Revision as of 16:26, 31 August 2015

Maldhar Khan gardens

The Times of India, Jul 07 2015

Graphic courtesy: The Times of India, Jul 07 2015

Graphic courtesy: The Times of India, Jul 07 2015

Richi Verma

Mughal gateway crumbles under encroachment burden

Rapid urbanization and authorities' neglect seem to have caused irreparable damage to some of Delhi's heritage structures. An early 18th century gateway built by Maldhar Khan, Nazir during the reign of Mohammed Shah, collapsed in north Delhi on Sunday morning. It was one of the two gateways leading to the garden of Maldhar Khan, which has also disappeared over the years. The surviving structure is in a dilapidated state having seen no conservation work over decades. Both the gateways are located on GT Road, close to ASIprotected Tripolia gateways.Nobody was hurt when the structure collapsed on Sunday .One could only see rubble, debris and remains of the monument on Monday , with only some portions left standing.“It's fortunate no one was hurt when the building came tumbling down. We have never seen the authorities showing any interest to preserve this building, even though it dates back to 1710, said Vinod Bansal, who owns a shop adjacent to the collapsed gateway .

It is not clear which agency has jurisdiction over the monument. But encroachment is rampant in the area with many heritage structures being damaged by vandals and squatters. “I have been living here for many years. I used to pay rent for running my shop in the building to its owner. We knew the building was going to collapse as we saw small pieces of debris falling and noticed an unusual tilt to the monument early on Sunday .My shop has been closed as the whole building is declared dangerous now, said Niranjan Sharma, who had a telecommunications shop right next to the gateway entrance.

According to Intach Heritage listing, the double-height gateway was originally faced with red sandstone. The upper floor was taken over as a resi dence years ago, which is the only portion still standing.

The surviving gateway to the garden of Maldhar Khan, meanwhile, is also falling to pieces. Sources said both the gateways were surveyed and identified by the department of archaeology for conservation and protection under the Delhi Archeology Act. Experts said the delay in imple menting conservation measures had caused more damage to them. Officials from the department of archaeology did not respond to calls made by TOI.

Both structures also figure in the municipal corporation's list of notified heritage buildings. North Corporation commissioner P K Gupta said: “We'll have to look into the reasons of the collapse and determine the building's ownership. Action will be taken accordingly . The Maharana Pratap Bagh RWA has also written to the Delhi government over the collapse, accusing them of negligence.

“This historic building was heavily encroached upon.The department of archaeology failed to take action, which led to this, said Saurabh Gandhi, RWA president. On Monday , a team from ASI visited the site to assess whether the collapse had any effect on the Tripolia gateways.

Mehram Nagar

Mehram Nagar: The lone surviving gate leads one into the sarai

The entrance to the garden named after Mehram Khan

Mehram Nagar: At places, the enclosing wall is six metres high

Mehram Nagar: A well

Mehram Nagar: These crumbling walls were once crowned by battlements and vaulted chambers but are now in ruins

Mughal courtier’s lost garden

Historic ruins at Mehram Nagar are disappearing and may not stand the test of time for long

Richi Verma | TNN

The Times of India 2013/07/22

The minute you drive out of Indira Gandhi International Airport, you pass Mehram Nagar. Only the cognoscenti know it’s home to ruins of a lost era.

A gateway, a mosque, an enclosing wall, a katra and an authentic Mughal garden—all in various stages of dilapidation and decay—stand testimony to the historicity of the settlement set up in mid-17th century and named after Mughal courtier Mehram Khan.

Only one of the three gateways to the 17th-century Mughal sarai stands today. One other vanished decades ago and remnants of the third can be seen between a cluster of shops and houses. The surviving gateway is an imposing double-storey structure with pointed arch openings enclosed by a cusped arch façade. The side bays have been encroached by shopowners but the fact that the wooden gates are buried at least two feet deep stands testimony to their age. A few feet away, construction work for a Metro station is on full swing.

Some distance away lie remains of the sarai wall. Portions of it can be seen inside the village interspersed by new constructions and houses. Made of rubble masonry, the wall is six metres high and crowned by battlements and vaulted chambers. A significant chunk of the western wall vanished several years ago when a road was laid between Mehram Nagar and a large green area on the other side. A parking lot being built adjacent to the southern wall has taken a toll.

The farmland on the opposite side of Mehram Nagar, is owned by the defence ministry. It houses portions of the enclosing wall and a baoli and is known as Mehram Khan’s garden. The ruins stand forgotten, made inaccessible by thick foliage and dense vegetation.

Garden Pavilion-. Photo courtesy: Aga Khan Trust. This is a monument in the Nizamuddin area of south-east Delhi.

Yet they can be conserved to make Mehram Nagar a prime tourist attraction especially as it’s located so close to the airport, say experts.

The state archaeology department has identified some of the ruins for conservation and protection in Phase III of a project, the MoU of which has been signed by Intach and Delhi government (Phase II is yet to take off), but “in the meantime, the government should keep a tab and ensure the ruins do not fall prey to urbanization. With so much construction work happening around Mehram Nagar, the ruins could disappear completely”, an official said.

Mehram Khan

Mehram Khan was a powerful noble in the courts of Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb

Mehram Nagar village, opposite the domestic airport, was established during his reign

Here, ruins of gateways, mosque, katra and enclosure wall are found

Only one out of three old gateways still survives. The imposing wooden doors are similar to those at Red Fort

Portions of the eastern and southern walls that surrounded Sarai Mehram Nagar still exist

Construction work by Delhi Metro and an upcoming parking lot threaten the ruins

None of the structures are protected, though they have been identified for conservation and protection by the state archaeology department.

Millennium Depot

Millennium Depot, Delhi; Graphic courtesy: The Times of India

Moham medpur village

Teen Burj, unknown tomb

The Times of India, Aug 28 2015

Richi Verma

Tale of two historic neighbours now eaten by a concrete jungle

The residents of Moham medpur village are a proud lot. The urban vil lage located amid an up scale area in south Delhi boasts of development and a rapidly-expanding infrastructure. But while this urbanization is altering its whole veneer, two of the village's monuments are going into oblivion.New buildings are cropping up at an alarming rate and absorbing every available space, suffocating the two structures. One of these is a magnificent three-domed structure called the Teen Burj. The national monument tag has clearly failed to keep squatters at bay.

Adjacent residential buildings touch the outer façade of the monu ment, while some parts of the structure were allegedly demolished by builders a few years ago.The front potion of the monument serves as a parking area, blocking access to the monument.

Deeper inside the village is a 16thcentury Lodhi-era tomb with an unusual dome. Historians say the hemispherical fluted dome is not very common in Lodhi structures in Delhi and this sets the monument apart.However, one wonders at the selection policy of ASI, which declared Teen Burj a national monument but left out this tomb, just a few metres away, open to vandalism, misuse and encroachment.“There is no protection to the monument despite being in the prohibited zone of Teen Burj. Locals don't care because they know ASI will not do anything, an expert said.

This unknown tomb can be accessed only from two sides, the rest blocked by the adjoin ing houses. The sole entrance on the north side has been locked by the owners of one of the houses and used as a godown. The balconies of the houses around touch the dome and these are expanding rapidly. The area around the dome is also used for dumping garbage.

The decorative elements in the tomb have vanished and the existence of the two masonry graves in side it remains a mystery as the access is restricted here too.

Locals said the tomb is being used as a godown for years with no one protesting. “The government doesn't care about these buildings, so why can't we use them?“ said a nearby resident.

The tomb, though, has not been completely overlooked by the government. It figures among the 92 monuments listed by the state archaeology department for conservation and pro tection. However, it's a different story as to how the department of archaeology will conserve this monument.