SAFEGUARDINGSHAHJAHANABAD

HeritageBuildingsinaLivingCity
PROF.VEENAGARELLA
SchoolofPlanningandArchitecture,NewDelhi
India
veena_garella@yahoo.com
PaperPresentedattheForumUNESCOUniversityandHeritage
10thInternationalSeminar
CulturalLandscapesinthe21stCentury
NewcastleuponTyne,1116April2005
Revised:July2006
INTRODUCTION
ShahjahanabadispartofmetropolitanDelhi,yetnot.InpublicmemoryShahjahanabad
is a mass of chaotic traffic movement, intense commerce (wholesale not the crowd
pullingvariety),alabyrinthofdarknarrowalleyways,andagreat tangleofbillboards
and electric cables. Somewhere, its history has gone for a by, yet, as you run your
eye 'over ' and 'above' the commercial street, you occasionally glimpse samples of
ageless beauty of the materials and crafting skills of yesteryears and you realise
'delayering' is importantfor revealing the truecity,oneoftheseveralexamples ofan
ancient living city of the world. This feeling is reinforced further through snatch
conversations with people performing in that setting who 'hint' at yesterdays 'stories',
'anecdotes'evenpersonalaccountsofchildhoodobservationsandthevariouswaysin
which
culture

permeates society. Three distinct layers have marked the city the Moghul City (1638
1819), the Colonial Shahjahanabad (1819, 18571947) and the post Colonial
Shahjahanabad (1947 onwards). Remarkably much survives of the material and
intangible culture making one wonder on the tenacity of traditions and the porosity of

space over a time span of nearly four centuries. These periods have been briefly
summarizedbelow.
DELAYERING
MoghulShahajahanabad
Moghul monarch Shahjahan established Shahjahanabad circa 1638 as a capital city
fromAgrawhenthemonarchywasatitspeakandheitsgreatestbuilder.Thecityfor
60000people,spreadacross600hectaresenclosingawallpuncturedwithsevengates
from which radiated highways to all parts of his empire, was planned on principles
prevailingforcitiesinthatera.Thecity'surbandesignwasanamalgamatedmodelof
Persian, Islamic and Vedic principles. Persia (Safavid empire) enjoyed trade and
diplomatic relations with the Moghuls, and its architects Ustad Hamid and Ustad
Ahmeddeterminedtheformalismand symmetryofthe Palace complex,gardensand
boulevards and even the style of its buildings. Islamic influences have been inferred
from the likeness of Samarkand plan to the Shahjahanabad one (Islamic cosmology,
manmacrocosmanologiesSpineChandniChowk,Ribsstreets,Headfort,Heart
JamaMasjid,OrgansSarai,Wallskin).TheVedictextsof16th century VastuShastra
andtheMansaraonArchitectureandcityplanningrespectivelyareperceivedtohave
influenced its settlement geometry as a bow shaped semielliptical ( Karmukha ) city
located on a river, its axes interpreted as the bow and the archer's arm, and, its
circumferential streets the bow shaft. The junction of the two axes, an auspicious
center, is the Emperors Palace. Scholars have further explored the dimensional
relationships of the city's main elements, and chroniclers have recounted boulevard
streets with water channels, grand mosques, Havelis and gardens of the courtiers,
arcaded bazar streets, prominent localities, baolis, sarais, kotwalis, exclusive
garden retreats, baradaris, chhattas kuchas gallis, madrassas, maktabs,
khanqahs,khirkis,ganjsahostofotherelementsofthematerialculture,somestill
surviving.
Courtyardhousesofvariousscales,complexityandornamentationsignifiedtheowners
statusand socialrankingthelargerHavelisreproducedascaleddownversionofthe
Palacecomplexandwereselfcontained.TheseHaveliswiththeirspilloverdependants
building around them formed the nucleus of the 'morally system. Several locality
names (Teliwara, Malliwara, Katra Nil, Farashkhana, Ballimaran, Khari Baoli)
survive in the original, imprinting the associations, images of work settings, caste or
social grouping, or the peculiarities of that area (Khari Baoli saline water stepwell,
Chahlpuralocalityof40houses,ChandniChowksilversquareetc).Faizbazarand
ChandniChowkthetwomainaxeshadwellstockedshopsofevenimportedgoods.The
cityhadahealthytradepresence.Itpeakedat5lakhpopulationontheking'sdeath.
ColonialShahjahanabad
Twophasesmarkthisperiod,abenign1803onwardsandanaggressive1857to1947
one.BritishsuccessionintoDelhibecamepossiblewhenthemoghulmonarchybegan
losingcontrolonAurangzebsdeath,afterhehaddepletedhisarmyandresourcesin
severalbattles(1659to1707).NadirShahsplunder(1739)andcountlessinternecine
wars between court nobles (1707 to 1803) hadfurther weakened the moghuls. Early
British rule was marked by mildactivities,as, proposing sanitary guidelines, restoring
theindigenousShahjahaniwatersystem,establishingsatellitesettlementsoutsidethe
citywalls(CivilLines,Mubarakbagh,Kishanganj,Cantonment)andtheResidencyfor
Ochterlony and, later, Metcalf. After the 1857 revolt, large parts of the city were
restructuredmakingBritishpowermorevisible.Thenotablechangeswere

Ejectingthecityspopulationanddestroyingonethirdtraditionalneighbourhoods

Introducing Edgerton Street (Nai Sarak) into the fabric and other new streets
towardsthecentreandnorthofthecity.
ReplacingtheRoyalSaraiwiththeTownHall
Introducingtherailwaysystem1867byremovinggardensandkatrasinthatarea
Clearing the surroundings of the Palace complex 500 yds around as a defence
measure
HoldingthreeDarbars,(1877,1903,19,11)
Establishingatemporary capital as Civil Lines (200acres) whileplanningfora
newcapital
The reconfigurated roads isolated the Red Fort and fragmented the city the
chowksnowfunctionedfor commerce ratherthanforcommunityTheplanned
boulevardsaroundthecity(bypullingdownthewalls)created'cordonsanitaire'
todemarcateterritoriesoftherulerandtheruled.

PostColonialShahjahanabad
The new establishment was seized with housing people of a divided country and
Shahjahanabad offeredan opportunity from its vacated properties by muslim families.
The new Master Plan detailed out strategies (through zonal plans) of population
densities,landuses,exitingofobnoxiousindustries,andaswellasspecialprogrammes
for greening, improving, rehabilitating, conserving or redeveloping degraded areas.
Schemes which got implementedwerean implantof an outside world (Turkman Gate
cluster housing in four storey apartments) which destroyed seven acres of an historic
quarterwithacenturiesoldgate(PhatakTalyan),onelargishcourtyardandtwomosques
from Shahjahan's time Dujana house, an earlier Palace of moghul nobility was
demolishedtorehousedisplacedpersonsbutwasonlypartlyexecuted.Bazarsaround
JamaMasjidwereclearedandagardenintroducedwithshopsrelocatedinalowprofile
Meena Bazar. Besides these planned changes, the city was on a commercial
overdrive.Wholesaletrade(60%oftheentirecity's)alignedalongmostbazarstreets
and intruded into traditional neighbourhoods. There was a tenfold increase in three
decades. In the process, the katras and havelis are reshaping for commerce in an
uninterrupted process. Whilst there is population loss in the city, those who cannot
afford are getting more cramped in their living space (author observed a 38 member
jointhouseholdliveina300sq.ft.room)
HERITAGESTATUSANDINSTITUTIONS
Shahjahanabad has within it 42 of the 170 protected monuments controlled by the
nationalArcheologicalSurveyofIndia(ASI).TheIndianNationalTrustforArchitectural
and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) have documented and furnished a list of 800 Listed

Buildings,ofwhich,411existwithinShahjahanabad.TheDelhiMasterPlan(2001)had
designatedtheentireShahjahanabadasaControlledConservationArea(oneofthe
fiveinDelhi).TheDraftDelhiMasterPlan(2021)againidentifiesandredesignatesit
as one of the citys seven Heritage Zones for which the municipality is required to
prepareSpecialConservationPlansasacomponentofthe SpecialDevelopment
Plan.ADelhiHeritageCommittee(formedin2005)withintheMunicipalityisrequired
to overrsee heritage concerns. The Delhi chapter of INTACH has proposed 18
Conservation Zones (against DDAs 7) of which 8 would be in Shahjahanabad. The
authorsstudyareafigurespartiallyinthelist.Inadditionthereare10heritagewalks,
thestudyareadoesnotfigureinthem.
Most experts believe there need to be a larger number of Conservation Areas well
monitoredforallowingsensitivenewdevelopment.Itisfurtherbelievedthatprotection
by designation and implicit encouragement by legislation, backed by public
support, a few conservation areas, well executed and managed, could trigger an
effectiveconservationmovementinShahjahanabad.
The Delhi Development Authortiy (DDA) responsible for planned city growth, has
within its framework, a Delhi Urban Heritage Foundation (1999) and formalises an
ongoingHeritageAwardinstitutedin1993.
Themediasporadicallyinformsonheritageandafewpublicmenhaveshowninterest
is conservation to activate an annual festival in Shahjahanabad called the Chandni
ChowkFestival.
Concerns
ItisobviousfromtheaforementionedthatrealactioninHeritageConservationplanning
and management has yet to take off and needs careful strategising. Experience has
shown thatwithout aclear strategy projectsassume different modalitiesanddifferent
partners and funding sources for their actualizations. In this loose arrangement
governments can work with individuals, resident associations, trusts, affected
communities, business houses, international donors, professional groups, academics,
etc.Asyet,aclearlyarticulatedHeritagePolicyisnonexistent,andHeritageLawscover
only a part of the heritage resources. This might perhaps result in piecemeal
progressiontoalatermaturationstage.Yet,losingheritageisimminenttothisprocess
and arresting it an important objective. Increased commerce, preference for glass
fronts, curtain walls and image makeovers has made the street front lose exquisitely
craftedgrills,balconyrails,surfaceornamentation,friezeworksinbuildinginteriorsto
bepulleddown.
TheauthorhasputtogetherbasicdataandanassessmentforChawriBazaraxisalong
with documenting three moghul monuments (Anglo Arabic School, Ajmeri Gate,
Jama Masjid), two period neighbourhood mosques and one Haveli (fig 3). She
believesthataHeritageRegenerationstrategycouldshowcaseadifferentworldborn
of different times and willing to display to the outsiders (domestic, international
visitors)thecity'srichrepertoire.Thisneedsworkingonthebody(buildings)andthe
mind(people)

THESTREETANDBUILDINGSTUDY
TheStreet
TheAjmeriGateChawriBazaraxis
Theaxis,partoftheformalgeometryofmoghulera,radiatesfromthewesternendofthe
JamaMasjidmonument,bending18degreestotheleftattwopointseachtimetocreate
twohistoricchowks,BarchabullaandHauzKazi,endingatthecitygateAjmeriGate.
Opposite the gate and once located within the city walls is another 300 years old
monument,theAngloArabicSchoolalsoknownasGhaziuddinMadrass.Thebuilding
in a quadrangle has a mosque and a mausoleum of the military Commander of Shah
Alam II. The stretches between the chowks, Gate and the Masjid have around 850
shops on the ground floor with wholesale paper trade located towards the Jama
MasjidandironhardwaretowardstheAjmeriGateend.Theupperlevels,too,arefast
converting to commercial use leaving very few as residences. Most are tenanted
propertiesanditwaswhisperedthatsomeofthelargeproperties,katrasandhavelison
thestreetareownedbyonefamilyhavingrepresentativebusinessinthislocality,aswell
as industrial enterprises elsewhere in the city. People have shown cordiality and have
sharedinformationtrustinglywithnothreatperceptionandthiswarmthcamethroughin
more than one way. A land mark building, Amar Cinema, is now an entry to the
underground Metro station marked by site clearance and change. More than 30
properties on the street have significant architectural interest. It is possible to identify
numberofhavelis,katrasalongtheinterioralleywaysthroughadetailedinvestigation.
Thereexistsaninterestingsidetothestreethistory.WhilstBritishcontrol wasbeing
exercised over the last of the dispossessed moghuls and their nobility, a large
entourageof harem women,eunuchs, several offsprings of the kings were forced to
earn their living as 'dancing girls' and prostitutes on the streetunder reference. The
factthatcourtesanssalonsexistedonthisstreettillearly20th centurywascorroborated
byresidentsofancestralpropertieswholiberallysprinklednamesofformerUrdupoet
Mirza Ghalib being admired by some of the famous ones. It appears that people
wanting to be relieved of political uncertainties sought escape in Islamic mysticism, a
frenziedgaietyorthecompanyofcourtesansduringtheperiod.
TheBuildings
AngloArabicSchool,(alsoknownastheGhaziuddinMadrassa)
LocatedoffAjmeriGateoveranareaof40000sq.m.themadrasawasestablishedin
1702byGhaziuddinKhan,themainbuildingarrangedinaquadranglehasamosque

and mausoleum of Ghaziuddin Khan at one end and is an example of mughal

architecturerepletewithDome,octagonaltowersandwhatwasoriginallyacharbagh
garden with water channels and tanks. The madrasa forms the other three sides of
quadrangle and was declared a heritage monument by the ASI in 2002. DDA has
undertakenrestorationofthemonumentandremovalofenchraoachmentfromthesite.
Named Delhi college(1825) it was looted of rare manuscripts and coins as well as
PersianArabic calligraphic works in 1857. The school was reopened by Lord Lytton
andrevivedbySirMauriceGwyerthefirstV.C.ofDelhi.BothEnglishandArabicwas
taught here. (Measured drawing of the monument is prepared. The building has
potentialasamuseumofMughalShahajahanabad)
TheAjmeriGate
One of the 14 entrances to the walled city of Shahajahanabad, called so as it faces
Ajmer.Thiswasasiteoffiercebattleduringthe1857mutiny.
Simpleindesignandmadeoflocallyavailablestone,squareinplanwithdifferentfront
and rear elevations, the structure remains unaltered over time. The rubble masonry
structureispiercedbyahighsinglearchedgateway,flankedbysemioctagonalturrets
on the outer side, arched niches in two registers on the inner sides. The turrets
provided structural strengths, and the niche design, battlemented Kanguras and
medallionsinthespandrelofthearchesgiveitanaestheticlook.Morethanonecolor
veneer stone has been used and iron spigots along the roof top remove rain water
without damaging the structure. At present a small garden around the gate acts as
bufferaswellasaroundabout.TheASIwhomanagesitfallsshortofexpectationsin
theirrestorationpractice.Furthernumerousencroachmentsaroundthegardenrailing,
inadequatesignage,gatewayillumination,presenceofbanners,andafluxofoverhead
cablesneedstobelookedat.
Measureddrawingsofthegatehavebeenmade.
MasjidMubarakBegum,AMughalMosque
Establishedcirca1800byacourtesan,atLalKuanHauzKazichowk,themoneyforits
constructionnotbeingfroma'clean'sourcethemosquewasrepurchasedforapetty sum
tobring itunder religious activities. It isnowunder theWaqf board. This mosque got
established on the upper floor at a latter date. The mosque needs restoration,
illumination, display of its history and signage in an aesthetic way, and needs to be
visuallyintegratedwithothermajorlandmarksintheaxisstreet,as,AjmerigateHauz
Kazichowk Minormosques JamaMasjid.
Measureddrawings havebeenmadeofthebuilding.
MasjidRukmatDaula,AMughalMosque
This minor mosque is a fine example of craftsmanship in marble, red sand stone and
exquisite jails and carvings on its door ways, railings, parapets with most surfaces rich
withdecorativedetails.Themosquemeasuresaround6mx4monaplotof9mx9m.and
was built by a minister in the Mughal Palace in 1750 who personally supervised its
planningandexecution.Thereisnodomeonthemosque.Thismosquetoowasshifted
to the first floor making space for the shops on the ground. Located between two
prominent chowks Hauz Kazi and Barcha bulla, it was once surrounded by buildings
occupiedbycourtesansofMughalpalacewhowerethrownoutfromtherebytheBritish.
Itfunctionedasaneighborhoodmosque.Today,thoughingoodmaintenanceandnotin
activeuse,itsupkeepisprovidedbycharities.Thismosquealsoneedstobeilluminated
with its history on a display board, minor restoration works and micro improvement is
required, a visual link to other mughal buildings would be preferable for making a
specializedheritagewalkofthemughalIslamicreligiousinstitutionsofthearea.
Measured drawingshavebeenmadeofthebuilding.

BhanamalGulzarimalHaveliaresidence
Builtin1884,thishavelisurvivesasatraditionalcourtyardresidencefrontingonChawariBazaron
a 400 sq.m. plot and with a 100 sq.m. court yard. It has been continuously lived in by the
Khandelwals aleadingtradingfamilyhavingdeep cultural roots. Thearcadedfaade,decorated
grillsandcolumns, jail workonwindowsandgateways,anornamentalfire place with antique
mirrorsunmovedsincetheirinstallationgivethehouseasenseofantiquityinthismanyroomed
courtyard house being shared by three families on the upper level, the lower assigned to
commerce.BeinganonlyHavelionthestretchitqualifiesforproperillumination,underground
cabling,microimprovementandlandscapingformakingavailablethe largegroundfloorcourtyard
spacetobeusedforheritageawarenessmeetingsofsmallneighborhoodgroupsandforheritage
consensusbuildings.Theownershavealreadyvolunteeredforthispurpose.
Measureddrawingsareavailableforthebuilding.
Jama Masjid Amughalmonument
BuiltbyShahajahan(164452)itisoneofthemainingredientsofthecitybuilttothemonarchs
directives,atareasonabledistancefromthecitypalaceyetimposingandonhighgroundand
entirelyfacedandpavedinredsand stone.Ithasavastsquare99maside,acentralcourtyardfor
25000devotees,a tank in the middleand anenclosure ofpillaredcloisterson itsthree sides
transitingintopavilionsatthecorners.Thethreesideshavehugegatewaysatthecentre,the
easternonebeingmoreprominentandreservedfortheking. Thewesternsideisahall with260
pillarsandthreewhitemarbleddomestoppingitwithtwo40mhighminaretsonthesides.The
mosquerequiresrestoration,awelldefinedstatus(whethercontrolisbyclerics/Wakfboard/ASI)
andneedstobefreedofencroachmentsonallitssidessoastobeasignificantmonumentinthe
Heritage Regeneration Strategy, capable of yielding funds for area improvement, site
managementandfor culturalreligious integrationpurposes. It will always remaina pivotfor
heritagebasedactivities,heritagetourismanda major heritage resources,fundscomingfrom
variousTrustsneedstobejudiciouslyusedforheritageenhancementsofnotjustthemonuments
butthesurroundingstreetscapealso.
Preliminarysuggestions
Basedonthestudyaswellassensoryperceptions,awishlistisprovidedheretogetheritage
conservationofftheground:
a. Toexplore andmapheritagepropertiesin Shahajahanabadassurprisefindswhichwouldbe
otherthanthelisted411
b. Topressurizethemunicipalityforundergroundcabilingforreducingitshazardousandugly
bunchingonthepoles.
c. Toimproveilluminationsofmonuments,landmarksandbuildingsofarchitecturalinterest.
d. Toimprovestreetsignage,footpaths,drains,andtoincorporatelandscape.
e. ToidentifyspacesforneighbourhoodgroupassemblyandAVpresentations.
f. Tounderstandcommunityperspectiveonhowheritagebevalued.
g. Toenlistheritageexpertandacquiretheircommitment.
h. Toenlistdonorsandexplorefunds.
i. Torestorebuildingsinneedofemergencyrepairs.
j. Toidentifydevelopmentforpositivechangeandvalueadditionstobusiness/people
k. To reward heritage properties that enhance or serve community goals(lowering
propertytaxandviceversa)
l. To prepare design guidelines for faade control/sub division/signage/structural
repairs/activity control to heritage property after their due classification as
significant/medium/lowculturalvalue.
m. Initiatemodelheritageprojects.
n. TovisuallyintegrateontheAxisalltheimportantheritagecomponents.
o. Toincentivisenewheritagetourismpromotionactivities.

AWISHFULHERITAGEREJUVENATIONSTRATEGY
GoalPreservingheritageandpreventingitsdeterioration.
a.)
PrerequisiteforStrategyandAction
Preparinganassessmentreportforunderstanding
the process of physical and socioeconomic change (alteration, deterioration,
rehabilitation,renovation,lifestyle,activity)
Thestakeholdersperceptiononheritage(views,interests,agendas,missions)
Theroleofinstitutionsinthearea.
Theongoingeffortsatpreservationinthearea.
Fundscommittedforemergencyworksandothersonsustainablebasis.
Setbacksifanyinongoingactivities.
b.)

Afreshheritagestrategy.

Atwofoldobjectiveaimedatselfsustenance.
Heritagetourismpromotion(revenues/incomes)
Povertyreduction(fromincomesabove)
c.)

d.)

Guidingprinciplesforstrategy
Ascertainingtourismrelatedactivitiesthatclusterandmutuallynourish.
Establishingframeworkforstatedobjectivesandcollaborators.
Introducinginstitutionsforguidinginvestments.
Introducinginstitutionsformonitoringchangeinhistoricfabric.
Introducingcommunitysupportgroups.
Introducingethosofsensitivearchitecturalchange.
Acceptingandagreeingtoexpertadviceonconservation.
Introducingclearrolesforallactorsandfortheleader.
Ensuringinformationavailabilityinrawandforeventualanalysis.
Buildingcapacitiesforcorporatestyleplanning,marketingandaccountingsystem.
ExpectedProjectOutputs
Planningforroadnetworks
Planningforrehabilitation
Creatingtouristroutesandwalks
Undertakingundergroundcablingandenvironmentalimprovements.
Settingupfunds(Loans/subsidies/renovations/investments/grants/TDRs)
Creatingemployment

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