Page images
PDF
EPUB

XXXII.

AN ACCOUNT OF THE PRESENT STATE OF DELHI.

BY LIEUTENANT W. FRANKLIN.

THE Musulman sovereignty in Hindostan, and, HE once celebrated city of Delhi, the capital.

in more early times, the seat of Hindu dominion over northern India, has employed the pen of many different authors, Asiatic and European; though of the latter in a less degree than might have been expected.

The following account of the present state of this ancient city, is extracted from a journal of observations made during an official tour through the Dovab and the adjacent districts, in company with Captain Reynolds, of the Bombay establishment, appointed by the Bengal government to survey that part of the country in the year 1793.

It cannot be supposed to contain much new information on things already described by others; but, as a faithful statement of the actual condition of the once flourishing metropolis of a great kingdom now in ruins, it may be acceptable; and in this hope it is offered, with deference to the Society; who will judge whether it be deserving of more general difVOL. IV.

E e

fusion by publication with their more important re

searches.

The extent of the ruins of old Delhi cannot, I suppose, be less than a circumference of twenty miles, reckoning from the gardens of Shalimar, on the northwest, to the Cuttub Minar on the south-east; and proceeding from thence along to the heart of the old city by way of the mausoleum of Nizam-u-deen, on which stands Humaioon's tomb, and the old fort of Delhi on the banks of the Jumna, to the Ajmeregate of Shah Jehanabad.

The environs to the north-west are crowded with the remains of spacious gardens and country-houses of the nobility, which were formerly abundantly supplied with water by means of the noble canal dug by Ali Mirdan Khan, and which formerly extended from above Paniput quite down to Delhi, where it joined the Jumna; fertilizing in its course a track of more than ninety miles in length, and bestowing comfort and affluence on those who lived within its extent. This canal, as it ran through the suburbs of Mogul Parah, nearly three miles in length, was about twentyfive feet deep, and about as much in breadth, cut from the solid stone-quarry, on each side, from which most of the houses in the neighbourhood have been built. It had small bridges erected over it at different places, some of which communicated with the garden-houses of the nobility.

In the year of the Hagiree 1041 (A. C. 1631-2) the Emperor Shah-Jehan founded the present city and palace of Shah-Jehanabad, which he made his capital during the remainder of his reign. The new city of Shah-Jehanabad lies on the western bank of the Jumna, in latitude 28° 36′ north. The city is about seven miles in circumference, and is surrounded on

three sides by a wall of brick and stone: a parapet runs along the whole, with loop-holes for musquetry; but there are no cannon planted on the ramparts. The city has seven gates; viz. Lahore-gate, Ajmere-gate, Turkoman-gate, Delhi-gate, Moor-gate, Cabul-gate, and Cashmere-gate; all of which are built of freestone, and have handsome arched entrances of stone, where the guards of the city keep watch. Near the Ajmere-gate is a Madrissa, or college, erected by Ghazi-u-deen Khan, nephew of Nizam-ul-Moolluck: it is built of red stone, and situated at the centre of a spacious quadrangle, with a stone fountain. At the upper end of the area is a handsome mosque built of red stone, inlaid with white marble. The apartments for the students are on the sides of the square, divided into separate chambers, which are small but commodious. The tomb of Ghazi is in the corner of the square, surrounded by a shrine of white marble, pierced with lattice-work. The college is now shut up, and without inhabitants. In the neighbourhood of the Cabul-gate is a garden, called Tees Huzzari Baug, in which is the tomb of the queen Malka Zemani, wife of the emperor Mohummud Shah: a marble tablet, placed at the head of the grave, is engraved with some Persian couplets, informing us of the date of her death, which happened five years since, ann. Hagiree 1203. Near this tomb is another, of the princess Zeebul Nissah Begum, daughter of Aurungzebe. On a rising ground near this garden, from whence there is a fine prospect of Shah Jehanabad, are two broken columns of brown granate, eight feet high, and two and a half in breadth, on which are inscriptions in an ancient character.

Within the city of new Delhi are the remains of many splendid palaces, belonging to the great Omrahs of the empire. Among the largest are those of Kummer-u-deen Khan, Vizier to Mohummud Shah;

Ali Mirdan Khan, the Persian; the Nabob Ghazi-udeen Khan; Sefdur Jung; the garden of Coodseah Begum, mother to Mohummud Shah; the palace of Sadut Khan; and that of Sultan Darah Shekoah. All these palaces are surrounded with high walls, and take up a considerable space of ground. Their entrances are through lofty arched gateways of brick and stone, at the top of which are the galleries for music: before each is a spacious court-yard for the elephants, horses, and attendants of the visitors. Each palace has likewise a mahal, or seraglio, adjoining; which is separated from the Dewan Khana by a partition-wall, and communicates by means of private passages. All of them had gardens with capacious stone-reservoirs and fountains in the centre; an ample terrace extended round the whole of each particular palace; and within the walls were houses and apartments for servants and followers of every description, besides stabling for horses, Feel Khanas, and every thing belonging to a nobleman's suite. Each palace was likewise provided with a handsome set of baths, and a Teh Khana under ground. The baths of Sadut Khan are a set of beautiful rooms, paved and lined with white marble: they consist of five distinct apartments, into which light is admitted by glazed windows from the top of the domes. Sufder Jung's Teh Khana consists of a set of apartments, built in a light delicate manner; one long room, in which is a marble reservoir, the whole length; and a small room, raised and ballustraded on each side, both faced throughout with white marble.

Shah Jehanabad is also adorned with many fine mosques, several of which are still in perfect beauty and repair. The following are most worthy of being described: the first, the Jama Musjed, or great cathedral. This mosque is situated about a quarter of a mile from the royal palace; the foundation of it was

laid upon a rocky eminence, named Jujula Pahar, and has been scarped on purpose. The ascent to it is by a flight of stone steps, thirty-five in number, through a handsome gateway of red stone. The doors of this gateway are covered throughout with plates of wrought brass, which Mr. Bernier imagined to be copper. The terrace on which the mosque is situated, is a square of about fourteen hundred yards of red stone; in the centre is a fountain lined with marble, for the purpose of performing the necessary ablutions previous to prayer. An arched colonnade of red stone surrounds the whole of the terrace, which is adorned with octagon pavilions at convenient distances, for sitting in. The mosque is of an oblong form, two hundred and sixty-one feet in length, surrounded at top by three magnificent domes of white marble, intersected with black stripes, and flanked by two minarets of black marble and red stone alternately, rising to the height of a hundred and thirty feet. Each of these minarets has three projecting galleries of white marble; and their summits are crowned with light octagon pavilions of the same. The whole front of the Jama Musjed is faced with large slabs of beautiful white marble; and along the cornice are ten compartments, four feet long, and two and a half broad, which are inlaid with inscriptions in black marble, in the Nuski character, and are said to contain great part, if not the whole, of the Koran. The inside of the mosque is paved throughout with large flags of white marble, decorated with a black border; and is wonderfully beautiful and delicate: the flags are about three feet in length by one and a half broad. The walls and roof are lined with plain white marble; and near the Kibla is a handsome taak, or niche, adorned with a profusion of frieze-work. Close to this is a mimber, or pulpit, of marble, having an ascent of four steps, and ballustraded. The ascent to the minarets is by a winding stair-case of a hundred and

« PreviousContinue »