Apeejay students walk down history lane

On February 10,we — the students of Class VI of Apeejay School,Saket,went for a walk to Lodhi Garden. The garden,which is well maintained,is a historical garden. We have already heard about this garden,but it was the guide who described its historic value to us. The guide first took us to Md. Shah Tomb,which was built in 1440 by the Persians. We saw the beautiful work covering the tomb,right from the very top. Then we came to Bada Gumbad where — on the left — were small chambers where traders used to rest. On the right were beautiful carvings done by experts. The Shish Gumbad was manufactured with tiles imported from Persia. The bodies of nobles and ministers are buried there. The last was the Sikkender Lodhi Tomb,build by Ibrahim Lodhi,who dedicated this to his father. The floor and the writings were not found to be in a good condition. Finally,after our walk through the garden,we ate our lunch and played funny games. By the end of our trip,we were our usual selves again — giggling and gossiping while we made our way through it. At the end,we bid goodbye to Lodhi Garden — taking some good memories with us.

* Shibangi Bhattacharya,VI-B

Though I had expected Lodhi Garden to be a place with beautiful flowers and plants,it actually turned out to be a trip where we re-lived history. The walk took us to places where once kings and queens once prayed,and then got buried. The Lodhi Garden was created during the rule of the Lodhi dynasty in 1444. We started off by visiting Muhammad Shah’s tomb,a king in the Lodhi dynasty. The room was wide and octagonal in shape. After that,we went into a room,which was probably the entrance to a mosque. The western wall of the mosque,called the ‘Bada Gumbad’ had beautiful words inscribed in Persian calligraphy. We then headed towards the ‘Shish Gumbad’ or the glass dome. The first tomb to be made with bluish turquoise tiles,brought from Persia,it was specially built for nobles and ministers. The Muhammad Shah tomb,on the other hand,was reserved for kings and queens. Next,we visited the Sikandar Lodhi tomb,dedicated to the second ruler of the dynasty. His tomb,set in a beautiful garden,had highly decorated walls. It was a magical experience for the entire class.

* Shruti Kirti Shrivastava,VI-B

Lodi Garden is a beautiful place of historical importance that not only enables Delhiites as well as tourists to learn more about Indian history,but also gives them immense enjoyment. We,the students of Class VI,went to Lodi Garden. Once there,we saw four tombs — of which the first was the Mohammad Shah tomb,built in 1444. Bodies of kings as well as queens are buried in there. The second one was Bara Gumbad,which is a square structure. It is not exactly a tomb because it’s a gateway attached to a mosque. The third tomb was another square structure,called the Shish Gumbad. It houses the bodies of ministers as well as important courtiers. The last and fourth tomb was Sikandar Lodi’s tomb,an octagonal tomb made by Ibrahim Lodi for his father,Sikandar Lodi. We had a great time during our outing,and it is a trip that will remain in our minds forever.

* Hrishita Goyal,VI-B

The students of Class VI of Apeejay School,Saket,went on a heritage walk to Lodhi Garden on February 10. The walk was organised by The Indian Express,in association with INTACH and ASI. It housed tombs of great rulers of the Lodhi Dynasty,besides that of the great Sayyid dynasty ruler,Mohammad Shah. It also had elegant mosques,made through beautiful techniques. The tombs had gateways too. A fusion of Hindu as well as Islamic architecture,they spread the message of unity and brotherhood. The tombs and mosques were inscribed with Arabic texts from the Quran. Besides this,there was a lake — revealed to be a tributary of the Yamuna — and a bridge,the Atpula,which was built on it much later by Emperor Akbar. The tomb of Sikander Lodhi was set in a garden called Charbagh,as it is divided into four parts. Finally,after our minds were filled with knowledge and respect for our glorious heritage,our teachers announced that it was time to go back. This is a trip I will never forget in my life.

* Manal Iqbal,VI-A

Our school,in association with Indian Express,INTACH and ASI,provided us with an opportunity to visit Lodi Garden and arrange a guide for us. The guide told us that this place was earlier known as Lady Willingdon Park. After Independence,it came to be known as Lodi Garden. It has many tombs of the Lodi dynasty (1451-1526),and houses historic figures like Bahlul Lodi,his son Sikandar Lodi and his grandson Ibrahim Lodi. In the garden is a lake,which was earlier a tributary of the Yamuna river. An eight-arched bridge,known as Athpula or Khaipur Ka Pul,stretches over it. This structure was built by Mughal Emperor Akbar 400 years ago. Then we went to Mohammad Shah’s Tomb,which is very beautiful and has eight graves. Octagonal in shape,the structure is a fusion of Indian and Islamic architecture. After that,we went to Bara Gumbad Mosque,which was built about 600 years ago. All the mosques face the west,and the writings carved on the walls are messages from the Quran advocating unity and peace. Besides this,the Hindu Kalash and elephants were carved on the wall. Then we went to Sheesh Gumbad,which is a square structure that is open on three sides. Then we went to Sikandar Lodi’s octagonal tomb,built over 76 sq metres with walls that are 3.5 metres high. I had a lovely time in Lodi Garden.

* Shubhangi Seth,VI-A

We went to Lodhi Garden with our friends and had a lot of fun there. After paying a visit to Badaa Gumbad,we went to the western wall,which had inscriptions in Persian calligraphy. The western wall was nicely decorated,as it was an important place where the faithful used to come and pray. Next,we went to the mosque — where we learnt that the people who maintained it lived in cells or small chambers. After that,we went to the Sheesh Gumbad,which means glass tomb. It was the first time that the ancient people used glass to make a tomb in the Sheesh Gumbad. While Sheesh Gumbad was a square tomb,Mohammad Shah’s tomb was octagonal in shape. The Sheesh Gumbad was meant for nobles,ministers and important people. Finally,we went to the Sikandar Lodi’s tomb,which was octagonal in shape and made of turquoise blue tiles brought from Persia.

* Harshita Sabharwal,VI-B