# The Seven Cities of Delhi/Chapter 2

CHAPTER II
THE PLAINS TO THE SOUTH OF DELHI
Mahomedan kings — Cabul Gate — Lahore Gate — Ajmere Gate — Kutb Road — Jantar Mantar — Tombs of Lodi kings — Safdar Jang's tomb — Panoramas — Kutb Minar — Adjacent buildings — Iron pillar — Shrine of Nizam-ud-din — Humayun's tomb — Purana Kila — Kotila of Firoze Shah — Asoka Pillar.
Map of the Seven Cities, p. 132.
The ancient cities of Delhi (except a portion of one) lay to the south of the modern city, and the monuments which indicate their sites (for the old walls have practically disappeared) are scattered over an area of ground, which measures roughly eleven miles long by five miles wide. These monuments have been erected during a period of time which extends over certainly nine centuries, and some of them have a still greater antiquity, but one difficult to estimate. It is most interesting to trace the evolution of the different architectural styles, which, with the aid of inscriptions, make it possible to judge the period to which a building belongs. Many of these buildings are ​connected with men whose histories we know, and it will be necessary to mention the kings, whose tombs abound, but not always desirable to fill the description with their dates. It is probably best to insert here a table, showing the kings whose names are closely connected with Delhi, so that the reader may know where to find it. It commences with the Mahomedan conquest, because we are not exactly acquainted with the dates of the Hindu rajas who reigned before that time. The names of contemporary English monarchs have been added, to enable a better realization of the times at which the various kings and emperors ruled India, or at least Delhi.
First Dynasty. The Turks, or "Slaves."
I. I206. Kutb - ud - din, slave Mahomed of Ghor. of John. 1 199 3- I2I0. Altamsh, slave of i. Henry III. 1216 4- 1236. Firoze Shah, son of 3. 5- 1237. Riziyat, daughter of 3. 6. 1240. Bahram Shah, son of 3. 8. 1246. Mahmud Ghori, son of 3. 9- 1266. Balban, slave of 3. Edward I. 1272 lO. 1287. Kai Kubad, son of 9.
Second Dynasty. Khilji.
I. 1290. Jalal-ud-din. 2. 1296. Ala-ud-din, son of i. Edward II. 1307 4. I316. Mubarik, son of 2. 5- 1320.
Third Dynasty. Tughlak Shahis.
1. 1320. Tughlak Shah. 2. 1324. Mahomed I bn Tughlak, son Edward III. 1327. of I. 3. 1351. Firoze Shah, nephew of I. Richard II. 1377. 8. 1393. Mahmud, grandson of 3. Henry IV. 1399-
Fourth Dynasty. Sayyads.
1. 1414. Khizr Khan. Henry V. 1413- 2. 1421. Mubarik Shah, son of I. Henry VI. 1422. 3. 1434. Mahomed Shah, grandson of I.
Fifth Dynasty. Lodis {Afghans).
1. 1450. Bahlol Lodi. Edward IV. 1461. Richard III. 1483. 2. 1488. Sikandar Lodi, son of I. Henry VII. 1485- 3. 1518. Ibrahim Lodi, son of 2. Henry VIII. 1509.
Sixth Dynasty. Moghals.
1. 1526. Babar. 2. 1530. Humayun, son of I.
Interregnum. Afghans.
1. 1540. Sher Shah drives out Humayun. 2. 1545. Islam Shah, son of i. Edward VI. 1547- Mary. 1553.
Moghal Dynasty resumed.
1555. Humayun returns. 3. 1556. Akbar, son of Humayun. Elizabeth. 1558, 4. 1605. Jahangir, son of 3. James I. 1603. 5. 1627. Shah Jahan, son of 4. Charles I. 1625. ​6. 1658. Aurungzeb, son of 5, whom he deposed. Cromwell, Pro- tector. Charles II. James II. William and Mary. 1653. 1660. 1685. 1689. 7. 1707. Shah Alam Bahadur Shah, son of 6. Anne. 1702. 8. 1712. Jahandar Shah, son of 7. 9. 1713- Farukhsiyar, nephew of 8. George I. 1714- 12. 1719- Mahomed Shah, cousin of 9. George II. 1727. 13. 1748. Ahmad Shah, son of 12. 14. 1754- Alamgir II., son of 13. 15. 1759- Shah Alam, son of 14. George III. 1760. 16. 1806. Akbar Shah II., son of 15. George IV. WiUiam IV. 1820. 1830. 17. 1837. Bahadur Shah, son of 16, and last of the Moghals. Victoria. 1837.
It will be observed that the numbers of the kings of Delhi in their respective dynasties are not consecutive, but all have not been included, for some reigned a very short time, and have little to do with the monuments at Delhi. The comparative table is distinctly interesting, for it shows that in our own history kings have succeeded each other as quickly as those of Delhi.
Domes are a very prominent feature in both Hindu and Mahomedan architecture ; it is at times doubtful whether they surmount a mosque, or a tomb, or even a Hindu temple. The two latter have each one dome, a pyramidal one in the case of the temple, but a mosque has (with ​very rare exceptions) three or more domes. A Hindu temple is also distinguishable by the fact that a small flag on a bamboo pole flies over it.
There are several routes to the plains, south of Delhi, from the civil lines ; but the best is that which avoids the crowded bazars, and follows the Circular Road via the Cabul Gate.
Cābul Gate. — This gate, close to which John Nicholson was mortally wounded, is now filled by an earthen ramp, which takes the Queen's Road over the railway. Turning to the left at the top of the ramp the road passes the Teliwara Martello Tower, and, shortly after- wards, the Burn Bastion. From a gap in the wall, caused by the removal of the Lahore Gate, a road over the railway leads to the Sadr (or chief) bazar, which has sprung up since 1857, and has developed into an enormous suburb. Beyond the railway is a branch of the Western Jumna Canal, which connects with another canal, flowing down to and beyond Agra, from a weir at Okhla. This branch was, until recently, used for navigation ; this use of canals is now discountenanced in India, so that its chief purpose is the passing on of surplus water to the Agra Canal. This will give some idea of the way in which water is fully utilized in India. ​ Lahore Gate. — The Lahore Gate was the limit of the operations during the siege of 1857, and was one of the last points captured — not with- out difficulty. Inside the gate is the great grain bazar of Delhi, leading to the Chandni Chouk.
A mosque which stands outside the gate was built by the Sirhindi Begam, one of the wives whom Shah Jahan married after the death of his wife, Arjamand Banu Begam, Mumtaz Mahal. The walls beyond date back to the days of Shah Jahan ; but they were put in repair, and the defences brought up to date, in the early years of the last century. The Garstin Bastion, then constructed, has been removed to make room for the railway, and gaps have been made in many other places.
Ajmere Gate. — The Ajmere Gate is pro- bably still in much the same condition as when built out of materials borrowed from an older city. Just opposite the gate, and protected by an out-work, built in 181 1, is the college of Ghazi-ud-din, father of the first Nizam of Hyderabad. The school has an endowment, but also receives Government aid. On the west of the college is the founder's tomb and a mosque ; outside the ditch are remains of the underground apartments of Safdar Jang, once one of the sights of Delhi. ​ Kutb Road. — A road crosses the railway opposite the Ajmere Gate, and joins a road leading to the Kutb Minar ; this at first runs through mean streets, and then past some gardens, rather different in their arrangement to those of the West. Then the road passes between some mounds, which are native brick-kilns.
Jantar Mantar (p. 131). — At the third milestone there appears on the left a curious group of buildings, the observatory of Maharaja Jai Singh, of Jaipur, who constructed them, at the bidding of the Emperor Mahomed Shah, about the be- ginning of the eighteenth century. There are here a masonry gnomon, which threw its shadow on a marble dial (long since gone), a small altitude meter, and two round amphitheatres, in which directions and heights of stars could be observed. Some have stigmatized this group as a "folly," and the rustic name of "Jantar Mantar," an alliterative corruption of "Semrat Yantar," has possibly lent colour to this view ; but it is a scientific work which demands respect.
Tombs of Lodi King's (p. 128).— On the right are low hills, which are the continuation of the Ridge, and run right away through Rajputana, as far as the Nerbudda River. Further on, a branch juts out to the east, and on ​part of this is situated Old Delhi, towards which the road is leading. At the fifth milestone four buildings, all domed, come into view on the left. That nearest to modern Delhi is the mausoleum of Sikandar Lodi, the next that of Ibrahim Lodi, while a fine, high dome among trees is above a gateway to a small mosque close by. Last of all, close to a cross-road, is a tomb of an earlier king — Mahomed Shah, of the Sayyad dynasty. All are over four hundred years old.
Safdar Jang's Tomb. — There now appears, on the right, a building of considerable size, but comparatively modern, which is the mausoleum of Nawab Mansur Ali Khan, commonly called Safdar Jang, Prime Minister of Ahmad Shah and nephew of the man who founded the House of Oudh. The title of "Safdar Jang" means "Disperser of the battle ranks," but on more than one occasion it was his own that he dispersed, by ignominious flight.
The building follows rather the bad principle of "constructing ornament" than of "ornamenting construction :" there is a too free use of plaster. It is sixty feet square and ninety feet high, surmounted by a marble dome, which is, unfortunately, bulbous and heavy. It stands on a high terrace, in an enclosed garden, and the view of it through the gateway is, like all such views, ​an effective one. It was the last large mausoleum to be erected near Delhi, and cost thirty thousand pounds sterling. Safdar Jang's successors were Independent of Delhi, and preferred to be burled at Lucknow.
Mujāhidpur. — On the left of the road, shortly after It leaves this tomb, Is the tomb of Najaf Khan, the only brave man and good general that the declining days of the Moghal Empire knew. Then appear various buildings, which are best described In a panoramic view, at the fourth furlong after leaving mile seven, just before the road reaches a small village, Mujahldpur.
To the right, near a white building among some trees. Is a pale dome on the mausoleum of Firoze Shah ; then appears, further away, a dargah, or shrine, In Mahomedpur. Across the road, at some distance, the marble dome of Humayun's tomb stands up ; another dome, with small pavilions around and on the top, among some trees, marks the tomb of a Sayyad king, Mubarik Shah, who died nearly five hundred years ago. Lastly, there Is the Moth-kl-MasjId, a mosque with the usual three domes. The other buildings are of little Interest.
Mile Nine. — At mile nine from Delhi, and two from the Kutb Minar, the tomb of Firoze ​Shah is still on the left, further round of course ; a mile behind, and close to the road, there is a group of nameless tombs, near Mujahidpur. On the other side of the road is a ruined Idgah, and also a curious tower with holes, into which were built the heads of captives. Some trees, half hidden by the mounds which encircle them, indicate the ruined city of Siri, founded about the year 1303, by Ala-ud-din, while other still more distant trees, surrounded by walls, mark the enclosure of Roshan Chiragh Delhi. The circuit is completed by the village of Begampur, with two large, dark, many-domed mosques, and a building close by, raised high on a mound, is called the Bedi Mandal (p. 113); this is said to be of great antiquity. Just one furlong ahead the road has a slight rise, and here were the walls of Jahanpanah, made to join the city of Siri to Old Delhi ; their remains extend towards the Kutb Minar, which has been for some time occasionally discernible between the trees bordering the road.
KUTB MINĀR.
[To face p. 49.
​tomb, picturesquely situated on an outcrop of rock, and then, suddenly, above some trees there towers the great Kutb Minar.
Close to the path, which leads to the minar, there stands, on a mound, a red sandstone pavilion, which formerly crowned the tower, but was taken down in 1848, as an eyesore. Near this is a grave — that of a subaltern of H.M. 82nd Regiment, who died of cholera in 1862, while on the march to Gurgaon.
Kutb Minār (p. 88).— The Kutb Minar is over 238 feet in height, but feet and inches convey little impression of height, which can best be gauged by comparison with familiar objects. It is nearly eighty feet higher than the Nelson Column in Trafalgar Square ; if erected on the floor of St. Paul's Cathedral, a few feet would project into the lantern of the dome. It was started in a.d. 1200, under the auspices of Kutb-ud-dln I-bak, Viceroy of the conqueror of India, some five hundred years before Wren's magnificent work was undertaken.
Other features are bands of writing around, carved flutings, carried in varied design through three stories, and the excellently conceived designs of the carvings on the underside of the balconies. It has more than once been damaged ​by lightning and earthquake, but sustained no ill effect from the earthquake of 1905, which was felt somewhat severely in Delhi.
The red sandstone, with which it is faced, cannot be obtained nearer than Agra. The marble in the two topmost stories was, probably, a later addition, in the time of Firoze Shah, and came from Makrana, hundreds of miles away. These facts may give some idea of the cost of this great monument.
An ascent of 379 steps to the top discloses a great panorama, which, however, is better observed from the first balcony, which affords freer movement. The first glance is naturally directed towards modern Delhi, where the white domes of the Jama Masjid gleam through the haze, ten miles away, almost in a line with the dome of Safdar Jang's tomb. Then the white marble dome of Humayun's tomb catches the eye, and, to the right of this, the mosque at Begampur and the Bedi Mandal are prominent. Next, two white domes almost in a line mark, the nearer the shrine of Roshan Chiragh Delhi, the further a Hindu temple of Kalika, on a hill. In a grove of trees, towards which an earthen wall extends, is the mosque of Khirki, well worthy of an inspection, but somewhat out of the way. The line of a broad road points almost directly to a ​marble dome over the tomb of Tughlak Shah, near his city of Tughlukabad ; this city was built, nearly six hundred years ago, of massive stones, some of which weigh several tons. Just to the right of this city is the fort of Adilabad, built on a hill by Tughlak's son, who is buried with him. Close under the minar now, and to the right, is an old tomb, converted into a country residence by Sir Thomas Metcalfe, in 1844, but burnt, like his other house, in 1857. In a line with the ruined house is the Jamali Masjid, slightly to the left of which is the ruined tomb of Balban. From the other side of the balcony the tomb of Adham Khan is very conspicuous, built on the walls of Old Delhi, while among some trees to the left of this is the shrine of a Mahomedan saint, Kutb-ud-din.
Close under the minar there is the square <C court, surrounded by cloisters, of the first mosque to be built in Delhi, the Kuwwat-ul-Islam ; an iron pillar stands in the court, and a fine row of arches marks the front of the mosque proper, which occupied the western portion. This line of arches was afterwards extended on both sides, and outer colonnades were added, up to a line indicated by a small portion still standing outside the eastern entrance to the court of the mosque. The ruins of a second very large minaret, carried ​up to the height of eighty feet and then abandoned, show on what scale a further extension of the mosque was planned by Ala-ud-din, who died before he could completely carry out his plans. He was able, however, to add a gateway, which is close to the Kutb Minar, and some colonnades, which extend to the east of it. At one end of the line of arches is the tomb of this king, at the further end that of Altamsh, builder of the first additions to the mosque.
From the balcony can be traced the walls of four cities. First of all, some walls start from the tomb of Adham Khan, and can easily be followed to a commanding bastion, where they stop abruptly, but were once continued to the road, which runs to Tughlukabad : these bounded the citadel of Old Delhi, which was first made about the middle of the eleventh century, by a Hindu raja, and was restored or improved by the Mahomedans. From the north-west angle of the citadel, the outer wall of the city ran across to the garden, which was passed on the road, a mile away ; after that it is only traced with some difficulty, though never more than a mile distant. The Jamali Mosque, however, stands near the line, which becomes more distinct as it approaches Adham Khan's tomb, and completes the circuit. What look like light sand-hills to the north are ​the remains of one wall of Jahanpanah, the "refuge of the world," built to join up the walls of Siri, two miles away, to those of the old city ; the wall on the other side of Jahanpanah runs from a clump of trees which surround the Lado Sarai, towards the village of Khirki. This wall also served as a dam, to hold up water for the needs of the cities. We have thus traced the walls of Old Delhi, Siri, Jahanpanah, and Tughlukabad.
Alai Gateway (p. 92). — Near the foot of the minar is the entrance gateway of Ala-ud-din, built in 1310. This is an example of the beautiful ornamentation, in which the early Mahomedan rulers delighted, but which gave way later to severe designs : the blending of marble and red sandstone in the exterior decoration, the pierced screens to the windows, the diaper pattern inside, all remind one of the decoration of the palace of the Alhambra at Granada, built over a century later. But, while the Moors had to be content with stucco, the work here is in stone, and very much more effective.
Tomb of Imām Zāmin (p. 93). — Close to the gate is the square tomb of the Imam Zamin ; this dates from the middle of the sixteenth century, and was possibly copied from other tombs ​of similar design, which may be found on the plains within the limits of Jahanpanah.
IRON PILLAR AND GREAT ARCHES.
[To face p. 55.
​certainly eight hundred years old, but are not in their original positions, having been rearranged by the Mahomedans.
Iron Pillar (p. 96). — In the court of the mosque Is that most interesting object, the Iron Pillar, nearly twenty-four feet long, and a marvellous piece of forging, weighing about six tons ; such a piece of work would not have been possible in Europe in the days in which it was made, or indeed until many centuries after, for the age of this pillar may be as much as sixteen centuries. It has often been doubted whether the material is really iron, and not a mixture of metals, for one would have thought that it would long ago have rusted away, but analysis has shown it to be composed of pure malleable iron. It is not a natural phenomenon, as the ornamented top will show ; a dent made by a cannon-ball, fired at it, so tradition says, by Ghulam Kadir, shows that the workmanship is good, for the blow was only sufficient to crack the pillar.
Great Arches (p. 97). — The central arch, behind the Iron Pillar, was restored by the orders of Lord Mayo, Viceroy of India from 1869 to 1872, in which year he fell by an assassin's hand in the Andaman Islands, the penal settlement of India, to which offenders are transported across ​the "Black water." Behind the line of arches used to be the covered mosque, but only a few pillars remain, supported by various expedients ; the "kiblah-gah," or place turned to at prayer, has completely disappeared, and a path runs over the site. Behind this have been excavated some turquoise-coloured tiles, and it is supposed that here stood the "Blue Palace" of an early Mahomedan king.
Tomb of Altamsh (p. 97). — A detour to the right leads to the tomb of Shams-ud-din Altamsh, second Mahomedan king of India, who died in 1236 : there is no other tomb anywhere extant of earlier date. The carving of the interior is exquisite, and in very much the same style as that of the work on the great arches ; it was probably carried out by the same artisans, or by their pupils. A triple prayer-niche on the west is specially beautiful, but marble cannot have been considered of great account in those days, for traces of painting are still clear on the carving at the top. The tomb is roofless, and it cannot be stated with certainty if it ever possessed one, but it is doubtful if they could have undertaken a dome of twenty- eight feet span in those days. Not the least of the difficulties would have been the centerings : Tavernier states that the centerings of the tomb ​of Taj Mahal, at Agra, cost as much as the rest of the building.
Tomb of Adham Khān. — The tomb of Adham Khan stands on the line of the walls of Old Delhi ; it is now used as a rest-house for officials. Adham Khan was a foster-brother of the Great Akbar, and the manner of his death is told elsewhere, on p. 220.
The building is octagonal, with an exterior colonnade ; sloping minarets buttress the corners, and are continued above. It is not in the least of the type common in the sixteenth century, when It was built, but rather belongs to the style of a hundred years previously : may it have been the grave of one of Adham Khan's ancestors ? In the thickness of the walls below the dome is a sort of labyrinth.
Jumping Well. — Not far from this tomb is a stone-lined well, which Is adorned with Hindu columns, and into which adventurous divers jump; since the notice, given by these men to visitors, conveys a reproach to writers of books on Delhi, It shall be reprinted here. The language of this notice is decidedly curious —
"One curious seen is in Kutb Minar more, this seen Is not written in any guide book, Curious seen Jumping well Is too deep from ​Fathapur Sakari Agra and Nizam-ud-din Delhi, this well is near the Adam Khan's Tomb Delhi 80 feet deep from ground and 20 feet water 5 minute walk from Kutab Minar and 2 minute drive from Kutub Minar."
Beyond this well, and down the hill, lies the village of Mahrauli, with the shrine of Kutb-ud-din, which is described elsewhere (p. 99) ; the shrine of Nizam-ud-din is more important.
Our steps must be retraced to the tomb of Safdar Jang, for the route by Tughlukabad is too long ; it will be interesting also to note again the boundaries of the three old cities of Old Delhi, Jahanpanah, and Siri.
Tomb of Mahomed Shāh (p. 128). — Close to a cross-road, which leads from Safdar Jang's tomb to Humayun's tomb, lies one of the tombs previously noticed — that of Mahomed Shah, the Sayyad king. The style is very much that of Adham Khan's tomb. The tombs of the Lodi kings lie beyond.
SHRINE OF KHWĀJA NIZĀM-UD-DIN.
| JAMĀT KHĀNA MOSQUE. | TOMBSTONE OF JAHĀNĀRA REGAM. | TOMB OF TAGA KHĀN. [To face p. 59. |
On the west of the shrine is a mosque, built by Firoze Shah six hundred years ago, the principal object of interest in which is a golden bell, hanging from the dome, well out of reach—the Jats are said to have tried in vain to shoot it down for plunder. The square, domed, marble shrine is beautiful, both outside and in, a special feature being a canopy over the grave, inlaid with mother-of-pearl ; this is seen only with difficulty, for the boots must be removed before entering. The grave is, as usual, covered with a pall, there is a prayer-niche, and the pierced marble screens, if not so beautiful as those in the tomb of Salim Chisti, at Fatehpur Sikri, are elegant and costly.
Near by there are three marble enclosures; the first that of Jahanara Begam, daughter of Shah Jahan, and sharer of his captivity. The grass on her grave is planted there in compliance ​with her request, inscribed on the inlaid marble headstone, "Except with grass and green things, let not my grave be covered, for grass is all-sufficient pall for the graves of the poor." The other graves in this enclosure are those of unimportant Moghal princelings.
In the next enclosure lies Mahomed Shah, in whose reign India was invaded by Nadir Shah. The victor's son received in marriage one of the king's relatives, but she died in childbirth, and, with her baby, lies here. The marble doors of the enclosure are carved in relief.
In the third enclosure was buried the son of Akbar the Second, Mirza Jahangir, who, for firing a pistol at the British Resident, was banished to Allahabad. There he died, in 1821, of the effects of too much cherry-brandy, to which beverage he was extremely partial, complaining only that it too soon made him intoxicated. The gravestone of the prince is shaped on the top like that of a woman, for that of a man should have a raised pen-box; the explanation of this is, that this stone had already been carved for the grave of some lady, but was thought otherwise very suitable, and a pen-box was fashioned of plaster, which has now disintegrated.
Chausath Khamba.—In another court are ​some fine old trees, said to be as old as the shrine itself. Here is the grave of a famous poet, Abul Hassan, or Amir Khusrau, a friend of the saint; the other graves are of little importance, although said to include that of Khondamir, a historian, but this cannot be identified. To the east of the shrine of the saint is the mausoleum of Shams-ud-din Mahomed, Taga Khan, Azam Khan, the foster-father and Prime Minister of Akbar, who conferred on him the titles which make his name so long. The mausoleum was erected by his son, MIrza Aziz Kokaltash, governor of several provinces under Akbar; he also built a marble "Chausath Khamba," or Hall of sixty-four pillars, which is close by, and where he himself is buried. His gravestone is near the entrance gate; it is of marble, all in one piece, and valued at Rs.2000. The whole building, pillars, roofs, and screens, is of marble.
Humayun's Tomb.—From a junction of the road from Safdar Jang's tomb with the Muttra Road, a short road leads to the tomb of Humayun, passing on the way the mausoleum of Isa Khan ; this building is a little more elaborate than that of Adham Khan, and rather similar to the tomb of Mubarik Shah; It has pavilions on the roof. Isa Khan lived about the middle of ​the sixteenth century. Then the road skirts a garden, on the walls of which are pavilions, decorated with encaustic tiling, and crosses the old Moghal Road, which ran through the gate of the Arab Sarai, and may be traced towards the north. The Arab Sarai was built by Akbar's mother, and is so called because it was the habitation of some three hundred Arabs, whom she may have brought back from Mecca.
The walled enclosure of Humayun's tomb has two entrances, one to the west, the other on the south; but the former is the principal one. It may be noted that the mosque, usual accompaniment of a tomb, is therefore absent. The mausoleum itself, while it cannot pretend to the delicate, ever-varying beauty of the tomb of Taj Mahal, at Agra, is yet no mean receptacle for the bones of a king, whose life was rather spent in war than in peace. It must be remembered that the country had hardly been settled, and that the fame of the "Great Mogul" had not then attracted European artists. The ground plan, a square with an irregular octagon at each corner, may have served as a model for the designer of "the Taj;" the general plan of that building differs only in having regular octagons at the corners. Of course, the material and workmanship there are magnificent, while here both are rough; but ​then Humayun's tomb Is that of a man. The dome has a constricted neck, foreshadowing the bulbous domes of a later fashion, but it is formed in the old style. The copper pinnacle is 140 feet above the level of the terrace.
On the left of the steps, which lead up to the platform from the western side, is a marble grave, which holds the decapitated body of Dara Shikoh, eldest son of Shah Jahan, defeated by Aurangzeb, and murdered not far from here by his orders. Elsewhere on the platform, and in the rooms of a lower story, are the graves of many a scion of the House of Timur. And here was captured the last king, and also his three descendants, who were shot by Hodson.
Across the river a grove of trees marks Patparganj, between which and modern Delhi was fought, in 1803, a decisive battle by Lord Lake against the Mahrattas, then in possession of the imperial city. Their total defeat ended in the first entry of British soldiers into Delhi, on the 14th of September—significant date.
Two small tombs lie towards the south-east; one has a blue-tiled dome, and is said to contain the bones of one Fahim Khan; the other, of red sandstone, is reputed to be the tomb of a favourite barber of Humayun. A massive tomb, to the south-west, Is that of the Khan Khanan, son ​of Bahrām Khān, Akbar's great general and minister; the marble, which once covered the dome of this tomb, was sold to Asaf-ud-daulah, Nawāb of Oudh, by Shāh Ālam, for the sum of Rs.25,000.
The upper floor of Humayun's tomb is practically level with the terrace; the real grave, as usual, is below, a cenotaph being placed on the floor above to indicate the site. In 1611, the floor was covered with rich carpets, and a magnificent ceiling-cloth was suspended over the cenotaph; beside copies of the Korān on reading-stands, were still kept the sword, dagger, and shoes of the monarch, who had died in 1556. All these relics have disappeared, and unsightly whitewash has disfigured the interior.
Purāna Kila (p. 127).—Between Humāyun's tomb and Shāhjahānābād lie monuments which indicate the site of two more ancient cities, covering to some extent the same ground. Here also is the "Purāna Kila," or old fort of Humāyun, persistently alleged by the Hindus to be on the site of Indraprastha, and therefore called "Indarpat." The modern road, which leads to the gate, passes, at some distance on the right, a fortified enclosure, said to have been the residence of Humāyun's barber, but possibly a palace of that ​monarch himself. Between this enclosure and the old fort there stands a pillar, one of the "Kos minars" or two-mile stones, on the old imperial Delhi-Agra road.
Opposite a turning, which leads to the fort, is a mosque in a cloistered enclosure, attributed to Maham Anagah, one of the foster-mothers of Akbar; she founded a college here. A red gate and battlements near by indicate the southern limits of the city of Sher Shah, built about 1541.
Kila Kona Mosque (p. 127).—The entrance gate of the *' Purana Kila " is a very fine one, with varied decoration of black and yellow stone among the red. There is a slit over the gate, suggestive of boiling oil or molten lead, and tiles adorn the balconies above. The interior of the walls is filled with squalid houses, but contains a very fine mosque, called "Kila Kona" (at the corner of the fort), with very effective, many- coloured decoration on the front, and an interior which reminds one of the fine mosque at Fatehpur Sikri. There is only one dome left out of three; the other two had to be removed, years ago. The earthquake of 1905 cracked the southern wall badly.
Not far from here is an octagonal, three-storied, red sandstone building called the "Sher ​Mandal," built by Sher Shah, for an unknown purpose, but used by Humayun as a library; here the latter met his death, by accidentally falling down the inconveniently steep stairs.
Outside the gate of the fort, near a large tree, is a platform, close to the old road, and on this Hodson is said—probably quite erroneously —to have made the three princes stand when he shot them; it is said that a number of armed men emerged from the fort, and that their threatening attitude caused him to take the decision to do so.
Kotila of Firoze Shah (p. 123).—To the left of the road, after it leaves the "Purana Kila," lie the ruins of the city of Firozabad, built by Firoze Shah. The Kotila, or citadel, of that monarch is opposite the modern jail, near which is the Cabul Gate of Sher Shah's city. On the top of a much-ruined three-storied building, now
ASOKA PILLAR.
[To face p. 67.
Close to the pillar is the Jama Masjid of Firoze Shah, now in ruins, and despoiled of the massive monolithic pillars which supported the vaulted roofs of colonnades around the central court. A very good idea of what the mosque looked like in former days can be obtained from the Kalan, or Great, Mosque (p. 122), within the Turkman Gate of the city. To the south of this Jama Masjid was the palace of Firoze Shah, now an utter ruin.
And now the road leads to the Delhi Gate of Shahjahanabad. It is called by that name because it opens towards the old cities of Delhi, the positions of which have been clearly indicated in this chapter. In the next we shall endeavour to trace the reasons for the frequent changes of site.