by a broad flight of steps which lead to a 12-column portico. Do notice the enormous projecting cornice or chajja, a Mughal device, which blends so effortlessly with the classical style of the monument. Lutyens’ ability to smoothly incorporate light oriental touches is all the more remarkable given his active and profound dislike for Indian architecture.
The most outstanding feature of the House – you can spot it while you are still a kilometre away – is the huge neo-Buddhist copper dome that rises over a vast colonnaded frontage. Beneath the dome is the circular Durbar Hall 22.8m in diameter. The coloured marbles used in the hall come from all parts of India. The Viceroy’s throne, ceremonially placed in this chamber, faced the main entrance and commanded a view along the great axial vista of Kingsway (now Rajpath). At present the hall is the venue of all official ceremonies such as the swearing in of the Prime Minister, the Cabinet and the Members of Parliament. It is in this very chamber that the President annually confers the Arjuna Awards for Excellence.
The columns at the front entrance have bells carved into their capitals. Lutyens reasoned that ‘the ringing of bells sound the end of an empire and stone bells never sound’. Despite this, the empire came to an end a brief 16 years later.
¤ The Great Interiors
The principal floor comprises a magnificent series of state apartments. The State Drawing Room is barrel-vaulted and plainly treated with domestic fireplaces. The State Ballroom is enriched with Old English mirror glass. The State Library is based on the form of Wren’s St Stephen’s, Walbrook. The State Dining Room is lined with teak panelling enriched with the star of India. The concept of Imperial order and hierarchy permeates the entire house.
Marble staircases flanking the Durbar Hall provide access to the private apartments above. There are 54 bedrooms together with additional accommodation for guests. Lord Irwin, its first occupant, ‘kept losing his way’ but insisted that "in spite of its size, it was essentially a liveable-in-house."
¤ Mughal Garden
To the west the palace overlooks an enormous Mughal garden designed by Lutyens. Here the principles of hierarchy, order, symmetry and unity are extended from the house into the landscape. A series of ornamental fountains, walls, gazebos and screens combine with scores of trees, flowers and shrubs to create a paradise so delightful that Indians called the garden ‘God’s own Heaven’. The Irwins supervised the planting of the garden which grew in tropical profusion softening the formal pattern of lawns and waterways. Popularly known as the Mughal Garden, it is open to public every spring but be prepared for the tight security check.
¤ The Glory of The Palace
After India became independent, the sheer size of the building overwhelmed its new keepers. Mahatma Gandhi suggested it be turned into a hospital. Thankfully, nobody took him seriously. The Durbar Hall served as a museum for several years till the building which now houses the National Museum was completed.
Here’s what Mark-Bence Jones remarked about life at the Viceroy’s House in his book Palaces of the Raj. Do note the then-and-now comparison he makes on a later visit to the palace, long after the British had gone.
"Then there were the banquets held during sessions of the Chamber of Princes, when every other guest at the long table was the ruler of a State. The gold plate glittered in its crimson-lined niche, the lustres glinted, the scarlet and gold khitmagars moved deftly against the teak-panelled walls, and from an adjoining room came the music of the Viceroy’s band."
"In India that replaced the Raj, Lutyens’ Palace has managed to keep some of its glory. …As the home of a modern democratic President, it is certainly on the large side, but the Indians have been wise enough to maintain a Presidential establishment worthy of the setting. Scarlet-clad guards still sit on their chargers beneath the stone sentry boxes, khitmagars in white, red and gold line the corridors."
Museums
Dolls Museum
¤ Shankar’s International Dolls Museum
Curator: Shanta Srinivasan
Nehru House
4, Bahadur Shah Zafar marg
New Delhi 110002.
Open 1000-1800 hrs; Closed; Monday.
¤ Collection of Dolls From All Over The World
Set up by the renowned political cartoonist, K Shankar Pillai (1902-1989), Shankar’s International Dolls Museum has one of the largest collections of costume dolls anywhere in the world. Housed in the Children’s Book Trust building on Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, the museum has a floor area of 5,184.5 sq ft and occupies a portion of the first floor. A separate entrance, a stately winding staircase, leads up to a foyer. Inside, the museum is divided into two halves. The two sections have over 160 glass cases, 1,000 ft long, mounted on walls. One section displays exhibits from European countries, the UK, USA, Australia, New Zealand, Commonwealth of Independent States, other Asian countries, the Middle East, Africa and India.
¤ Main Attractions
In the pageant are characters from India’s unique classical dance, Kathakali, with its splendid costumes. Other dolls of special interest are Boys and Girls Festival dolls from Japan, replica Dolls of the Queen’s collection (UK), Maypole Dance from Hungary, Kabuki and Samurai dolls from japan, Flamenco dancers from Spain, Women’s Orchestra from Thailand, and Kandy Pehara from Sri Lanka.
There are also special displays besides a representative collection from the over 150 kinds of authentic Indian costume dolls made at the dolls workshop attached to the museum. Indian dolls made at the workshop are exchanged for gifts received from abroad as well as sold to collectors and museums in India and abroad. Each doll is handcrafted after meticulous research into the physical attributes, dress and jewellery of individual characters.
The museum started with a thousand dolls. Between 1965 and 1987 another 5,000 were added – a vast majority coming as gifts. Today the volume has increased to 6,500 exhibits from almost 85 countries, truly giving it an international character.
Curator: Shanta Srinivasan
Nehru House
4, Bahadur Shah Zafar marg
New Delhi 110002.
Open 1000-1800 hrs; Closed; Monday.
¤ Collection of Dolls From All Over The World
Set up by the renowned political cartoonist, K Shankar Pillai (1902-1989), Shankar’s International Dolls Museum has one of the largest collections of costume dolls anywhere in the world. Housed in the Children’s Book Trust building on Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, the museum has a floor area of 5,184.5 sq ft and occupies a portion of the first floor. A separate entrance, a stately winding staircase, leads up to a foyer. Inside, the museum is divided into two halves. The two sections have over 160 glass cases, 1,000 ft long, mounted on walls. One section displays exhibits from European countries, the UK, USA, Australia, New Zealand, Commonwealth of Independent States, other Asian countries, the Middle East, Africa and India.
¤ Main Attractions
In the pageant are characters from India’s unique classical dance, Kathakali, with its splendid costumes. Other dolls of special interest are Boys and Girls Festival dolls from Japan, replica Dolls of the Queen’s collection (UK), Maypole Dance from Hungary, Kabuki and Samurai dolls from japan, Flamenco dancers from Spain, Women’s Orchestra from Thailand, and Kandy Pehara from Sri Lanka.
There are also special displays besides a representative collection from the over 150 kinds of authentic Indian costume dolls made at the dolls workshop attached to the museum. Indian dolls made at the workshop are exchanged for gifts received from abroad as well as sold to collectors and museums in India and abroad. Each doll is handcrafted after meticulous research into the physical attributes, dress and jewellery of individual characters.
The museum started with a thousand dolls. Between 1965 and 1987 another 5,000 were added – a vast majority coming as gifts. Today the volume has increased to 6,500 exhibits from almost 85 countries, truly giving it an international character.
Crafts Museum
¤ Pragati Maidan
Bhairon Road,
New Delhi 110001.
Open 1000-1730hrs; Closed: Monday
Entry free; Guided tours for groups arranged upon prior request.
¤ Main Attractions
The institution of the museum, aimed at housing objects of antiquity and curiosity, is of western origin. Indians themselves did not have a tradition of setting up museums of fragmented sculptures, rusted swords and out-of-context paintings. Broken images were immersed in holy water, worn out metal objects were melted down to cast new ones, and terracotta votive objects were left to decay and merge with the very earth from which they were created.
The core collection of the Crafts Museum was actually put together to serve as reference material for the craftsmen who were increasingly losing touch with their own traditions in terms of materials, techniques, designs and aesthetics of their arts and crafts due to the sudden changes caused by modern industrialization. Here the craftsman feels free to confine to his tradition or to innovate in response to his new contemporary environment.
¤ Collection of Unique Item of Tribal Arts
The large permanent collection of 20,000 items of folk and tribal arts, crafts and textiles is housed in a concrete, but almost ‘invisible’ building. Charles Correa, the architect, had a challenge before him – on the one hand to provide a pucca building for safe preservation and display of the rare art objects, but on the other, not to let the building be so imposing that it would belittle the humbler objects collected from village homes. The scale and appearance of the building had to be such that it would not attempt to upstage its ancient neighbour, the Purana Qila on the one side and the Village Complex of the Museum on the other.
Consequently the low-lying building has old carved wooden doors and windows from Gujarat and Rajasthan, central courtyards having champa trees, tulsi shrines and a monumental temple-car coexist in this ‘modern’ building not as revivalist ethnic chic exercise, but as a contemporary juxtaposition of past traditions in a modern building meant for a modern Indian Crafts Museum.
¤ Other Marvelous Artifacts
The museum’s collection, built over a period of thirty years, comprises bronze images; lamps and incense burners; ritual accessories; utensils and other items of everyday use; wood and stone carvings; papier mache; ivories, dolls, toys, puppets and masks; jewellery; decorative metalware including bidri work; paintings; terracotta; cane and bamboo work and a large number of textiles, from different regions of India.
Galleries of folk and tribal arts and crafts, aristocratic objects, and that of traditional Indian textiles, display selected objects within these categories which are unavoidably overlapping as the culture itself. Moreover, there is a ‘Visual Store’ for reference, comprising about 15,000 objects which can be used by scholars, designers, craftsmen and interested public for study and research. While brief captions provide basic information about the displayed objects, for further information the Museum’s catalogue could be consulted.
The Crafts Museum Shop on the premises sells books, picture-postcards and a whole range of exquisite contemporary handicrafts. The objective of the shop is to sell original creations of the finest Indian craftspersons and not to market mechanically replicated souvenir.
Bhairon Road,
New Delhi 110001.
Open 1000-1730hrs; Closed: Monday
Entry free; Guided tours for groups arranged upon prior request.
¤ Main Attractions
The institution of the museum, aimed at housing objects of antiquity and curiosity, is of western origin. Indians themselves did not have a tradition of setting up museums of fragmented sculptures, rusted swords and out-of-context paintings. Broken images were immersed in holy water, worn out metal objects were melted down to cast new ones, and terracotta votive objects were left to decay and merge with the very earth from which they were created.
The core collection of the Crafts Museum was actually put together to serve as reference material for the craftsmen who were increasingly losing touch with their own traditions in terms of materials, techniques, designs and aesthetics of their arts and crafts due to the sudden changes caused by modern industrialization. Here the craftsman feels free to confine to his tradition or to innovate in response to his new contemporary environment.
¤ Collection of Unique Item of Tribal Arts
The large permanent collection of 20,000 items of folk and tribal arts, crafts and textiles is housed in a concrete, but almost ‘invisible’ building. Charles Correa, the architect, had a challenge before him – on the one hand to provide a pucca building for safe preservation and display of the rare art objects, but on the other, not to let the building be so imposing that it would belittle the humbler objects collected from village homes. The scale and appearance of the building had to be such that it would not attempt to upstage its ancient neighbour, the Purana Qila on the one side and the Village Complex of the Museum on the other.
Consequently the low-lying building has old carved wooden doors and windows from Gujarat and Rajasthan, central courtyards having champa trees, tulsi shrines and a monumental temple-car coexist in this ‘modern’ building not as revivalist ethnic chic exercise, but as a contemporary juxtaposition of past traditions in a modern building meant for a modern Indian Crafts Museum.
¤ Other Marvelous Artifacts
The museum’s collection, built over a period of thirty years, comprises bronze images; lamps and incense burners; ritual accessories; utensils and other items of everyday use; wood and stone carvings; papier mache; ivories, dolls, toys, puppets and masks; jewellery; decorative metalware including bidri work; paintings; terracotta; cane and bamboo work and a large number of textiles, from different regions of India.
Galleries of folk and tribal arts and crafts, aristocratic objects, and that of traditional Indian textiles, display selected objects within these categories which are unavoidably overlapping as the culture itself. Moreover, there is a ‘Visual Store’ for reference, comprising about 15,000 objects which can be used by scholars, designers, craftsmen and interested public for study and research. While brief captions provide basic information about the displayed objects, for further information the Museum’s catalogue could be consulted.
The Crafts Museum Shop on the premises sells books, picture-postcards and a whole range of exquisite contemporary handicrafts. The objective of the shop is to sell original creations of the finest Indian craftspersons and not to market mechanically replicated souvenir.
Rail Museums in Delhi
Shanti Path
Chanakyapuri.
New Delhi 1100
Open: 0930-1230, 1330-1730; Closed: Monday; Good guide books also available.
The RTM is a train buff’s delight and one of Delhi’s best museums. The collection includes 26 vintage locomotives, 17 carriage and saloons including the four-wheeled saloon used by the Prince of Wales (Edward VII) in 1876 and the Maharaja of Mysore’s saloon of teak, gold and ivory.
Chanakyapuri.
New Delhi 1100
Open: 0930-1230, 1330-1730; Closed: Monday; Good guide books also available.
The RTM is a train buff’s delight and one of Delhi’s best museums. The collection includes 26 vintage locomotives, 17 carriage and saloons including the four-wheeled saloon used by the Prince of Wales (Edward VII) in 1876 and the Maharaja of Mysore’s saloon of teak, gold and ivory.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteGood information to know more best tourist place in nizamabad
ReplyDelete