THE VAST PAST OF DELHI (1)
- Nishita Chopra
- Dec 6, 2020
- 7 min read
Delhi has vast influences of architectural history owing to its splendid history of rulers and city divisions. The city is made up of various segments in its architecture and is also known famously because of it. When one thinks of Delhi, an image of various buildings pop into our heads from big wealthy bungalows of Lutyen's Delhi to bazaar type settlements of East Delhi.
Delhi has been many cities; Temple city of the Rajput and Delhi Sultanate, Mughal city from the Mughal dynasty, Colonial City from the British rule, and Post Colonial City after independence.
TOMAR RAJPUT DYNASTY - ARCHITECTURAL IMPACT
The very first recorded architectural history of Delhi starts from the Pandavas Rule. While there is not much architecture from that time found in or around Delhi anymore, the first-ever fort made in Delhi was from the Tomar Rajput Dynasty who followed after Pandavas. Lal Kot, also known as the first Red Fort of Delhi is believed to have been made by King Anangpal of the Tomar dynasty.
Tomar Dynasty was then gifted to the grandson, Chauhan of the Rajput Chauhan Dynasty. While we might not know Delhi then as it is now, there are now very few structures present in Delhi of this rule. Rajput Dynasty is known to have been mostly present in present-day Rajasthan.
CHAUHAN RAJPUT DYNASTY: ARCHITECTURAL IMPACT
Chauhan Dynasty added a longer fort boundary to Lal Kot and it has been since then called Quila Rai Fort. Walls of the fort complex are still scattered around South Delhi, Saket, Mehrauli, Qutub Complex, and some Vasant Kunj areas.
DELHI SULTANATE: ARCHITECTURAL IMPACT
After the Chauhan dynasty, came the Delhi Sultanate. To mark their rule, they began the construction of the Qutub Minar which was completed under the rule of Iltutmish.
Qutub Minar is one of the most famous and first Indo-Muslim structures in the now called Delhi. This structure was built 10,000 years ago with a 72.7m tall minaret. It consists of 379 steps and is made in red sandstone.
The present-day heritage site is also famous for its carved designs and the grand structure apart from being the tallest minaret of that time to mark the expansion of Islam territory in India. It comprises several superposed flanged and cylindrical shafts, separated by balconies supported by Muqarnas corbels (architectural ornamentation reminiscent of stalactites employed in traditional Islamic and Persian architecture). The walls of the minaret are covered with Indian floral motifs and verses from the Quran.
KHILJI DYNASTY: ARCHITECTURAL IMAPCT
Overthrown by the Khilji Dynasty, Khilji wanted to mark Delhi with something he could be remembered by. He built an oval-shaped city right between the existing establishments of Qila Rai Pithora, Killu Ghari, and Indrapatta, each of the earlier rules. To mark his entry he made a water tank called Hauz-i-Alai or Hauz Khas Tank. The tank was originally of about 50 ha (123.6 acres) area with dimensions of 600 m (1,968.5 ft) width and 700 m (2,296.6 ft) length with 4 m (13.1 ft) depth of water.
The second Khilji Sultan, Ala-ud-din Khilji in 1311 AD built the Alai Darwaza, which is the main gateway from the southern side of the Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque. The domed Gateway is made of red sandstone with inlaid white marble decoration. It consists of Inscriptions from the Naskh script with latticed stone screens. This was the first building to employ Islamic architecture principles in India and shows the remarkable craftsmanship of the Turkish artisans.
At the back of the complex, southwest of the mosque there is L-shaped construction, that holds Alauddin Khilji's tomb dating 1316 AD, and an Islamic seminary built by him. This structure is called Ala-Ud-Din's Madrasa.
The central room of the building, which has his tomb, has now lost its dome, though many rooms are intact, and now restored. It was the first example in India, of a tomb standing alongside a madrasa.
TUGHLAQ DYNASTY: ARCHITECTURAL IMPACT
Having been overthrown by the Tughlaqs, a fifth historic city of Delhi was established by the construction of the fort called Tughlaqabad Fort stretching 6.5 km.
The 'Mausoleum of Ghiyath al-Din Tughluq' is connected by a causeway to the southern outpost of the fortification. He was the founder of the Tughluq dynasty.
Feroz Shah Tughlaq, the next Sultan of Delhi, established the fortified city of Ferozabad in 1354, as the new capital of the Delhi Sultanate on the banks of Yamuna river. The buildings inside are too ruined to be identified individually. There was the 'Palace of the Clayey Court', 'The Palace of the Wooden Gallery/Overhang' and the central Quadrangle. The walls of the citadel are 15 meters high and have a slight slope on the outside.
The Mosque at Ferozabad is the only standing remains from the fort now. The doorway was decorated with carved stones and in the middle of the courtyard, there was an octagonal structure which had all the greatest works of the ruler inscribed.
There was a madrasa built in his name which consisted of Firoz Shah's tomb. Entry to the tomb is through a passage in the south leading to the doorway. The passage wall is raised on a plinth which depicts the shape of a fourteen-faced polyhedron built in stones. Three horizontal units laid over eight vertical posts that are chamfered constitute the plinth. Squinches and muqarnas are seen in the solid interior walls of the tomb and these provide the basic support to the octagonal spherical dome of the tomb.
Feroze Shah Tughlaq is also known for replacing the top storey of the Qutub Minar when it was struck by lightning. He made the top two floors with red sandstone and white marble work.
SAYYID DYNASTY: ARCHITECTURAL IMPACT
There is not much architecture remaining from the Sayyid and Lodi dynasty but the ones which remain showcase the historic progress of architecture with time.
One famous building from the Sayyid Dynasty is the Tomb of Mohammad Shah, the third ruler under Sayyid Dynasty.
The tomb is based on a configuration used mostly for royal tombs- an octagonal chamber ringed by an outer arcade, while square tombs were for high-ranking members of society. The width of each of the octagonal faces of the arcade is 32'-9" (10m). Each face is pierced by three arched openings with a running 'chhajja' above. The corner of the octagon is reinforced by a sloping buttress. Hindu influence is reflected in the eight 'chhatris' that ring the dome, each centred and in line with the face of the octagon. The main entrance is through the south, though each side of the chamber has a beam and lintel doorway. There are eight graves inside, the central one is believed to be that of Muhammad Shah.
LODI DYNASTY: ARCHITECTURAL IMPACT
With the entrance of the Lodi Dynasty, Delhi was now called the Lodi's. The architecture of the Lodi Dynasty defined the quality of art and craft and similar Islamic architecture was followed by the Mughals. Even with lesser architectural influence, it was still projected in small tombs and mausoleums.
They had two forms of Tombs.
One in an octagonal form with one storey height and surrounded by arched walkways reserved for the rulers.
The second was a square plan without walkways and had two to three storey height were reserved for the nobles of the court.
The buildings always had a dome with pillars on each side and the height and width of the building always matched with the basements.
Lodi Gardens is a city park situated in New Delhi, India. It contains, Mohammed Shah's Tomb, Tomb of Sikandar Lodi, Shisha Gumbad and Bara Gumbad, architectural works of the 15th century by Lodis - who ruled parts of northern India.
Bara Gumbad: The dome, mosque and Mehman Khana are made of red, grey and black stone including grey quartzite and red sandstone. The interiors are ornamented with painted stucco. The mosque is decorated with foliage, flowers, geometric patterns and inscriptions from Quran. The Bara Gumbad is square type construction which sits on a plinth. The mosque measures 20 metres (66 ft) on each side. At the rear, the corners and sides of the mosque feature tall tapering semi-circular minars. The east, south, and west are decorated and feature ogee arch openings, which are set into rectangular frames. The architecture combines bracket and lintel beams, blending Islamic and Hindu architectures.
Shisha Gumbad: Although the Gumbad has an external semblance of spanning in two floors, the structure is made only on one floor. The western wall of the Gumbad consists of mihrab which also served as a mosque. The main chamber of the monument measures 10 square metres.
The ceiling is decorated with plasterwork that contains Quranic inscriptions and floral designs. The monument was originally decorated with blue enamelled tiles that shined like glass. The Gumbad hence got its name "Shish Gumbad".
Tomb of Sikander Lodi: It is the tomb of the second ruler of the Lodi Dynasty, Sikandar Lodi. It has octagonal design and the architectural style is Indo-Islamic. The tomb is the first garden-tomb in the Indian subcontinent and is India's earliest surviving enclosed garden tomb. The tomb is enclosed within a fortified complex with the main entrance having two umbrella-shaped domes (pavilions) which were designed to preserve the symmetry and relative proportions of the body of the building. Both pavilions on the square platform in the front have remains of blue tiles.
Tomb walls have Mughal architectural designs and many foreign languages have been inscribed on the walls. The tomb is decorated with enamelled tiles of various colours. Inside the complex, the western wall has been built to serve as a wall mosque also since the Quibla is indicated through arches and paved area in the front.
Post the Lodi dynasty gave way to the rule of the Mughals. There is so much architecture that has defined the city of Delhi that even a two-day tour seems less.
Next week we read and study the major architecture and historic pieces left from the Mughal Dynasty and how they have given way and shape to the architecture and planning of Delhi now.
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