Lodi Gardens
| Lodi Gardens | |
|---|---|
  Location within New Delhi | |
| Type | Public park |
| Location | New Delhi, India |
| Area | 90 acres (360,000 m2) |
| Status | Open year round |
Lodi Gardens is a city park situated in New Delhi. Spread over 90 acres (360,000 m2),[1] it contains Muhammad Shah's tomb, the tomb of Sikandar Lodi, the Shisha Gumbad and the Bara Gumbad.[2] These monuments date from the late Delhi Sultanate, during the Sayyid dynasty (r. 1414–1451) and Lodi dynasty (r. 1451–1526). At this time, the Delhi Sultanate's territory included parts of present-day North India and the Pakistani provinces of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
As there is little architecture dating to the Sayyid and the Lodi periods still standing, Lodi Gardens is an important archaeological site, and is protected by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).[1] The gardens are situated between Khan Market and Safdarjung's Tomb on Lodi Road and are a popular spot for morning walks for Delhiites.
Architecture
[edit]In the middle of the gardens is the Bara Gumbad (lit. 'big dome'), consisting of a large rubble-construct dome and is not a tomb[3][better source needed] but was constructed as a gateway to either the attached three domed masjid (mosque) or a large walled enclosure. Both the Bara Gumbad and the mosque were built in 1494 during the reign of Sikander Lodi, there is also a residence surrounding a central courtyard, where the remains of a water tank can be seen. Opposite the Bara Gumbad is the Shish Gumbad (lit. 'glazed dome', for the glazed tiles used in its construction), which contains graves whose occupants are not clearly identifiable – either an unknown family of Sikandar Lodi's court or Bahlul Lodi.[4][5][better source needed]
To the north of the garden are the remains of a stream which may once have run as far as the Yamuna River, and by its side is the tomb of Sikandar Lodi. This structure still has the battlements enclosing it. Visible from Sikander's tomb is the Athpula ('eight-piered') Bridge, one of the few monuments in Delhi that was built during the reign of Mughal emperor Akbar.[6] The bridge contains seven arches, with the central one being the largest.
The tomb of Muhammad Shah, the last of the Sayyid dynasty rulers, is the earliest of the tombs in the garden, having been built in 1444 by Muhammad Shah's successor Ala-ud-din Alam Shah. The tomb is octagonal in shape, and is a good example of the inclusion of features from Hindu architecture into Indo-Islamic buildings. Numerous Hindu-style chhatri surround the central dome, each of them capped by a lotus finial with a decorative band around the base. Sloping buttresses at the corners are each topped with an ornamental guldasta (lit. 'bouquet'), and a chhajja overhangs the numerous arches which open onto a veranda.[7] The main tomb is supported by a 16-sided base. It is of a flattened type and the surrounding chhatris make it appear diminutive compared to its substantially larger base. The later tomb of Sikandar Lodi seems to have been copied from this Sayyid tomb.[8]
Gallery
[edit]-
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Three-domed mosque adjacent to Bara Gumbad -
Eight-piered bridge -
A goose stands beside the lake at Lodi Gardens -
Walled enclosure of Sikander Lodi's tomb -
Shish Gumbad in front and Bara Gumbad with mosque at back -
Tomb of Muhammad Shah, known as Mubarak Khan-Ka-Gumbaz -
Tomb of Sikandar Lodi, built 1494 -
A mosque with the four walls of an enclosed garden behind
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See also
[edit]- The Lodhi
- Sunder Nursery
- List of Monuments of National Importance in Delhi
- Tomb of Bahlul Lodi
- Tomb of Ibrahim Lodi
- Khwaja Khizr Tomb
References
[edit]- ^ a b "ASI have included the remaining unprotected monuments of Lodhi Garden under the Delhi Circle protection umbrella". The Hindu. 16 October 2002. Archived from the original on 2 August 2009. Retrieved 31 December 2008.
- ^ "Heritage walk marks 75th anniversary of Lodi Garden". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 2 April 2013.
- ^ "Lodhi Garden | all the information you need about Lodhi Garden | Area around Lodhi Garden". schoolnearheart.blogspot.com. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
- ^ Simon Digby, The Tomb of Buhlul Lodi, The Bulletin of SOAS, Vol. 38, No. 3, 1975, pp. 550–61.
- ^ "Lodhi Garden in Delhi – Travel Guide". Indi Newz. 27 September 2019. Retrieved 22 October 2019.
- ^ SAIL to make Lodi Garden ‘stainless' The Times of India, Saurabh Sinha, TNN 14 August 2005.
- ^ "Muhammad Shah Sayyid Tomb". competentauthoritydelhi.co.in. Archived from the original on 30 June 2012.
- ^ Bhalla, A.S. Royal Tombs of India: 13th to 18th Century
Further reading
[edit]- Sunday at the Lodi Gardens, by Vinay Dharwadker. Published by Viking, 1994.
- Lalkot to Lodi Gardens: (Delhi of Sultans), by Ranjit Sinha. Published by South Asia Books, 1996. ISBN 81-7167-237-X
External links
[edit]
Media related to Lodi Gardens at Wikimedia Commons
