Delhi
being the capital of many empires of centuries, especially in Mughal
India, has a number of forts and monuments to boast of. There are strong
citadels such as Red Fort and Old Fort, Jantar Mantar, a number of tombs
of the royal personages of yore and Qutub Minar that are just some of
the most luring of the monuments of Delhi. Besides these, one can find a
number of other beautiful tombs, mosques and buildings throughout the
city that have interesting history and legends attached to them. Here,
we are covering only the hot picks of the tourists who come to visit
Delhi.
Humayun's Tomb
The second Mughal Emperor Humayun died in 1556, just a year after he
regained Delhi after being expelled for a decade. His Persian wife,
Hamida Begum, supervised the construction of his tomb from 1562-1572,
which was designed by the Persian architect, Mirak Mirza Ghiyuath.
Situated on the bank of River Yamuna adjoining the shrine of the famous
Sufi saint Nizam al-Din Awliya, this tomb is said to have been a
precedent of later Mughal mausolea. The geometrically arranged garden
criss-crossed by numerous water channels representing a paradise setting
were later introduced in the Red Fort in Delhi and at the Taj Mahal in
Agra.
Isa Khan's Tomb
Situated
just outside the Humayun's tomb precincts, the tomb of Isa Khan was
built in the honor of Isa Khan, a brave and valiant noble under Sher
Shah, the Afghan ruler who had overthrown Humayun. It was built in 1547.
Built in an octagonal pattern, it is an architectural gem in Islamic art
and remained a model tomb among the ruling families in its time. Said to
be inspired by the tomb of Sikandar Lodi, which is 300 years older than
the Isa Khan's tomb, it can boast of having more graceful proportions.
The 'chhatris' or small kiosks and pinnacles around the dome were
introduced here and look quite elegant.
Jantar Mantar
Situated near Connaught Place, Jantar Mantar is one of the five
observatories built by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, the ruler and
founder of Jaipur. Smaller than Jaipur, it is still astonishing because
of its capability to make accurate calculations of many astronomical
movements. Constructed in 1724, the giant abstract masonry instruments
of Jantar Mantar are the evidence of the technological genius of the
times in the field of astronomy.
Old Fort
Said
to be built on the site of Indraprastha, the capital of Pandavas
mentioned in Mahabharata, the great Indian epic, Old Fort or Purana Qila
has been the seat for administration for many emperors. Now in ruins,
this citadel has had the glory of being the seat of legendary ruler
Prithviraj Chauhan. Sher Shah Suri built it after he demolished the
Humayun's city, Dinpanah. There are bastions on the corners and the
western wall of the fort. The 2-km long ramparts boast of three
double-storeyed main gates sporting 'chhatris' on top. They can be found
in the north, south and west. The northern one is called the
'Talaqi-Darwaza' (the Forbidden Gate) and has a carving of marble lions
engaged in combat with a man in its front. One can still see the
remnants of the colored tiles used to ornament its exteriors originally.
Qutab Minar
The tallest building of its times, Qutbuddin Aibak laid the foundation
of Qutab Minar as a victory tower in 1199. Originally, it rose to a
height of 72.5 m. It is undoubtedly one of the finest stone towers in
India and one of the most important landmarks of Delhi. Iltutmish, the
son-in-law and successor of Qutubuddin, finally, completed its
construction. Nearby, one can also see the ruins tomb of Iltutmish,
which he built in 1235 in his lifetime and decorated the interiors
profusely using calligraphy. The tower tapers from a base of 14.32 m to
2.75 m at its top and took 20 years to complete.
Red Fort
Shah
Jahan, who shifted his capital from Agra to Shahjahanabad, laid the
foundation of Lal Qila or Red Fort on 16th April 1639. It took nine
years to build this mighty citadel and was completed on 16th April 1648.
It is said that its construction took about one crore of rupees, an
astronomical sum in those days and it is said that half of this sum was
spent to build the exotic palaces within the fort. Built of red
sandstone, it is octagonal in shape with two longer sides on the east
and west. The perimeter of its strong ramparts is about 2.41 km their
height rise to a height of 33.5 m on the town side and 18 m along the
river. A wide moat surrounds the fort, which was originally connected
with the river and was always filled with water.
Safdarjung Tomb
Situated besides the Safdarjung airport, the tomb built by the Nawab of
Avadh for his father is one of the finest examples of architecture of
its time. Opposite the airport is the Najaf Khan's tomb enclosed by
walls on all sides. Situated in the centre of a large garden, this
mausoleum stands on a raised platform. Originally built in red
sandstone, it has two inscribed marble cenotaphs belonging to Najaf
Khan, who died in 1782 and his daughter Fatima, who died in 1820. The
real graves are situated below in the core of the platform. Najaf Khan
was related to the Persian kings and came with his sister to the court
of Muhammad Shah. He later served Shah 'Alam III.
