Ok...it has been over a year since I last posted something on this blog. In my defence, I did get married in the interim and suddenly developed a set of different priorities. This weekend has, however, been particularly lazy, and so I decided to try blogging again. In this post, I wanted to cover Lodi Gardens, beloved by many a Delhiite.
Lodi Gardens is a particularly pretty open space - well manicured lawns, the abundance of trees and flowers, a meandering lake and a rather unlikely confluence of archaeological structures make this one of the best parks in Delhi. A lot of the landscaping that exists today is credited to J A Stein, though he did build on the earlier efforts of a rather self-promotion-savvy Lady Willingdon, the wife of the Viceroy in the 1930s (it was called Lady Willingdon Park prior to independence). Getting here couldn't be easier - 2 metro stations (Jor Bagh on the Yellow Line and Khan Market on the Violet Line) in close proximity and a bus stop right in front of its Lodhi Road entrance, plus free parking here for those driving in, makes access particularly straightforward. And the icing on the cake is that entry is free. There's no ticket to be bought, and no queues to stand in. It's accessible all days of the week, from dawn to dusk.
Starting off at the Lodhi Road entrance, if one were to walk in and take the left fork where the pathway diverges, one comes to the tomb of Muhammed Shah Sayyid, the second last of the Sayyid dynasty (his son ruled for a further 5 years after his reign before handing over power to the Lodis). This is an octagonal tomb set on a rise. There are small canopies called 'chatris' surrounding the main dome, adding to the ornamentation of the structure.
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| Muhammed Shah Sayyid's Tomb - not so lonely at the top with 8 graves inside |
There aren't many more of these Sayyid era structures, and so this is a bit of a rarity as far as 15th century Delhi Sultanate architecture goes.
Backtracking to the fork, one comes across two structures facing each other. The first is a rather large entrance to a relatively small mosque, called the Bada Gumbad. This came up in the 1400s too, during the reign of Sikandar Lodi, the last of the Lodi rulers. The dome of the entrance is enormous, dwarfing the three domes of the mosque. Technical note: this is the first example of a full dome in Delhi (i.e. a dome that is half a sphere).
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| Entrance to the Bada Gumbad Mosque |
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| Bada Gumbad Entrance and Mosque - notice the replica Qutub Minar behind the mosque (right end of the picture). |
Across from the Bada Gumbad is the Sheesh Gumbad, named for the glazed blue tiles that you can see on it (shiny tiles seem to have been a big deal back in the day). Apparently the dome was covered in these tiles earlier on. This probably also came up during the reign of Sikandar Lodi, though I don't think one really knows who lies buried within.
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| Sheesh Gumbad - A Few Blue Tiles |
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| The Sheesh Gumbad with the Bada Gumbad in the Background |
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| The Sheesh Gumbad and the Bada Gumbad - Picturesque Setting |
Walking further along, one reaches the rather formidably defended tomb of Sikandar Lodi, someone with the misfortune of being known primarily as the guy who lost his empire to Babur, paving the way for the foundation of the Mughal dynasty in India.
The tomb is contained in a walled enclosure, resembling a mini-fort. Who knows why they felt that this would keep anyone out. The tomb itself isn't too impressive, and is another octagonal structure with chatris. One wonders why they can't maintain the lawns and plants here the same as they do elsewhere.
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| Enclosure surrounding Sikandar Lodi's Tomb - This'll keep them out |
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| Sikandar Lodi's Tomb - Octagonal, with the trademark Lodi clover-leaf lining on the roof. |
I don't want to forget about the water-body here. There's an arc-shaped lake that once supplied water from the Yamuna to Sikandar Lodi's tomb. Across it is a Mughal-era bridge called the Athpula (because of its 8 pillars), built by Emperor Akbar. There are a bunch of geese that seem to inhabit the lake, and seem a bit more plump than they should be, as a result of feeding by civic-minded Delhiites that either can't read or don't care for the sign that forbids feeding the birds.
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| The Athpula across the Lake - that's one water body that never goes dry |
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| Why do Delhiites want to feed the geese bread? Time to introduce birds that bite the hand that feeds them |
And so, that's most of what exists in the park. There's a watchtower in a corner and another minor mosque, but one tends to get lazy. It's interesting how this park has been kept so well-maintained. I'm sure it has nothing to do with the politicians and bureaucrats that live in the neighbourhood.
For convenience, here is a map of the area:
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