Latest news with #Lodhi-era
Hindustan Times
22-05-2025
- Hindustan Times
Delhiwale: Lodhi Garden's summer resorts
Such an unbearably hot summer noon. Lodhi Garden is understandably deserted, except for a few romantic couples (of course!). Plus, a young man in shorts, strolling leisurely. And two friends sitting on the grass—Vaishnavi is singing a song, Shristi is her solo audience—see photo. Then, there are the uniformed guards on duty. In summer days, the lawns of Lodhi Garden continue to be picturesque, but not hospitable. The burning air might as well boil a pot of moong dal. This, naturally, becomes an opportunity to skip the lovely outdoors and re-examine the interiors of the sprawling park—that is, the stone monuments dispersed across the garden. These ruins, anyway, came up first, the landscaped garden around them arrived much later. Start with Emperor Muhammad Shah Sayyid's tomb, visible in the photo. The octagonal makbara has a circular corridor running around it, in which lamplights form intersecting shadows post-sunset. During the day, the air in the corridor feels surprisingly fresh and only a little warm, maybe because the thick stones keep out the worst of heat, while the creative architecture maintains the air in a frenzied circulation. The other significant oasis of shade and stone in the park are the twin monuments of Bara Gumbad and Sheesh Gumbad. Bara Gumbad is bundled into three edifices. Two of these offer substantial relief from summertime heat. The domed centrepiece is referred to as a tomb, but it doesn't have a grave. During sweltering afternoons, the spacious interiors lie immersed in a comforting, sleep-inducing darkness, in sharp contrast to the blinding light outside. As the afternoon ends, the cloistered space fills up with the softer light of the approaching evening. The adjoining mosque has its inner walls sculpted into floral motifs, calligraphies and niches. You can spend long hours studying these walls. Since the monument is partly open, it is possible to stand in shade and yet, enjoy an uninterrupted view of the white-hot exteriors. Directly opposite the Bara Gumbad stands the Sheesh Gumbad. Scores of graves litter its darkened interiors. The occasional bats make the place spooky. The park's most enigmatic ruin is a small, little-known structure tucked within a bamboo grove. Its stone walls perennially emit a shade of rusty red. A display board identifies it as the remains of a Lodhi-era mosque—'most portions of which have now disappeared.' Inside, it is always dark and musty—freezing cold in winter, but nicely tolerable in summer. Lastly, a tiny unused mosque stands close to the park's stone bridge. This hot sunny afternoon, the empty three-bayed chamber is soothingly cool.
India Gazette
16-05-2025
- General
- India Gazette
Archaeological Survey of India restores Rajon ki Baoli in Delhi's Mehrauli; monument now open for public
New Delhi [India], May 16 (ANI): In a significant step toward protecting India's cultural and environmental heritage, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), in collaboration with the World Monuments Fund India (WMFI) and the TCS Foundation, has successfully completed the conservation work of Rajon ki Baoli, a 16th- century stepwell, located in Mehrauli Archaeological Park, New Delhi. According to an official release from the Ministry of Culture, this project was a part of WMFI's Historic Water Systems of India initiative, funded by the TCS Foundation, aligning with the World Monuments Fund's Climate Heritage Initiative. It highlights the importance of restoring traditional water systems as sustainable solutions for water management in the face of climate change. Under ASI's supervision, the restoration work included cleaning, desilting, structural repair, and water quality improvements, using traditional materials and techniques. The baoli was cleaned, desilted, and connected to proper drainage systems. Fish were introduced to help maintain water quality. Traditional materials like lime plaster and mortar were used to preserve the original character of the structure. The restoration was guided by historical records to retain the site's Lodi-era authenticity. In addition to the restoration, the ASI and its partners engaged local communities to promote awareness of the Baoli's cultural and ecological value. Educational programs and participatory conservation activities were designed to ensure the site's long-term care. Built around 1506 during the Lodi dynasty, Rajon ki Baoli stands as a testament to Lodhi-era architecture and traditional water engineering. This four-tiered stepwell was thoughtfully designed not only to store water but also to offer shade and rest to travellers. Its elegant arched colonnades, ornate stucco medallions with floral and geometric patterns, and finely carved stone elements reflect the artistic sophistication of the time. Spanning across the area of 1,610 square meters, this Baoli descends to a depth of 13.4 meters, with the main tank measuring 23 by 10 meters at its base. Rajon ki Baoli is now open to the public. (ANI)
The Hindu
16-05-2025
- General
- The Hindu
ASI completes conservation work in Lodhi-era stepwell
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), in collaboration with the World Monuments Fund India (WMFI) and the TCS Foundation, has successfully completed the conservation work of 'Rajon ki Baoli', a 16th-century stepwell, located in Mehrauli Archaeological Park in New Delhi. Under ASI's supervision, the restoration work included cleaning, de-silting, structural repair, and water quality improvements, using traditional materials and techniques. Also Read | Battle of ideas over Delhi's ruins 'The 'baoli' (reservoir) was cleaned, de-silted, and connected to proper drainage systems. Fish were introduced to help maintain water quality. Traditional materials like lime plaster and mortar were used to preserve the original character of the structure. The restoration was guided by historical records to retain the site's Lodi-era authenticity', a senior ASI official said. In addition to the restoration, the ASI and its partners engaged local communities to promote awareness of the Baoli's cultural and ecological value. Educational programs and participatory conservation activities were designed to ensure the site's long-term care. Built around 1506 during the Lodi dynasty, Rajon ki Baoli stands as a testament to Lodhi-era architecture and traditional water engineering. This four-tiered stepwell was thoughtfully designed not only to store water but also to offer shade and rest to travellers. Its elegant arched colonnades, ornate stucco medallions with floral and geometric patterns, and finely carved stone elements reflect the artistic sophistication of the time. Spanning an area of 1,610 square meters, this Baoli descends to a depth of 13.4 meters, with the main tank measuring 23 by 10 meters at its base. This project was a part of WMFI's Historic Water Systems of India initiative, funded by the TCS Foundation, aligning with the World Monuments Fund's Climate Heritage Initiative. It highlights the importance of restoring traditional water systems as sustainable solutions for water management in the face of climate change, an official statement by the Union Ministry of Culture said.
Hindustan Times
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
SC slams MCD over office near 700-yr-old structure, orders to vacate in 48 hours
The Supreme Court on Wednesday reprimanded the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) for continuing to operate an office near a 700-year-old Lodhi-era monument in Defence Colony, despite earlier directions to vacate the area. The court granted the civic body 48 hours to clear the site 'lock, stock, and barrel'. The monument in question—Gumti of Shaikh Ali—sits at the centre of a roundabout near the Defence Colony market. Earlier this year, the apex court had come down heavily on the Defence Colony Resident Welfare Association (RWA), ordering it to vacate the structure after decades of illegal occupation, and directed its restoration. On Wednesday, the bench led by Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia expressed strong disapproval of MCD's claim that its office, located 'adjacent' to the monument, was 'strategically situated' to carry out emergency operations in South Delhi. 'What kind of MCD are you?' the bench asked. 'Do you not know that no construction is allowed within 200 metres of a heritage monument? If you continue in this place, we will haul your commissioner for contempt.' Senior advocate Garima Parshad, representing MCD, argued that the restriction only applied to new constructions and not existing ones. Her argument was backed by the Delhi government's Land and Development Office (L&DO), which maintained the structure was 'safe' after the RWA's removal. The court, however, was unconvinced and ordered MCD to vacate the area entirely and hand over any keys to L&DO. The matter will be heard again on Friday to ensure compliance. The dispute over the monument began in January when the court directed the Defence Colony RWA to vacate the structure and pay ₹40 lakh to the Delhi government's archaeology department as compensation for occupying it since the 1960s. The department was tasked with restoring the structure. On Wednesday, the RWA informed the court that the compensation amount had been deposited. The archaeology department confirmed the same and told the court that the process to declare the monument as a protected site was underway. Senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, appointed by the court to oversee compliance, informed the bench that MCD was not only operating an office near the monument but also using the surrounding area to dump construction debris. Trucks operated by the civic agency frequently used the space, he said. He also noted that a well-maintained park nearby remained locked and inaccessible to residents. Refuting MCD's justification that it needed the space for emergency services, Sankaranarayanan said the civic body had other offices in close proximity. 'Can this building function as an office? Can you not identify any other place?' the court asked after examining photographs of the site. The proceedings originated from a petition filed by Defence Colony resident Rajeev Suri, who sought to have the Gumti declared a protected monument under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958 (AMASR Act). Suri approached the Supreme Court after the Delhi High Court dismissed his plea in February 2019. The court had earlier involved the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to look into how the RWA came to occupy the structure in the 1960s. The CBI found no legal basis for the occupation. According to its report, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) had issued a notification in 2004 to declare the structure protected, but dropped the plan after objections from the RWA. CBI cited ASI records in which a superintending archaeologist had written to the director general, noting that the monument had undergone several alterations under the RWA's occupation, making it difficult to restore. In 2008, the central government officially abandoned the proposal to protect the structure. Historical records back the monument's significance. The Gumti is mentioned in the Survey of Monuments of Delhi, conducted in the 1920s by Maulvi Zafar Hasan and published by ASI in 1926. It also features in a 1999 publication by the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), which describes it as an octagonal tomb with pointed arches, a domed superstructure, and an inverted lotus atop the dome. Only one of the arches remains open, while the rest have been bricked up.
