New Delhi – Day 2
16 February 2026
At 9 am, we left to go past the building where the President of India resides and works at, known as the Rashtrapati Bhavan (formerly the Viceroy's House), a 340-room, four-story building designed by Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker, which became the official residence in 1950.
Somewhere nearby, the Old Parliament House (Samvidhan Sadan), designed by Lutyens and Baker in 1927, served as the seat of legislature for 73 years before being replaced. Almost just beside it stands the New Parliament Building, a modern, triangular-shaped structure designed by Bimal Patel as part of the Central Vista Project to offer more space and modern amenities. The Parliament of India consists of the Lok Sabha (House of the People) and the Rajya Sabha (Council of States), alongside the President.
Next, to Qutb-Minar, a UNESCO World Heritage site. It is situated in Lalkot, one of the first cities among the seven legendary cities of Delhi. Qutbu'd-Din Aibak laid the foundation of Minar in AD 1199 for the use of the mu'azzin (crier) to give calls for prayer and raised the first storey, to which were added three more storeys by his successor and son-in-law, Shamsu'd-Din Iltutmish (AD 1211-36).
They were known as the Delhi Sultanate, ruling after Muhammed of Ghur up to 1296 AD. They have been referred to as the ‘Slave Dynasty’ as the most prominent among then, including Qutbu'd-Din Aibak and Iltutmish, were former slaves. It was also during this time that Raziya was crowned the first lady Sultan of India. Lalkot thus stood for both emancipation and empowerment.
Although it was built before the Mughal period, it is said to have all the typical characteristics of the Lodhi style of construction. All the storeys are surrounded by a projected balcony encircling the minar and supported by stone brackets, which are decorated with honey-comb design, more conspicuously in the first storey. At the centre, in red and buff sandstone is the highest tower in India. It has a diameter of 14.32 m at the base and about 2.75 m on the top with a height of 72.5 m. Quite impressive, really, considering it was built way back in the 12th century.
Numerous inscriptions in Arabic and Nagari characters in different places of the minar reveal the history of Qutb. According to the inscriptions on its surface, it was repaired by Firuz Shah Tughlaq (AD 1351-88) and Sikandar Lodi (AD 1489-1517). Major R. Smith also repaired and restored the minar in 1829.
Quwwat-ul-Islam
Mosque, to the north-east of minar was built by Qutbu'd-Din Aibak in AD 1198.
It is the earliest extant mosque built by the Delhi Sultans. It consists of a
rectangular courtyard enclosed by cloisters, erected with the carved columns
and architectural members of 27 Hindu and Jain temples which were demolished by
Qutbu'd-Din Aibak as recorded in his inscription on the main eastern entrance.
Later, a lofty
arched screen was erected and the mosque was enlarged by Shamsu'd-Din Iltutmish
(AD 1210-35) and Alau'd-Din Khalji. The Iron Pillar in the courtyard bears an
inscription in Sanskrit in Gupta Brahmi script of fourth century AD, according
to which the pillar was set up as a Vishnudhvaja (standard of god Vishnu) on
the hill known as Vishnupada in memory of a mighty king named Chandragupta II
(375-413 AD) of the imperial Gupta dynasty. A deep socket on the top of the
ornate capital indicates that probably an image of Garuda (the vehicle of
Vishnu) was fixed into it.
The tomb of
Iltutmish (AD 1211-36) was built in AD 1235. It is a plain square chamber of
red sandstone, profusely carved with inscriptions, geometrical and arabesque
patterns in Saracenic tradition on the entrances and the whole of the interior.
Some of the motifs on the wheel and tassel are reminiscent of Hindu designs.
Ala'i-Darwaza,
the southern gateway of the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque was constructed by
Alau'd-Din Khalji in AH 710 (AD 1311) as recorded in the inscriptions engraved
on it. This is the first building employing Islamic principles of construction
and ornamentation.
Ala'i Minar which
stands to the north of Qutb-Minar, was commenced by Alau'd-Din Khalji, with the
intention of making it twice the size of earlier Minar. He could complete only
the first storey which now has an extant height of 25 m. The other remains in
the Qutb complex comprise madrasa, graves, tombs, mosque and architectural
members.
And then bad
news. The Red Fort and Jama Masjid are closed on Mondays, and of course, today
is a Monday. So we had to change plans, and it is agreed that when I come back
from Jaipur to Delhi, I will visit these places before heading to the airport.
A bit of a rush for sure, but hey, I’m already here, I don’t want to miss it.
So then we went
to Humayun’s Tomb.
Humayun’s Tomb, Delhi is the first of the grand dynastic
mausoleums that were to become synonyms of Mughal architecture with the
architectural style reaching its zenith 80 years later at the later Taj Mahal. In
1533 AD, Badshah Nasiruddin Muhammad Humayun (1508-56) ordered the construction
of the city he called Dinpanah (the Refuge of the Faithful). Humayun was the
son of Zahiruddin Muhammad Babur, the first Mughal emperor, and the father of
the great Jalaluddin Muhammad Akbar.
One of the information boards had this quote from Gulbadan
Begum, Humayun’s sister:
“There was in Humayun an innate gentleness, a trustfulness that
was too naïve, even for a child – a burnt child at least learns quickly to
dread fire – but not Humayun; There was a quality of the saint in this strange
man; Humayun never broke his promises.
Humayun’s Tomb stands within a complex of 27.04 ha. that
includes other contemporary, 16th century Mughal garden-tombs
such as Nila Gumbad, Isa Khan, Bu Halima, Afsarwala, Barber’s Tomb and the
complex where the craftsmen employed for the Building of Humayun’s Tomb stayed,
the Arab Serai.
Isa Khan’s garden tomb pre-dates Humayun’s Tomb by two decades,
and is the culmination of an architectural style used for royal tombs in Delhi
during the Sayyid and Lodhi dynasties from the early 15th to the
early 16th centuries. It is the only surviving octagonal enclosed
tomb complex with walls, mosque, and gateway intact.
Humayun’s Tomb was built in the 1560’s, with the patronage of
Humayun’s son, the great Emperor Akbar. Persian and Indian craftsmen worked
together to build the garden-tomb, far grander than any tomb built before in
the Islamic world. Humayun’s garden-tomb is an example of the charbagh (a four quadrant garden with the four rivers of Quranic paradise
represented), with pools joined by channels. This had its origin in the tomb of
Cyrus the Great in Persia (6th century BCE). The garden is entered
from lofty gateways on the south and from the west with pavilions located in
the centre of the eastern and northern walls.
Babur, whose passion was flowering and fruit-bearing trees, laid
out charbagh gardens, as did Akbar, Jahangir, and Shah Jahan:
“In every corner I planted beautiful gardens… in every garden I
sowed roses and narcissus. Everywhere that is habitable it should be possible
to construct waterwheels, create running water and make planned geometric
spaces.”
There is a saying in Malay that I now believe has its origins in
Babur’s words:
“Dalam hati ada taman, dalam taman ada bunga…” Lol
The charbagh garden were for royal picnics, to receive
dignitaries, for rulers to consult with ministers and as halting-places for the
army when on the move. The low platforms at the intersection of the walkways
would have been the base for tents, providing shade to visitors.
The mausoleum itself stands on a high, wide terraced platform
with two deep vaulted cells on all four sides. It has an irregular octagon plan
with four long sides and chamfered edges. It is surmounted by a 42.5 m high
double dome clad with marble flanked by pillared kiosks (chhatris) and
the domes of the central chhatris are adorned with glazed ceramic tiles.
The middle of each side is deeply recessed by large arched vaults with a series
of smaller ones set into the facade.
The interior is a large octagonal chamber with vaulted roof compartments interconnected by galleries or corridors. This octagonal plan is repeated on the second storey. The structure is of dressed stone clad in red sandstone with white and black inlaid marble borders.
Humayun’s garden-tomb is also called
the ‘dormitory of the Mughals’ as in the cells are buried over 160
Mughal family members. Lieutenant Hudson captured the last Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah
II. In Farsi, the term for ‘a walled garden’ is ‘pairi daeza’. In
English the word became ‘paradise’.
The tomb stands in an extremely significant archaeological
setting, centred at the Shrine of the 14th century Sufi Saint,
Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya. Since it is considered auspicious to be buried near a
saint’s grave, seven centuries of tomb building has led to the area becoming
the densest ensemble of medieval Islamic buildings in India.
In India, the Mughals used red sandstone, the colour of the
royal tent, for their buildings. The red-white contrast was significant to the
design used with skill. The gleaming white marble dome crowns the façade of the
principal structure. The six-sided star, found on Islamic buildings worldwide
(and on Judaic, Christian and Hindu buildings) is the most prominent
ornamentation, together with fine lime plaster ceramic tiles ornamenting the
small canopies, and with decorative stone-flooring and marble-clad minarets.
After this, we had lunch at a restaurant. I had mutton briyani,
and the waiter innocently asked me whether I wanted spicy or not. I said ‘full spicy’
which drew a look of shock from the waiter. I had doubts whether it would
really be spicy, but in this India did not disappoint! I also tried the local
beer – Kingfisher.
And then we walked around the market area around my hotel,
vendors were selling everything from cooked food to fresh fruits, vegetables,
jewellery, clothes, you name it. And then I saw an old man selling books. I
ended up buying two – The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie which I
always wanted to read to see what the hype was all about, and Why I
Assassinated Gandhi by Nadhuram Ghose.
And then, since there was nothing to do, I checked my emails,
did some work, washed my hair (no hair dryer), wrote this blog and now I’m
going to sleep.
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