Lodi Garden is one of the best landscaped parks in Delhi. The monuments here especially stand out as remarkable objects of beauty surrounded by well maintained lawns. Our heritage walk in Lodi Garden begins at gate no. 1 on Lodi Road. As you enter the gate, the imposing Bada Gumbad stands tall straight ahead. However, we take the path to the left and the first stop on the walk is Muhammad Shah Sayyid’s tomb. The Sayyids and Lodis are often clubbed together in the study of history and we know very little about the individual Sayyid rulers. But we do have tombs of two of the Sayyid rulers in Delhi: one at Kotla Mubarakpur and the other at Lodi Garden. The tomb here is surrounded by tall palm trees which are a favourite in formal landscaping. As one turns the path to enter the tomb, there is a tall tree on the left. It is called ‘Buddha’s Coconut’, a native to rainforests in South and North East Indian rainforests. It is the tallest tree in Lodi Garden. The path then takes you across the bicycle track and along the butterfly conservatory to the Bada Gumbad. The Bada Gumbad is a group of buildings consisting of an imposing gateway, a grave platform, a beautifully designed mosque and a series of rooms. Right across the lawns is the Shish Gumbad, named after the band of tiles which shone like mirrors. Further ahead is Sikander Lodi’s tomb. It is an impressive building. Even through it is a walled in garden tomb, the boundary walls are almost like that of a small fortress. The interior has beautiful tile work. Our next stop is the Athpula, the lesser known cousin of the now (in) famous Barapullah (in news during CWG). A few paces ahead is a couple of buildings datable to late Mughal times. They are recently restored. One is a 2 storeyed garden pavilion, which retains some of its original decoration; other is a mosque, perhaps built for private use.

(posted by Kanika Singh & Pushpa, team members, Delhi Heritage Walks)

Lodi Garden Heritage Walk