Cityscape of Shahjahanabad (Old Delhi)

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Cityscape of Shahjahanabad (Old Delhi)

Shahjahan forced his own dream on the new capital, its cityscape centered on the organizations of the ruler and his nobles. Along these lines it took after to Isfahan, the capital of the Safavids which was planned by the Safavid ruler Shah Abbas at the end of the sixteenth century. The zone of Shahjahanabad was much bigger than any of the prior urban communities of the Sultans of Delhi or some other rulers on the sub - landmass. The development deal with the site initiated under the supervision of two prestigious designers Ustad Ahmad and Ustad Hamid.

Be that as it may, Shahjahan kept a nearby watch on the whole venture including the areas and building arrangements of the manors of the grandees of the realm. Following two weeks, when introductory spate work was finished, sovereigns and high - positioning nobles likewise got plots of area so work may likewise begin on t beneficiary houses. Chip away at the royal structures was conveyed under the supervision of three subadars – Ghairat Khan, Allah Vardi Khan and Makramat Khan

. At the point when at long last finished the city was eminent and it was viewed as one of the biggest and most populous city on the planet. Muhammad Salih is all commendation for the city and opines that neither Constantinople nor Baghdad could contrast and Shahjahanabad which needed none of the comforts of life. Town arranging The Mughal heads were consummate experts of t own arranging particularly Shahjahan who had an exceptionally developed tasteful sense?

 He arranged everything on a vast and respectable scale. Much sooner than Paris set the design (1670 AD) of having the vital lanes of the city flanked with streets, and boulewar ds turned into the appealing components of the cutting edge towns in present day Europe, Shahjahan had arranged in 1638 a lovely bouleward in the Chandni Chowk of Delhi. It had a stamped likeness with Unturned - Linden in Barlin established by Fredrick the Great around 1740, the 'most terrific case of a bouleward in Europe'. 

The arrangement of Shahjahanabad reflects both Hindu and Islamic impacts. It appears to have taken after a configuration from Manasara, an old treatise on engineering which contains a semi - circular outline called karm uka or bow for a site fronting a stream or seashore. There was, be that as it may, a variety concocted in it that on the most promising spot i.e. the point of the two primary roads, the spot was possessed by the royal residence - post. In the first karmuka arrangement the most favorable spot in a settlement was to be involved by a sanctuary. 

The choice of karmuk plan typically recommends the force of the lord. The arranging of Shahjahanabad additionally mirrors the conventional Islamic city arrangement. As indicated by it the idea of the city lies between the two shafts – man and universe – and that fuses the typical standards of both. The city drew on the pictures of men and universe in a typical structure. The arrangement of the city was likewise seen to imitate the life systems of men which 'contained every one of the potential outcomes of the universe inside himself'.[8] Elements of cosmological idea of the city discovered vogue in the working of the Iranian designers of Shahjahan's court. As Blake opines the walled city 'symbolized the universe and the eight entryways the four cardinal headings in addition to the four doors of paradise.'

The City Walls and Gates the city was sustained on three sides by a solid divider and the fourth – on the eastern side – incompletely by the Fort and mostly by the divider. The northern mass of the city amplified only seventy five percent of a mile from the Water Bastion in the east to the Mori Bastion in the west. It was enclosed by an enormous divider more than 8 meter high and 3.5 meters wide. The aggregate length of the dividers surpassed 9 kilometers. The divider was surmounted by twenty - seven towers and sprinkled with various huge doors and gateways at normal interims. 

The major portals indicated the bearing of the critical spots and districts of the realm, for example, Lahori Gate, Kashmiri Gate, Ajmeri Gate, A kbarabadi Gate, and so forth. Towards the waterway, where Rajghat and Nigambodh ghat are found, littler entryways were accommodated the Hindu occupants of the city to visit their places of love and perform stately capacities. Neglecting these entryways were chaukis (posts) and quarters for the security work force. There were two hillocks inside the range encased by the fortification. On one of these, known as Bhujalal pahari, was developed the Jami' Masjid. It is around 500 meters south - west of the fortification. The Palace - fortification The Palace - stronghold of Shahjahan, called the Qila - i Mubarak (propitious Fort, prevalently known as Lal Qila) was an overwhelming structure which took nine years to finish. As indicated by the French voyager Bernier it was 'the most sublime castle in the East – maybe on the planet'.

It is based on a bigger and much thorough scale than whatever other of its kind. It was the living arrangement of the ruler, furthermore the seat of the legislative as divider as social exercises, and contained an assortment of structures, along these lines shaping a city inside city. In all there were 32 structures in the castle - post. The degree of the mass of the royal residence - fortification comes to around 3 kilometers, and it encases a zone of around 124 sections of land, which is double the extent of the fortress at Agr a. It is almost a normal parallelogram with the points somewhat inclined off. The high dividers are mitigated at interims with towers surmounted by shapely stands. A great many stone - cutters, artisans, stone carvers, craftsmen, planter - planners, and others cr aftsmen took a shot at it. The craftsmanship was of such a request, to the point that, as Muhammad Salih comments, 'a sharp nail couldn't be pushed between the stones of the structures'. 

A vast canal, 23 meters wide and 9 meters profound encompassed the fortification. It was confronted with harsh stone, and loaded with water. Furthermore, as Bernier lets us know, it served to assist seclude and ensure the magnificent family unit. The royal residence post was isolated from the city legitimate by three gardens to be specific Buland Bagh, Gulabi Bagh, and Anguri Bagh. None of these can be seen any more.

The royal residence post had four gigantic doors: Lahori Gate confronting Chandini Chowk was the main passageway. Behind its profound recessed entry was a monstrous vaulted lobby which opened into a patio. The lobby was associated with a square - molded structure,called naubat - khana through a secured passageway. Shops were built on both sides of the passage and broad extravagance things were accessible here.

 It suited the whole illustrious flats, royal residence, and structures. Outside it wer e found the quarters, for the equipped retainers and buildings for incidental purposes. An imperative building was Diwan - i Am , a vast structure measuring around 61 meters by 24 meters. It was partitioned into two sections with a marble baldachin (overhang) set into specialty in the eastern divider confronting the window. The corner was initially enhanced with valuable stones. The whole surface of the building was secured with fine shell plasterand ivory shine which gave it the similarity of marble structure. The essential buildi ngs in the Palace Fortress Interior of the post was separated into two rectangles.

The collection of mistresses and private condo involved the entire range eastbound of the bazaar. There used to be no less than six marble structures transcending the defenses and bestowing i t a beautiful appearance to the front through their overhangs, oriel windows, and turrets. The biggest structure in this gathering was Rang Mahal. To its north was found the Aramgah (resting quarters). The quarters for the dowagers and wards of the for mer rulers inside the post were situated in a spot called Khawaspura. Contiguous Rang Mahal was Diwan - i Khas. It was unquestionably the most ornamented working of Shahjahanabad.

It was decorated with inlay of precious stones. Only selected grandees were allowed admission in this building. The imperial fortress contained thousands of persons that included, apart from the household troops of the emperor, merchants, artisans, servants, painters, musicians, and secretarial staff and many more. It also contained workshops, stables, stores, treasury, mint, and weapons. The palace fortress was, thus, a city in miniature as it contained all the elements of a town or city, and it served as the model for the city. The layout of the streets in the city was also in the similar fashion as it was within the fortress. The Jharokha On the eastern wall of the fort on the riverfront a delicately carved structure (jharokha) was devised where the emperor showed himself every day in the early morning to the people who gathered there in large numbers. Later in the day the contingents of noblesand the rajas passed in review. 

The early morning ritual of appearing on the balcony, jharokh - darshan as it is called, had great significance as it brought the emperor in direct contact with his subjects especially the Hindus, ‘enfolding them into the great household that was empire’. Any person, even the meanest or the poorest, could participate in this ritual. This ceremony inspired tremendous awe and respect in the heart of his audience. The Mughal rulers understood the value of the ritual and this custom was followed. The ceremonial in the audience halls strengthened the ties of patron - client relationship. The Important places and bazaars in the city 

The most important road was one connecting the Lahori Gate of the city wall and the Lahori Gate of the palace - fortress with a minor diversion near the Fatehpuri mosque. The Nahr - i Faiz.  flowed through the centre of the road between the Fatehpuri mosque and the palace - fortress, and a squar e was constructed around the central part of the canal. The beautiful reflections on the moonlit nights soon gave it the popular name Chandni Chowk. It is apparent that Chandni Chowk was laid, though on a large scale, on the same plan on which chamans or f lower gardens are arranged in front of the Mughal palaces.

Both sides of the road were lined with the trees and more than 1500 shops on it, which were either owned by Princess Jahan Ara or Nawab Fatehpuri Begum (one of the queens of Shahjahan). Starting from the side of the palace - fortress the markets were called Urdu Bazar, Jauhri/ Asharfi Bazar and then Fatehpuri Bazar. Another straight road connected the Akbarabadi Gate of the palace - fortress with the Akbarabadi Gate (now called the Delhi Gate) of the city wall, and the market here was called the Faiz Bazar. On the road too the Nahr - i Faiz flowed through the centre and both sides of the road were strewn with shops. It is now known Darya Ganj. This road was joined, near the fortress by the road coming from the Kashmiri Gate, on which the main sections of the havelis and mansions of the nobility located. Yet another straight road came from the Kabuli Gate, running parallel in the north to the Chandni Chowk, it joined the Kashmiri Gate road. The Palaces and Mansions of the Nobility In the social hierarchy the position of the members the ruling class was next to the emperor. 

They tried to imitate the imperial establishments in all its departments, though at a much lower scale. Thus, the common features that could be located in these palaces and mansions include naqqar - khana (drummer’s chamber), provision of the token - force of armed retainers, gardens, and the harem or the residential apartments for the family of the nobles. These mansions were, however, not the private property of the nobles and could be acquired by the state any time. The residences of the rich merchants and hakims, most of these were havelis or multi - storied structures, were their private properties. The palaces and mansions of the princes and great nobles dominated the cityscape of Shahjahanabad. The residential complexes were surrounded by high walls and they contained gardens, and beautiful apartments. The account of William Franklin of the mansion of a great noble Khan - i Dauran, the wazir of Muhammad Shah during the eighteenth century, provides an idea of the ‘size and the complexities’ of the residences of these nobles. Generally a lofty gateway (also called the naqqar khana) housed the soldiers of the daily guard and the household musicians. A large forecourt surrounded by a row of rooms under an arcade lay immediately inside. It contained places for the soldiers and servants of the household and for the horses, elephants, and attendants of visitors. 

They also contained apartments for servants, clerks, artisans, soldiers, store rooms for different commodities, record offices, treasuries, workshops and so on. The living quarters of the princes and amirs used to be in the inner quadrangle, which was separated from the public area by a high wall. 

These mansions were quite large and some of these have space for thousands of people. They were so vast that as Muhammad Salihfiguratively says ‘in the courtyard of each one the area of a city is empty’. As Blake remarks, ‘By virtue of their size and population, these mansions dominated the sectors of the city just as the palace - fortress dominated the urban area as a whole.’ These households also dominated the urban economy and the process of consumption as well. The Gardens Besides the walled area the urban complex extended several miles into the countryside. As Bernier tells us these suburbs were interspersed with extensive gardens and open space. 

The gardens occupied an important place in the plan and build of the city in Islamic tradition which was introduced here more markedly by the Mughal rulers. Mughal gardens were rectangular, surrounded by high walls broken by gateways, and topped with towers. These were cut by four swiftly flowing canals which divided them into four sections and this devis e endowed them the name chahar bagh. On three sides Shahjahanabad was surrounded by several gardens and mansions of the Mughal princes and nobles. Mention may be made here of Shalimar Bagh, Mubarak Bagh, Roshanara Begum’s Bagh, Talkatora Bagh, and Kudsia B agh. The plan of Shahjahanabad followed that of the palace - fortress. Like it the city was divided into two parts. 

The palace was the exclusive area and the seat of power. The rest of the urban area was the centre of widespread activities. The streets and m arkets also followed the pattern of the palace - fortress. The planning of the city of Shahjahanabad was done in a manner that it symbolizes the hold of the ruler in many ways. However, Shahjahanabad was not solely dependent on the emperor for its growth or sustenance. The urban communities retained ‘their own distinctive style and character’. This is the reason that in spite of the decline in the power of the Mughal emperor from the middle of the eighteenth century Shahjahanabad continued to flourish as a busy commercial centre.

The culture it had evolved continued to thrive. One can see strong traces of this even today in the walled city. - The Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan (whose rule was the zenith of Mughal architectural brilliance) by 1637 A.D. began to realize the paucity of space in the Agra and Lahore courts to conduct royal ceremonies properly. By the year 1639 A.D. he decided to lay the foundation stone for a new capital of his kingdom which would be known as Shahjahanabad. The site of Shahjahanabad is north of earlier cities of Delhi; its southern part overlaps some of the area settled by the Tughluqs in 14th century. Delhi had always remained an important place for the Mughal kings (before Shah Jahan), who built palaces and forts here. 

Architecture - The architecture of the city of Shahjahanabad is something which cannot be described in a paragraph or two. It was a detailed city (rectangular in shape) (built on the banks of River Yamuna, which has now changed course) with many architectural and visual marvels. The main pa lace (or citadel) in which the emperor Shah Jahan and the succesive rulers of the Mughal Dynasty lived until 1857 A.D. was known as the Lal Qila (Red Fort). It was called so because of its Red Sandstone walls (Initially the walls were being made of mud unt il Shah Jahan ordered them to be decorated with red sandstone). The fort covers approximately 125 acres of land. 

The Red Fort itself is a World Heritage Site which speaks volumes about the beauty of its buildings and pavilions. Some of the well-known and most beautiful sections of the Red Fort and Shahjahanabad were the emperor's private area which housed various pavilions like the Diwan e Khas (Hall for Private Audience), Rang Mahal, Mumtaz Mahal (which has now been converted into a museum), Moti Masjid ( Pearl Mosque) (it was the private mosque of Emperor Aurangzeb (Shah Jahan's successor) etc. 

The most enthralling part of the private quarters was the Nahr e Behisht (Stream of Paradise) which was a man made channel of water (drawn from the river Yamuna). This channel of water had flown through the middle of the main pavilions of Diwan e Khas , Rang Mahal and the emperor's private apartments. It was loaded with rose petals, incense e.t.c. so that it would not only cool the halls but also make the air rich with fragrance.

The city of Shahjahanabad as such had eight gates which were locked during night time (in the 17th, 18th and the 19th century). The city had many bazaars, some of which exist even now, for example Khari Baoli (which is today Asia's large st wholesale spice market). The area of Chandni Chowk (Moonlit Square) (which was also the main street of Shahjahanabad) had many bazaars as well. Some shops in this area are several centuries old! Other important monuments in Shahjahanabad are Ghalib ki Haveli (the house of famous poet Mirza Ghalib), Jama Masjid (Friday Mosque) (an imposing mosque made of Red Sandstone), St James Church (First Church of Delhi), Sunehri Masjid, Gurdwara Sis Ganj e.t.c. 

Decline - After the fall of the Mu ghal Empire post 1857 revolt, the British Empire shifted the capital of India, to a more (security - wise) stable Calcutta (Kolkata), where it remained till 1911 (when they came back to Delhi). After quelling the 1857 revolt the Britishers built a military g arrison inside the Red Fort and evicted the 3000 people (approximately) who were living there at that time and destroyed many of the presidential palaces. To be frank the city of Shahjahanabad (now better known as Old Delhi) never actually declined. The focus simply shifted from being an administrative capital city to being an area for trade and commerce (which it remains till date), with many large wholesale markets coming up in the mid-19th century. These markets like Chawri Bazar (hardwa re market est 1840), Phool Mandi (Flower Market est. 1869) etc. exist till date.

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