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Medieval And Colonial Capital Cities Of DelhiDESCRIPTIONbazars of the imperial capital, particularly those that lined the main streets. These shops consisted of roomsunder arcades, with warehouses at the back, above which was the accomodation for the merchant and his family.The new city also had to connect to the outer world, as much as it had to be demarcated from it. To this end acity wall was built and it was pierced by several well placed gates. Through these the internal streets of the cityconnected up with roads leading out of the city. Their nomenclature, Kashmiri gate, Lahori Gate, Kabul gate,Delhi Gate, Ajmeri gate, emphasized their outward‐looking character, and established the centrality ofShahjahanabd as the capital of a far‐flung empire. An important continuity that was incorporated into the plan,was the preservation of the alignment of the Grand Trunk road, which stretched diagonally throughShahjahanabad, connecting the Turkman and Lahori gates. Several city gates gave access to the all importantriver, where the Hindus in particular bathed, and on the banks of which they cremated their dead.The city also had to provide a pleasant environment for its citizens. To this end trees were planted along thestreets, and large gardens were laid out, particularly in the northern part of the city, where the largest garden wasthe Begum ka Bagh, laid out by the emperor’s daughter, Jahanara. Gardens also surround the Red Fort. Water, animportant element in the gardens and buildings of the Mughals, was provided by the extension of an older canalwhich had been commissioned by the emperor Firoz Shah Tughlaq in the 14 th century to bring the water of theYamuna from Khizrabad to Safidun and had been later extended to Hansi and Hissar under Akbar. Ali MardanKhan, an important nobleman of the imperial court, was given the task of extending it to Shahjahanabad. InShahjahanabad its waters flowed in channels through the middle of the two main streets, thorugh the Begam kaBagh, and through the buildings and gardens of the Red Fort.Well designed public spaces became settings for a vibrant social and cultural life of the city. Among these was thesquare around the Jama Masjid and the steps leading up to the mosque on three sides. This area was throngedwith entertainers and those selling street food, exotic animals, and a variety of other goods. A spacious square infront of the western gate of the Red Fort was the site for imperial displays – parades of horses and inspection oftroops. Chowk Sa’adullah Khan, located in front of the southern gate of the fort, was a vibrant mix of performersand hawkers. Kotwali Chowk (now called Phawwara chowk), was the site of the city’s police administration – theKotwali. Probably the most impressive square was Chandni Chowk (now Town Hall Chowk), which was anoctagonal space, with a pool in the middle. To its north was the sarai(inn) for visiting merchants, built by princessJahanara. To its south were hammams, or public baths. Throughout the city were coffeehouses, which weremeeting places for the sophisticated.Private initiativeCentralized planning for the city was confined to the elements described above – the city wall with its gates; thepalace complex (Red Fort); the broad avenues; and the gardens, mosques and other buildings commissioned bymembers of the royal family. The bulk of the space was left over for the citizens to develop according to theirneeds.We are told by historians of that time that the royal princes and nobles received lands, and began work on theirmansions as the Fort itself was being constructed. High ranking among these had their mansions along the river,to the north and south of the Fort. These included the heir apparent, Dara Shikoh, and the nobleman Ali MardanKhan. Others who built mansions in less prime locations included Shahjahan’s astrologer Ghasi Ram, the masterbuilder of the Red Fort – Ustad Hamid, the noblemen Habsh Khan and Muzaffar Khan.The noblemen’s estates contained much more than grand mansions. Surrounded by a wall and entered throughan impressive gateway, they contained not only the house of the master and his family, but accomodation for hisvast retinue, stables, workshops for the production of many kinds of goods for the household’s consumption. Theopulent living quarters of the family were broadly divided into the semi‐public areas where the men lived andreceived their visitors; and the more strictly secluded mahal sarai or women’s quarters. The mansion was builtaround several courtyards and included pleasant gardens with pools and fountains. Approximately 25 percent ofthe area in the walled city was used for these internal courtyards. Where the climate was hot‐arid these31‐07‐2012 INTACH, Delhi Chapter 26
Medieval And Colonial Capital Cities Of DelhiDESCRIPTIONcourtyards were environmentally appropriate and acted as the main ventilation shaft. The courtyards, the roofsand the terraces served as the open spaces to the households, the roof terraces were suited for outdoor sleepingand also for such recreational activities like kite flying and pigeon baiting, both open areas provided at differentlevels of a house, and the children could play within the enclosure of the house in complete security.The less illustrious noblemen and rich merchants lived in somewhat smaller mansions. The mansions wereinvariably surrounded by the very modest homes of those who serviced the grand households but did not livewithin, and with small bazars that developed to cater to the thriving urban population. Formal bazars were oftenestablished by entrepreneurs such as the illustrious noblemen, who earned a rent from the shops. The noblesand rich merchants also often built places of worship in the vicinity of their estates. Thus the city developed as apatchwork of nighbourhoods centred on big mansions, surrounded by big and small houses, and commercial andreligious structures.ZoningShahjahanabad’s strategic location and defensive perimeter attracted residents from the older and less securesettlements to the south so that the quadrant bounded by Chandni Chowk, Faiz Bazaar, and the city wall quicklypacked together. The area north of Chandni Chowk remained as large private estates of the nobility, with theexclusion of the north‐west sector, where a spatial pattern similar to that south of Chandni Chowk prevailed.Shahjahanabad was divided into separate quarters for distinct social groups. This zoning was according tooccupations, industries and commerce. Badiwara, Daiwara, Naiwara, Dhobiwara and Maliwara were the quartersof the doctors, midwives, barbers, washer men and gardeners respectively.The area between the fort and Jama Masjid was dotted with the houses of the nobility, havelis or courtyardhouses of the emerging middle class (teachers, doctors, hakins, lawyers, astrologers, architects, engineers,poets, men of letters, men employed in various administrative departments, traders, merchants, bankers,etc.)Neighbourhood blocks showed a distinct distribution of religious communities. Nineteenth century maps ofShahjahanabad indicate that previously Hindu shrines and Muslim masjids were mixed within these residentialmohallas. Portions of the city near the walls remained fairly open providing space for fruit gardens, dairies andwork space for people following low caste operations (sweepers, potters and leather workers).The need for community open spaces was not as great as it is in the contemporary context; for these multiple useof space, vertically and horizontally, the requirement of total open spaces reduced considerably which in turncould make the walled city small in size. Consequently, it could be a pedestrian city. The community open spaceswere however available beyond the city wall.StreetscapeThe fabric of the city contained within it one ceremonial access (Chandni Chowk) and two other wide streets, FaizBazaar, and Khas Bazaar. These three grid radiations were used as processional ways by the ruler and hisentourage on certain occasions.Other streets radiated from the fort, Jama Masjid, and the city gates linking the city partially in a grid and partiallyin a semi circuitous and serpentine pattern culminating at times in other bazaars and were built as spines of majoractivity. These gradually became definite streets and finally important bazaars. There were other streets were of asignificantly lower hierarchy and these were built mainly as access roads to the residential areas. There was adistinct hierarchy of streets. Off the bazaar streets that were broad paved arcaded streets lined with shops weregalis (narrow lanes within residential areas). The galis too, often had shops on either side forming a local bazaar.The ‘gali’ was treated as an extension of activity spaces in addition to its function as a spaces in addition to itsfunction as a corridor of movement.The city had spacious chowks( open spaces, square or octagonal). The junction or crossing of two streetsautomatically formed into a ‘chowk’ often for a pause in movement and for better communication. In most cases,31‐07‐2012 INTACH, Delhi Chapter 27
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