The Lodhi Garden Tombs

Sheesh Gumbad from a distance.

I had been following the INTACH Delhi FB page for some time, so when we visited Delhi in March this year, I got the opportunity to attend one of their Heritage walks. They conduct walks every weekend and the weekend that we were there, the Lodhi garden walk was scheduled.

Tomb of Mohemmed Shah Sayyid.

During our two and a half years stay in Gurgaon, which is 30 kms from Delhi, we had visited the Lodhi gardens many times and of course seen monuments there, without knowing their significance. This walk totally changed our perspective on what we had seen multiple times but knew little about. 

The chattris on the dome. 

The Cosmic star which connects the dead to Heaven.

Islamic inscriptions on the dome. 

Floral motifs and inscriptions.

The Lodhi garden is spread over 90 acres of undulating lawns, jogging and cycling tracks and lined with beautiful trees and flowering shrubs and plants. But its name derives from the fact that it is home to some of well-known tombs from the Sayyid and more importantly, the Lodhi era, dating back to the 15^th century.

The 'kumbh' or pot shaped carving which is very Indian has been incorporated here. 

Graves. The ones with the raised portion are those of men and the protrusion is called 'kalam'. 

Before the Lodhi era was the Sayyid’s era when the Sayyid dynasty ruled the area which was then known as Khairpur village. The Lodhis then ruled over the Punjab region. The Sayyid empire was unstable with a lot of internal conflict. They called the Lodhis to intervene and resolve the issue promising them rewards of land and money, which didn’t come through once the work got done. So the Lodhis decided to take over the Sayyids’ empire as a mark of retaliation and retribution.

The area around the tombs was converted into a landscaped garden in 1936 and was named Lady Willingdon Park, after the wife of the then British Viceroy. It was named Lodhi Garden post-Independence and was re-designed in 1968 by eminent architect, J.A Stein.

Although the garden is primarily dedicated to tombs from the Lodhi dynasty, there is one tomb belonging to Muhammed Shah Sayyid of the Sayyid dynasty. After his death in 1451 AD, the tomb was built by his son, Alauddin Alam Shah. This structure like the other tombs in the garden were made of Delhi quartzite, procured locally. It is a very hard stone, so very minimal chiselling work has been done on that. The quartzite is interspersed with red sand stone on which one finds the more intricate carving and designs.

Bada Gumbad

The decorated dome. 

The intricate stucco work in the mosque.. 

Notice the thick walls. 

The stucco work on the walls. 

Jaya Basera, who conducted the walk, pointed to some interesting aspects of architecture. The Sayyids wanted to send a message to the Hindus, that they have come to India for good and do not intend to leave like the Ghazni and Ghori, who repeatedly plundered India and stole many tons of gold, precious stones and metals. So, although Islam prohibits the representation of any life forms in sculptures and structures, they modified it subtly, to render them as an abstract representation of life forms which the Indians identified with.

Sheesh Gumbad.

The only Sayyid era structure in Lodhi gardens and is the tomb of Muhammed Shah Sayyid. The central main chamber is octagonal with the cenotaph of Muhammed Shah in the middle and surrounded by several other graves. It was customary for a person of importance to be buried in the center of the structure. Also, the difference between the graves for men and women are known by the raised middle vertical portion of the grave for men, also known as kalam. In Islam, it was tradition to bury the body with the head facing towards Mecca, which from India would be to the West. The dome above was made of intricately done stucco work and painted. There are also bands of inscription from the Quran. The structure is circular as opposed to the square structures built by the Lodhis. The central octagonal chamber has in its center the cenotaph of Muhammed Shah surrounded by several other graves. The main entrance to the chamber is from the south. Small chhatris (umbrellas) surround the main dome which lend the building an Indo-Islamic look. The dome is crowned with an inverted lotus shaped structure. The ceiling inside is decorated with carved stucco and has the cosmic star in the centre which is believed to connect the dead to heaven and has several Islamic inscriptions and decorative motifs.

The ceiling in Sheesh Gumbad. 

Next we saw the Bada Gumbad, which means a building with a big (bada) dome (gumbad). It’s the first Lodhi era monument dating back to mid-15^th century. It’s a square structure and appears to have 2 stories from the outside. However, when one enters one sees a single chamber with a magnificent high ceiling. The absence of a cenotaph in the building, stylistic differences lend mystery to the purpose of the structure. Some believe that it served as gateway into Khairpur village in the 15^th century. Adjacent to the Bada Gumbad is a mosque with a pavilion to the east. It has five arched openings with intricate stucco work of floral and geometric motifs. There is a prayer hall with inscriptions from the Quran on the walls and ceilings.

Sikander Lodhi's tomb. This couple out of the frame would have made it perfect, but I was feeling awkward asking them to move. 

Next to the Bada Gumbad is the Sheesh Gumbad, which means a dome (gumbad) covered with glass/mirrors (sheesh). This is because the dome and parts of the façade were completely covered with coloured glazed tiles which were imported from Persia. But today, with just a few cobalt blue tiles on the façade, one can only imagine the beauty that this building must have been, back then. This structure is again square like all Lodhi era structures and the inner chamber with the cenotaph are decorated with fine stucco work of floral patterns and Quranic inscriptions. There are several graves in the central chamber, possibly of eminent people during Sikander Lodhi’s time.

The walls of the tomb that make it look like a fortress.

Stucco work and glazed coloured tiles inside. 

Further ahead is the tomb of Sikander Lodhi. It’s a walled tomb which makes it look like a fortress of sorts, and is said to be the last prominent Lodhi era monument constructed in Delhi. This tomb is said to be inspired by the tomb of Muhammed Shah, since it is quite similar in appearance excepting the chhatris on top. The inner chamber of the tomb is surrounded by a verandah of arches with carved sandstone brackets. In the chamber inside, there are glazed tile decorations, painted stucco work and a single grave of Sikander Lodhi.

The Athpula or the eight pier bridge.

Our walk ended with the explanation of a fascinating structure- a 16^th century eight-pier bridge, east of Sikander Lodhi’s tomb. It was built during Akbar’s reign, to span a tributary of the Yamuna river that probably met the Barahpula nullah further south. This was a part of the river system that drained the south Delhi area and then fed the Yamuna. It’s now called ‘Athpula’, (‘ath’ meaning eight and ‘pul’ meaning bridge) due to the eight piers that support the bridge.  

At the end of the walk, I asked Jaya as to why monuments in Delhi meant only Islamic monuments (Qutab Minar, Humayun’s tomb, Lodhi Garden tombs, etc), and where the Hindu monuments were, because the Islamic invaders came to India in the 9^th century. She said that all Hindu monuments were destroyed and razed to the ground by the Islamic invaders, so there is nothing left. She even mentioned that they not only destroyed the Hindu temples, but also transferred entire blocks of stone and pillars to construct their own mosques, in place of the temples. In some structures like the Qutab Minar, one can see stone bricks and columns with Sanskrit inscriptions still intact. The horrors of the Islamic invasion are well known to everyone, but to hear first-hand from a historian about the same and to know that, no single ancient Hindu temple survives in the whole of Delhi, made me sad.

But I couldn’t remain sad for long. I had many things to do in Delhi before I left for Pune, but more of that in the next post. :-)

Notice how wide the bridge is. Maybe this was used by their elephants too to move to the other side. 

Though it was March, we had had a sudden heavy downpour in the morning. Unarmed with umbrellas, we still decided to make the best of the walk, and it was indeed a very informative walk. I would surely like to attend more walks with them. 

You may follow INTACH Delhi on their Facebook page. The fees for the walk was Rs 250.

If you have enjoyed reading this post, you may subscribe to new posts updates via email. Enter your email id in the 'Follow by email' on the right hand side panel. 

Also follow my posts on Facebook.

Exploring the 2000 years old Buddhist Cave clusters at Junnar.

Entrance to the Bhutlinga caves. Photo by Saili Palande Datar.

When the shout-out in one of the dailies mentioned, “exotic Buddhist caves”, I knew I had to go! And I was delighted to know that the tour was organized by a team of an Archaeologist and Indologist, which meant that there would be a rich wealth of information and stories, to satiate the history buff in me.

Copy of the Brahmi script. 

Somehow I couldn’t transfer the fees for the tour in time, and pleaded fervently (lol) with Saili Palande Datar , the co-founder of Heritage Insights, with whom I travelled, to include me, on the eve of departure. The pleading did work, and I found myself, the next day, with an equally eager and enthusiastic bunch of people ready to explore the lesser known, 2000 years old cave clusters in Junnar, in Maharashtra. I was surprised to know that there are around 185 such caves in the Junnar region alone and many of them yet to be discovered.

Map with the locations of Buddhist caves in Maharashtra. 

Map of the Indo-Roman trade routes. 

It was extremely fascinating to know how these caves came to be developed. After the Samadhi of Gautama Buddha, his disciples took upon the task of spreading Buddhism all over the world, starting with India. Often they travelled with traders on well-known trade routes. But during the Monsoon, they stayed put in one place for shelter. This was called Varshavaasya, ‘varsha’ meaning rains and ‘vaasya’ meaning residence. Initially, probably they must have sought out natural caves, but when monks starting extending their stay beyond the four months of Varshavaasya, they started building permanent monasteries and cave dwellings. The funding for building the monasteries came mainly from the traders who would seek shelter and food in exchange for funds. The type of funds varied from wood, vessels, grains, cloth, etc.

Entrance to the Chaitya griha of Amba-Ambika caves. 

The sculpture of Amba-Ambika from which the caves derive their name. 

The whole Amba Ambika cave cluster. 

Several inscriptions on the stone also revealed that projects within the cave complex too were sponsored, like water reservoirs, or specific pillars, as an action of ‘punya’, or benevolent actions done specifically for atonement of sins or to appease the Gods that be. This is similar to what we see in parks or buildings, stating that the seats or certain amenities have been donated by a certain person. Several parts of the monastery like meditation cells, or the ceiling or relief work were left unfinished due to the unsuitable nature of the rock and seepage, although in some other caves, elsewhere, work has been left incomplete due to shortage of funds, much like some construction projects of today. Some things don’t change even in 2000 years, I thought to myself!

Entrance to the Bhutlinga caves. Notice the intricate carving on the facade. 

The Chaitya griha with a domed ceiling.

And who were these traders and where did they come from? These were Roman traders who carried out trade via sea, through Egypt, Alexandria and Arabia. The ports where the ships were anchored were Bhrugukachh (Bharuch in Gujarat), Shurparak (now known as Nalasopara in Mumbai) and Calliena (Kalyan near Mumbai). The Romans carried cotton, ivory, spices, silk, pearls, and exotic fauna like tigers, cheetah, peacock, and rhinos to Europe and in return brought gold, silver, wine and slave women to India. The goods brought would be loaded onto bullocks which passed via different ghats to reach important cities in the Deccan region like, Junnar, Pratishthan (Paithan), Nasik and Tagar (Ter).

Carving of a Bodhi tree.

The sculptures of Naga and Garuda. Notice the wings on the figure to the left and the multi-hooded snake behind the figure on the right. 

The then major dynasties of India, the Satvahana and Kshatrapa fought amongst themselves to control the trade routes, as that would mean a lot of wealth as the passes or ‘ghats’ on the Western Ghats were used as collection points for taxes, equivalent to the toll that we have today. It was interesting to know that for traders who used the pass often, they even had discounts similar to the discount on monthly toll passes of today.

Inscriptions stating that a trader has sponsored work for this part of the cave. 

Intricate carvings. 

So the cave monasteries and the Indo-Roman trade had a symbiotic relationship each thriving on the other. But after the 2^nd century BC, the Roman economy collapsed thus impacting the trade which came to a grinding halt towards the 3^rd century CE (Christ Era).

Carvings of Goddess Lakshmi in the centre and elephants, devotees and floral motifs. Photo by Minal Karekar and Swapna Pataskar

A closer shot. Photo by Saili Palande Datar. 

Our first stop was at Manmodi hill, where after a short uphill trek we reached the cave named Amba-Ambika. During the briefing, Yashodhan Joshi, another co-founder of Heritage Insights, showed us the map of the ancient Indo-Roman trade route and also handed copies of the ancient Brahmi script (the language used was Prakrit with a few words of Sanskrit origin) which we used later to understand inscriptions (with a lot of difficulty). All the caves we visited were carved out from the mountain or hill. The cave cluster called Amba-Ambika derives its name from the sculpture of Goddess Ambika which was carved by the Jains in the 9^th and 10^th century CE, after the caves were abandoned by the Buddhist monks. This was a two stories cave cluster with an unfinished Chaitya Griha (prayer hall with a stupa at one end). Two pot based pillars at the entrance were re-constructed by the ASI (Archaeological Survey of India) and were hence of a different colour. Around 50 inscriptions regarding donations made for the construction of this cave have been found in the Chaitya griha.

Water reservoirs. Rain water harvesting was done even then. 

Further down the Amba-Ambika caves are the Bhutlinga caves, named after the main Chaitya griha with ‘naga’ (snake) and ‘garuda’ (eagle) motifs and the stupa which is considered a ‘Shivlinga’ by locals. The façade of the cave was very well done and was donated by an Indo-Greek trader (locally called yavans) named Chanda, as we learnt from an inscription.

The dents on these stones are for sticking in wooden sticks and watering it, so that when the wood expanded the pressure would break the stones. Here they are left unfinished.

Copper deposits in a rock which render it green. Somewhere on the way...

All these two cave groups were built or rather carved between 1^st to 3^rd centuries CE. Considering that entire caves had to be cut out from the hill, one would think that it would have taken a hundred years for them to have been built. But Saili, the Archaeologist in the team said that one cave cluster would have taken around 15-20 years. This and well as other facts about the life of the monks and ruling dynasties have been gleaned  from years of research by scholars through various sources like coins, inscriptions, references to the names on inscriptions found in the literature of the period, etc.

The Chaitya griha at Tulja caves. 

A distant shot of Tulja caves.

By this time we were satiated by this interesting history and it was time to satiate our hunger. We headed to an eatery in an agro-tourism enterprise called Amantran and after a lip-smacking traditional lunch, headed to the Tulja cave group. The name derives from the deity Goddess Tulja whose shrine was built in a much later period in one of the abandoned caves. This cave group is considered much older than the rest by scholars, which means it wasbuilt in the 1^st century CE or even earlier. There was a circular Chaitya griha here as opposed to the hall like spaces in the previous caves with 12 octagonal pillars around it which indicates that it is from an earlier period.

On the way to Naneghat. Notice the triangular natural formations on the rock. 

Our last stop was a cave in Naneghat. On the way to the cave we were greeted by a giant stone pot which was believed to have been used for tax collection by the then queen of the ruling Satvahana dynasty, called Nayanika or Naganika. This is not a Buddhist cave but was built more as a commemoration of the main political people of the time. In this cave all the three walls of the cave were covered with inscriptions which give a lot of details about the politics of the time. The names of Shri Satkarni and his wife Nayanika, who was a very influential queen feature prominently in the inscriptions. The inscriptions also talks about the Yagnas that Nayanika performed and the donations she made for the Satvahana Empire. At one there were inscriptions serving as labels to the now absent statues of different people like Naganika and her husband.

The giant stone pot used for tax collection by Queen Nayanika.

Add caption

Inscriptions on the walls in Naneghat.

We spent some time in Naneghat taking in the panoramic views under the crescent moon before boarding the bus. This trip was surely a heady mix of heritage, history, information, and being transported for a brief moment, to the life that was, 2000 years ago!

The crescent moon for a beautiful end to a very interesting tour. 

Do follow the FB page of Heritage Insights for updates on their Heritage tours! I am certainly awaiting the next one!

A Day in Mysore

In 2014, during my trip to the Rainforest Retreat near Madikeri, where I went as a volunteer, I decided to stop over for a day in Mysore to explore the city. I was there only for 24 hours, but tried my best to squeeze in as much of the culinary and cultural delights the city has to offer. So in case you visit Mysore, here's a rough guide you can use to get your way around. 

Sagu dosa at Vinayaka Mylari

8.30 am- Head out for some lip-smacking traditional breakfast at Vinayaka Mylari at Nazarbad road. I had sagu dosa served with coconut chutney served on banana leaf and washed it down with delicious filter coffee. Things had started on a great note. Before arriving in the city in the morning, I had got in touch with Royal MysoreWalks, a team that conducts guided heritage, food and cultural walks and tours in Mysore. 

The softest idlis from Vinayaka Mylari. 

Thaali from Dasaprakash.

9.30 am : Ananth, a very cheerful and interesting guide with the Royal Mysore Walks, enlightened me on how various important world events are connected to Mysore, and little known aspects of Mysore's history that includes the Tamil Nadu CM, Jayalalitha's grandmother being the first woman graduate in Mysore, and how upon losing a war, the British took Tipu Sultan's young sons , aged 9 and 7 as war hostages!! He had also carried vintage photos from Mysore's past. It was interesting, when at the 125 yr old market, he held up a 100 yr old photo so that we could compare the past and present.  The sight of the Free Mason's (Secret Societies) building piqued my curiosity! Also the RMW requires a minimum of 2 people for the tour in which case the fees would be Rs 600. I travelled solo and there was no one else who had booked, so I paid double.

Haalbai- a sweet made with rice flour, coconut and cardamom. 

The market, then and now. 

11.30 am – You could visit the Mysore zoo, which is one of the oldest zoos in India. Entry charges are Rs 50. Although I hate the idea of animals being kept in the zoo, I was a bit relieved to see that all the animals and birds looked healthy and had ample space to move around unlike some other zoos I’ve been to where animals look depressed and almost famished. I saw giraffes, rhinos, white tigers and a host of other animal and bird species.

Endless cups of frothing filter coffee. 

Chow chow bhath- a serving of Upma and sheera- a staple Karnataka breakfast. 

1 pm - Mysore has some lovely eateries which offer traditional Mysore food. Check my post on what to eat in Mysore. I headed to Dasaprakash for their thali. I wanted to sample the food for which the late Wodeyar Maharaja is said to have visited this restaurant sometimes. The thali comprised chapatis, rice, rasam, brinjal curry with gravy, masala rice and another non-descript vegetable. It wasn’t that remarkable but I loved the kheer/payasam was which was made with rice, coconut milk and jaggery.

The Mysore Palace from outside. Photography is not allowed inside. 

Dahi vada.

Vanilla ice cream from Brahmin's Soda factory. 

2.30 pm - Head to the famed Mysore palace and be charmed by the royalty and also escape the afternoon sun outside. It’s a sprawling palace so leisurely stroll inside the three storied structure designed by the English Architect, Henry Irwin. You’ll get to see sculpted pillars, a golden throne embedded with jewels, paintings and shrines. Photography is prohibited inside the palace premises. The palace is illuminated on Sundays, Public Holidays as well as during the Dasara Celebrations with 97,000 electric bulbs.

4 pm- if you are an art aficionado, a visit to the Jayachamarajendra Art Gallery will be worth your time. On display are original paintings of the legendary painter Raja Ravi Varma. Did you know he was the first artist to give a popular face to Indian Gods and Goddesses through his paintings? Prior to that people worshipped statues, sculptures and miniature paintings. And he also designed the sari as we know it today and the way women almost throughout the country drape the sari today is fashioned on how he draped the Goddesses and women in his paintings. The museum also displays possessions and souvenirs of the Mysore royal family such as rare musical instruments, Japanese art, and other memorabilia.

The Sarasaparilla soda

5.30 pm - For a quick refreshment head to the Brahmin Soda Factory for ice creams or fruit salads. It’s a small place which gets cramped with people seated facing each other like in a train coach. I had the ice cream and also Sarasaparilla juice which is an extract of the roots of a plant by the same name and is believed to have health benefits. It was very refreshing and more like flavored water.

The flower lane at the market.

6.00 pm - You could explore the 125 yrs old Mysore market with different lanes dedicated to different items like fruit, vegetables, flowers, etc. Nothing gives you a taste of the pulse of a place than its old markets abuzz with people, flies, aromas, colors and textures. In the corner facing the main road you’ll see Guru Sweet Mart. Ever wondered the origins of the famed sweet Mysore pak?. This is your answer. This shop was started by the descendants of Kakasura Madappa, the royal chef, who made the Mysore pak for the then king in the early 1900's. The fifth generation of the inventor of the Mysore pak still runs this shop. For a place which has such a legend attached to it the shop is ridiculously small, just 5 x 5 feet. The Mysore pak itself didn't taste great and was a let down. So please do taste before you buy 2 kilos, which I happily did assuming it would be great.

The fifth generation of the inventor of the Mysore pak. Great great grandson of Kakasura Madappa who made the Mysore pak for the then king.

The original Mysore pak shop.

And entire lane dedicated to bananas in the market. 

A special Mysore banana called nanjangud rasabale. It was buttery and melt in the mouth and delicious. I bought half a dozen for my husband too.

7 pm- Either head out for the light and sound show at the Mysore Palace which lasts for 40 minutes and narrates the history of Mysore Kingdom, the rule of Wodeyars, etc through the combination of sound and light. Or else head to the Cauvery Handicrafts Emporium, which is run by the government and has many branches across the city to take home gifts and souvenirs. I bought some lovely bookmarks made of and carved on sandalwood and some Mysore Sandal soaps and sandal scented incense sticks. You are in the sandalwood capital after all!!

 

Set Dosa at Hotel Siddhartha.

8.30- Head out for sumptuous dinner at Hotel Siddhartha. I ordered a set dosa which was spongy and came with coconut chutney, coriander chutney and sambar. Never the one to say ‘no’ to filter coffee, I ended my meal and my trip to Mysore with a frothing cup of steaming coffee. It was time to head to my hotel and leave for home the next day. 

If you have enjoyed reading this post, you may subscribe to new posts updates via email. Enter your email id in the 'Follow by email' on the right hand side panel. 

Also follow my posts on Facebook.