Download - Delhi Heritage City

Nomination to UNESCO’s List of 

World Heritage Cities 

DELHI: A Heritage City 

Submission for Tentative Listing 

January 2012 

Logo created from IGNCA and INTACH, Delhi Chapter for the exhibition, “Delhi: A Living Heritage.”

Contents 

Tentative List Submission 

Name of the Property 5 

Description of the Nominated Area 

- Mehrauli 12 

- Nizamuddin 18 

- Shahjahanabad 26 

- New Delhi 32 

Justification of Outstanding Universal Value 

Criteria met 

- (ii) 38 

- (v) 39 

- (vi) 40 

Statements of authenticity and integrity 42 

Comparison with other similar properties 45 

- Historic Centre of Rome, the Properties 

of the Holy See in that City Enjoying 

Extraterritorial Rights and San Paolo Fuori 

le Mura 

- Historic Cairo 

- Samarkand: Crossroads of Cultures 

- Lahore 

- Agra 

- Lucknow 

Map of Nominated Area 

Delhi’s historic eight capital cities 

INTACH- Delhi Chapter 3

Name of the 

Property 

Delhi: A Heritage City 

State, Province or Region: 

Latitude and Longitude: 

New Delhi 

Latitude:28°40’ N, Longitude:77°12’E 

State Party 

INDIA 

Nomination 

Submitted by 

Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation 

Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi 

Submission 

prepared by 

Name: 

E-mail: 

INTACH, Delhi Chapter 

delhiheritagecity@gmail.com 

Address: 71, Lodhi Estate, New Delhi, 110003 

Institution: 

Indian National Trust for Art and 

Cultural Heritage 

Fax: + 91 11 2461 1290 

Telephone: + 91 11 2469 2774 

Date of Submission: January, 2012 

Authorised Signatory 

MD, DTTDC 

INTACH- Delhi Chapter 5

DELHI: A HERITAGE CITY Nomination to UNESCO’s List of World Heritage Cities Description of the Nominated Area 

Description 

Delhi known as Kalkaji. Nearby is the 

Kalkaji temple, the site of a temple to 

the goddess Kalka Devi and probably 

even in Ashoka’s time a temple stood 

here. 

a 

‘Delhi’, being nominated for listing with 

UNESCO as a World Heritage City is 

best described as a living city, in which 

the historical past and contemporary 

life coexist harmoniously . 

EVOLUTION OF DELHI – A 

Historical Reference 

The historic settlement that we know 

today as Delhi, took shape in a roughly 

triangular patch of land. One side of 

the triangle is made up by the Yamuna 

river, and the other two consist of hilly 

spurs at the northern extreme of the 

Aravalli range of mountains. At a local 

level these two natural features have 

provided a varied landscape – hills 

well covered with vegetation, as well 

as a fertile alluvial plain. The wider 

regional importance of Delhi has 

historically stemmed from its crucial 

geographical location within the 

Indian subcontinent. It is located at 

the northern end of the Gangetic plain; 

at a point where the plain narrows 

to a neck of land between the great 

rivers and Himalayas to the north, 

and the Aravallis and the Thar Desert 

to the south. It is therefore a gateway 

to the fertile Gangetic plain, which 

empire-builders from early times have 

sought to control, and to the Southern 

peninsula beyond. 

The Delhi region was inhabited by tool 

making hominids, followed by human 

beings, probably as far back as 100,000 

years ago. In this pre-historic period 

it was mainly the hilly regions to the 

south of Delhi that were occupied. 

The area was almost certainly covered 

with rich vegetation and ample wildlife 

– ideal for the hunting-gathering 

lifestyle of the Stone Age people. It 

is also clear that the River Yamuna at 

that time flowed through these hills. 

The river in fact has changed course 

several times and at least six old beds 

have been identified. Interestingly, the 

location of Stone Age sites and their 

sequence suggests that pre-historic 

people moved with the river. 

When agriculture became the primary 

source of food for ancient populations 

there was a shift in settlements – 

away from the ridge and towards the 

plains and more particularly along the 

Yamuna. There is evidence that Delhi 

was settled during the Late Harappan 

period. This was a phase, sometime 

between 2000-1000 B.C., when 

the sophisticated urban Harappan 

civilization was past its heyday, and its 

cities had been replaced by scattered 

rural settlements. 

Delhi, as we know 

it today is an 

amalgamation of many 

cities, built at different 

times in its thousandyear 

history. 

a. The city of Delhi before the 

siege, from the Illustrated 

London News, Jan[1].16, 1858, 

British Library 

a 

b 

a. Archaeological findings at 

the Purana Qila site 

b. Ashokan Rock Edict 

c. Late Harappan Period 

Pottery 

c 

The Late Harappan phase was 

followed by the Vedic Age, when the 

ancient scriptures or the Vedas were 

first composed. In the early part of the 

first millennium B.C. certain events 

were taking place that are believed to 

have formed the basis of one of the 

great epics of India – the Mahabharata. 

This is the tale of a rivalry and great 

war between two sets of cousins – 

the Kauravas and the Pandavas. The 

capital city established by the latter, 

known as Indraprastha, has in the local 

tradition been identified with the site 

of the Purana Qila, beside the Yamuna 

in Delhi. Archaeological evidence from 

the site has been unable to point to 

anything definite. 

Around the 6th century B.C. an active 

phase of state formation began in 

North India, with the rise of several 

territorial states or Mahajanpadas. 

At this time Delhi, though not one of 

the major political centres, was an 

important point on the great north 

Indian trade route, known as the 

Uttarapatha. It was thus an ideal place 

for the emperor Ashoka, who ruled 

over the a large territory in the third 

century B.C., to put up an inscription 

containing what is known to us as his 

rock edict. The edict was inscribed 

on a large boulder on a hilly piece of 

ground, in an area in modern south 

In the subsequent centuries too, Delhi 

probably formed a part of states 

which had their centres of power 

elsewhere, such as the Sungas, Shakas 

and Kushanas. During the Gupta 

period, sometime in the fourth century 

A.D. a remarkable commemorative 

pillar made out of a very high quality 

iron was set up, maybe somewhere 

in the neighbourhood of Delhi. The 

inscriptional evidence is not entirely 

clear but it is believed that this pillar 

was moved at least once during its 

history. Today it is located in the middle 

of the oldest mosque in the city, in the 

Qutb Minar complex. 

By the eight century Delhi had come 

under the sway of the Tomars, one of 

the several Rajput dynasties that had 

their origins in Rajasthan. The Tomars 

first established fortifications in the 

village of Anangpur, and around the 

large reservoir known as Surajkund, 

just south of Delhi. In the mid-eleventh 

century, Anangpal II of this dynasty 

built the fortified city of Lal Kot, located 

in present day Mehrauli. 

The Chauhans, headquartered in Ajmer, 

wrested control of Delhi from the 

Tomars in the twelfth century. Under 

Prithviraj Chauhan the fortifications 

of Lal Kot were extended to enclose a 

larger space, forming the fort known as 

Qila Rai Pithora. A rich material culture, 

including more than a score beautifully 

carved stone temples formed a part of 

this city. The temple pillars can still be 

seen on the site as they were re-used in 

the construction of the Quwwat ul Islam 

mosque – next to the Qutb Minar. 

6 

State Party - INDIA INTACH- Delhi Chapter 7


a b c 

a 

b 

Then towards the end of the twelfth 

century, the Chauhans were overthrown 

by a new entrant on the scene. The 

forces of Mohammad Ghori, a Central 

Asian Turk with a base in Ghazni, 

defeated the armies of Prithviraj 

Chauhan at the battle of Tarain in 1192. 

In early 1193, his general Qutbuddin 

Aibak captured Delhi and established 

the capital of Ghori’s Indian territories 

in the fort of Qila Rai Pithora. The Turk 

conquest laid the groundwork for the 

establishment of the Delhi Sultanate, 

which was to last in some form or the 

other until the arrival of the Mughals in 

the sixteenth century. Under the Turks, 

from the early thirteenth century Delhi 

acquired a new importance as the 

capital of a dynamic and expanding 

empire. 

The Turk conquerors were Muslims, 

and avowedly committed to the setting 

up of an Islamic state, with the name of 

the Caliph being included in the Friday 

sermon and on coinage. One of the 

early Sultans, Iltutmish (1211-36) even 

sought to give his position legitimacy in 

the eyes of the orthodox by obtaining 

a letter of investiture from the Caliph 

at Baghdad, confirming Iltutmish’s 

title as sultan of India. Simultaneously 

however great changes were occurring 

in the Islamic world. The Mongols 

under Chengiz Khan were wreaking 

havoc over Central and West Asia, 

and important centres of Islam like 

Bukhara and Baghdad were destroyed. 

Thus Delhi was looked upon as a last 

refuge for Islam in the East, and poets, 

scholars and men of letters fleeing 

the destruction of their homes found 

shelter in India, and particularly in 

Delhi. 

In its everyday practice however, 

the polity of the Delhi Sultanate was 

not based on orthodox Islam, which 

would have advocated a harsh line 

with non-believers. And here, the 

role and influence of the Sufis was 

probably a factor. The Sufi saints were 

among those who came to Delhi in 

the wake of the Turkish conquerors. 

Qutbuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki, the Chishti 

Sufi, was one of the several who made 

Delhi their base, and contributed to 

Delhi’s acquiring a leading position 

in the sacred geography of Islam in 

the Indian sub-continent. The city in 

fact came to be called Hazrat-e-Dehli, 

or ‘the venerable Delhi’. The saints, 

with their liberal religious practice 

attracted not only converts and 

devotees in large numbers, they also 

provided the political power with a 

model of governance that was based on 

a tolerance of non-Muslim populations. 

Delhi, even as it was the capital of an 

empire that purportedly derived its 

legitimacy from Islam, continued to 

have a large Hindu population. 

The saints’ hospices and shrines and 

their spheres of influence, were also the 

setting for a cultural interaction that 

In Alai Darwaza. the 

use of red sandstone 

and marble in 

combination, the 

hemispherical dome 

and its horseshoe 

arch mark a high 

point in Sultanate 

architecture. 

a. Surajkund: A reservoir in the 

village of Anangpur, south of 

Delhi © ASI. 

b. Built in the middle of the 

eleventh century by the Tomar 

ruler Anangpal II, the fort of Lal 

Kot (‘Red Fort’) © ASI. 

c. Sculptures in Mehrauli 

© ASI 

a. Fort Walls and bastion of 

Siri, the second city of Delhi. 

b.a. The massive bastions of 

Tughlaqabad tower over the 

rocky ground. 

was reflected in syncreticism outside 

the religious sphere. This included 

developments in architecture, music, 

literature and language, which brought 

together diverse traditions to create 

a composite style that soon gained 

influence in the entire sub-continent. 

In the first century of the Delhi 

Sultanate, though the concentration 

of population continued to be highest 

in Mehrauli, in and around Qila Rai 

Pithora, some settlements were coming 

up closer to the river. One important 

reason for this was the need to provide 

access to a reliable source of water. In 

the mid-thirteenth century the Sufi 

saint Nizamuddin Auliya established 

his seat or khanqah at the suburb of 

Ghiaspur, today known as Nizamuddin. 

Around 1288 Sultan Kaiqubad built 

a walled palace at Kilokhari, about a 

kilometer from Ghiaspur. Kaiqubad’s 

successor Jalaluddin, who founded 

the Khilji Dynasty in 1290, was unsure 

of the loyalty of the people of the old 

city at Mehrauli, and therefore made 

Kilokhari his headquarters. Soon the 

wealthy and powerful nobles and 

merchants of Delhi built houses in 

Kilokhari, markets were established 

and it came to be known as the shahare-nau, 

or ‘new city’. 

The old town at Mehrauli continued 

to be important and was again the 

capital under Jalaluddin’s successor 

Alauddin. One factor that checked the 

move towards the river was strategic 

necessity, and the fortifications of 

Qila Rai Pithora on the ridge were 

important for defense, particularly 

when the Mongols threatened Delhi in 

the late thirteenth and early fourteenth 

centuries. The emperor Alauddin Khilji 

found himself repeatedly engaging 

them in battle on the plain of Siri, 

located north of Mehrauli. Alauddin 

decided to build a fortification, and this 

led to the founding of the new capital of 

Siri in the early fourteenth century. 

The founder of the Tughlaq dynasty, 

Ghiasuddin Tughlaq, was also very 

conscious of the threat of the Mongols. 

His fortified capital of Tughlaqabad 

was built around 1321-25, on the rocky 

scarps of the ridge in the south-eastern 

corner of the Delhi triangle. The rocks 

on the site provided ample building 

material, the heights reinforced the 

defenses of the fort, and the natural 

drainage line of the ridge could be 

dammed to provide a source of water. 

Ghiasuddin’s successor Mohammad 

Tughlaq moved back towards the old 

city at Mehrauli, but in the meantime 

the population of the city had been 

growing and spilling outside the walls. 

Conscious of the need for security, 

Mohammad Tughlaq decided to build a 

line of fortifications linking the forts of 

the Qila Rai Pithora and Siri. The space 

thus enclosed was named Jahanpanah, 

and Mohammad built an impressive 

8 



a 

b 

c 

a 

b 

c 

palace complex (Bijai Mandal) and 

congregational mosque (Begampur 

Masjid) in it. 

By the mid-fourteenth century the 

Mongol threat had receded and from 

this point onwards there was a decided 

move closer to the river. Firoz Shah 

Tughlaq’s city of Firozabad, built in 

the 1350s, was towards the north, 

on the river. The end of the Tughlaq 

dynasty saw a sharp decline in the 

power and territories of the Delhi 

Sultante, underlined by the invasion of 

the Timur (also known as Tamerlane) 

in 1398. The succeeding dynasties 

of the Syeds and the Lodis ruled over 

considerably shrunken territories and 

have not left behind any discernable 

cities. Mubarak Shah of the short-lived 

Syed dynasty is said to have established 

a city called Mubarakabad near the 

Yamuna, but no trace of it remains. 

The Delhi Sultanate came to an end 

in 1526, when Babur, a descendant of 

Timur, defeated the forces of the last 

Lodi Sultan, Ibrahim, and established 

the Mughal dynasty. His successor 

Humayun built the city of Dinpanah in 

the 1530s, just north of the shrine of 

Nizamuddin. Coincidentally the citadel 

was placed on the site of the village 

of Indarpat, popularly identified 

with the ancient city of Indraprastha. 

Humayun’s reign was interrupted 

by that of the Suri dynasty, and Sher 

Shah Suri made his own additions to 

Dinpanah, and established the city of 

Shergarh around it. 

Humayun’s successor Akbar moved the 

capital of the Mughal empire to Agra, 

but Delhi did not lose its importance 

as an important centre of trade and 

culture. In particular the Sufi shrines 

of the city gave it a premier position in 

the sacred geography of Islam in India. 

The choice of Delhi for the mausoleum 

of Humayun, located in the vicinity of 

Nizamuddin’s shrine, underlined this 

importance. 

In 1639, Akbar’s grandson Shahjahan 

decided to shift the capital out of Agra, 

and Delhi was chosen as the site for 

his grand imperial city. The new city, 

called Shahjahanabad, was by the 

river, north of all of Delhi’s previous 

cities. This continued to be the seat 

of the Mughal emperor even as the 

empire declined in the eighteenth 

century, and the British East India 

Company came to control most of its 

erstwhile territories. Shahjahanabad, 

as the seat of the Mughal court saw a 

flowering of architecture, crafts, visual 

and performing arts, language and 

literature, that persisted well beyond 

the heyday of the Mughal empire. 

Through the nineteenth century the 

British ruled their Indian territories 

from their capital at Calcutta. Delhi 

saw the upheaval of the Revolt of 1857 

and was for a while relegated to an 

administrative backwater. But the aura 

a. Pyramid of cells with the 

Ashokan pillar, Firoz Shah Kotla. 

© British Library 

b. Dinpanah, the city built by 

Humanyun in 1530’s 

c. In building architecture, 

new plans and shapes became 

popular. Monumental structures 

were built like the octagonal 

tomb of Muhammad Shah 

Sayyid and the Bada Gumbad. 

© ASI 

a. Shahjahanabad, The walled 

city of the Mughals 

b. The Coronation Darbar 

of 1911, where Delhi was 

proposed as the new capital 

city. 

c. Rashtrapati Bhawan, 

designed as Viceroy House for 

the British Imperial capital 

city. 

of the city survived. Its long history as 

the capital of powerful kingdoms and 

empires had invested it with a mystique 

and prestige that not even the British 

could ignore. Delhi had long been 

associated with sovereignty over India, 

and the British government tapped 

into this legacy by holding imperial 

Durbars assemblages in Delhi - in 1877 

to proclaim Victoria Empress of India, 

in 1903 to celebrate the coronation 

of Edward VII as Emperor of India, 

and in 1911 to similarly proclaim the 

coronation of George V. 

It was during the last Durbar of 

1911 that the decision to shift the 

British Indian capital to Delhi was 

announced, and a year later Delhi 

became the capital. Simultaneously 

work began on the construction of a 

new imperial capital city, which was 

finally inaugurated in 1931 as New 

Delhi. New Delhi was planned and 

built as a garden city laid out around a 

grand ceremonial vista. While it owed 

inspiration to Baron Haussmann’s 

Paris and L’Enfant’s Washington D.C., it 

drew on Indian traditions with respect 

to design elements, decorative details, 

materials, and colonial forms such 

as the bungalow. Above all it carried 

forward the aura of Delhi and the city’s 

tradition of learning from and adopting 

a wide range of cultural influences. 

AREA PROPOSED FOR 

NOMINATION 

Delhi has accommodated the various 

cities built at different times in its long 

history. The physical limits of present 

day Delhi have expanded to engulf all 

these historic areas and the legacy of 

many dynasties that ruled over Delhi, 

lives on in these historic precincts. 

Of the eight historic ‘capital cities’, 

some like Ferozabad and Dinpanah 

have disappeared completely 

leaving just a few monumental 

structures but no trace of either the 

urban morphology or character of 

the city; others like Tughlaqabad 

have been encroached upon but 

their urban characteristics are still 

identifiable; while the later cities like 

Shahjahanabad, have their urban form 

and streetscape almost intact with only 

the buildings having been replaced 

with newer constructions over the 

last few decades. And there are some 

precincts that are an intricate tapestry, 

with over a thousand years of culture 

woven into the living traditional 

settlements. 

It is Delhi’s surviving historic 

urbanscape of outstanding universal 

significance, comprising of four 

precincts of Mehrauli, Nizamuddin, 

Shahjahanabad and New Delhi, that 

is being proposed for nomination as 

Delhi, a Heritage City. 

10 


DELHI: A HERITAGE CITY 

Nomination to UNESCO’s List of World Heritage Cities 

1 

Mehrauli 

The heritage precinct of Mehrauli 

is the site of the first capital city 

of Delhi and has seen 900 years of 

continuous habitation, leading to a 

layering of history which has resulted 

in a complex socio cultural mosaic. 

Continuous habitation in Mehrauli can 

be attributed to its strategic location 

on a ridge, providing much needed 

security, efficient water supply and good 

drainage due to the sloping landform, 

which meant liberation from diseases 

like malaria etc. 

The arrival of several Sufi saints in the 

early thirteenth century, in particular, 

Qutbuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki, has had a 

long-lasting impact on Mehrauli. During 

his lifetime the saint attracted followers 

to his khanqah or hospice, and after his 

death, his shrine continued to attract 

devotees. The site is also associated with 

the tradition of the Phoolwalon ki sair, 

that symbolizes secular harmony. 

The area being nominated as part of the 

World Heritage City of Delhi comprises 

of the original walled cities of Lal Kot 

and Qila Rai Pithora, extending south 

to include the traditional settlement 

of Mehrauli Village and the area 

presently identified as the Mehrauli 

Archaeological Park. 

Evolution of the historic precinct of 

Mehrauli 

Located on the spur of the Aravallis, 

Mehrauli has undulating landform 

with seasonal ponds visible in the 

various depressions. The unusual 

development of the site and its 

continuous habitation over an almost 

thousand year period can be attributed 

to its unique geographic location and 

landform. 

a 

Hindu and Muslim capitals of 

Mehrauli 

The oldest surviving traces of an 

urban settlement in Mehrauli, belongs 

to a small fort known as Lal Kot on 

the rocky ground of the ridge, built 

during the reign of the Tomar ruler 

Anangpal II, in the mid-eleventh 

century. Excavations suggest that 

there was already a settlement at 

this location, and there are literary 

references to an older name for the city 

– Yoginipur. Yet the bulk of the wealth 

of antiquities unearthed date from the 

Tomar period and after. The Jogmaya 

temple that stands there today consists 

of relatively new buildings but is also 

believed to be ancient. Surviving 

Tomar-era constructions include part 

of the fortification wall and a large 

tank, Anangtal, paved with dressed 

stone. 

b 

a. Map showing the early 

development of the Hindu and 

Muslims dynasties in Mehrauli. 

b. Within the fortified city of Lal 

Kot/ Rai Pithora were a large 

number of Hindu, Buddhist and 

Jain temples. Their pillars were 

later reused in the building of 

the Quwwat-ul Islam mosque. 

© ASI 

12 

State Party - INDIA


a 

b 

c 

a 

The Chauhans who wrested power 

from the Tomars in the mid-twelfth 

century raised a defensive wall around 

the city, which had expanded beyond 

the walls of the citadel of Lal Kot and 

the newly fortified area was known as 

Qila Rai Pithora. 

In 1193, the Turks under Qutbuddin 

Aibak occupied Delhi, and the few 

decades there after saw a flurry of 

building activity within the fort. 

The congregational mosque, the 

remarkable Qutb Minar, the tomb of 

the ruler, Iltutmish are all testimony 

to the monumental works of the 

early Sultanate. Literary sources also 

describe a flourishing settlement 

within the walls of the city – with 

markets, mosques, madrasas (colleges) 

in addition to grand residences. 

The Sufi Bakhtiyar Kaki, popularly 

known as Qutb Sahib, came here in the 

early 13th century and is associated 

with many important structures to 

the south of Lal Kot. The saint is said 

to have had a very close relationship 

with Iltutmish (reigned 1211-36) and 

according to popular belief, Prophet 

Mohammad appeared in the dreams 

of both the Sultan and the saint, 

indicating the best spot at which to 

dig a tank to supply water to the city. 

Hauz-e-Shamsi was thus constructed 

in 1229, at a location south of the 

walled enclosure. The saint is said to 

have also offered prayers beside the 

tank in the company of his spiritual 

master, Muinuddin Chishti of Ajmer. 

Auliya Masjid was built at the spot 

on the eastern bank of the tank. The 

area in the vicinity of the tank became 

popular not only as a meeting place 

for the spiritually inclined, but also a 

popular burial site. 

When he died in 1235, the saint was 

buried closer to the city, just outside 

the walled city at the south-western 

corner. His burial site became an active 

and popular shrine, or dargah, which it 

remains to this day. It also became a 

centre for devotional music, performed 

at special gatherings called sama, 

which the saint in his own lifetime 

enjoyed. The immediate vicinity of the 

dargah too is dense with graves. The 

emperor Balban (1266-87) was buried 

here, just outside the walls of the fort. 

In addition to numerous graves and 

tombs, mosques, gardens and other 

structures have been added. These 

include the pavilion on the western 

bank (c. 1311) said to mark the spot 

where the prophet, seated on a horse, 

appeared to Iltutmish in a dream. 

Water management was an important 

consideration in settlement planning. 

Mehrauli is a prime example of proper 

utilization of the landform for water 

storage and distribution. The location 

of Hauz-i-Shamsi and the construction 

of baolis like Gandhak-ki-baoli and 

Rajon-ki-baoli illustrate this point. 

d 

a. The Chauhan’s extended 

the old citadel and the newly 

fortified area was called Qila 

Rai Pithora. 

b. Rajon ki Baoli constructed for 

water supply and management. 

c. Entrance of the sculpturous 

Qutb Minar 

d. Allaudin Khilji’s extension to 

the Qutb Complex. 

b 

a. Imposing Tomb of Adham 

Khan, AD 1562. 

b. Jahaz Mahal on the western 

banks of Hauz-i-Shamsi. 

c. Map showing developments 

from the Khilji and Mughal 

Periods. 

Khilji Dynasty - Mughal era 

After the Slave Dynasty, although Qila 

Rai Pithora was no longer the capital as 

Allaudin Khilji founded his own capital 

at Siri, a little to the north of Mehrauli, 

Allaudin Khilji still made extensions 

to the Qutb Complex and people 

continued to inhabit this older city of 

Qila Rai Pithora. The area south of the 

Qutb complex saw the construction 

of many buildings, well into the 16th 

century and the arrival of the Mughals. 

Located at the highest altitude on 

this site is the Takiya of Kamli Shah, a 

saint who arrived in the 14th C. The 

saint Maulana Jamali built a grand 

mosque in 1528-29, and was buried in 

a small but beautiful tomb next door. 

Several Lodi period tombs are to be 

found in this area including residential 

clusters. The Hauz-i-Shamsi was 

the main recreational area. On its 

western bank is the Jahaz Mahal, an 

impressive Lodi period building, that 

exemplifies the mature Sultanate 

style, reflecting a harmonious mix 

c 

of materials – grey quartzite, red 

sandstone, and glazed tiles; and forms 

– arches, domes, chhatris (domed 

kiosks) and corbelled doorways, that 

drew from both western Islamicate and 

Indian traditions. Structures similar 

to mosques, but oriented north-south 

also exist, for example Sohan Burj. The 

Dargah of Bakhtiyar Kaki continued to 

gain importance and several buildings 

were added to this complex, viz: Naubat 

Khana, Majlis Khana. 

Mughal period structures are to be 

found in this area including residential 

clusters. These range from the 

imposing tomb of Adham Khan (1562), 

to the elegant nineteenth century 

enclosure containing the graves of the 

Loharu family. Quli Khan (died early 

seventeenth century), the son of the 

Mughal emperor Akbar’s wet nurse 

and Chaumachi Khan are also buried 

here. The continued building activity 

in the area, even in the absence of the 

patronage of the royal court can be 

attributed largely to the presence of the 

Dargah of Bakhtiyar Kaki. 

14 



Colonial Mehrauli 

Post Independence 

In the 19th century, with the British 

having taken control of Shahjahanbad, 

Mehrauli was again popular with the 

Mughals and they spent a lot more 

time here. The nineteenth century saw 

the growth of a thriving settlement to 

the west and south of the palace and 

the shrine and some grand residences 

were built around the Jogmaya temple, 

which are still in existence. The Bazaar 

spine developed with houses being 

built on both sides of what was then 

the main road to the town of Gurgaon 

and is today the Mehrauli Bazaar. 

As Mehrauli was reputed to have a 

healthier climate than Shahjahanabad, 

many of the rich of Delhi built second 

homes here and serais, havelis and 

dalan houses came up in the area. 

The gardens around the Hauz-e- 

Shamsi to the south became important 

recreational areas for this population. 

Jharna, a waterfall was created from an 

overflow of the tank, around which a 

formal garden was laid out in the 18th 

century. Rich game in the surrounding 

wilderness was an added attraction. 

In time development took place on 

both sides of the road all the way down 

to the Hauz-e-Shamsi, forming what is 

today called Mehrauli village. 

Among the graves next to the saint’s 

shrine are those of the Mughal royal 

family, dating from the eighteenth and 

nineteenth centuries; and in the first 

half of the nineteenth century a royal 

palace came up close to these, built by 

the emperors Akbar II (1806-37) and 

Bahadur Shah II (1837-57). 

In the mid-nineteenth century, 

following the banishment of the 

Mughal monarch, Bahadur Shah Zafar 

to Rangoon (1858), Mehrauli became 

a tehsil headquarter and many offices 

and government buildings were 

set up here. The central spine was 

a 

developed during this period. Most 

of the development was within the 

settlement itself. 

There was some colonial intervention 

in the northern section by individuals 

like Thomas Metcalfe, the highest 

British administrative official in Delhi. 

He modified the tomb of Quli Khan to 

create a weekend home, Dilkusha, also 

adapting and adding other buildings, 

and laying out a garden. He also 

created some singular buildings, e.g. 

two stepped pyramid-like structures, 

and a couple of domed stone canopies 

in the tradition of the English folly. 

By the twentieth century the southern 

area had ceased to be populated and 

buildings lower in the valley had been 

partly buried in the silt brought down 

by the stream coming from the Hauze-Shamsi. 

Among these sprawling 

palaces of the Mughals many town 

houses, offices and other structures 

were built by the British in the colonial 

style, giving it a distinct colonial flavour. 

b 

a. Map showind Colonial interventions 

in Mehrauli 

b. British repairs and additions 

to the tower in the 1820s included 

a cupola and sandstone 

railings on the balconies. 

b 

a 

a. Map showing the postindependence 

development in 

Mehrauli. 

b. View of Jamali Kamali. 

While the capital city, its historic and 

iconic buildings are conserved and 

linked through trails and interpretative 

signage, Mehrauli village with the 

dargah as its focus, is still a living 

settlement that has survived for over 

900 years. The link between the Dargah 

of Qutb Sahib and the Hauz-e-Shamsi 

continues till today as the trail of the 

Phoolwalon ki sair or ‘festival of the 

flower sellers’. Arising out of avow 

taken by the wife of Akbar II, Mumtaz 

Mahal, that she would offer a coverlet of 

flowers at the dargarh of Qutb Sahib if 

her son returned from the exile imposed 

by the British government, it became a 

tradition that has survived to this day. 

Floral offerings, in particular pankhas 

or fans were assembled around the 

Jharna near the hauz, and then carried 

to the dargah to be offered at the saint’s 

grave. Pankhas were also offered at the 

Hindu temple of Jogmaya, believed to 

be a sacred site of great antiquity. This 

celebration of Hindu-Muslim amity 

is a tradition that has survived to the 

present time, and is an annual festival 

at Mehrauli. 

16 




2 

Nizamuddin 

Nizamuddin has been associated with 

the presence of the renowned Sufi 

saint Sheikh Nizamuddin Auliya since 

c 1270 AD and has drawn various 

people to this area– a multitude of 

devout followers of Sufism, as well 

as, poets, noble men and even kings 

and emperors visited the saint when 

he was alive and even after his death. 

Even today, almost 700 years after his 

death, pilgrims visit the shrine of the 

saint Nizamuddin Auliya. 

Since it was considered auspicious to 

be buried near a saint’s grave, many 

of the saint’s ardent followers were 

finally laid to rest in the vicinity of the 

Sufi shrine. Seven centuries of tomb 

building can be seen in the Nizamuddin 

precinct. 

a 

The area being nominated as part 

of the World Heritage City of Delhi 

consists of the traditional settlement 

that grew around the dargah of the 

saint, and the Nizamuddin precinct. 

The northern limit of the settlement 

is Lodi Road; while the Barahpullah 

nallah, a tributary of the Yamuna, 

marks the western and southern edge 

of the dargah settlement. To its east is 

Mathura Road. 

The Nizamuddin Precinct is the area 

which has as its southern limit, the 

dargah settlement and stretches right 

up to Purana Qila in the north, and in 

the other direction, from Delhi Golf 

Club to the west, right down to the 

banks of the river to the east. 

b 

a. View from the top of 

Humayuns Tomb showing the 

Nizamuddin Dargah in the 

background. 

b. Map of Nizamuddin showing 

extent of development in the 

precinct. 

18 

State Party - INDIA


a 

b 

b 

Evolution of the Nizamuddin Dargah 

Settlement 

c 

It is believed that Ghiasuddin Balban 

built a palace, the Lal Mahal, at a site 

which was the suburb of the city of 

Hazrat Delhi, in the mid-13th century, 

following which the area came to be 

known as Ghiaspur. The site had the 

river flowing immediately to its east, 

agricultural land all the way up to 

the village of Indrapat located to its 

north and the city of Kilokhari to its 

southeast. 

Lal Mahal was a fine structure with 

a central dome and arches, and is 

the earliest surviving example of a 

Sultanate era palace. It can stake claim 

to be the first building where a true 

arch and dome were used. 

From 1265 AD, when Ghiasuddin 

Balban ascended the throne, there is 

evidence of a settlement, at Ghiaspur. 

Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya, a much 

revered Sufi saint, chose this settlement 

to establish his khanqah. 

The wall that encircled the settlement 

was believed to have been built at the 

same time as the Lal Mahal (c 1265 AD). 

The enclosure was irregular in shape 

with circular bastions at intervals 

and topped with battlements. A grand 

mosque, the Jamaat Khana was built 

here during Alauddin Khilji’s reign(AD 

1295-1315). Saint Nizamuddin Auliya, 

meditated at a spot along the river and 

a chillagah was built at the site which is 

adjacent to the site where Humayun’s 

Tomb came up two centuries later. 

The presence of Nizamuddin Auliya 

resulted in many people choosing 

to live in this settlement or visit this 

area to pay homage to him. A baoli 

was added in AD 1320, to serve the 

needs (drinking water) of the local 

community and pilgrims and also for 

wuzu (ablutions) prior to prayers at 

the mosque, indicating that by this time 

there was already a large population in 

Ghiaspur and an even larger volume of 

pilgrims. After the death of Nizamuddin 

Auliya, he was buried in the courtyard 

of the Jamaat Khana mosque and the 

village of Ghiaspur came to be known 

as ‘Nizampur’. Within six months of the 

death of the saint, his favourite disciple, 

the great poet, Amir Khusro too died, 

unable to bear the grief of the loss of 

his spiritual master and was buried 

within the complex. 

d 

Later during the 

Mughal period, the 

area surrounding 

the baoli of Hazrat 

Nizamuddin Auliya 

was built up with the 

southern arcade dating 

from AD 1379-80. 

a. Lal Mahal, Nizamuddin 

Dargah Settlement 

b. The part facade of Jamaat 

Khana mosque in the 

Nizamuddin Dargah Settlement. 

c. Map showing early 

developments in the 

Nizamuddin Dargah settlement 

d. Baoli within the Nizamuddin 

Dargah Settlement 

a. Map showing Sultunate 

period developments in 

the Nizamuddin Dargah 

settlement. 

a 

b. Map showing Suri 

period developments in 

the Nizamuddin Dargah 

A Kot abutting the walled settlement to 

the south was constructed in the mid 

14th century. Two major structures 

that still survive here were built during 

the Tughlaq period, Kalan Masjid 

in AD 1370-1 and the tomb of Khan 

Jahan Junan Shah Tilangani, the Prime 

Minister of Firoz Shah Tughlaq, located 

within the Kot is the earliest octagonal 

tomb in India. 

The main spine or the major 

thoroughfares connect the main gates 

of the settlement to the main elements 

within the settlement identified as 

the dargah, the bazaar, the kot and 

Kalan Masjid. The earliest road in the 

settlement led from the north gate of 

the village enclosure connecting the 

dargah to the north eastern gate of the 

Kot through the bazaar street. A later 

development was the road intersecting 

it at right angles just outside the north 

eastern gateway to the Kot giving access 

to the Kalan Masjid and the Imambara 

and leading from the eastern gateway 

to the south western gateway of the 

village enclosure (perhaps the route of 

the Tazia procession) The main direct 

b 

access to the dargah was from the north 

western gateway but the dargah was 

also connected through the eastern 

gateway of Amir Khusro’s enclosure. 

Building activity in the area continued 

through the Lodi period and some 

surviving structures built during this 

period are the Barahkhambha, Gol 

Gumbad and Do Sirihya Gumbad. 

Urban morphology 

Within the walled enclosure was an 

intricate pattern of streets, galis and cul 

de sacs, all at a pedestrian, human scale. 

A network of narrow Mohalla streets 

or galis provides access and linkages 

to the main quarters and houses. These 

were used mainly by people of the 

mohalla. These narrow galis ended in 

cul-de-sacs, owned and shared by the 

users. The galis are characterised by 

varying widths and periodic changes 

in direction. The urban morphology 

is characterised by streets with 

changing levels and ramps or steps, 

varying building heights and entrance 

doorways. 

20 



b 

a 

c 

a 

c 

d 

Later during the Mughal period, the 

area surrounding the baoli of Hazrat 

Nizamuddin Auliya was built up with 

the southern arcade dating from AD 

1379-80. In the 16th century, the Grand 

Trunk Road which stretched from the 

eastern end of India to Peshawar and 

beyond in the west, passed through 

the Nizamuddin area. Thus with the 

river along its eastern edge and the GT 

Road passing through it, Nizamuddin 

was located on major medieval 

transport arteries, which enhanced its 

importance. 

The tomb of Bai Kokaldai, standing 

on the western edge of Hazrat 

Nizamuddin Baoli was built later in AD 

1541. Atgah Khan, ‘who was present 

when Humayun was defeated by Sher 

Shah Sur and aided the emperor in 

his escape from the field of battle’ was 

buried in AD 1566-7, in close proximity 

to the tomb of Hazrat Nizamuddin 

Auliya. His jewel like tomb is covered 

with a unique inlay of tile work in 

marble. The emperor Shahjahan’s 

daughter Jahanara, who died in 1681 

was also buried here followed by the 

emperor Muhammad Shah who died in 

1748. In the 19th century prominent 

buildings such as the dalan of Mirdha 

Ikram (1801) and the grave enclosure 

of Mirza Jahangir (son of Akbar II) 

who died in 1832 were also added to 

the grave enclosure. The famous 19th 

century poet Mirza Ghalib was also 

buried in close proximity of Chausath 

Khamba. 

By this point other movement networks 

developed like Ghalib Road which led 

from an entrance in the north eastern 

enclosure wall of Chausath Khamba and 

Urs Mahal enclosure where qawwalis 

were held during Urs. Another road 

from the eastern enclosure walls to the 

dargah area past Chausath Khamba 

leads from Humayun’s Tomb and Arabki-serai 

complex. 

Bazaar Street 

A unique character of the main street 

leading from the main chowk to the 

dargah was that of a chatta street 

with flower sellers and items of 

worships. The 14th century structures 

had a high projecting stone plinth, 

a. Map showing Mughal 

period developments in the 

Nizamuddin Dargah settlement. 

b. Dargah of the Sufi saint 

Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya 

c. Tomb of Khan Jahan Junan 

Shah Tilangani 

d. Barakhamba on the outskirts 

of the Nizamuddin settlement. 

b 

a. Marble Jalis inside Chausath 

Khamba. 

b. Randon rubble masonry core 

with red sandstone jalis. 

c. Chausath Khamba. 

pointed arched openings in rubble 

masonry walls plastered over and lime 

washed. Adjacent to the 14th century 

structures, the later Mughal structures 

followed the same building module but 

with different detailing. 

Building Materials and Construction 

Technology 

Different materials were used for 

different structures. The most 

commonly used building material 

was the Delhi quartzite; red, yellow 

and spotted sandstone and Lakhauri 

bricks. More elaborate buildings had 

marble, a variety of decorative stone 

and tiles. The load bearing walls were 

up to 50 cms in thickness and were 

built with an inner core of irregular 

stone with dressed quartzite or 

sandstone facing. Some walls were 

plastered with up to 5 cm of Lime 

Plaster. Examples are also found of dry 

dressed stone masonry, held together 

with iron clamps. The walls were 

spanned over with vaults, domes and 

arched systems. The most commonly 

seen vaults were the cloister and cradle 

and groin vaults spanning 1.5 - 4.0 

m widths. Domes were supported on 

squinches and pendentives. Often the 

roof was of sandstone slabs spanning 

the beams supported on sandstone 

brackets that projected from the wall. 

Over the roof, dry sand was compacted 

and finished over with lime plaster to 

give a flat, usable terrace. Side walls 

were projected to form a parapet for 

the terrace. 

Residential quarters 

Dwelling units varied from the havelis 

of prominent persons to single roomed 

units of the poor. The Mughal period 

havelis varied from two to three storeys 

in height, had several courtyards 

including one at the entrance, and 

incorporated jalis( screens) in windows 

and balconies. Elaborate arched 

entrance doorways gave access from 

the street outside into the courtyard. 

Enclosing the courtyards were single 

storied arched dalans. The havelis were 

often decorated with fine late Mughal 

moulded and incised plaster decoration. 

22 



Nizamuddin Precinct 

During the Sayyoid and Lodi period in 

the 15th and 16th centuries, there was 

a spate of tomb building in the vicinity 

of the saint’s dargah, even though 

some of the significant royal tombs of 

these two dynasties were built almost 

a mile east of the Dargah of Hazrat 

Nizamuddin Auliya. 

The immediate precinct of the 

dargah settlement saw the maximum 

development with the coming of the 

Mughals in 1526, who built a number 

of garden tombs. The area boasts of 

some of the earliest buildings of the 

Mughal dynasty. Nila Gumbad (blue 

domed structure) is certainly the 

earliest building built by the Mughals 

in Delhi. Located a few yards south 

of Hazrat Nizamuddin’s chillagah, on 

a river island, the dome, its tile work 

and plasterwork are all reminiscent of 

Persian influence. Another tomb, the 

Sabz Burj, literally ‘green dome’, now 

standing in a traffic island on Mathura 

Road is contemporary to Nila Gumbad 

and pre-dates Humayun’s Tomb. 

Emperor Humayun chose to build his 

capital city, Dinpanah or ‘refuge of the 

faithful’, north of Hazrat Nizamuddin’s 

Dargah in 1533. The city walls had 

barely been built when Humayun was 

ousted in 1540, by Sher Shah Sur who 

continued to build the fortifications 

and the citadel, now known as Purana 

Qila or Old Fort. Sher Shah also built 

the striking Qila-i-Kohna Mosque 

within the citadel. 

Isa Khan Niyazi, a nobleman at the 

court of Sher Shah Sur, was buried in 

the immediate vicinity of the dargah 

settlement in an octagonal garden 

enclosure in AD 1547-8. Isa Khan 

Niyazi’s Tomb enclosure was the 

culmination of the octagonal style of 

tomb building. It also has the earliest 

sunken garden in India pre-dating 

Emperor Akbar’s tomb in Sikandra, 

Agra - the most famous existent 

example - by over a century. 

A small tomb, locally known as the 

Barber’s Tomb, now standing within 

the walled enclosure of Humayun’s 

Tomb, pre-dates Humayun’s Tomb, and 

displays local architectural traditions 

–red-white contrast using sandstone 

and marble - used earlier at Alai 

Darwaza and Ghiasuddin Tughlaq’s 

tomb. Humayun’s Tomb was built 

between the River Yamuna on its east 

and the Grand Trunk road to its west, 

in the 1560s by his son, the great 

Emperor Akbar. The tomb standing 

within a walled garden enclosure of 26 

acres, is the first of the grand dynastic 

mausoleums that were to become 

synonyms of Mughal architecture. This 

architectural style reached its zenith 

many decades later at the later Mughal 

tomb, the Taj Mahal. 

Humayun’s Tomb dwarfs any tomb 

built in Delhi during the three centuries 

of Muslim rule that preceded the 

Mughals. Never before in the Islamic 

world had a tomb been built on such 

scale, with red sandstone and white 

marble. The architect, Mirak Mirza 

Ghiyath, of Persian descent, who came 

from Herat in present day Afghanistan, 

used the red-white contrast to great 

effect with white ‘marble-like’ lime 

plaster covering portions of the façade 

that were not clad with stone such 

as the faces of lower niches and the 

domes of the four comer canopies. 

Humayun’s Tomb remained a place of 

pilgrimage for the Mughal emperors 

Akbar, Jahangir, Shahjahan who made 

frequent visits to pay their respects. 

Humayun’s garden-tomb is also called 

the ‘dormitory of the Mughals’ as in the 

cells are buried over 150 members of 

the Mughal family, all in un-inscribed 

graves in the lower cells. 

a 

b 

a. Khairpur Tomb now in Lodi 

Garden © ASI 

b. Rahim’s Tomb 

a b c 

d 

a. Arab ki Sarai 

b. Sunderwala Burj 

c. Humayuns Tomb with Barber’s 

Tomb in the foreground 

d. Facade of Nila Gumbad 

While Humayun’s Tomb was being built, 

just outside the western enclosure 

wall, two significant buildings - a tomb 

and a three bay wide mosque - known 

as Afsarwala Tomb and Mosque were 

also being constructed. It is not known 

who commissioned these or if they 

stood in an independent enclosure. 

Haji Begum brought with her three 

hundred Arabs from her pilgrimage to 

Mecca, and the ‘Arab Serai’ was built to 

house these families. 

It was during the early Mughal era 

and Emperor Akbar’s reign, following 

the building of Humayun’s Tomb, that 

several prominent structures were 

built in the Nizamuddin area. Important 

16th / early 17th century structures 

included the enclosed garden tombs of 

Bu Halima, ‘Batashewala’ Complex and 

the ‘Sunderwala’ complex. 

It is not known who ‘Bu Halima’ was 

but her tomb is entered through a 

lofty gateway standing opposite the 

western gateway of the Humayun’s 

Tomb complex, off-center to her own 

tomb , suggesting it dates from just 

after the building of Humayun’s Tomb. 

The tomb of Muzaffar Husain Mirza, 

grand-nephew of Emperor Humayun 

was built in AD 1603 and is today 

known as Bara Batashewala Mahal. 

Another tomb, now known as Chotta 

Batashewala stands alongside 

Muzaffar Husain Mirza’s tomb. 

The ‘Sunderwala complex’, another 

tomb- garden enclosure, includes the 

two tombs now known as Sunderwala 

Burj and Sunderwala Mahal and though 

it is today unknown who these were 

built for, the architectural style and the 

ornamentation contained within date 

these to the 16th/17th century, i.e., the 

early Mughal era. ‘Sunderwala Mahal’ is 

the only other example of a square tomb 

chamber surrounded by eight rooms 

with five half-domed openings on each 

façade. A few hundred yards north of 

the Arab Serai was another Mughal 

Serai, known as Azimganj, within the 

area today occupied by Government 

Sundar Nursery. 

Over half a century after the building 

of Humayun’s Tomb, the tomb of Khani-Khanan 

Abdur Rahim Khan, the son 

of Bairam Khan, who was the tutor of 

Emperor Akbar was built a few hundred 

yards south of Humayun’s Tomb. 

Through the 18th and 19th centuries, 

tomb building continued in the vicinity 

but large garden-tombs were followed 

by only smaller structures such as those 

dotting the Delhi Golf Club. 

24 



3 

Shahjahanabad Zone 

(Mid seventeenth century) 

The walled Shahjahanabad is the 

capital city established by the Mughal 

Emperor Shahjahan, under whom 

Mughal architecture reached its 

apogee. An important part of the city 

was the palace fortress now called the 

Red Fort; Around this palace complex 

was built a grand walled city, named 

Shahjahanabad (literally ‘established 

by Shahjahan’) after its royal founder. 

The layout of Shahjahanabad was 

influenced by ancient Hindu texts as 

well as medieval Persian traditions. 

A salient feature of this walled city is 

that though the pattern of land use was 

totally urban, it was still essentially a 

pedestrian city retaining a human scale. 

The residential areas were developed 

as introvert spaces, as independent 

social and environmental entities, while 

commercial activities grew along the 

spines, closer to areas of administrative 

a 

or institutional importance. 

The original extent of the city as 

designed during the Mughal period 

forms part of the core area proposed for 

Nomination as the World Heritage City 

of Delhi. 

Traditional City Planning 

The choice of site appears to have been 

dictated by the availability of high 

land on the western bank of the River 

Yamuna and the natural protection 

provided by triangle formed by the 

two arms of the Aravalli ranges known 

as the Jhojla and Bhojla Paharis and 

the River Yamuna. Geographically, the 

location was ideal, not only from the 

point of view of protection but also as a 

convergence of important land routes. 

The city of Shahjahanabd comprises 

of an encircling city wall, more than 

8 kilometers long, and pierced by a 

number of gates and wickets. Built 

in the late seventeenth century, the 

city form has survived with relatively 

a 

minor change to the present times. 

The Manasara, one of the Hindu texts 

on architecture collectively called 

the Vastu Shastra, prescribes a bowshaped 

form for a city on a river, and 

this is the plan that Shahjahanabad 

roughly followed. The eastern wall of 

the city, parallel to the river, could be 

viewed as the string of the bow, and 

parallel to this ran the main northsouth 

street, linking the Kashmir gate 

in the north with the Delhi gate in the 

south. The other main street of the city 

could be viewed as the arrow placed 

in the bow, running from the main 

entrance to the Red Fort (which was 

located approximately midway along 

the eastern wall of the city) westwards 

to the Fatehpuri mosque. The palace 

complex therefore stood at the junction 

of the main north-south and east-west 

axes, where in the Hindu text a temple 

would have been located. 

b 

c 

a. Map of Shahjahanabad showing 

the natural features and lie 

of the land. 

b. Turkman Gate 

c. Kashmiri Gate 

26 



In this arrangement the main 

congregational mosque of the city, the 

Jama Masjid, was located on a height 

fairly close to the palace complex, but 

off-centre with regard to the main 

streets. In terms of Persian texts such 

as the Rasa’il-e-Ikhwan-us-Safa, which 

viewed ideal city plans as mirroring 

the anatomy of man, the Jama Masjid 

would be the heart in relation to the Red 

Fort which was the head, and the eastwest 

street which was the backbone. 

The plan of Shahjahanabad therefore 

clearly shows both Hindu and Persian 

Sufi influences, in keeping with the 

long Delhi tradition of synthesis, and 

the general Mughal polity of liberality 

and inclusion vis a vis Hindu subjects. 

Key Architectural Elements 

The foundation of Red Fort was laid 

in 1639, and the emperor entering 

it ceremonially in 1648. After the 

erection of the Red Fort, the first 

feature, Fatehpuri Masjid, was erected 

in 1650 by the begum of Shahjahan one 

mile due west of the palace’s Lahore 

gate. 

Soon thereafter, she began the second, 

private gardens some 54 acres to the 

north of the pathway leading from Lal 

Qila to Fatehpuri Masjid. 

This ceremonial pathway developed 

into the third element, Chandni Chowk, 

where bullion merchants and other 

important men took up residence and 

maintained retail outlets. Important 

public buildings were located along it 

among them the kotwali(main police 

station), Sunehri Masjid, a mosque 

built in 1721-22 by a nobleman and 

a caravanserai. The Emperor rode in 

state along it every Friday to pray at 

Fatehpuri Masjid and thus the path 

became a ceremonial mall. A branch of 

River Yamuna ran down the middle and 

with large canopied trees alongside 

and footbridges over the canal it 

became the favorite gathering place in 

evening and on festive occasions. 

a 

This ceremonial street was divided into 

three sections by two historic squares. 

The one nearest to the fort was 

originally called Kotwali Chowk, but is 

today known popularly as Phawwara 

chowk after the phawwara or fountain 

established here in the 1870s. The 

chowk is associated with important 

episodes in the history of the city and 

of the Mughal Empire. The Gurudwara 

Sisganj on this chowk marks the spot 

of the execution of Guru Teg Bahadur; 

the 9th Guru of the Sikhs who was 

put to death in 1675 on the orders of 

the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb for 

his attempts to found an independent 

Sikh state. Also, it was on the steps of 

Sunehri Masjid that the Persian invader 

Nadir Shah sat in 1739 to witness the 

massacre of the populace of the city 

that he had ordered. The area north 

of Chandni Chowk remained as large 

private estates of the nobility, with 

the exclusion of the north-west sector, 

where a spatial pattern similar to that 

south of Chandni Chowk prevailed. 

b 


the location of buildings 

before the walled city was built. 

b. Chandni Chowk was an 

important thoroughfare with 

shops lining the roads and 

residences above, interspersed 

with chowk (squares), gateways 

to mansions and lanes. 


a 

a 

b 

a. Map of Shahjahanabad 

showing the main axis and the 

key features. 

b. The Jama Masjid at Delhi. 

from the north-east. 


b 

Between 1644 and 1658 Shahjahan 

built a great mosque, Jama Masjid( the 

fourth landmark) about one-half mile 

southwest of the principal palace gate. 

It became the congregational mosque 

of the city, and continues today to orient 

visually because it lies upon a rocky 

outcrop above the general plain of the 

city. The emperor himself appointed its 

functionaries and paid for its upkeep 

out of the royal exchequer. A relatively 

short but important street connected 

the south gate of the palace fortress to 

this mosque. The function of the street 

as a route for ceremonial processions 

was continued into British colonial 

times. On occasions like the durbars, 

the state procession went from the Red 

Fort past the Jama Masjid into Chandni 

Chowk. At other times this street, all 

the way up to the steps of the mosque, 

was a lively social space thronging with 

purveyors of exotic goods, street foods, 

story tellers and street performers. 

The fifth feature is Faiz Bazaar, a 

leisure mall that developed between 

Delhi Gate of the palace and Delhi 

Gate in the city wall. In later years, this 

became the principal north-south route 

through the city connecting Civil Lines 

and New Delhi. To the east of this street 

lies Daryaganj, literally ‘the mart by 

the river’, where grain and other goods 

were unloaded from boats plying on the 

River Yamuna. 

The last nodal element is Qasi Hauz, 

the main water reservoir, situated at 

the junction of four important bazaars. 

These six elements, in conjunction with 

the locations of the city gates, yield 

clues to the hierarchical structure of 

the existing street pattern and spatial 

distribution of the population 

Urban Morphology 

The formal geometry of the walled city 

governed by the strategic location of 

the six key architectural elements was 

not followed in the rest of the walled 

city. Nor was the formal hierarchy of 

space attempted in these areas. The 

city’s strategic location and defensive 

perimeter attracted residents from the 

older and less secure settlements to the 

south so that the quadrant bounded 

by Chandni Chowk, Faiz Bazaar, and 

the city wall was built up. Thus a basic 

network of five major arterials leading 

from the six key elements and other 

gates to different parts of the walled city 

were built as spines of major activity. 

Paths linking the gates in the city 

walls to Fatehpuri Masjid, Qasi Hauz, 

Jama Masjid and Kalan Masjid(built by 

emperor Firoz Shah in 1386) became 

definite streets and finally important 

bazaars. 

All the streets, apart from formally 

laid Chandni Chowk, twist and turn, 

providing visual enclosure as well as 

a sequence of experiences. The ‘street’ 

was treated as an extension of activity 

spaces in addition to its function as a 

spaces in addition to its function as a 

corridor of movement. The junction of 

two streets automatically formed into a 

28 



‘chowk’ often for a pause in movement 

and for better communication. 

terrace development, but maintaining 

distinctly separate identities. 

The other streets were of a significantly 

lower hierarchy and these were built 

mainly as access roads to the residential 

areas. In most cases, the access roads 

would not provide through routes, 

ensuring not only privacy and security 

but also controlling the volume and 

movement of traffic. The network 

also created social areas, known as 

mohallas, katras and kuchas. These 

were homogenous units for cultural as 

well as socio-economic activities. 

c 

The first floor of most of the houses 

projected over streets, providing 

balconies with delicate semitransparent 

balustrades. Sometimes 

the balconies of two opposing houses 

were connected to form enclosures of 

space along vertical plane. Considerable 

homogeneity in the moldings of 

brackets and balustrades existed in a 

e 

katra or kucha. It is possible that local 

craftsmanship ensured the continuity 

in tradition. 

The area beside the river just north of 

the palace fortress was a prime area 

where the highest nobility and princes 

built their mansions. These included 

prince Dara Shikoh, the favourite 

son of Shahjahan, and Shahjahan’s 

minister Ali Mardan Khan. Portions 

of the city near the walls remained 

afairly open providing space for fruit 

gardens, dairies and work space for 

people following low caste operations 

(sweepers, potters and leather 

workers). 

Markets and bazaars 

Rich entrepreneurs established 

bazaars and commercial streets, where 

shopkeepers and traders also often 

had their residences. Some specialist 

markets include Dariba Kalan, the gold 

and silver ware market; Kinari bazaar, 

the gilt and sequin market; Khari 

Baoli, the spice market; Katra Neel, 

the fabrics market and many more. In 

addition, a number of lesser bazaars 

developed, linking Chandni Chowk 

with the interior of the city, completing 

a network of streets and lanes. 

Zoning into katras and kuchas 

In the interstices of the main 

arteries and landmarks, the city 

grew organically. Some pre-existing 

settlements such as the area stretching 

from Turkman Gate to Khari Baoli 

had also been incorporated into the 

b 

a 

limits of the walled city. Adapting 

zoning (a long accepted principle of 

town planning, Shahjahanabad was 

divided into separate quarters for 

distinct occupations and not social 

or ethnic groups). This zoning was 

according to occupations, industries 

and commerce. Badiwara, Daiwara, 

Naiwara, Dhobiwara and Maliwara 

were the quarters of the doctors, 

midwives, barbers, washer men and 

gardeners respectively. There were 

separate wings called ‘katras’ for 

each class of tradesmen and guilds of 

craftsmen. According to a survey, there 

are 999 katras in the walled city. Each 

katra is a space enclosure created by 

buildings used both for residential 

and commercial use, entry is usually 

through a gate by a street from major 

spine, which was built wide enough 

for the pedestrian movement. Next 

in hierarchy is a lane of narrower 

width lateral to a street leading to a 

kucha which formed an enclosure of 

buildings used only for residential use. 

Thus these enclosures created a graded 


the location of buildings, 

built between 1750 to 1850. 

a 

a. Map of Shahjahanabad 

showing the planned part of 

the city around 1850. 

transition from public, semi-public to 

private uses. Neither in katra nor in 

kucha, was vehicular traffic allowed. 

Residential Built form 

Many of the elite carved out large 

estates that housed their families, their 

dependants and employees, and even 

karkhanas – workshops. Many people 

of a lower socio-economic status – 

shopkeepers, artisans, workmen and 

service providers of all sorts built their 

homes between these estates. 

Due to social norms of a joint family 

system, large houses were built, 

introvert in character. These houses 

were built with high plinth and for 

entry, a short flight of steps. The height 

of the plinth increased as the width of 

the access lane narrowed down. The 

dictates of privacy were so strong that 

the roof lines of the buildings were 

invariably non-uniform in silhouette. 

The degree of richness in detail and 

ornamentation could set the house 

apart. The street picture was almost a 

The main entrance to the traditional 

house has always been treated as an 

important element of design. The 

emphasis of entrance was created by 

an arched opening and the door panels 

were treated with rich decoration 

in metal and wood. The entrance 

invariably led to a central courtyard 

which ensured domestic privacy and 

activity pattern within such a house 

was central to the courtyard. 

Approximately 25 percent of the area 

in the walled city was used for these 

internal courtyards. The courtyards and 

roofs terraces served as the recreational 

open space to the households, suitable 

for outdoor sleeping and for activities 

like kite flying and pigeon baiting, and 

for children to play within the enclosure 

of their own house in relative safety. 

By the early eighteen century, the 

city had three distinguishable sectors 

(excluding Lal Quila) 

o Area north of Chandni Chowk 

with its gardens, villas and palaces of 

aristocracy. 

o Daryaganj sector, east of Faiz 

Bazaar, where European merchants, 

clergy and native Christians had settled 

early, and 

o Quadrant south of Chandni 

Chowk, where the bulk of the 

inhabitants resided and worked. 

30 



4 

New Delhi 

(Early twenteenth century) 

a 

The design of the new imperial capital, 

popularly known as New Delhi, 

incorporated the priority of the colonial 

political class to provide an urbanscape 

in conformity with their imperial vision. 

The resultant design of the capital of 

the erstwhile British Empire, dominated 

by the central vista, redefined the 

architecture and urbanism of Delhi in 

the process of addressing contemporary 

imperatives. The layout and design 

reflects the fusion of the two dominant 

themes of early twentieth century city 

planning – the City Beautiful (vistas) and 

the Garden City (verdure), concepts that 

had world relevance in city planning 

of the early twentieth century. It owed 

inspiration to Baron Haussmann’s Paris 

and French engineer Pierre L’Enfant’s 

Washington D.C., created in 1789. The 

genius of the design therefore lies in its 

integration of vista and verdure. 

In the architecture of the buildings 

Indian elements and motifs were used, 

drawing inspiration from Buddhist 

religious complexes on the one hand, 

and Mughal buildings on the other. The 

overwhelming aesthetic within which 

these elements were deployed captured 

the spirit of syncretism evident in Delhi 

for many centuries- a synthesis of 

Western classical geometry and Indian 

motifs. 

The area being nominated as part of the 

World Heritage City of Delhi, has as its 

core the original layout as was designed 

and built by the architects with the ridge 

forming a backdrop for the central vista 

and its iconic buildings. 

a. Washington and New Delhi 

Compared 

32 



a 

a 

b 

Location 

Several locations were considered, 

and rejected. Present day Coronation 

Park and the location of the durbar 

announcing the shift of the new capital 

to Delhi was declared uninteresting 

and unhealthy as also liable to flooding. 

Sabzi Mandi was better, but acquisition 

of the factory areas would annoy mill 

owners. Civil Lines, similarly, would 

antagonize the European population, 

which would have to be evicted. For 

reasons of health, for its undulating 

land, for the space it provided, and 

for its relationship with many historic 

sites, the Raisina village area and hill 

were finally selected. The site was in 

close physical and general association 

with the walled city of Shahjahanabad 

and the Delhis of the past. 

From the top of Raisina hill there was a 

magnificent view embracing old Delhi 

and all of the principal monuments 

situated outside the town, with River 

Yamuna at a little distance. The hill top 

was considered the ideal site for the 

Viceregal House. 

Layout and Planning 

British architects Edwin Lutyens 

(1869-1944) and Herbert Baker 

prepared the Master Plan for New 

Delhi in 1912-13, and Lutyens used a 

combination of two separate geometric 

systems. One of these was a hexagonal 

pattern which linked governmental, 

commercial and recreational activities 

with the residential areas. The other 

grid was a monumental one along 

Central Vista, which in turn, linked 

the capital complex marked by the 

a. New Delhi layout emphasizing 

its link to the historic cities. 

a. Garden City, a popular 

concept of the early twentieth 

century. 

b. Layout of New Delhi as conceptualized 

by the architects, 

avenues of the City Beautiful 

were combined with the 

Garden City Concept to create 

the finest fully designed and 

built capital city between the 

two walls. 

Viceregal House on Raisina hill with 

the War Memorial (now India Gate) 

serving as a kind of symbolic entry 

from the riverside. 

The plan is distinguished for the visual 

reference that it has with aspects 

of historic Delhi. One avenue, now 

Parliament Street, is linked to Jama 

Masjid, while the Central Vista unified, 

visually speaking, the Viceregal House 

with Purana Qila. The city of New Delhi 

extended to the walls of Shahjahanabad 

in the north, was bounded on the east 

by the River Yamuna, the remains of 

Ferozshah Kotla and Purana Qila, and 

Humayun’s tomb and to the west by 

the ridge. The site had a width of about 

4.5 miles, narrowing as it approached 

Old Delhi to 2.5 miles. The focus point, 

the Viceregal house is sited on Raisina 

The most characteristic image of 

the Imperial Capital is the formal 

centrepiece, Rajpath (originally 

Kingsway) axis. The ‘Great Place’ (Vijay 

Chowk), which formed a cross axis at 

the foot of Raisina was conceived as 

a public forum, and from it Kingsway 

(now Rajpath) swept eastward to a 

hexagonal round-about, Princes Place/ 

India Gate. A commemorative column, 

eventually the site of the canopy and 

statue of King George V, was the focal 

point of the roads and avenues on the 

parkway, at India Gate. The main cross 

axis, Queensway (now Janpath) runs 

south from the business district located 

at Connaught Place. A group of four 

important public buildings was to mark 

the crossing of the Rajpath and Janpath. 

34 



a 

in New Delhi is such that up to twelve 

rows of trees are planted along them so 

as to provide sufficient shade. 

ten acres gross of land developed, truly 

made Delhi, a Garden City of spacious 

proportions. 

a 

West of Viceregal House is the 

Viceregal Estate, bounded by the 

curve of Willingdon Crescent, and the 

forested ridge beyond. 

An integral feature of the layout is 

the range of avenues, from a modest 

60 feet to 300 hundred feet, with the 

grand axis of 440 feet and planted 

parkways of several avenues of trees. 

A critical component of this plan is 

the road section - the avenue planting 

in relationship to the carriageways 

and footways and the impervious 

waterproof surfaces used for all the 

main avenues and roads. A secondary 

system of the angled avenues, which 

‘enclose the Imperial centre are the 

outer main sinews of the frame’. The 

main avenues were laid well in advance 

of the buildings. 

As much attention was devoted to 

the detail of the tree planting of 

the city as was to its city planning 

and architecture. The setting was 

considered as important as the 

buildings and there was close 

collaboration with the horticulturalist. 

Tree species were specially selected 

for all of the new city. The spacing of 

the trees along the avenues was also 

carefully decided. The planting along 

each road was devoted to a single 

species, creating a visual impression 

of spaciousness. In further pursuit 

of a design unity, although a list of 

approximately 120 trees was drawn up 

as suitable for planting in New Delhi, 

only approximately sixteen species 

were used in the roadside planting of 

the entire new city. The species chosen 

were Indian natives, thus giving to the 

city a decidedly Indian ambience. An 

overriding principle in considering 

roadside planting was the provision 

of shade. This is evident in New Delhi 

in that the overwhelming majority of 

trees species chosen were evergreen 

or semi-evergreen for shade. In order 

that wider roads benefited from treeshade, 

up to six trees were planted 

along the cross section of the road. 

The width of the ceremonial avenues 

b 

a. Lutyens’ Master Plan for New 

Delhi combined the aesthetics 

of the City Beautiful Movement 

and the ecological benefits 

of the Garden City Movement 

through a network of diagonal 

street patterns which became 

emblamatic of the image of the 

city. 

© Imperial Delhi; Andreas 

Volwahsen 

b. Elevation of All India War 

Memorial Arch. 

© Imperial Delhi; Andreas 

Volwahsen 

b 

c 

a. Typical cross-sections of the 

avenues and roads proposed 

for New Delhi. 

b. Bungalows of the Colonial 

Period. 

c. The Bungalow Zone has a 

character of a Garden City. 

A further principle that appears to have 

been adhered to is the extension of the 

symmetry that characterised many of 

New Delhi’s principal buildings into 

the tree planting in the streets around 

them further integrating the principles 

of architectural and landscape design 

employed in the design of the new city. 

Matching tree species flank Rashtrapati 

Bhavan, the Secretariats and the Law 

Courts and so provide them with a 

disciplined frame. 

Parks had been provided for in the 

Viceregal Estate, the large parkway 

around the Lodi Tombs and Safdarjang’s 

Tomb, a park to the south of the club 

containing golf and race courses and a 

park between the new and old cities. 

Not only was the planting of the new 

city itself carefully planned, but also 

its background. The city is backed by 

a long, low ridge that was mostly bare 

of vegetation, but was afforested in 

order to give the new city a wooded 

background. 

Concern with amenity, preservation of 

natural features and creation of park 

systems was the obverse of the City 

Beautiful, and a significant aspect of 

the Washington and Chicago plans 

which was skilfully adopted into the 

layout for New Delhi. The standard of 

local open spaces of one acre, to every 

Architectural Style 

Lutyens was an architect of synthesis, 

and the style which ultimately emerged 

at Rashtrapathi Bhavan is a synthesis of 

Western classical geometry and Indian 

motifs. Lutyens takes the Moghul loggia 

and fuses it with the western column, 

learning from Indian buildings how to 

create an ecologically-sensitive building, 

cooled by its own breezes and fountains. 

Chattris dominate the roofline of the 

Viceroy’s House. The Islamic chajjas or 

blade-like cornice, decorated with the 

pattern of the pipal leaf, wrap around 

the building, projecting deep shadows 

from the remorseless Indian sun. Red 

sandstone that was extensively used 

by the Moghuls, was used for jallis that 

were carved using Western geometry. 

In the Moghul garden, Lutyens fuses 

Mughal geometry with western 

planting of flowers (by contrast with 

Moghul fruit), adding curves in the 

circular butterfly garden with are alien 

to Mughal straight lines. 

The demonstrated integration of city 

planning incorporating both the Garden 

City and Beautiful City Concept, and the 

synthesis of architectural styles ensures 

that New Delhi is a unique expression of 

universal significance. 

36 




Justification of Outstanding Universal value 

Justification of Outstanding Universal Value 

a b c d 

Delhi is today, without doubt, a 

city of international standing and 

significance. Diverse historical, cultural 

and environmental exigencies have 

created the city that is today recognized 

globally as the capital of an important 

developing nation. Delhi’s aura of a 

capital city goes back many centuries 

and its outstanding universal value 

stems from the fact that it was the 

capital of significant kingdoms 

and often sub-continental empires, 

which in many ways facilitated the 

development of a cultural synthesis 

that flowered into a sophisticated and 

mature form and in turn exerted an 

influence over a wide geographical 

area. 

Delhi’s unique cultural landscape 

evolved from the mingling of multiple 

streams of cultural impulses from the 

Islamic and European worlds. The 

extension of its integrated culture was 

the result of cross fertilisation in the 

process of continuous development as 

a major centre of power, culture and 

learning in the medieval world. 

(ii)The nominated site exhibits an 

important interchange of human 

values, over a span of time, within 

a cultural area of the world, on 

developments in architecture and 

town planning. 

The history of the city of Delhi, from 

ancient times has been characterized 

by the intermingling of peoples from 

diverse backgrounds and often far 

flung homelands, who all made Delhi 

their home, and brought to it their own 

ritual, literary and artistic traditions. 

Two significant aspects that led to the 

syncretism of cultures are: successive 

dynasties of diverse ethnic and cultural 

background who made Delhi their 

capital and brought with them new 

ideas and technologies to build their 

forts, palaces and religious edifices, 

which resulted in the evolution of 

the hybrid architectural styles and 

secondly, the sustained interaction 

over a long period of time, between 

various cultural communities, which 

produced a syncretism of cultures 

that flowered from the roots in certain 

urban precincts of the city. 

The results of these two forces are the 

hybrid architectural styles and the 

syncretism of the intangible heritage, 

which are today closely identified with 

the city and define its outstanding 

universal value. 

e 

a,b,c,d,e. There was an exchnge 

of cultural meaning across 

sectarian lines seen in the use of 

the lotus ,kalash etc on Islamic 

buildings. 

a 

b 

a,b. In the design of New Delhi, 

Edwin Lutyens picked up motifs 

and forms from the Mughal 

past and thereby introduced 

another powerful tradition – 

that of India’s ancient Buddhist 

sites. Hence, the Sanchi Stupa 

inspired the dome of the Rashtrapati 

Bhawan and the stone 

railing around Vijay Chowk. 

At the end of the twelfth century the 

then prevalent Ra jput architecture 

of Delhi received a strong infusion 

of very new architectural styles and 

techniques, brought in by its new 

Turk rulers. Experiments that created 

a distinctive and influential style of 

architecture can be seen in Mehrauli 

where the striking red sandstone 

and white marble ornamentation of 

the Alai Darwaza presages centuries 

of Sultanate, Mughal and Colonial 

architecture, which used these 

materials in similar ways in Delhi and 

throughout the subcontinent. The 

use of trabeate techniques to create 

accurate forms such as the arches of 

the Qutb mosque, in time led to the 

evolution of a mingled form. The lintel 

and corbelled doorway set below the 

arch became a design feature of many 

Sultanate and Mughal buildings. They 

also point to an early stage in the 

development of a distinct Delhi style, 

characterized by an innovative mix of 

technologies, materials and motifs. 

There was also an exchange of cultural 

meaning across sectarian lines. The 

lotus and kalash, held sacred by the 

Hindu tradition, became a part of the 

mosques and tombs of the city and 

beyond. Equally, the Hindu and Jain 

temples of Shahjahanabad display 

the cusped arches and fluted domes 

of the mature Mughal style, often 

inaccurately designated ‘Islamic’. Over 

the centuries the builders of Delhi 

built in a style that is neither ‘Hindu’ 

nor ‘Muslim’, (irrespective of whether 

or not the function of a particular 

building was a religious one). They 

used styles that consciously sought to 

incorporate meaningful elements from 

different traditions. 

Syncretism can be seen in historic 

buildings throughout Delhi, in four 

areas being nominated as part of 

the WH City of Delhi-Mehrauli, 

Nizamuddin, Shahjahanabad and New 

Delhi 

(v)The nominated site is an 

outstanding example of traditional 

human settlements and land use, 

which is representative of cultures, 

especially when it has become 

vulnerable under the impact of 

irreversible change. 

The various cities within Delhi were 

built as capitals of the ruling dynasty 

at different times in response to very 

specific social, political and cultural 

catalysts. Two of these, the walled city 

of Shajahanabad and New Delhi remain 

intact as traditional human settlements 

of outstanding universal significance. 

The town planning of Shahjahanabad 

was no doubt influenced by Iranian 

ideas – as expressed in texts like 

the Rasail Ikhwan al Safa, and the 

examples of West Asian cities, such as 

Isfahan. But scholars believe that the 

plan of Shahjahanabad was equally 

influenced by the ancient Indian texts 

on architecture – the Vastu Shastra. 

Moreover, the organic growth of 

the city in the centuries following 

its establishment has reflected the 

assimilative tendencies in Indian 

society – with various religious sects, 

occupational and ethnic groups finding 

space within the city without any one 

being privileged over the others. 

Shahjahanabad still retains most of its 

medieval street plan. Broad streets 

connect to major traffic arteries leading 

out of the city – such as the north south 

axis between Kashmiri Gate and Delhi 

Gate. Secondary streets link major 

landmarks and gates of the city. Most 

of these are also important bazaars, 

many of which date to Shahjahan’s time 

and/or deal in commodities that have 

changed little, for instance Dariba Kalan 

specializes in jewellery, Kinari bazaar in 

gilt and laces, Khari Baoli in spices. 

The narrow lanes – galis and kuchas, 

leading from the main bazaars follow 

their own logic. The buildings closely 

38 


DELHI: A HERITAGE CITY Nomination to UNESCO’s List of World Heritage Cities Justification Description of Outstanding of the Universal Nominated value Area 

lining them shield the walker from the 

hot sun of the day. The density of the 

streets and buildings also make the 

city a compact space, which can be 

comfortably traversed on foot. Within 

numerous gated cul-de-sacs, are katras 

– commercial emporia specializing in 

specific commodities. 

Traditional housing (of which much 

remains in Shahjahanabad) follows 

the pattern of the courtyard house 

or haveli. Rooms are usually built 

around a central open space that can 

be used by the family in privacy from 

the street outside. Carved sandstone 

facades, chabutras (platforms beside 

the main entrance) and overhanging 

balconies mark the transition zone 

and mediate the interaction of the 

haveli with the street. The city and 

its structures thus represent a certain 

style of urban living, which though 

it still survives, is undergoing rapid 

change. With aspirations running to 

motorized vehicles and shopping in 

air conditioned malls, many erstwhile 

residents have moved out of the havelis 

which have become commercial 

establishments – mostly workshops 

and storage godowns. 

New Delhi, built between 1913 

and 1931, exhibits an interaction 

of a different sort. Two traditional 

Western trends – The American ‘City 

Beautiful’ and the British ‘Garden City’ 

movements, were blended with the 

peculiar needs of British colonialism 

in India. 

Its grand Central Vista, linking 

Rashtrapati Bhawan (originally 

Viceroy’s House) with India Gate (the 

War Memorial arch) the canopy, and 

the National Stadium just beyond, is 

on the one hand reminiscent of the 

Champs Elysees in Paris or the Mall 

at Washington. On the other hand it 

is not dissimilar to the broad Mughal 

ceremonial way in Shahjahanabad – 

leading from the Red Fort via Chandni 

Chowk to Fatehpuri Mosque. 

Unlike the medieval city however, New 

Delhi’s street plan was influenced by 

the Garden City movement, with treelined 

avenues and individual houses on 

large plots of land. At the same time 

it was different from say Canberra, a 

Garden City of a similar period, which 

had a significantly denser built up 

area. Here, New Delhi drew on the 

older tradition of the British Indian 

bungalow which was set back from 

the street and shielded from view as 

well as contact with much of the outer 

world. 

(vi) be directly or tangibly associated 

with events or living traditions, with 

ideas, or with beliefs, with artistic 

and literary works of outstanding 

universal significance. 

An important aspect of the composite 

culture that is characteristic of much of 

South Asia, can be seen in the realm of 

religious practice, i.e. in the seats of the 

Sufi saints; and here Delhi has had a 

wide-ranging influence. Sufism was an 

aspect of Islam that was born in West 

Asia, but developed along independent 

lines and gained immense popularity 

in South Asia even with non-Muslim 

populations. In the practices of the 

Sufis, who have been a cultural, and 

at times even political, force, there 

was common ground with the ideas of 

bhakti or personal devotion to God that 

existed in the Hindu tradition. This is 

no doubt one of the factors that have 

attracted so many people of different 

faiths to the Sufi shrines over the 

centuries. Many of the characteristics 

of the typically Indian variant of 

Sufism, which is even today a strong 

influence throughout South Asia, have 

a history of beginnings in Delhi. In fact, 

so strongly has Delhi been associated 

with the Sufi saints (there are believed 

to be 22 important shrines), that 

for much of its history the city was 

a 

b 

a.One of the greatest Urdu 

and Persian poets of the 

time, Asadullah Khan Ghalib 

©National Museum, Delhi. 

b. Saint Nizamuddin Auliya and 

his disciple Amir Khusro. 

a b 

c 

d 

a, b. The art of dastangoi is 

witnessing a revival 

c. Elaborately decorated 

pankhas or fans are offered at 

the temple of Yog Maya and the 

shrine of Qutbuddin Bakhtiyar 

Kaki during the festival of 

Phoolwalon ki Sair. 

d. Qawwali programme 

known as ‘Hazrat Dehli’; hazrat being 

the respectful title used for a saint. 

The saints, with their liberal religious 

practice attracted not only converts 

and devotees in large numbers; they 

also provided the political power 

with a model of governance that was 

based on a tolerance of non-Muslim 

populations. Delhi, even as it was the 

capital of an empire that purportedly 

derived its legitimacy from Islam, 

continued to have a large Hindu 

population. 

Some of the most important Sufi 

shrines of the sub-continent are to be 

found at Mehrauli, Nizamuddin, and 

Shahjahanabad among other locations. 

Mehrauli and Nizamuddin contain the 

shrines of two of the most influential 

saints of the Chishti order – Qutbuddin 

Bakhtiyar Kaki and Nizamuddin Auliya 

respectively; while Shahjahanabad has 

several shrines of only slightly less well 

known saints such as Shah Turkman, 

Sarmad Shaheed and Hare Bhare Shah. 

Nizamuddin has been associated with 

Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya and Hazrat 

Amir Khusrau. In keeping with Sufi 

pluralistic traditions, they were without 

doubt, the most popular proponents of 

what has come to be called Hindustani 

culture, a fine synthesis of Hindu and 

Muslim elements into a synergetic 

whole. Amir Khusrau, a devout 

follower of the Chishtiya order while 

being associated with the courts of at 

least seven kings of Delhi, straddled the 

spiritual and materialistic worlds with 

ease. 

Sama, or qawwali is an important part 

of the legacy of the Sufis, particularly of 

the Chishti order, as is the evolution of 

forms which incorporated indigenous 

Indian musical traditions and the 

Hindavi language with Persian 

traditions. 

Language and literature were not 

unaffected by the cultural melting pot 

of Delhi. Farsi (Persian) became the 

language of the state and of high culture 

in the early days of the Sultanate when 

the capital was located at Mehrauli. 

But early attempts at blending it with 

the local dialect spoken around Delhi 

were seen in the poetry of Amir Khusro, 

a devotee and friend of Nizamuddin 

Auliya who is buried next to the great 

saint. Slowly Urdu developed – blending 

a number of words from different 

sources including Persian and Turki, 

into the local language or Khari boli. 

The name that came to be applied to this 

language in Mughal times, i.e., zaban-e 

urdu-e mu’alla-e Shahjahanabad (the 

language of the exalted city/court of 

Shahjahanabad) underlined its close 

connection with the city. Urdu soon 

spread over much of the sub-continent, 

and its literature, (much of it produced 

in Delhi) is counted among the great 

literatures of the world. 

The link between the dargah of Qutb 

Sahib and the Hauz-e-Shamsi was 

further reinforced in the 1810s with the 

birth of a new tradition, the Phoolwalon 

ki sair or ‘festival of the flower sellers’. 

This celebration of Hindu-Muslim amity 

is a tradition that has survived to the 

present time, and is an annual festival at 

Mehrauli. 

40 




Statements of authenticity and /or integrity 

Statements of authenticity and/or integrity 

Delhi is a living city. It accommodates 

the remains of over a thousand 

years of building in different states 

of preservation of their respective 

authenticity and integrity. 

The authenticity of the form and design 

of the nominated area varies in the 

four historic sites that are proposed 

for consideration. Use and function 

has remained authentic to a very high 

degree. Location and setting of all 

four sites has been largely retained. 

Language and other forms of intangible 

heritage have survived in the heritage 

precincts of Mehrauli and Nizamuddin 

and continue till today. 

The history of these sites has been 

captured in the accounts of ancient 

travellers, like Ibn Batuta, Francois 

Bernier, etc. Ancient texts like the 

Mahabharata records the origins of 

an ancient settlement in this area and 

other scribal texts and oral records 

have been used to gather data. 

Company Paintings from the late 18th 

century onwards are an excellent 

record of the built scapes and human 

scapes detailing cultural traditions, 

buildings, landforms, etc. Reputable 

scholars have researched and traced 

the evolution of Mehrauli and 

Nizamuddin from archival sources and 

photographic records from the middle 

of the nineteen century have been used 

to fill in details and make inferences. 

The descriptions and information of 

Shahjahanabad and New Delhi are on 

firmer footings 

Mehrauli 

Forming the nominated area in 

Mehrauli is 1)the original extent of Lal 

Kot, identified as the site of the first 

fortified city of Delhi and its subsequent 

extension known as Qila Rai Pithora, 2) 

Mehrauli village of which the Dargah of 

Bakhtiyar Kaki is an integral part and 

3)Mehrauli Archaeological Park in the 

vicinity of the dargah, where tombs and 

mosques were built up to the modern 

period of the city. 

While traces of the fortifications of the 

walled city remain, there is a substantial 

number of surviving monumental 

buildings that have retained their 

original form, design and materials. 

The nominated area is an integral 

whole and includes the original extent 

of the Rajput fortification. The clusters 

of buildings even in their residual 

state provide coherent evidence of 

the character of Delhi’s first urban 

settlement. The surviving ensemble of 

buildings which includes structures like 

the Qutb Minar and Quwwat-ul-Islam 

Mosque, is evidence of an early stage 

in the development of a distinct Delhi 

style, characterized by an innovative 

mix of cultures, technologies, materials 

and decorative motifs. The ensemble 

of buildings from the fortified city 

that survives are looked after by the 

Archaeological Survey of India and 

all rules and regulations pertaining 

to development in the prohibited and 

protected zones of these buildings 

are enforced thereby ensuring that 

the integrity and authenticity of these 

structures will remain intact. 

Mehrauli village which houses the 

Dargah of Qutbuddin Baktiyar Kaki 

(early 13th C) is representative of the 

living Sufi traditions that originated 

here and the Mehrauli Archaeological 

Park. These developments took 

place because of the aura of the saint 

and together with the dargah are 

the attributes of the unique living 

tradition of the Phoolwalon-ki-sair, 

which is celebrated by both Hindus 

and Muslims as an extraordinary 

evidence of communal harmony. The 

dargah is also known for the practice of 

undisturbed meditation in seclusion, a 

necessary precondition for the next 

level of spiritual awareness. 

The Master Plan 

2021 recognises that 

the urban heritage 

of Delhi needs to 

be conserved and 

outlines policies and 

sets out directives 

which if followed 

would give the much 

needed impetus to the 

preservation of Delhi’s 

heritage. 

With a view to 

safeguard the built 

and natural heritage 

of Delhi, Delhi 

Heritage Foundation 

(DUHF) was set up by 

DDA, under Sec.5-A 

of Delhi Development 

Act, under the 

chairmanship of the 

Hon’ble Lt. Governor 

of Delhi. 

Mehrauli continues to thrive as a 

traditional living settlement and is 

faced with the pressures of modern 

development with its original built 

stock having evolved over the years 

however the morphology of the city 

with their original function and use 

typical of traditional settlement 

remains unchanged and will continue 

to do so because of the high level of 

awareness and sense of reverence 

that prevails with regard to anything 

associated with the Sufi Saint. 

The structures in the Archaeological 

Park are now listed buildings and most 

of them have now been conserved and 

linked through trails and interpretive 

signage allowing them to be read as a 

cognitive whole. 

Nizamuddin 

The area nominated in Nizamuddin 

comprises of 1) the traditional 

settlement that developed around 

the dargah of the Sufi saint Hazrat 

Nizamuddin Auliya, covering 

exactly the same area as the ancient 

settlement, and 2) the Nizamuddin 

precinct which saw considerable 

building activity in the form of tombs 

and mosques that were built in this 

area because of the aura of the sufi 

saint. The two are coherent in an 

organic settlement morphology which 

forms an integral, cognitive whole. 

The scale and nature of development 

in Nizamuddin precinct (impressive 

complexes like Humayun’s Tomb) adds 

to its coherence demonstrating the 

level at which the saint was venerated 

and continues to be, till today. 

The Nizamuddin dargah settlement 

still has the practitioners of the cultural 

traditions like the maulvis living within 

the original settlement and continuing 

with their traditional roles. There is a 

high level of awareness about the value 

of their traditions. For most people 

living within the settlement, since 

their means of earning a livelihood are 

activities related to and connected with 

the dargah, there is a certain sensitivity 

and willingness to maintain the 

uniqueness of the area. The traditional 

settlement still retains it original urban 

morphology and street pattern, barring 

of course the normal pressures of 

development that the settlement has 

sometimes fallen prey to. Most palpable 

in this settlement is the spirit of religious 

fervour and feeling of reverence for the 

Sufi saint and all associated traditions 

The Nizamuddin precinct is protected 

by the rules and regulations of the 

ASI. Private initiatives like the Urban 

Renewal Initiative by the Aga Khan 

Trust for Culture which includes 

the conservation of individual 

monuments using traditional tools and 

building techniques, renewal of the 

surrounding spaces and environment, 

and sustainable socio-economic 

development to improve the quality 

of life of the local community will 

eventually restore the significance of 

this historic ensemble. 

Shahjahanabad 

The walled city of Shahjahanabad in 

its original form and design is being 

nominated as part of the World Heritage 

City. The physical form of the walled city 

has survived as also four of the original 

gates of the city. 

The city has evolved with time, most 

significantly as a result of the aftermath 

of historical events like the Uprising 

of 1857, which changed the spatial 

character of parts of the walled city. 

In the 19th century, the northern part 

of the walled city saw changes when 

the British administration was located 

here, and western style buildings such 

as the Town Hall and St. James Church 

were introduced. 

42 




Comparison with other similar properties 


The comparitive ananlysis aims to highlight the distinctiveness of Delhi as compared to the various historic cities in 

the geo-cultural region, by examining the influence on city planning, morphology, architecture and intangible heritage. 

Delhi has been compared globally to the cities of Rome and Cairo; regionally with the cities of Samarkand and Lahore 

and locally with the cities of Agra and Lucknow. 

Delhi had always been a capital city and the centre for seat of power over several centuries. Though several empires 

were formed and rulers changed, the city never stopped growing. City of Delhi can be compared to several other cities 

in the broader region of Asia and West Asia. The architectural style, planning principles which are the features of the 

above mentioned cities exhibits very rich heritage and are comparable to Delhi. However Delhi stands unique as a 

culmination of various architectural styles and amalgamation of various cultures. 

The plan of Rome developed in a radio 

centric fashion around functional 

nodes. Sight lines, axes, nodes 

and viewpoints became integral 

components of the design and planning 

of the city. Though Delhi shows this 

system of planning, the amalgamation 

of Hindu and European concept of city 

planning has been well synthesized 

unlike Rome. 

However, in most parts of the city, the 

urban morphology and monumental 

buildings of the Mughal period remains 

intact and the residential structures 

have been rebuilt on the original 

footprint - typical development in a 

living city of this antiquity. In certain 

areas commercial developments have 

replaced the residents in the original 

buildings, adding considerably to 

the load on its infrastructure. These 

issues are now being addressed by 

the newly created Shahjahanabad 

Redevelopment Corporation. 

New Delhi – The original form and 

design of New Delhi as designed by 

Edwin Lutyens is being nominated 

as part of the World Heritage City of 

Delhi. The entire planned city together 

with its location and setting, the ridge 

which forms a backdrop to the central 

vista and its monumental buildings 

and its radial tree lined avenues, is part 

of the area proposed for nomination. 

The design which is a synthesis of 

the Garden City Movement and City 

Beautiful Movement, both very strong 

town planning concepts of the 19th 

century has been almost wholly 

preserved (with the exception of the 

commercial district of Connaught 

place which has seen some change in 

the building heights). All other parts of 

this planned city have remained largely 

unaffected by subsequent pressures of 

development. The area is now under 

strong conservation regulations. 

The cross section of the streets with the 

original avenue planting is still retained. 

Having completed their life span these 

trees now need to be replaced and 

a comprehensive proposal has been 

prepared for replanting of the avenues. 

Any maintenance work undertaken 

uses the traditions and techniques that 

were originally used to build the city. 

With such stringent 

rules and guidelines 

in place and initiative 

and with the effort of 

local citizens there 

is no doubt that the 

authenticity and 

integrity of Delhi’s 

historic past will be 

retained. 

a. 

Date of Inscription: 

1980 , 

Extension: 1990 

Criteria: (i) (ii) (iii) 

(iv) (vi) 

Area of Property : 

1,485 ha 

a. Maps of nominated area of 

historical city of Rome. 

Historic Centre of Rome: 

the Properties of the Holy See in 

that City Enjoying Extraterritorial 

Rights and San Paolo Fuori le 

Mura 

Over several centuries Rome remained 

the capital city of many ruling Empires. 

The city of Rome was the centre of the 

Roman Republic around 500 BC and 

the Roman Empire from 44 BC to 3rd 

century AD. It reached its peak during 

the Roman Empire while being ruled by 

Emperor Trajan from 98 AD to 117 AD. 

The boundaries of the Roman Empire 

extended to a vast area influencing 

several regions in language, religion, 

architecture, philosophy and law. 

Rome became the capital centre of 

Christian world in 4th century AD. 

Christianity was profusely practiced 

and monuments of that period became 

directly and tangibly associated 

unlike in Delhi where not only such 

religious practices and traditions were 

associated with monuments but also 

exerted different intangible forms. 

The intangible aspects in Delhi were 

manifested through the development of 

music, art, craft, language, performing 

art and tradition. The intermingling of 

several cultures led to the development 

of Sufism in Delhi in its own unique and 

independent form. Urdu as a language 

and qawwali as a form of music are 

examples of unique rendition of 

language and art. 

Rome in the 4th century AD became 

the capital of Christian world and later 

accepted and practiced profusely by 

several other countries. In Delhi, Sufism 

was introduced which developed in 

its own independent lines and later 

accepted by other parts of the country. 

44 





a. 

a. 

a. 

Historic Cairo 

The historic city of Cairo can be dated 

from the early 1641 AD following 

a Muslim conquest, though the city 

was founded in 10th century AD 

with the relocation of El-Qahirah 

by the Fatimids and the citadel was 

constructed which became the nucleus 

of Cairo in the medieval period. 

Cairo always remained a dominating 

political, cultural and religious centre 

of the Islamic world. Over a period of 

time the city was constantly enlarged 

by several rulers who conquered the 

city similar to Delhi which was made 

into the capital city of many empires. 

Cairo reached its peak of development 

in the 14th century AD. The city was 

conquered by the Ottomans and 

became a part of the Ottoman Empire 

in the early 16th century AD. 

The historic Islamic city of Cairo has 

attained the highest grade of human 

genius in its building monuments 

having unique architectural and 

artistic character. The urban planning 

or the morphological character of the 

city also describes the uniqueness and 

excellence of town planning in terms 

of its numerous streets, dwellings and 

human settlements. 

Both Cairo and Delhi became the 

capital cities for significant kingdoms 

that brought development in terms 

of monuments, ensembles of large 

complexes and a distinct town planning 

character for the city. Architecture and 

material technology also developed 

and attracted artists from a larger 

geographical area and likewise the 

vocabulary and the technique of 

construction also developed. 

Unlike the Islamic city of Cairo; which 

was planned on the town planning 

principles of the Fatimids, the historic 

city of Delhi was planned with an 

amalgamation of Persian system 

of city planning with Islamic ideas 

and ideals of the Indian text of Vastu 

Shastra. This concept of town can be 

distinctly seen within the walled city of 

Shahjahanabad. 


1979 

Criteria: (i) (v) (vi) 

Area of Property: 

524 ha 

a. Maps of nominated area of 

Cairo 


2001 

Criteria: (i) (ii) (iv) 

Area of Property: 

965 ha 

a. Map of nominated area of 

Samarkand. 

Samarkand: Crossroads of 

cultures 

The city of Samarkand which is more 

than 3000 years old was well known 

throughout history as a social, political, 

cultural and economic centre of Central 

Asia. Like the city of Delhi, Samarkand 

had been conquered and ruled by 

several rulers, each bringing with them 

art, architecture and culture which over 

several years became a component of 

the Samanid lifestyle. The first evidence 

of settlement of Afrosiabin Samarkand 

goes back to 1500BC almost similar to 

Delhi, with the inception of the city of 

Pandavas at Indrapastha. 

Both the cities during a certain 

period of time (Samarkand-13th C 

AD to 15th C AD and Delhi 15th C AD 

to 17th C AD) reached a highpoint 

in Islamic architectural creativity. 

Samarkand reached its economical and 

architectural pinnacle during the reign 

of Timur while Delhi during the reign of 

Shahjahan. Samarkand was later ruled 

by the Russians and Delhi by the British. 

Samarkand has been inscribed in the 

World Heritage list on the basis of 

its criteria (ii) and (iv) but the preeminence 

of Delhi is defined through 

the criteria (vi) where the intangible 

aspect also becomes an integral part for 

development and growth of the city. 

While Samarkand is a complete 

ensemble of an Islamic city, the city of 

Delhi (Shahjahanabad) was designed 

based on the Islamic ideas along with 

ideals drawn from the Persian city 

planning. The Indian text on Vastu 

Shastra was also referred for designing 

the urban fabric of the then city during 

the rule of Mughal king Shahjahan. The 

similar idiom of town planning was 

followed during the designing of New 

Delhi where not only Indian principles 

were followed but also the concept of 

“Garden City” was applied. 

In terms of its intangible heritage, Delhi 

became the epicenter for the origination 

of Urdu as a language. Urdu itself was 

an amalgam of the Turkic, Persian and 

local language Sanskriti Prakrit. Though 

Sufi culture existed in other parts of 

West Asia, Sufism developed on its 

own independent lines in Delhi where 

influences from Hindu traditions were 

taken. The Qawwali tradition introduced 

by Amir Khusro also developed by fusing 

Persian and Indian music. 

While Samarkand stands testimony to 

the Islamic city planning, the distinctive 

character of Delhi lies in its unique 

morphology and amalgamation of both 

the Islamic planning principles and the 

garden city concepts much influenced 

by the intangible cultural aspects. 

46 





a. b. 

Lahore 

c. 

a. 

Lahore, the second largest city in 

Pakistan is considered to be the 

cultural capital of the once Punjab 

province. The city dates back to almost 

2000 years, successively serving as 

the regional capital of several empires. 

Lahore like Delhi is situated along the 

crossing of the Silk Route which has led 

to an interchange of several cultures 

over many centuries. This interchange 

of ideas brought along new forms of 

art, craft, rituals, beliefs, architecture 

and technology. 

The ancient cities of Lahore and Delhi 

had been ruled by several dynasties 

over many centuries. Similar to Delhi, 

Lahore had been the cultural capital 

of the north western sub-continent 

and poets from several countries such 

as Egypt, Persia, Samarkand, Bukhara 

impacted the culture of the city. 

During the Mughal Dynasty both in 

Lahore and Delhi art, architecture and 

music reached its pinnacle. A new 

architectural style which included the 

use of cusped arches and amalgamation 

of several architectural aesthetics 

developed. With the influences from 

several cultures, new architectural 

terminologies developed. Both the 

walled cities were an ensemble of 

several activities and architectural 

components like the havelis, residential 

quarters, markets, places of worship, 

mix of narrow and broad streets, though 

the layout differed. Unlike the layout of 

Lahore which was more of the Persian 

style, Delhi had influences taken from 

Persia, India and Islamic concepts of 

town planning. 

Even though Lahore was strategically 

located in terms of trade, unlike Delhi 

it did not have any natural barrier 

which allowed invasions and plunder 

several times weakening the city and 

its growth. Delhi continued to be as a 

place more powerful and important 

throughout history. With the shifting of 

Mughal capital from Lahore to Agra and 

then to Delhi the historic city of Lahore 

lost its charm and started to dwindle 

until conquered by the Sikhs and later 

by the British. 

Lahore, which was the cultural capital 

once, started losing its historical and 

political importance whereas Delhi 

till date continues to be of political 

importance and has developed its art, 

craft, music and language with the 

influence from several other cultures, 

over many centuries. Music like 

qawwali and the Urdu language both 

developed along its own independent 

lines in Delhi absorbing influences from 

Persian, Turkish and Sanskrit language. 

a. Marble pavalion and old 

entrance of the Lahore fort 

1860-1870 James Craddock @ 

Victoria and Albert Museum.. 

b. Lahore from Wazeer, 1850s to 

1870s, Frith, Francis, @Victoria 

and Albert Museum.. 

c. Street seen in the walled city, 

Lahore, 1855-1856, Carpenter, 

William, @Victoria and Albert 

Museum 

a. . Panaromic view of the 

Fort, Agra, 1840 Painting, 

Source:Victoria and Albert 

Museum 

Agra 

The historic city of Agra first finds a 

mention in Mahabharat as Agraven and 

later came to be known as Akbarabad 

during the reign of the Mughals. As per 

the legends, the history of the city goes 

back 2500 years, and only in the reign 

of the Mughal rulers, Agra became a 

prosperous and provincial city. Located 

along the banks of River Yamuna, Agra 

has three remarkable world heritage 

sites- Taj Mahal, Fatehpur Sikri and 

Agra Fort. 

Both Agra and Delhi have been centres 

of the Mughal Empire from 16th to 17th 

century AD. Agra had been the capital 

city of Babur, Humayun and Akbar 

whose contributions in city planning 

defined the highest degree of creative 

genius of man. The architecture and 

city planning reflect influence of Indian, 

Persian and colonial architecture. The 

sensitive additions in the architectural 

vocabulary further accentuated the art, 

craft, architecture and technology of the 

buildings. Humayun’s Tomb in Delhi 

further influenced the architecture of 

the Taj Mahal. 

Agra primarily exhibits the creativity 

of the unparalleled architectural 

vocabulary of the Mughal rulers; Delhi 

on the other hand shows a distinct 

visible architectural character from the 

oldest city of Mehrauli to the Mughal 

Empire in Shahjahanabad and the new 

Indo-British architecture in the 20th 

century colonial city. Distinct influence 

of the British power in India defining 

a new vocabulary of architecture for 

administrative structures marks the 

city and influences its growth and 

morphology. 

Both Delhi and Agra had been influenced 

by Sufism. The dargah of saint Sheikh 

Salim Chisti (1478-1572 AD) lies in the 

city of Fathepur Sikri, Agra, while in 

Delhi lies the Dargah of Bakhtiyar Kaki 

(1173-1235 AD) and Nizamuddin Auliya 

(1238-1325 AD) of the Chistiya order. 

As a capital city of many ruling empires, 

the essence of Delhi as a political centre 

and seat of power never fizzled even 

after the decline of the Mughal Empire 

while in Agra after the capital was 

shifted by Shahjahan and later with 

the decline of Mughal power, the city 

became an administrative centre. Unlike 

the city of Agra which seized to be the 

capital centre once the Mughal Empire 

was shifted to Delhi, Delhi continued to 

play an important role in the nation. 

48 

State Party - INDIA 49



b. 

b. 

a. 

Lucknow 

Lucknow is the present capital city of 

Uttar Pradesh located along the River 

Gomti. The city is known to have been 

built by Lakshman, the brother of 

Rama, from where the city derives its 

name as Lakhanpur. Though Lucknow 

had always been an important 

multicultural city with ever flourishing 

trade, it was never the capital city of 

any ruling empire until independent 

kingdoms like Awadh were established 

after the Mughal Empire disintegrated 

in this region around late 18th century. 

Later Lucknow became the capital city 

and an administrative region within 

the Awadh province after the court of 

the fourth Nawab Asaf-ud-Daula was 

shifted from Faizabad in 1775AD. 

The multi-cultural facet of the city is 

due to the influence of trade and the 

syncretic composite culture came to be 

known as the Ganga-Jamuni Tehzeeb. 

The exchange of several cultures also 

brought with it development and 

introduction of new forms of art, craft, 

architecture and technology. The art of 

kite making reached its pinnacle during 

the reign of Nawabs. Delhi reached its 

architectural pinnacle during the rule 

of Mughals while Lucknow during the 

Nawab reign. The architectural style 

that developed in both these cities was 

not an ensemble of any one culture but 

an amalgamation of several influences 

like Mughal, Rajput and Colonial. 

Lucknow became the capital city of 

a smaller region known as Awadh 

(Oudh). Lucknow was considered to 

be the cultural capital of the Northern 

Province after the advent of Nawabs 

while Delhi due to its status of a 

capital continued to be the place for 

the origination of several forms of art, 

craft, language, dance and music. The 

language Urdu, music as qawwali and 

rituals and customs of Sufism found its 

own definition in Delhi. These forms of 

intangible heritage were adopted and 

further refined in the courts of Nawabs 

in Lucknow at a much later period. 

c. 

a. View of Lucknow, Lucknow, 

1891, unknown, @ Victoria & 

Albert museum 

b. View in the Kaiser Bagh, 

1864-1865, Bourne & Shepherd, 

@ Victoria & Albert museum 

c. View of the Kaiser Bagh 

in Lucknow, 1864, Simpson, 

William ,@Victoria & Albert 

museum 

50 

State Party - INDIA

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