Lodhi Gardens

Lodhi Gardens is a park in Delhi, India. It contains architectural works of the Lodhis, a pashtun Muslim dynasty which ruled much of Northern India during the 16th century. The gardens are situated between Khan Market and Safdarjung's Tomb on Lodhi Road.

History

Lodhi Gardens was originally a village surrounding monuments surviving from the Sayyid and Lodhi dynasties, but the villagers were relocated in 1936 in order to create the gardens. As there is little architecture from these two periods remaining in India, Lodhi Gardens is an important place of preservation. The tomb of Mohammed Shah is visible from the road, and is the earliest structure in the gardens. The architecture is characterised by the octagonal chamber, with stone "chhajjas" on the roof and "guldastas" on the corners.

Another tomb within the gardens is that of Sikander Lodi, which is similar, though without the "chhattris".

It was given its present name, Lodhi Gardens, in 1947, and it was relandscaped in 1968 by J.A. Stein and Garrett Eckbo.

Overview

In the middle of the gardens is the "Bara Gumbad" and "Sheesh Gumbad". The "Bara Gumbad" ("Big Dome") consists of a large rubble-construct dome, a three domed "masjid" (mosque) and a residence surrounding a central courtyard, where the remains of a water tank can be seen. Opposite the "Bara Gambad" is the "Sheesh Gambad", which contains the remains of an unknown family.

Further into the gardens you can travel across what used to be a watercourse connected to the Yamuna River to Sikander Lodhi's tomb. This tomb still has the battlements enclosing it. Nearby to Sikander's tomb is the Athpula ("Eight Piered") Bridge, which was built during Akbar's reign.