[sach.sri]

Delhi has the distinction of being the Capital city of the Republic of India. But then - it has been a capital city for a lot of empires from ancient times and has been home of many dynasties through times immemorial

From Wikipedia

Delhi is known to have been continuously inhabited since the 6th century BC.

Through most of its history, Delhi has served as a capital of various kingdoms and empires.

It has been captured, sacked and rebuilt several times, particularly during the medieval period, and therefore the modern conurbation of Delhi is a cluster of a number of cities spread across the metropolitan region.

Delhi is believed to have been the site of Indraprastha, the legendary capital of the Pandavas during the times of the Mahabharata. Delhi re-emerged as a major political, cultural and commercial city along the trade routes between northwest India and the Gangetic plain during the period of the Delhi sultanates.


The earliest architectural relics date back to the Maurya period (c. 300 BC); in 1966, an inscription of the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka (273-236 BC) was discovered near Srinivaspuri.


The modern city contains the remnants of at least 11 Capital cities including:

1.The first instance of the region being capitalised was in the Ancient Era, during the time of the Mahabharata War, when the five Pandava brothers built an immense and highly sophisticated fortress called Indraprastha and ruled the country from there.

2.'Dhili' was founded by the Tomara ruler, Anangpal according to Vibudh Shridhar and other later authors. Lal Kot built by the Tomar was renamed Qila Rai Pithora after Prithvi Raj Chauhan (also known as Rai Pithora). It was a thirteen-gated fort in Delhi. Prithviraj, a Chauhan king, was the second-to-last Hindu king of Delhi.

3.Mehrauli, built by Qutubuddin Aibak in the 12th century;

4.Siri, built by Alauddin Khalji in 1303;

5.Tughluqabad, built by Ghiyasuddin Tughluq (1321–1325);

6.Jahanpanah, built by Muhammad bin Tughluq (1325–1351);

7.Ferozabad, built by Firuz Shah Tughluq (1351–1388);

8.Dinpanah built by Humayun and Shergarh built by Sher Shah Suri, both in the area near the speculated site of the legendary Indraprastha (1538–1545);

9.Lodi Complex, built by the Lodi rulers and the least significant of all the dynasties of Delhi Sultanate (1451–1526); and

10.Shahjahanabad, the walled city built by Shah Jahan from 1638 to 1649, containing the Lal Qila and the Chandni Chowk. It was the capital of the Mughal Empire during Shah Jahan's reign. It is presently referred to as "Old Delhi".

11.Lutyens' Delhi or New Delhi, the city built by the British on the south-west, declared Capital on 12 December 1911.

The region of Hauz Khas in South Delhi is a part of two cities, viz. Siri and Ferozabad, of Delhi. While the Hauz Khas Lake is a part of the former, the tombs and the monuments surrounding it belong to the latter.

Delhi boasts of monuments like - Qutab Minar (a victory tower), Humayun's Tomb (a precursor to Taj Mahal), Redfort - among a host of other beautiful monuments.

During a particularly long period of abstinence from jungles and safaris I was staring at a strong question of - what to photograph? When i hit upon this idea of exploring the monuments in Delhi.

Being a Dilli waala - it was shameful that i have not even explored the known monuments, let alone obscure ones.

With this in mind - i set out to explore Delhi and its Monnuments and with this thread - i am presenting some monuments that i have covered till date.

This is just a small contribution from my side to help popularise the monuments of Delhi.

Till date, i have visited:

1. Humayun's Tomb
2. Safdurjung's Tomb and Mosque
3. India Gate
4. Rashtrapati Bhawan
5. Ugrasen Ki Baoli
6. Lodhi Complex

Will be presenting the pics and some details of these sequentially.

[sach.sri]

Humayun's Tomb

Quote from Wikipedia

Humayun's tomb is the tomb of the Mughal Emperor Humayun. The tomb was commissioned by Humayun's first wife Bega Begum (Hajji Begum) in 1569-70, and designed by Mirak Mirza Ghiyath, a Persian architect. It was the first garden-tomb on the Indian subcontinent, and is located in Nizamuddin East, Delhi, India, close to the Dina-panah citadel also known as Purana Qila (Old Fort), that Humayun founded in 1533.

It was also the first structure to use red sandstone at such a scale The tomb was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993, and since then has undergone extensive restoration work, which is still underway.

Besides the main tomb enclosure of Humayun, several smaller monuments dot the pathway leading up to it, from the main entrance in the West, including one that even pre-dates the main tomb itself, by twenty years; it is the tomb complex of Isa Khan Niyazi, an Afghan noble in Sher Shah Suri's court of the Suri dynasty, who fought against the Mughals, constructed in 1547 CE.

It represented a leap in Mughal architecture, and together with its accomplished Charbagh garden, typical of Persian gardens, but never seen before in India, it set a precedent for subsequent Mughal architecture.

As mentioned - Humayun's Tomb has many firsts for any building in India and is one of the popular monuments to visit while in Delhi.

It also has numerous other monuments in and around its complex. A relaxed tour of the whole complex and sorroundings can take up at least 3-4 hours.


Location:




Entry Gate in golden light


Resplendent Royal Entrance Darwaza


Humayun's Tomb - from the gate


Humayun's Tomb - with the typical fountain in front





View of Royal Darwaza from the tomb terrace - with charbagh


Tomb building closeup


Other monuments - dont know their names yet



Taj Mahal -esque ---- same from all sides


Reflection






Wide angle view - unfortunately, did not have the required lens


to be contd...

[sach.sri]

This was a very short trip to the tomb as we pulled into the parking by around 5pm. It was a hurried visit - happened because we could not goto India gate because it was closed due to preparations for Republic day.


And this was the visit that really fuelled my desire to see my city monuments up close and personal. A couple of more shots from this visit - it is by no means complete coverage and more pictures of the tomb and other monuments in and around will follow when i visit it next.

Tomb Parting shots




A fascinating artwork - imagine how beautiful the whole thing would have been in its hay day - this was on a gate before the Royal Darwaja


to be contd...

[sach.sri]

Safdarjung's Tomb

Safdarjung was the Nawab of Awadh from from 19 March 1739 to 5 October 1754.

He was also prime minister of Muhammad Shah who was the weak Mughal emperor from 1719 to 1748 and a powerful figure in Delhi courts. He was a Persian and migrated to India in 1722.

From Wikipedia

Safdarjung's Tomb is a garden tomb with a marble mausoleum in New Delhi, India. It was built in 1754 in the late Mughal Empire style, and was described as "the last flicker in the lamp of Mughal architecture". The top storey of the edifice houses the Archaeological Survey of India. The garden, in the style evolved by the Mughal Empire that is now known as the Mughal gardens style influenced by Persian gardens style, is entered through an ornate gate. Its facade is decorated with elaborate plaster carvings.

The mausoleum has lent its name to Safdarjung Airport, Safdarjung Road, Safdarjung Terminal, Safdarjung Hospital, and localities like Safdarjung Enclave and Safdarjung Development Area (SDA), all nearby in New Delhi.

The central tomb has a huge dome. There are four water canals leading to four buildings. One has an ornately decorated gateway while the other three are pavilions, with living quarters built into the walls. Octagonal towers are in the corners. The canals are four oblong tanks, one on each side of the tomb.

Location




Pictures:

Entrance Gate and its intricate carving on the Jharokha


Carvings - going to disrepair


Mandatory pic - view of the mausoleum from the gate - there was a TV team on the grounds, guess for some interview?


Different views of the mausoleum








Carvings on the roof of the tomb


Made of Gold...


..... nah, just kidding, it is the color of the ceiling together with the lighting


to be contd....

[sach.sri]

More pictures of Safdarjung's tomb

Another one of the ceiling


The Nawab's resting place


Lighting up the mazar


Another view of the tomb building - reminds me of Red Fort


Mosque in the tomb complex - entry into the mosque is not allowed.




Mosques's reflection - like this shot better than the straight shot.


Final shot of the tomb - renovation still going on, rubble on the ground


Coming up next are pictures from Lodhi Garden complex - it contains some monument from the Lodhi Era - perhaps only one of two sites with monuments from that era and as such a very important landmark.


to be contd...

[mobike008]

Note from Mod : Thread moved from Assembly Line to Travelogue section. Thanks for sharing!!!

[Rajesh Rawal]

Nice one sachin!

Delhi definately has lot of history in-store.

I have personally visited the humayun's tomb and loved it.(very peaceful ,you could hear birds chirping)

The only annoyance (which sadly is everywhere ) is people engraving their name (sheela loves vicky) in these rich historic places.(Even the graves were not spared)

Awaiting more pictures.Thanks for sharing

[gd1418]

Just bumped into this thread and what a pleasant surprise. Somebody took the initiative to present historic Dilli in a different perspective.

A lot of us have taken the existence of these monuments as granted and have seldom visited them in detail.

Excellant photographs and waiting for more..

p.s. rating the thread..

[lsp]

Born and brought up in Delhi, I am very embarassed to say I havent visited most of the popular monuments of Delhi. Seems most people take the monuments of their own city for granted, thinking - yeh to kabhi bhi dekh sakte hain (we can see them anyday)!

Loved the pics Sach!! Please post more. Delhi is a unique city and off late its only famous for the wrong reasons. This thread will hopefully make people aware of the beauty and history of the city through the lens of a patron.

[rajeevn]

Originally Posted by sach.sri

to be contd...

Thanks a ton for bringing this on to T-BHP. Most people living in Delhi all their lives, me included, tend to take these magnificent structures for granted and almost never visit them, perhaps because they are just around the corner and can be visited anytime.

Come to think of it, the last time I went to any of these monuments (after the mandatory school excursions) was around 25 years back. What a waste!

Thanks again for sharing this; it certainly rekindles my desire to go and visit these places of exotic historical significance.

[Sommos]

Fantastic initiative Sachin and nice effort to highlight the monuments of Delhi.
I've been to Delhi several times for office assignments but never got the oppurtunity to see any of these ancient monuments apart from the India Gate. So I would be waiting for your posts.

Are all of these monuments of the glorious past maintained by the ASI? The Humayun's tomb appears to be well maintained, but not the other one.

[samarth.bhatia]

Very nice beginning to something I hope goes even further
Being a fellow Dilli walah, I'm among a horde of other people who probably just went to these sites as a school kid.
Thanks for sharing wonderfully captured images of some world famous monuments that are right in our neighbourhood, but what we end up just looking past on a daily basis.

Looking forward to the Lodhi complex captures - they were after all right next to my school

Cheers,
Sam

[PGNarain]

Lovely and fantastic initiative Sachin!! I am from Delhi - and no matter the bad publicity surrounding Delhi both recently and in the past, I have loved my city!! it is really "Dil"li for me and will always remain so.
Looking forward to the rest of your travelogue about Dilli.

[robimahanta]

Nice concept and images. Wish your copyright was a bit less imposing ,considering these are low resolution images intended for web use.

[vidyanand]

Great Monuments. I never visited the Humayun's Tomb (ignored it over the other one in the city) and only read it in our History books and in our course of History of Art and Architecture.
The monument suddenly looks Magnificent and your pics captured it well. Made up my mind to visit it on my next travel there.