Delhi Most Iconic

Delhi has a fascinating past as the capital of various dynasties from the 10th century onwards. Every dynasty left its own stamp on the city in the shape of magnificent edifices that would inspire awe for generations to come. Though the region is today a contiguous whole, there are many cities within the city of Delhi, each influenced by a different historical era. Over the centuries, this has resulted in a unique city with an incredible treasure of built heritage constructed by the rulers and the ruled. Of these, I have chosen rare 19th-century photographs from the Sarmaya collection that are iconic and describe the history of the city and its people.

 

Click on the accompanying label to read Rana’s comments

 

About the curator: Rana Safvi is a historian, scholar, translator and author with an abiding passion for all things Delhi. Rana is the author of Where Stones Speak: Historical Trails in Mehrauli, The Forgotten Cities of Delhi, Tales from the Quran and Hadith and Shajahanabad – The Living City of Old Delhi. She has translated Sayyid Ahmad Khan’s Asar-us-Sanadid and Zahir Dehlvi’s Dastan-e-Ghadar and City of my Heart. Listen to Rana’s talk on the forgotten cities of Delhi for Sarmaya Talks

curated by Rana Safvi

‘The Palace Interior of the Dewan-i-Khas, Delhi’, late 1860s, by Samuel Bourne

The Diwan-e-Khas is inside the Red Fort, which was built between 1639 and 1648 CE by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan at his newly minted capital, Shahjahanabad. With its white marble pavilions inlaid with precious gemstones, Diwan-e-Khas was reserved for meetings between the Emperor and courtiers, government officials and foreign dignitaries. The famous Peacock Throne once stood here.

Rana says, “Diwan-e-Khas or ‘the hall of private audience’ was where the emperor saw a few select people. On the arches along the sides of this hall is inscribed the famous verse:
Agar firdaus bar ru-ye zamin ast
Hamin ast-o hamin ast-o hamin ast

If there is heaven on earth
It is this, it is this, it is this!
"Though popularly associated with Kashmir and credited to Hazrat Amir Khusrau, in my book ‘Shahjahanabad: The Living City of Old Delhi’, I trace the origins of this quote and make the case that it was probably written about the Red Fort or for Delhi."

Alai Darwaza, Qutb Complex, late 19th century, by an unidentified photographer

Alai Darwaza is the main entrance (and the only surviving one) to the Quwwat-ul Islam mosque inside the Qutb Minar complex. It was built by the Delhi Sultan Alauddin Khilji in 1311 CE. The Darwaza was constructed using red sandstone and white marble, inlaid with black marble and blueschist—all richly carved in low relief.

Rana says, “Alauddin Khilji had developed an ambitious plan for expanding the Quwwat-ul Islam mosque complex in Mehrauli to meet the needs of the growing congregation in Delhi. The Alai Darwaza was envisaged as one of the four gates to the complex and built in 1310. It was placed in the south while another one was planned for the north and two for the eastern side of the complex. Architecturally the Alai Darwaza is significant for being the first arcuate or true curved dome in India.”

‘Observatory and Battery with Hindoo Rao's House in the Distance, Delhi’, 1858, by Felice Beato

The monument was constructed as a hunting lodge and an observatory by Firuz Shah Tughlaq. The observatory was at the centre of the action during the siege of Delhi, in the Uprising of 1857. It was occupied by the British and used as an outpost. The heavy battery used by the British, was stationed very close to the observatory and the lane behind, gave them easy access to the walled city- it was termed the ‘Valley of Death’.

Rana says, “Firuz Shah made a small hunting lodge on the Ridge, which he named Kushk-e Shikar. It was destroyed during Timur’s attack of Delhi shortly after Firuz Shah’s death. [Surveyor and geographer] Sir George Everest used it as a survey station while making his baseline measurements for the Great Trigonometrical Survey, and it was called an observatory. During the Uprising of 1857, it was in the thick of battle as the British were encamped near it. Today, the entire area has been taken over by the Hindu Rao Hospital which has been built in and around the old Fraser’s kothi, which was later bought by [member of Maratha royalty] Hindu Rao.”

‘Entrance to the large mosque of Jumma Masjid, Delhi’, 1858, by Felice Beato

The Jama Masjid, Delhi was built between 1650 and 1658 by Shah Jahan in Shahjahanabad. The Sanctuary’s main facade consists of five arches on either side of a massive central lawn. It is built in red sandstone with decorations in white and black marble. The minarets have white marble stripes inlaid while the domes feature the black marble stripes. 

Rana says, “Once Emperor Shah Jahan began living in the Qila (Red Fort) and the settlers in Shahjahanabad grew in number, he felt the need for a congregational mosque bigger than the existing ones. In 1650, he gave orders for a new congregational mosque to be built. It took six years to build and was named Masjid-e Jahan-numa, a mosque that commands a view of the world. Though Taj-ul Masajid of Bhopal is the largest Indian mosque, Delhi’s Jama Masjid is special for being the heart of Shahjahanabad. Today the area around it has changed considerably from what’s seen in the photograph.”

Clock Tower (Ghanta Ghar) and Town Hall, Chandni Chowk, Delhi, 1910-1920, by an unidentified photographer 

The Town Hall building was built around 1863 and, until the end of the British Raj, it also served as museum, durbar room and library for the European residents. This classic Edwardian structure continued to serve as the seat of Delhi's Municipal Corporation until 2009, after which it was relocated to a new civic centre. The clock tower seen here was originally named after the Viceroy of India, Thomas Northbrook. Although the 130-foot tower collapsed sometime in the 1950s, the area around it is still called Ghanta Ghar. This photograph is a part of a series that documented the Imperial Durbar of 1911.

Rana says, “This is an iconic photograph of the Clock Tower built in the 1870s. It stood in the middle of the Chandni Chowk street near the Town Hall. The Indian Tricolour was hoisted on the Clock Tower on 15 August 1947, replacing the Union Jack that used to fly there.”

‘The North Gate—Old, Delhi’, 1836, drawn by William Daniell and engraved by T Higham

Thomas and William Daniell were a British artistic duo of uncle and nephew who visited India in 1786 and made some iconic watercolour paintings and aquatint engravings of the monuments and landscapes here. To many Britons of the Victorian era, the Daniells’ picturesque art of the Subcontinent were the defining views of the ‘exotic East’—which is to say, these engravings were more art than any serious attempt at documentation.

Rana says, “This is a view of the gate of Purana Qila drawn from inside, showing the back of the Qila-e Kuhna Masjid (or Old Fort Mosque). The painting is stylised and neither the distance nor the sloping walls of the mosque is accurate.”

‘Baoli and remains of Jehangir's palace, Delhi’, 1839, drawn by TC Dibdin from a sketch by Thomas Bacon and engraved by Capone

Following in the footsteps of the Daniells was Thomas Bacon, who painted romantic scenes from ‘Hindostan’ for the paying public back home in Victorian England. It was not uncommon for artists to have help from army officers in recreating landscapes they had never visited—perhaps this artwork too was the result of such a collaboration because it bears little resemblance to the actual landmarks referenced.

Rana says, “This painting has often perplexed people since Jahangir did not build any palace in Delhi. He ruled from his capital Agra, though he did visit Delhi. On those visits, he went to pay his respects at the shrine of the Chishti saint, Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya. This seems a stylised version of the baoli attached to the dargah, with the domed pavilions and the steps.”

Sunehri Masjid, Delhi, 1910-1920, by an unidentified photographer 

The Sunheri Masjid in Chandni Chowk was built in 1721 by Mughal nobleman Roshan-ud-Daula Zafar Khan. In 1739, Persian king Nader Shah invaded Delhi leaving the city in ruins. It is said that he arrived at Sunheri Masjid on the morning of 22 March 1739, stood on its roof, drew his sword and holding it high ordered his troops to begin the massacre of the people of Delhi.


Rana says, “This mosque was built by Roshan-ud Daula in 1721-22 during the reign of Emperor Muhammad Shah. The dome and finials are gilded, which is why it is known as the Sunehri Masjid. The dome was damaged and replaced by one from Roshan-ud-Daulah’s other mosque in Daryaganj, which is now dome-less. The area around the Sunehri Masjid has changed considerably since this photograph was taken.”

Nizamuddin Dargah, Delhi, late 19th-early 20th century, by an unidentified photographer

This is the image of a shrine built over the tomb of revered Sufi saint, Nizamuddin Auliya, who died in 1325. The tomb, which remains an important destination for pilgrims to this day, has undergone restoration several times. The current structure is based on the building that was built during Akbar's reign in 1562 but has been periodically renovated and embellished. Nizamuddin Auliya constructed a mosque and a baoli or step-well here in the early 1300s.

Rana says, “This photograph of the shrine of Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya gives a beautiful overview. We can see the dome of Shamsuddin Atgha’s mausoleum, which is impossible today because of the buildings. The tomb of Jahanara Begum, daughter of Emperor Shah Jahan, can be seen on the right. In his book ‘Asar-us-Sanadid’, which was translated by me, Sir Saiyyid Ahmad Khan writes that Jahanara Begum “had great faith in the Chishti order. It is said that she gave her entire property – valued at three crore rupees – to the dargah’s hereditary caretakers [khadims] and bought this land for her grave.” It is a simple grave and the tombstone that can be seen has a verse written by her inscribed on it.”