 |
| Obelisk, site of Delhi Durbar. 1911 en.wikipedia.org |
Commemorative Obelisk at Coronation Park, Delhi, erected at the exact place near Burari Village of north Delhi. where King George V and Queen Mary sat in 'Delhi Durbar' of 1911 while officially pronouncing the shifting of capital of the British Raj from Calcutta to Delhi. In the past it was the same venue of the Delhi Durbar of 1877 when Queen Victoria was proclaimed the Empress of India after removing corrupt and oppressive East India company's rule in the wake of 1857-58 first major War of Independence in the northern states.. Later the site was used to celebrate the accession of King Edward VII in 1903, and, finally, it was here that the Durbar commemorating the coronation of King George V as Emperor of India took place on 12 December 1911, subsequent to his Coronation at Westminster Abbey in June 1911. The park is a huge area covering 52 acres of land.
The Delhi Durbar of 1911, a British Royal extravaganza, was the greatest show of pomp, pageantry and parades in the Empire on one side. and on the flip side it was crass display of vanity, vulgarism and egoism. The official ceremonies lasted from 7 December to 16 December, with the Durbar itself occurring on Tuesday, 12 December. It was attended by the 1st Earl of Lytton, Viceroy of India, Maharajahs, Nawabs and intellectuals.
 | |
|
 |
| Coronation park, Delhi. site of durbar,1911 en.wikipedia.org |
To my late father, uncles and millions of people across India others it was a sort of Barnum and Bailey Circus, comical on one side and narcissism on the other. A symbol of consolidation of the British supremacy and the ''Union Jack'' was flying in every continent across the globe. The frontline freedom fighters were highly critical of this .administrative extravaganza when the quality of life for the natives were abysmally low.
.jpg) |
| Tall George V statue, Coronation park face damaged. dailymail.co.uk |
Coronation park, Delhi: Once the eye-catching statue of of George V on a tall pedestal looking towards the obelisk, that stands on the spot, where George was crowned as the Emperor of India on 12 Dec 1912, it was installed later after the Durbar under the canopy opposite India Gate. In 1936 Indians were against the installation of a statue of King-Emperor George V on the canopy of India Gate. So, even after India's freedom in 1947, the statue stood in its original location for two decades and only in late 1968, the statue was removed from its position under the canopy. Subsequently, the statue was shifted to the Coronation Park near Burari Village. Way in the past King's face was damaged.
.jpg) |
| Coronation part Delhi, a few colonial statues. .tripadvisor.in/ |
 |
| By-gone heyday of British-era,indiatimes.com |
Above: Delhi's Coronation Park. With the departure of the British the 52 acre park is gathering dust and in shambles. Once dotted with countless statues of British officers (no Statue of Indian Princely rulers or prominent Indians), only a few statues are there. Rest were removed to the Museum to prevent vandalism that was prevalent in States like West Bengal, Maharashtra, etc in the 1960s.
Queen Mary rode in an open top carriage past a guard of honor during her tour of the area 104 years ago. The cost of Durbar was borne by the Indian tax payers and Indian royalty under the veil of the British India. It involved a huge sum of £600,000 (approved for the Durbar and maintenance of the visiting local rulers). An additional £300,000 was met by the British Indian govt to pay for eighty thousand Army troops in the parades and security for the event.
Countless freedom fighters hated this Delhi Durbar when they were struggling for freedom from the British yoke. DDA is making efforts to restore and preserve this monument, a vestige of British history and the visit of King George V to Delhi with his queen Mary.
https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/delhi/from-dilli-to-new-delhi-a-capital-was-named/
.jpg)
- Heyday Of British Rule ){kind=link}