VIEW OF QUTB – DELHI , ca 1850
Watercolours painted on ivory plaques with the views of Qutb, Delhi by unknown artist ca.1850
Qutb Minar, the world’s tallest brick minaret at 72.5 metres, was built in 1193 by Qutb-ud-din-Aibak, the first Muslim ruler of Delhi. Qutab-ud-din Aibak commenced the construction of the Qutab Minar, but could only finish the basement. His successor, Iltutmish, added three more storeys, and in 1368, Firoz Shah Tughlaq constructed the fifth and the last storey.
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Ruins of Tughlaqabad Fort by Samuel Bourne ca.1858.
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Tomb of Nizamuddin Auliya, Delhi, by Samuel Bourne ca.1860
The colossal fort of Tughlaqabad was constructed between 1321–25 by Ghiyas-ud-din Tughlaq, who founded the Tughlaq Dynasty.
It is said that the curse of a Sufi Saint Nizamuddin Auliya brought about the demise of Tughlaqabad. The saint was angered when Ghiyas-ud-din Tughlaq did not allow his people to work for the saint on the construction of a baoli (step well). He cursed that the sultan, who was then in Bengal, would never reach Delhi and the fort would be deserted. Both the prophecies of the saint came true, as the sultan died before he could reach Delhi and his successor chose to build his own fort and deserted Tughlaqabad.
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View of Delhi near the Tomb of Humayun by Thomas & W. Daniell, ca 1803
Constructed in 1565 A.D. nine years after the death of Humayun, this garden tomb is the first substantial example of Mughal architecture in India. The tomb has a centrally located well proportional mausoleum topped by a double dome.
Red Fort by John Murray, Delhi after the Uprising, ca. 1857
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Watercolours, painted on ivory plaques with the views of Jama Masjid, Delhi by unknown artist ca.1850
Mughal emperor, Akbar had moved the capital to Agra in the 1570s. Shah Jahan transferred the capital back from Agra in the mid-17th century. Old Delhi, walled city of Delhi, India, was founded as Shahjahanabad by Emperor Shah Jahan in 1639 and iit remained the capital of the Mughals until the end of the Mughal dynasty.
The Red Fort, was the residence of the Mughal emperor of India for nearly 200 years, until 1857. Emperor Shah Jahan commissioned construction of the Red Fort in 1638 and it was completed by 1648. Standing across the road in front of the Red Fort, is the Jama Masjid, one of the last architectural works of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan.
Jantar – Mantar, Delhi. Pencil & watercolour on paper by William Simpson ca. 1864
Jantar Mantar, the unique observatory built by Maharajah Sawai Jai Singh II of Jaipur in 1727, was used to observe the movements of sun, planets and other heavenly bodies. The structure incorporates buildings of unique geometric forms, each with a specialized function for astronomical measurement, and represents the scientific heritage of India.
Tomb of Safder Jung, Delhi, by Samuel Bourne c.1858-60
Safdarjung’s Tomb is the last enclosed garden tomb in Delhi in the tradition of Humayun’s Tomb. It was built in 1753- 54 as the mausoleum of Safdarjung, an able administrator and the viceroy of Awadh under the Mughal Emperor, Mohammed Shah.
Kashmiri Gate by John Murray, Delhi after the Uprising, ca. 1857
Kashmere Gate was constructed in 1835 AD by an English Military Engineer named Robert Smith as a gateway that leads to the famous Red Fort and faces the State of Kashmir from where it derives its name. It has witnessed some of the major events of the First Struggle of Independence in 1857.
The area around Kashmere Gate houses some of the old monuments such as St. James’Church – one of Delhi’s oldest churches; Dara Shikoh’s library and the old St Stephen’s College, which later was replaced by the old campus of Delhi College of Engineering.
St.James Church at Kashmiri Gate by John Murray, Delhi after the Uprising, ca. 1857
These structure, most of which have been preserved till date, convey a sense of the past grandeur and make one marvel at the engineering skills of the workers in those days.
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