Jahanpanah - The Refuge of the World

 History has not been kind to Mohammed bin Tughlaq. He is accused of patricide, of moving the capital from Delhi to Daulatabad and back on a whim, and of minting token copper currency which led to a major counterfeiting problem. From 1325 to 1351, he reigned as Sultan of Delhi, succeeding his father Ghiyas-ud-din Tughlaq who died under mysterious circumstances (an archway built by Mohammed bin Tughlaq to welcome him back collapsed on him, killing him instantly). However, he was known to be a large-hearted chap when occasion called for it, and was keen on continuing his father's policy of religious tolerance. He consolidated his father's hard won empire and made decisive gains in the Deccan. In the final assessment, he may just be best described as a fairly smart ruler who made logical and strategic decisions that just didn't work out for him. He lived to see his empire begin to break up and probably died a sad and worried man.

Initially, he ruled from his father's citadel-fort at Tughlaqabad, as well as from the nearby strategic Adilabad Fort. However, Delhi at the time consisted of urban settlements in the Mehrauli-Qila Rai Pithora area, and in the Siri Fort area, in addition to Tughlaqabad. Ever the visionary, Mohammed bin Tughlaq decided to consolidate all of these areas into a single contiguous unit to protect Delhi from continuous Mongol incursions. This new capital he called Jahanpanah - the Refuge of the World. To make this work, he constructed a wall from Siri to Mehrauli (most of which is gone today), and would have liked to link it to Tughlaqabad but probably ran out of funds. Within this, he constructed his palace, which is today known as the Bijay Mandal (or Vijay Mandal). This, and the neighbouring Begumpur Masjid, forms the focal point for today's excursion.

None of the monuments described today are ticketed, and are generally open from sunrise to sunset. For this trip, I started out at the Hauz Khas metro station (leaving through the IIT gate exit) and turned right, into Sarvapriya Vihar. Following the road for about 100 metres (and taking a right, and then a left), I arrived at the entrance to the Bijay Mandal area. There is no dedicated parking space here, but it seems possible to park on the roadside, if one should choose to drive in. It may not look like much from the entrance, but walk in and climb up into the structure. The buildings display all the hallmarks of Tughlaq design and preference for functionality over form. The walls are thick and made of stone-encased rubble masonry, with a sloped facade.

Following the trail of dead grass to the left from the entrance gate (this is not one of the better  maintained monuments in the city), I climbed up a slope and carried on along a path which brought me face to face with a rather interesting domed structure. I'm not certain if this structure has a particular significance, but it looked quite impressive, and is a good example of the kind of domes that would continue to exist in India till the coming of the bulbous domes of the Mughals.

Square Dome - Bijay Mandal

Square Dome from Above - Bijay Mandal

From there, a sequence of flights of stairs leads one up to first the level of the private apartments of the Palace, and then further up to a flat terrace and a pavilion on the rooftop. From here, one can see quite far and identify buildings and monuments all over South Delhi, from the Qutub Minar to the Lotus Temple. The pavilion itself is a quaint structure, but is a good showcase of the Tughlaq attempt at marrying Muslim and Hindu architectural traditions, particularly with regard to the true (keystone) and false (flat beam) arch structures.

Upper Story - Terrace Pavilion, Bijay Mandal

The Terrace Pavilion is Octagonal - Bijay Mandal

Looking northward from the terrace, you can see the dargah of Sufi saint Shaikh Hasan Tahir, who lived during the reign of Sikandar Lodi, in the 1500s. So this is a much later structure, and the grave of the saint is shaded by an enormous tree. Looking to the west, you can see a raised platform, or chabutra, which was probably the Diwan-i-Khas of the palace, where the Sultan would meet his close advisors. To the east is the Diwan-i-Am which may have been called the Hazaar Sutoon, or Hall of a Thousand Pillars, which probably extended over two floors. The pillars were wooden, and all that remains are the holes in the ground where the pillars were pegged.

Dargah of Shaikh Hasan Tahir - contiguous with Bijay Mandal

Chabutra - Bijay Mandal

Climbing back down a level, I arrived at the royal apartments, and across to the Hazaar Sutoon. This part of the palace was in a state of decay and seemed to be a popular hang-out area for the local kids. An interesting feature to note is the existence of two holes within the apartments - conjectured to be access points to the royal treasury, and from where gold coins from the Deccan have been excavated in the past, among other things. Today however, all you are likely to find is decades of garbage dumped by visitors.

Royal Apartments - Bijay Mandal

Ruined Arches at Hazaar Sutoon - Bijay Mandal

Access Point to Royal Treasury - Bijay Mandal

Climbing down to ground level along a flight of stairs near the west side of the dome, I walked around to find a few ridge-like structures. These were apparently part of the baths, or hammams, associated with the palace. I exited the complex through a gateway near here (the west end of the complex).

Ridges that formed part of the hammams - Bijay Mandal

Carrying on south down the road and taking a left turn, I arrived at the Begumpur Masjid after about 60 metres. This is, by the way, the route the Tughlaq royals would have taken to reach the mosque. On that subject, there is some uncertainty on who built the mosque and when. I like the idea that it was built by Mohammed bin Tughlaq, owing to the proximity to the Bijay Mandal. However, a rival theory suggests that it was built by a Maqbul Tilangani, the prime minister of Firoz Shah Tughlaq. Let's see if the scholars reach a decision. Unfortunately, the north entrance is currently blocked, and I continued walking along the periphery till I reached the eastern entrance to the mosque. This was the main entrance, and brings you to what was the largest mosque in Delhi till the Jama Masjid was constructed. This was the main congregational mosque in the city during the Tughlaq period and must have been quite busy in the day. Now, all the activity that the mosque sees is local kids playing cricket. 

East Entrance to Begumpur Masjid

The view of the Central Pishtaq across the courtyard from the East Entrance

Courtyard at Begumpur Masjid

Vaults and Arches at Begumpur Masjid

The collapsed roof next to the royal entrance on the northern end

The mosque has no detached minaret, and the central pishtaq (to use a rather obscure term in Muslim architecture for the archway leading into a vaulted area) has steps leading to the top, from where the priest could call the faithful to prayer. Note: it appears that one can climb up, though I didn't try it. The whole structure has borne the brunt of centuries of occupation by the village of Begumpur (who were ousted by the ASI as recently as 1921), and even today, the locals don't think too much about dumping rubbish in the mosque precincts.

My trip would have ended here, due to the fading light. Other Jahanpanah-era structures like the Khirki masjid and Satpula in Saket would have to wait for another day. However, to salvage what was left of the daylight, I chose to continue down the road.

The final stop on the route was Lal Gumbad. This is about 500 metres from Begumpur Masjid through the bylanes of Malviya Nagar, or more simply, 150 metres up north from Malviya Nagar Crossing. It's hard to miss - a bright red beacon on the right side of the road.

So what's the deal with the tomb? It was built in the 1300s during the later Tughlaq period for a Sufi saint (it does look like medieval Delhi was full of them), named Shaikh Kabiruddin Auliya. The main tomb is a square design, and resembles the tomb of Ghiyas-ud-din Tughlaq with its high sloping red walls. Besides the actual tomb, there are miniature wall mosques - primarily meant to show the direction for Muslim prayer and several other graves across the park which houses the tomb.

Lal Gumbad

One of several wall mosque structures around Lal Gumbad

I will be updating this blog with details of the Khirki Masjid and the Satpula as soon as I have visited them (which should be soon). This visit took close to three hours, and the Khirki area can be covered in an hour's time. Here is a map with the major surviving sites in Jahanpanah marked. There's loads more in South Delhi, but that's for another time.

View Jahanpanah in a larger map