The tombs of the Lodis & Garden of the British: a heritage walk, 18 March’12
The weather these days is excellent, neither too hot nor too cold and the evening of 18th was perfect to be walking around the Lodi Garden. The major buildings in this garden are from the Syed and Lodi period, with some Mughal structures. We entered from gate number one, taking the path straight ahead. Turning left from where the path ends, we walked towards Mohammad Shah’s tomb. The landscaping of the park is well done, so the monuments are especially highlighted. The garden was created by the British when the new capital city of Delhi was created. The tomb on a raised mound and its surrounding area lined with pine trees looked lovely. We then walked back towards the Bara Gumbad around the butterfly conservatory & a few grave platforms. The mosque in the Bara Gumbad complex is exquisitely carved. Right across the Bada Gumbad complex stands the Shish Gumbad, with blue tile work highlighting its façade. Besides the usual crowd of evening walkers, we could see loads of people relaxing about with family and friends at the Garden. Sikander Lodi’s tomb was the next stop. The white plaster restoration work on the body of the tomb is an eyesore. Still, it is an imposing building and its interior has some lovely tile work in blue, green and yellow. It’s amazing that it has managed to survive for so many centuries. The constant cooing of the pigeons adds to the charm of the building. Next, walking around the fountain, we came to the Athpula, a 16th century bridge originally built over a stream flowing into the river Yamuna. Now there is an artificial lake with a fountain which goes really high and one can see some beautiful aquatic birds at this spot. Nearing to the end of the walk, we saw some late Mughal structures. The decorations on the arch of the pavilion are very similar to what we can see at gateway to Safdarjung’s tomb (very close to Lodi Garden). After dusk the chatter of birds reached a crescendo! We couldn’t see them, but judging by their noise there must have been hundreds.
(posted by Kanika Singh & Awadesh Tripathi, team members, Delhi Heritage Walks)
