2. HISTORICAL MONUMENTS OF DELHI
Red Fort
India Gate
Humayun’s Tomb
Qutub Minar
Jantar Mantar
3. One of the most spectacular pieces
of Mughal Architecture is the Lal
Quila or the Red Fort. Built by the
Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan
between 1638 and 1648, the Red Fort
has walls extending up to 2 kms. in
length with the height varying from
18 mts. on the river side to 33 mts. on
the city side.
The entry to this splendid fort is
from the Lahori Gate or the Chatta
Chowk. Lal Quila is now a busy
market place called the 'Meena
Bazaar'. This bazaar has an excellent
collection of antiques, miniature
paintings and skillfully crafted fake
ivory jewellery.
4. The bazaar also sells some fabulous carpets beautifully woven. Just
beyond the Chhata Chowk, is the heart of the fort called Naubat Khana,
or the Drum House. Musicians used to play for the emperor from the
Naubat Khana, and the arrival of princes and royalty was heralded
from here.
The Fort sports all the obvious trappings befitting a vital centre of
Mughal governance: halls of public and private audiences, domed and
arched marble palaces, plush private apartments, a mosque, and
elaborately designed gardens. Even today, the Fort remains an
impressive testimony to Mughal grandeur, despite being attacked by the
Persian Emperor Nadir Shah in 1739, and by the British soldiers, during
the war of independence in 1857.
5. INDIA GATE
Location : New Delhi
Famous As : All India War Memorial
Designed By : Edwin Lutyens In 1921
Height : 42m
At the center of New Delhi stands
the 42m high India Gate, an "Arc-de-
Triomphe" like Archway in the
middle of a crossroad. Almost
similar to its French counterpart war
memorial. It commemorates the
70,000 Indian soldiers who lost their
lives fighting for the British Army
during the First World War and bears
the names of more than 13,516
British and Indian soldiers killed in
the Northwestern Frontier in the
Afghan war of 1919.
6. The foundation stone was laid by His Royal Highness, the Duke of
Connaught in 1921 and was designed by Edwin Lutyens.
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 got its independence. It is in the form of a flame
that burns day and night under the arch to remind the nation of soldiers
who laid down their lives 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 molding, beneath, which are inscribed Imperial sons.
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. Surrounding the
imposing structure is a large expanse of lush green lawns, which is a
popular picnic spot. One can see hoards of people moving about the
brightly lit area and on the lawns on summer evenings.
7. HUMAYUN’S TOMB
Mathura road near its crossing
with the Lodi Road. High rubble-
built walls enclose here a square
garden divided initially into four
large squares separated by
causeways and channels, each
square divided again into smaller
squares by pathways
('Chaharbagh') as in a typical
Mughal garden. The lofty
mausoleum is located in the centre
of the enclosure and rises from a
podium faced with series of cells
with arched openings. The central
octagonal chamber containing the
cenotaph is encompassed by
octagonal chambers at the
diagonals and arched lobbies on
the sides, their openings closed
with perforated screens.
8. `
Three emphatic arches dominate each side, the central one
being the highest. This plan is repeated on the second storey,
and a 42.5m high double dome of marble surmounts the roof
with pillared kiosks ('chhatris') placed around it. The
structure is built with red sandstone, but white and black
marble has been used to relieve the monotony, the latter
largely in the borders. Haveli Of Hakeem Ashanullah Khan
The haveli of Hakeem Ashanullah Khan, personal physician
of the emperor Bahdur Shah Zafar, was a fortress for those
who were able to hide themselves here in the 'ghadar'- the
Sepoy Mutiny time. The mansion almost covers 2,000-
square-yards and appears to be a mohalla itself. It was
because of the orders of the Hakeem that Ghalib was given
the scholarship to write the history of the Mughal dynasty.
Immediately after the Mutiny, British confiscated the house
of the Hakeem. It was soon returned too
9. QUTUB MINAR
Historical Construction Of A Landmark In
1199, Qutub-ud-Din raised the Qutub Minar
either as a victory tower or as a minaret to
the adjacent mosque. From a base of 14.32m
it tapers to 2.75m at a height of 72.5m and a
valid reason why it took two decades to
complete this monument. Its a red sandstone
tower covered with beautiful and striking
carvings and is inscribed with verses from the
holy Quran.
Qutub Minar is still the highest stone tower
in India as well as one of the finest Islamic
structures ever raised and Delhi's recognised
landmark. The sultan's successor and son-in-
law, Iltutmish, completed it. In 1303, Ala-
ud-Din established the second city of Delhi,
called Siri, of which nothing remains but the
embattlements.
10. He also had dug a vast reservoir, Hauz Khas, to supply water to his
city. Contemporary historians describe the Delhi of that time as
being the "envy of Baghdad, the rival of Cairo and equal to
Constantinople". For the sake of convenience, tourists visiting the
Qutub Complex could also see the Tomb of Adham Khan and Zafar
Mahal in Mehrauli and the Tomb of Jamali-Kamali behind the Qutub
Minar. These however, belong to a later date. The Damage &
Restoration From the Nagari and Persian inscriptions on the minar,
it appears that it was damaged twice by lightning, in 1326 and 1368.
The first damage occurred during Muhammed Tughluq's reign (1325-
51), and was repaired by him apparently in 1332. The second damage
was attended by Feroze Tughluq (1351-88). Later in 1503, Sikandar
Lodi (1489-1517) also carried out some restoration in the upper
storeys. Originally the minar had only four storeys, faced with
red and buff sandstone. The uppermost storey, which was damaged
in 1368 during Feroze Tughluq's reign, was replaced by him by two
storeys, making free use of marble but leaving the lower portion
of the fourth storey built with sandstone in its original condition.
11. JANTAR MANTAR
A unique structure raised in 1724, now lies
in the heart of Delhi's commercial centre
near Connaught place. This is the Jantar
Mantar, one of several astronomical
observatories raised by Maharaja Jai Singh
II of Jaipur. The various abstract structures
within the Jantar Mantar are, in fact,
instruments that were used for keeping
track of celestial bodies. Yet, Jantar Mantar
is not only a timekeeper of celestial bodies,
it also tells a lot about the technological
achievements under the Rajput kings and
their attempt to resolve the mysteries
regarding astronomy. The Jantar Mantar of
Delhi is only one of the five observatories
built by Sawai Jai Singh II, the other four
being located at Jaipur, Varanasi, Ujjain and
Mathura.
All of these were built as far back as AD
1724-1730 during the period generally
known as the dark age of Indian history,
when the last great Mughal emperor
Aurangzeb had died and the Mughal
Empire was rapidly declining.
12. During this period of turmoil, Muhammad Shah ascended the throne of the Mughal
Empire. As many enemies surrounded him, he sought the alliance of the Hindu rulers. Of
these, the most notable was Sawai Jai Singh II of Amber, who came into limelight since
the days of Aurangzeb. When Jai Singh ascended the throne of Amber in 1699, he was
barely eleven, but sharp and shrewd far beyond his years. The then Mughal emperor
Aurangzeb was so impressed with the young ruler that he gave Jai Singh II the title of
'Sawai', meaning one and a quarter of an average man in worth.
As Jai Singh repeatedly proved himself a worthy ally of the Mughals, Muhammad Shah,
who was seeking a dependable ally, zeroed in on Jai Singh and duly raised him to the
rank of governor of Agra and later, of Malwa. Legend Behind Jantar Mantar Jai Singh
was passionate about two things-arts and the sciences, chiefly astronomy. Once, at the
court of Muhammad Shah, he found the Hindu and Muslim astrologers embroiled in a
heated argument over certain planetary positions. It was imperative that the positions be
known accurately to determine an auspicious hour for the emperor to set out on an
expedition. Jai Singh offered to rectify the then available astronomical tables, an offer
that was readily accepted by the Mughal emperor.
The result was an onsite Jantar Mantar in Delhi, an astronomical observatory where the
movements of sun, moon and planets could be observed.
