Download - Delhi Heritage City

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Medieval And Colonial Capital Cities Of DelhiDESCRIPTION2 a Description of PropertyThe area proposed for nomination comprises of Shahjahanabad, and New Delhi. The former was founded as thecapital of the Mughal Empire, by the Emperor Shahjahan in the mid 17th century ( between 1639‐ 1648). NewDelhi was the British colonial capital, designed by a Town Planning Committee headed by Edwin Lutyens and builtbetween 1912‐31, adjacent to the Mughal city. Both are outstanding examples of town planning of their times;and continue to function as iconic precincts of the capital of republican India and are symbolic of the city’sextraordinary historic antecedents.Shahjahanabad, although a medieval city, is today very much a living vibrant city. The size and shape of the city,its main streets and major landmarks, which were the product of Imperial planning, are still largely intact and stilldefine the character of the city. The city’s original urban morphology, along with the key buildings is still surviving,making it a supreme example of Mughal city planning. The city has a perimeter of 8 kilometers and encloses anarea of about 590 ha.Shahjahanabad’s townscape is characterised by a few key features. Within the imperial city, the focus is the Qilai‐Mubarak(or Red Fort as it is called today)—the imperial palace complex. It is the largest and grandest structurein the city, laid out in the north east corner of the city fronting the River Yamuna. Red Fort, with its elegantpalaces, symbolises a legacy of political power, which is why the Prime Minister’s address to the nation onIndependence Day is from the Red Fort.What was once the principal bazaar street along the east‐west axis, Chandni Chowk which starts at the LahoreGate of Red Fort and continues west till the chowk of Fatehpuri Masjid, is still the heart of the city. Chandnichowk is a fascinating melange of buildings from different eras of the city’s history, but with a throbbing pulse inthe present. It is a lively commercial hub, with many places of worship—mosques, Hindu and Jain temples,gurudwaras, churches. The northern section of Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, which runs through Darya Ganj (it wasoriginally called Faiz Bazaar), is the north‐south axis of the city, starting from the Delhi Gate of the city till theDelhi Gate of the fort. This street then continues northwards as Netaji Subhash Marg till Kashmiri Gate. Thesewere the two principal axes of the city and continue to be major commercial spines.Besides the fort, the other important building in the city today is the Friday congregational mosque, the JamaMasjid, which was placed on a natural rise in the ground. Four roads radiate from Jama Masjid in four directions,towards Hauz Qazi Chowk, Daryagang, Red Fort and Chandni Chowk.A network of streets link different parts of the city like the fort, public squares, places of worship, city gates andthe residential areas. The hierarchy in the size and character of the streets: viz the bazaar streets, kuchas, galishas provided the city with a circulation network. Within this framework of streets, settlements have developed,giving the city its unique form. There is a distinct pattern that is still legible, the thanas(wards)and mohallas( areasor residential pockets). The original residential stock of intricately carved facades and doorways of havelis stillexist as do the green courtyards of traditionally laid out homes.Red Fort (Qila‐i‐Mubarak)The Red Fort was originally built along the banks of River Yamuna and the city was planned keeping the fort as thefocal point of development. Located in the centre of the eastern face of the city, the fort wall has 21 bastions, amoat and four gates‐Lahori gate, Akbarabadi gate, Salimgarh gate and Khizr gate. The Fort is an irregularoctagon in plan measuring 3100 ft X 1650 ft with a perimeter of 2.41 km, enclosing an area of 125 acres. The31‐07‐2012 INTACH, Delhi Chapter 2
Medieval And Colonial Capital Cities Of DelhiDESCRIPTIONheight of the fort wall varies from 60 ft to 75 ft and it is 45 ft to 30 ft in width. In keeping with the character of therest of the city, the high walls of the citadel are cased with dressed sandstone, though interspersed with posternsand bastions, suggesting privacy and grandeur rather than defence.The main entrance to the citadel is through the Lahore Gate, so named because it faces the city of Lahore and theother gate of the fort, Delhi Gate, faces what used to be the old city of Delhi, and further south, Agra. LahoreGate consists of three separate sections. The bridge before entering the fort was built for Emperor Akbar II (r.1806‐37). Shahjahan’s successor Aurangzeb added the 10.5m high barbican —the fortification enclosing theLahore Gate and making its approach less straightforward. Beyond the barbican, and at right angles to it, standsthe Lahore Gate itself, a three‐storeyed structure of red sandstone flanked on either side by half‐octagonalturrets topped by open pavilions. This central portion of the gateway is a style Shahjahan used commonly in hisgateways: a row of small chhatris, each topped by a white marble dome, and with a minaret at either end of therow.Some key heritage structures in the fort:o Chatta Chowk Just beyond Lahori gate is a covered market, chatta chowk , a long arcade with shops oneither side.o Naqar Khana Beyond chatta chowk lies the Naqar Khana (also called the Naubat Khana) Originally thedrum house of the Red Fort, this today houses the site office of the Archaeological Survey of India andwas the main entrance to the Diwan‐e‐Aam (the Hall of Public Audience) beyond.o Diwan‐e‐aam A striking, beautifully symmetrical palace with open sides and front, made of redsandstone. It stands on a high plinth, with a deep chhaja (overhang) projecting below the roof, which hassmall chhatris or pavilions at the north‐western and south‐western ends. Elegant cusped arches on flutedcolumns divide the Diwan‐e‐Aam into 27 square bays. The highlight of the hall is the magnificent whitemarble throne that stands in the centre of the eastern wall, exquisitely decorated, with a curvingBangalda or whaleback roof, and carvings of flowers, particularly daffodils, all along the lower front of thestructure. The wall behind the throne is especially beautiful, inlaid in very fine and extensive pietra durawork depicting trees, flowers and birds.The main palaces that used to be occupied by the royal family are situated along what was then the river front:o Mumtaz Mahal A relatively plain white building, the southernmost of the buildings fronting the river. Ithas been converted into an Archaeological museum displaying artefacts from the Mughal era. The hall isbuilt in white marble with six sections divided by five archways.o Rang Mahal Located behind the Diwan‐e‐aam, this palace building made of white marble and shellplaster, is also known as the Imtiyaz Mahal (the `palace of distinction’). The structure has anunderground chamber called tehkhana. The entrance of the structure is through five broad archways withcusped arches. The centre of the hall has a lotus shaped fountain. At the extreme end of the building aresmall chambers inlaid with fine mirror‐work, fine strips of silvery mirror forming arabesques andgeometrical patterns on the ceiling and upper walls.o Khaas Mahal Next to the Rang Mahal are four contiguous structures—the Khwabgah, Baithak, TasbihKhana and Musamman Burj—that together form the Khaas Mahal. The Tasbih Khana consists of threerooms facing the Diwan‐e‐Khaas (the Hall of Private Audience); behind the Tasbih Khana are the threerooms that form the Khwabgah, or the sleeping chambers. Adjacent to the Khwabgah is the Baithak orTosha Khana, and at the east end of the Khaas Mahal is the Musamman Burj, a semi‐octagonal tower withcarved marble jalis (screens) and a jharokha (oriel window) in the centre. The Khaas Mahal, and especiallythe Khwabgah, is extremely ornamental, with finely carved white marble throughout, particularly, the31‐07‐2012 INTACH, Delhi Chapter 3
Page 5 and 6: MEDIEVAL AND COLONIAL CAPITAL CITIE
Page 7: 5.d Existing plans related to munic
Page 11: 2 DESCRIPTION
Page 15 and 16: Medieval And Colonial Capital Citie
Page 21: Medieval And Colonial Capital Citie
Page 62 and 63:
Medieval And Colonial Capital Citie
Page 64 and 65:
Medieval and Colonial Capital Citie
Page 66 and 67:
Page 68 and 69:
Page 70 and 71:
Page 72 and 73:
Page 74 and 75:
Page 76 and 77:
Page 78 and 79:
Page 80 and 81:
Page 82 and 83:
nMedieval and Colonial Capital Citi
Page 84 and 85:
4 STATE OF CONSERVATION
Page 86 and 87:
city also exist in much the same ma
Page 88 and 89:
STATE OF CONSERVATION ANDFACTORS AF
Page 90:
STATE OF CONSERVATION ANDFACTORS AF
show all

Download - Delhi Heritage City

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?