Lodi Garden, nicknamed as ‘Mecca of lovers’ or ‘Joggers Paradise’, is a large green space which includes a considerable variety of monuments, exotic and indigenous trees , flowers, birds like woodpeckers, barbet, hoopoe, kingfisher etc. This area, according to records, was referred as Jod Bagh, now we have an area named Jor Bagh, just south of the garden. This area saw many changes and developments of Muslim rule, British period and post- independence era. Continue Reading This Post

This year began with a pleasant heritage walk at the Lodi Garden. When the British decided to build a new capital at Delhi, the Lodi tombs at the village of Khairpur became part of the New Delhi area. This is when a garden was planned around these tombs and the Lady Willingdon Park was created. Lodi Garden is a post-Independence name. The village was removed and the garden was landscaped in such a way that the monuments stood out as singular objects of beauty. The first stop on our heritage walk was the tomb of Sayyid ruler Mohammad Shah. This tomb is similar to his predecessor’s tomb in Kotla Mubarakpur & Isa Khan’s tomb in Humayun’s tomb complex. An octagonal building with three arched openings on each side, with sloping buttresses at each corner. The interior is decorated with incised plaster work which depicts calligraphy and arabesque. Right next to the tomb is ‘Buddha’s Coconut’ the tallest tree in the Lodi Garden which is a native of rain forests in north east & south India. It is also a favoured roost with the vultures.

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This Sunday, our heritage walk took us around the well known Lodi Garden. Centrally located in Delhi, it is one of the most beautiful parks in Delhi and the medieval monuments in its compound have been beautifully landscaped to stand out as objects of beauty here.

The Lodi Garden itself is a creation of the British, when they were coming up with a new Imperial capital in Delhi, in the 1930s. It was then named, Lady Willingdon Park. ‘Lodi Garden’ was the name given post independence. Our heritage walk starts at gate no. 1 on Lodi Road. As one walks straight on the path leading into the park, there is fork and we took the path to the left. The first stop on our heritage trail was the tomb of Mohammad Shah Sayyid. It is a typical octagonal tomb, typical of architecture in this period. The tomb is a good example of Indo-Islamic architecture, with prominently visible chhatris, and dome topped by the lotus flower motif. Tomb has undergone conservation work, before the Commonwealth Games in Delhi. Continue Reading This Post

Lodi garden in the heart of the capital is one of the best parks in Delhi. A nice place to walk around, exercise, peep inside tombs and observe birds. The Sunday evening heritage walk covered the monuments in this park. ‘Lodi Garden’ itself is a British creation. In the beginning of the 20^th century, Delhi’s landscape would have looked like a vast necropolis…miles and miles of space dotted with massive ruins. Creation of this park was part of colonial initiative to beautify their new capital, so that the monuments stand out as singular objects of beauty. Starting out as Lady Willingdon Park, it got its present name post-independence because most monuments in the park belong to the period when Lodi’s were ruling. We started our heritage walk at Mohd. Sayyid’s tomb. It is a typical octagonal tomb, which has recently undergone conservation. One can see the ‘before’ and ‘after’ pics of the tomb pasted below). As one walks towards the Bada Gumbad and Shish Gumbad, there are grave platforms on both sides of the path, which have almost been overtaken by trees growing over them. Continue Reading This Post

Walking through Lodi Garden is always a pleasant experience and this Saturday, a small group of enthusiasts undertook a heritage walk in this park. The beauty of the garden is enhanced by the imposing monuments in a pleasant winter afternoon. The name ‘Lodi Garden’ is due to the fact that the most prominent of these monuments were built during the times of the Lodi Sultans. The garden is in fact a creation of the British, when they were building their new capital of Delhi. It was originally called Lady Willingdon Park. Its current name was given post Independence when it was re-landscaped under Joseph Allen Stein. Stein also designed some of the important buildings in the neighbourhood: the IIC, the Ford Foundation are the most well known.

If one enters from gate no. 1 of the Garden, one can see a tall imposing building straight ahead. We took a detour towards the left and began our heritage trial from Muhammad Shah Sayyid’s tomb. This is a royal tomb dated to mid 15^th century. Continue Reading This Post