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The sunken grave enclosure ,
coupled with the overwhelming smell of incense and the bats clicking
away in the crevices of its smoke –darkened walls make the tomb an errie
place.You will find the place teeming with devotees who come faithfully
every Thursday – first praying at a small altar with a faceless rough
hewn image of a Mother Goddess outside the courtyard walls , then making
similar offerings at Nasiruddin’s sunken grave.They come bearing trays
of flowers and tiny tumblers of milk.The sikly sweet smell of crushed
rose petals , the milk spilling over from the grave into small fetid
pools on the rough stone floor and the ceaseless chorus of the bats do
not encourage you to linger inside .Outside, however is another matter.
The handsome colonnades and arches flanking the courtyard on all sides
makes a pretty picture . It is worth a visit for the fact that it is
credited with being one of the finest pieces of architectural
excellence. It has many architectural elements which are taken from
early Hindu temples. The octagonal tomb chamber is on top of a
rubble-built platform and approached from the raised courtyard, the tomb
chamber assumes the character of a crypt. With huge and high walls and
domed bastions on the corners, looks more like a fortress than a tomb
when seen from the outside.
Tomb of Mohammad Shah
A delight of joggers, picnikers and those wishing to romance with their
friends or fiancees, Lodi Gardens is a huge area which has room for all
kinds of people. The gardens are laid out around the enchanting and
extremely beautiful tombs of the Lodi and Sayyaid sultans who ruled
Delhi and the north of India in the 15th and 16th centuries. Where the
gardens are now, there used to be a village which was relocated in 1936.
It was at that time called Lady Willingdon Park and in 1947 it got its
name Lodi Gardens. It underwent further landscaping with the addition of
cemented paths and railings in 1968 under the supervision of J.A. Stein
and Garrett Eckbo. It has five imposing structures, the tomb of Mohammed
Shah (1444), the tomb of Sikander Lodi built in 1517, Athpula, Bara
Gumbad and Masjid built in 1494 and the Sheesh Gumbad. The tomb of
Mohammed Shah is also called Mubarak Khan ka Gumbad.
(Gumbad means an elevated structure from the ground level where the tomb
is constructed). It was an enclosed tomb with an octagonal chamber where
lie the graves of Mohammed Shah and his relatives. It has stone
protrusions along the arches of the
verandhas and sloping buttresses and bouquets along the corners of the
octagonal protrusions. The tomb of Sikander Lodi of the Lodi dynasty has
close resemblance to the tomb of Mohammed Shah, while the Athpula is
said to have been built during the time of the
Mughal emperor, Akbar. The bridge its name from the eight piers that it
boasts of The bara (meaning big) gumb ad and masjid resembles some of
the tombs in the Qutab area of Delhi and the masjid adjoining it has
minarets that can be seen in the imposing Qutb Minar. The arched
entrances have bays with an open court linking the various structures in
the masjid. The sheesh gumbad has well-decorated tiles in two shades of
blue which give it the appearance as if it is glazed.
Lal Gumbad ( Mehrauli )
About a kilometre and a half away from Bijai Mandal in the south Delhi
colony of Malviya Nagar, stands an isolated structure known
as Lal Gumbad (red platform). Though not too much is know about its
past, it is said that it is the burial place of the Sufi saint,
Kabiruddin Auliya, a disciple of Sheikh Roshan Chiragh Dehlvi. It has an
elegant tall portal surmounted by a jaali (mesh) that brings to ones
mind the Alai Darwaza in Qutab Minar. Roshan Chiragh Dehlvi (Lamp of
Delhi), who died in 1356 A.D, wasa disciple of Nizamuddin Auliya, whom
he succeeded as the head of the Chisti sect. The area, today called
Chiragh Delhi, grew around his dargah. But what survives of the dargah
are some chhattris and a beautiful gateway, which are now hardly visble
as a fallout of urbanisation.
Roshanara Tomb
( Within Roshanara Bagh , Sabzi Mandi , New Delhi ) India
Roshanara’s grave show little signs that once she was such a powerful
and influential princess. Her tomb, situated near Sabzi Mandi in North
Delhi is a poorly maintained structure lying in shambles. It is hard to
believe that when Roshanara lived, her palace was in the middle of a
dense forest where now there is roving traffic and congested roads. A
huge garden, surprisingly well-maintained seem to contradict the size
and the condition of the tomb then built in her palace premises. This
garden built by Roshanara in 1640 AD. was named after her. A raised
canal passed through it, lined on both sides by flowering plants. The
garden had a natural spring in it. The princess was so much in love with
it that she wished to be buried in the garden after her death. The
British too liked the garden so much that they built an elite club in
the middle of it which is known as the Roshanara Club. Sometimes, a
music festival is also organized in this garden.
Daughter of the fifth Mogul emperor of India, Shah Jahan and sister of
the greatest king among Moguls, Mohyuddin Muhammad Aurangzeb, Roshanara-Begum
is known to be a shrewd and ruthless princess. Before her birth Shah
Jahan’s glory and wealth was at its height. But tragedy befell the king
when his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal died in childbirth giving birth to
their fourteenth child, Princess Roshanara. Shah Jahan was heart-broken
and forlorn. He fell into grief.Shah Jahan wanted his eldest son Dara
Shikoh to become king after his death. Aurangzeb revolted and demanded
his share of the kingdom. Dara Shikoh and Shah Jahan in order to further
their plans of the kingdom conspired against Aurangzeb to assassinate
him. He was invited to Agra by Shah Jahan for negotiations about the
division of the Mughal Empire. Unaware of the conspiracy Aurangzeb
agreed. Roshanara who was a staunch supporter of Aurangzeb sent a
messenger to Delhi to warm him of the consequence of his visit.
Aurangzeb with his army went to Agra. Shah Jahan and Dara were
imprisoned and later Dara was executed on the insistence of Roshanara.
Her reason behind the murder of Dara was that she had betrayed her
father and her brother in helping Aurangzeb. She feared if at any point
of time Dara gains back power he would certainly get her murdered. It is
because of this constant fear that she used all her power over Aurangzeb
to get Dara killed. Her efforts were successfully seconded by
Kalil-ullah-Khan and Chah-hest-Khan both of them old enemies of Dara.
The reason behind her helping Aurangzeb was neither lust for power or
enmity. But her strong liking for her brother led to the downfall of her
father and her brother. It trapped the princess into the political game
from which she wanted to remain away. After Aurangzeb’s rule was
established, Roshanara still afraid of the implications of her actions
asked Aurangzeb to build a palace for her away from the walled city. She
decided to stay away from politics which was getting dangerous, and was
uncertain. Roshanara chose to spend an esoteric life in her palace in
Delhi, surrounded by a thick forest. She never married and lived in her
palace till the end of her life. Her palace in the middle of the
Roshanara garden is a reminder of the crucial role she act played in the
history of India.
Although her place in the history of India is prominent but her tomb
does not seem to attract many visitors. A notice at the entrance of the
tomb says that it is a site of greatest national importance under the
Act of 1958 (24 of 1958). Some people who come there to take a stroll in
Roshanara garden say that renovation work is being done frequently but
the structure does not seem to support their statement. The sweeper who
is also the caretaker of the tomb says, “ The basic problem in
maintaining the place is that the tomb comes under the archeological
department whereas the garden is maintained by the MCD....Contd.
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