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| Khooni Dharwaza, Delhi indiatimes.com |
The Khooni Darwaza before 1840 was in contrast to what we see today. Prior to 1857 when Sir Syed had carefully documented in 1840, the city had been ravaged by the Revolt of 1857 called India's first war of independence that began in Barrackpore, WB and later took a nasty turn at Meerut cantonment, one of the largest under the English company. His amazing lithographs were based on his own sketches and observation.
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| Khooni Darwaza, Delhi www.bing.com |
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| Kabuli or Khooni Darwaza, Delhi www.bing.com |
Above images; Khooni Darwaza, Delhi is one of the 13 gates built by the then ruler Sher Shah Suri. Often called bloody gate, many historical killings took place here. Mogul prince Aurangzeb (Shah Jahan's son) defeated his elder brother Dara Shikoh in the struggle for the throne and had his head displayed at the gate. During the raid by Nadir Shah of Persia, the gate witnessed lots of bloody fights in 1739. After the 1857 revolt when Delhi was captured by the English company the last Mogul ruler Bahadur Shah Zafar's sons and grandson (three princes) were shot at point blank by the British officer William Hodson near the gate........
Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, founder of Aligarh Muslim University and a trained archaeologist of repute took the responsibility of drawing many sketches in 1840. He drew the sketches with his hands dangling from the balcony in a sturdy basket held by ropes from the tall structure of Qutab Minar, risking his young life.
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| Qutab Minar, Delhi, en.wikipedia.com |
Qutab Minar, (built between 1199 and 1220) a minaret and "victory tower" is in the Qutb complex, a part of Delhi's oldest fortified city, Lal Kot, founded by the Tomar Rajputs; it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Mehrauli area of South Delhi, India. More than 60 meters tall this all-brick structure contains 399 steps to reach the top. It is one of the most visited tourist places in the capital city of Delhi.
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| Syed Ahmed Khan, architect and founder of AMU. www.bing.com |
The Khooni Darwaja was Kabuli Darwaza and to the right of it seen from Delhi gate were the Mogul jail and a building called Mehdyan Now Azad medical college stands in its place. As for Khooni Darwaza, it is hidden under thick foliage and vegetation. ASI made efforts to restore the gate.
As revealed by the hand-drawn sketches, many of the buildings inside Delhi's Red Fort including Moti Mahal, Hira mahal Naqqar khana were damaged by the British forces. Moti mahal suffered a lot as the British felt it blocked the breeze from the nearby Yamuna river. Imtiaz Mahal also called Rang Mahas had walls studded with gemstones and many marble artifacts including marble cup. They were gone during the colonial time.
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