Seven cities of Delhi and the city of 'Shajahanabad'

 Introduction: -

Delhi had been a major center of power since 11^th-12^th century or when the Delhi Sultunate came into existence because its rulers and later Mughals made it their capital and established cities which were symbol of their splendor, dominance and wealth, but some issues which they faced in their settlements were water and security which led to construction of huge fortification walls and a lot of expenditure. This issue got resolved only after the coming of Mughals and founding of Shahjahanabad. Delhi over the time developed commercial and cultural center where people from all walks of life and around the world came for trade and settled that’s why it became a ‘Melting Pot’, it do not have a culture of its own but developed into a place which absorbed everyone’s  culture, traditions, politics and diplomacy. Some major settlements of 13^th and 14^th century Delhi were Jahanpanah, Kilokhari, Siri, Firoz shah Kotla, Tughlaqabad, Firozabad and settlement at Qutub complex site.

13^th & 14^th century Delhi

The first settlement of Delhi came up after the defeat of Chauchan ruler Prithviraj Chauhan in 1192 A.D. around the Qutub complex. At the time of Prithviraj’s defeat there was only a fort called as Qila Rai Pithora today, when Qutub din Aibak attacked Delhi which became the nucleus of Delhi at the time of Iltutmish during 14^th century, his successor, which came to be known as Delhi- I Khuna. Structures like mosque, fort and madarsa etc. started being built around the fort like Jama Masjid along with renowned Qutub Minar, commissioned by Qutub din Aibak, a fort known as Hisar-I Nau situated close to north of the Madarsa known as Madarsa-i-Muizi as it was established at the time of Muizzuddin of Ghor and outside its gate was a cloth market called Bazar-i-Bazzazan. But the supply of water from Yamuna to the settlement was a big challenge because the river was 18km away from the Qutub.

                                    Iltutmish directed to construct a tank called as Hauz-i-Shamsi for citizens of Delhi but it dried up because some dishonest people dammed its channels of water. Firoz Shah however, was said to had freed the channels. The Hauz was situated 3km away from the catchment areas situated at the west. The tank was not able to satisfy the needs of population therefore, people started moving towards the river which led to development of a suburb area called as Ghayaspur where famous sufi saint Shaikh Nizam-ud-din-Auliya also, established his Jaamatkhana. Between Ghayaspur and Yamuna Balban’s grandson built a walled palace named ‘Kilokahri’ around which a new city was developed by the Sultan Jalal-ud-din Khalji, predecessor of Ala-ud-din Khalji, called as Shahr-i-Nau. He ordered his nobles and commanders to settle there and bring merchants for newly constructed market places. It is believed that a number of Mongols had settled in Ghayaspur, Shar-i-Nau, Indraprastha during Jalal-ud-din’s reign whose settlements were known as Mughulpur.

                                     Ala-ud-din Khalji founded another settlement at Siri due to two reasons first, due to ferocious and intense Mongol raids from Central Asia under the leadership of Qaidu and second, to protect the population from these raids for which construction of walls was necessary. Siri was a plain ground adjacent to old city of Delhi means Qutub Complex area. When the settlement was first established it was known as Lashkargah in contrast at the Qutub Delhi known as ‘Shahr’. Amir Hasan Sizi built his house there which enabled him to offer prayers at Friday Mosque at Kilokahri. Later, Lashkargah was named as Darul Khalifa. Ala-ud-din extended settlement to the Friday Mosque which suggested his interest in the city and to provide space for population to reside. Zia-du-din-Barani explained this vast settlement as a major commercial establishment. It had a cloth market constructed on an open ground within the city wall at Badaun gate, this market was called as Sara-i adl. Ibn Battuta mentioned this gate as the ‘greatest gate’. There was a grain market situated at Mandavi Darwaza evidences of which came from references of Barani. The digged dried wells at Badaun gate exhibited the water scarcity issues, therefore, Ala-ud-din Khalji got Hauz-i-Shamsi re-excavated and a domed pavilion and platform was built in the middle. He got another tank constructed known as Hauz-i-Alai because Hauz-i-Shamsi was very far from the quarters and suburbs situated to the north of Qutub. The catchment area lay at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT) now.

                                    Ghiyas-ud-din Tughlaq laid another settlement, Tughlaqabad because Siri was not able to satisfy the needs of increasing population. It was situated at the east of Qutub Minar and Ridge towards the Yamuna. The advantage of the site was that, it provided building material and scrap that could be used in elevation of fortification walls. He also erected a tank for water supply. Old Delhi settlement continued to grow which led to Muhammad bin Tughlaq constructing a fortification wall enclosing Qutub Delhi and Siri, called as Jahanpanah.

                                      Jahanpanah had six gates heading to the northwest, seven were at the south and three into Siri. For water supply an embankment with seven arches called as Satpula was constructed. The rebellion of 1340’s led to ruination of Delhi and declining prosperity. Firoz Shah Tughlaq’s reign witnessed the decline. Hauz-i-Shamsi had been closed by people who built dams on its channels, Hauz-i-Alai also dried up which led to acute water shortage which led to decline in cultivation etc. But the ruins of Delhi provided bricks for his new city called Firozabad. These enormous settlements were established on the rocky Aravalli range, away from the river, led to extra drain of taxes and expenses of transporting grains and goods. Therefore, Firoz Shah was constrained to situate his capital upon river Yamuna. He established Firozabad or Firoz Shah Kotla as known as today, in the early decade of 1350’s. Barani prophesied that ‘in course of time it would be the envy of Great Cities’. It had eighteen villages in its expanse. The core settlement known as Firoz Shah Kotla today was called Gawin or Kawin. It has a Friday Mosque constructed by Khan-i-Jahan Telangani, his prime minister. It also included lands of Kathiawar village. Although its site is untraceable exactly but it is presumed to be located at Indraprastha and the land of Razia Sultan’s tomb. This settlement was considered to be more successful than Kilokhari. Firoz Shah shifted the Delhi to much suitable terrain adjoining Yamuna from the rocky Aravalli hill area which solved the water supply issue.        

The city of Shahjahanabad: -

Shahjahanabad was founded by the Mughal emperor Shahjahan in 1638 which remained relevant till the colonial times. This city was a great example of Mughal architecture, art and urban planning. It was one of the splendid projects undertaken by Shahjahan which showcased Mughal wealth. This city which became of empire’s capital had the popular Lal Qila, splendorous mansions of ‘Amirs’ and princes, mosques, beautiful Mughal gardens and markets etc. Shahjahanabad being a capital was an urban settlement. Sahajahanabad’s interest in architecture is known to us and evident from orders which he released after assuming his office about redoing buildings. In the palace-fortress of Agra he replaced a large number of structures constructed by Akbar with his own marble designs. He got Jahangir’s ‘Hall of private audience’ re-constructed situated at Lahore. He added a ‘Shah Burj’, king’s tower at the palaces located at Agra and Lahore along with a Hall of forty pillars in front of the balcony of public audience. This re-building of urban spaces shows a continuous process of re-developing structures and re-designing urban which is still a characteristic of urban settlements. In 1639, Shahjahan instructed his ‘Muhandis’ or architect-planners and astrologers to select a site for his new capital, an area between Agra and Lahore hence, a place in Delhi triangle on a high bluff overlooking Yamuna was selected. This shows relation between belief, architecture and urban planning which will be explained later as well. Delhi had been a seat of power even before the establishment of Shajahanabad, and English visitor in 1609 at Jahangir’s court described Delhi as “the chief city or seat of royal kings of India” similarly in 1614 two English travelers wrote about Delhi as a “City… which is great and ancient, in times past the seat of the kings” and in 1615 a merchant reported that since, Delhi was a former capital and birthplace for emperors, Jahangir had kept it in nice condition. So, from all these instances we can see that how much Delhi was important from political point of view and of legacy as well. Delhi was also important from another perspective, it was a religious center also because it has tombs and graves of Pirs, Shaikhs and saints thus for followers of Islam during mid-17^th century Delhi was a holy place in the sub-continent. Even Mughal emperors Akbar and Shahjahan used to visit them. Ghulam Muhammad Khan described Delhi as guardian of religion and justice, when he visited here in at the end of 18^th century. Mircea Eliade used symbolism of center and explored the idea of capital as axis-mundi or center of the world. This idea can be interpreted in political terms as well apart from the religious one, like king as the axis-mundi or central authority of the empire (the universe).

                                                        In 1639 Ghairat Khan, Subedar of Delhi ordered builders Ustad Ahmad and Ustad Hamid, to begin digging. In a span of two weeks initial spadework was done. Lands were allotted to princes and other of officials for mansions and imperial structure was constructed under the supervision of three Subedars. Ghairat Kahn collected material, Allah Vardi Khan erected palace walls in front of the river. A 3.8-mile-long wall encircled Shahjahanabad. Seven large gates handled the movement namely Kashmiri, Lahori, Mori, Ajmeri, Akbarabadi, Turkmani and Kabuli. On the river side were three ghats called as Nigam Bodh Ghat, Raja Ghat and Qila Ghat, for Hindus, for cremation purposes. Some smaller gateways were also constructed like Zinat al-Masjid gate and Farrashkhana gate etc. the important Jama Masjid was located at Bhujala hill which was near the center of the city. Shahjahanabad is a good example of Hindu and Islamic influences. Street plans followed ‘Vastu Shastra’. Mansara, a vastu Shastra dating 400-600 A.D. mentioned semielliptical design called as Karmuka, whose reflection can be seen in the plan for example- the north-south road which connected Akbarabdi and Kashmiri gates to Faiz Bazaar represented bow-string design. Similarly Islamic influences can be seen through Indo-Islamic paintings, poetry, architecture and town-planning where Persian influence was dominant. Shahjahan’s court depicted two concepts called Rasail and Ikhwan al-Safa in which his architects worked. Rasail, means the analogy between the macrocosm and microcosm and great chain of being. This idea can be traced in Sufi tradition and Hindu idea of Purusha. So, the city’s concept laid between microcosm and macrocosm where man was the microcosm and is the reflection of macrocosm i.e., the Universe. Thus, the city plan emulated the anatomy of man. The central Baazar was the backbone, palace was the head and Jami Masjid was the heart, smaller streets were ribs and bath houses, schools, Sarais and bakeries etc. were imagined as other vital organs.                                                        

                                                       The palace-fortress known as Qila Mubarak was an overpowering structure. It was constructed of red sandstone along the eastern wall of city near Yamuna. The fortification walls enclosing the whole complex made it look like octagonal in shape. It had four gateways, twenty-one towers and two small entrances, Lahori and Akbarabadi were chief enter ways. Aurangzeb made Lahori gate the headquarter of the Qila’dar. Gateways towards Salimgarh and gate on the riverfront to the Hall of special Audience were third and fourth, small gates were on the northeastern saint between Salimgarh and Shah Burj and the other was at south of Jahanara Begum’s mansion. A large moat, surrounded the landward side which was 75 feet wide and feet deep.

                                                        The fortress had gardens which were a characteristic of Mughal architectural planning, some of the gardens were known as Buland, Gulab and Anguri gardens. Between the Lahori gate and the intersection of roads a large square area was given to Rajput Amirs who stationed their troops, guarding the city and the household and carried out military activities. A patrimonic-breaucratic character was visible from the arrangements of buildings and distribution of persons. For Shahjahan and his successors, the palace fortress served as home and office. On the southern half of the road connecting Akbarabadi and Salimgarh were mansions of imperial wives, sisters, concubines and widows. This was the Harem where no men were allowed other than emperor, his sons and servants. The largest building of this area was the Mumtaz Mahal which was chief center of religious activities.

                                                         To the north of the Hall of Special Audience laid the Hammam, which was an integral part of Islamic architecture, along with a market and congregational mosque, a characteristic of Mughal urban settlement. In the northern sector laid the Hayat Baksh Garden and Mahtab Garden which were some of the most beautiful in the city. Apart from the Diwan-i-Aam (Hall for common Audience), the movement was very restricted in the Qila Mubarak. A covered Bazaar led from Lahori gate of the fort from Lahori gate to Western end of the Jilau Khana. It had arcaded shops. The Drainage facility of the city was also good an example of which is, a branch of the Paradise Canal, which passed through the pool of Jilau Khana and too the middle of wide avenue linking Salimgarh and Akbarabadi gates, it emptied into moat after watering houses and shops. Towards the south end of the market avenue were tax collectors and clerks who worked there. At the northwestern end were stables for camels, horses, elephants and cows of royal household. Other rooms held production areas for weapons, carpets, clothes etc. the remaining was given to clerks, merchants and soldiers etc. for residence. Shahjahanabad inhabited a variety of mansions of low and high ranking amirs, princes and rich merchants etc. though older princes and amirs didn’t resided in palace-fortress but they too were part of imperial household, posted at various departments who performed more patrimonial duties than officials. Enormity of mansions can be assumed from the mansions of Safdarjung, a great Amir, his mansion housed 5000 soldiers and 500 horses. A thick wall or even a moat surrounded these mansions in some cases.          

References: -

1.      Hamida Khatoon Naqvi, Stephen P. Blake, ‘Shajahanabad: The Mughal Delhi, 1608-1803: An Introduction’ and ‘Cityscape of an Imperial: Shajahanabad in 1739’ in ‘Delhi Through the Ages Essays in Urban History, Culture and Society’, edited by- R.E. Frykenberg, Oxford University Press, YMCA Library Building, Jai Singh Road, New Delhi- 110001.