Garden fit for a queen
On a winter morning, walking through the Qudsia Bagh can be therapeutic. The inter-state bus terminus is almost intruding into this 18th century Mughal garden, yet once inside, the noise that one hears is from a different world.
Named after the wife of Mughal emperor Mohammad Shah ‘Rangeela’, Qudsia Bagh has fallen off the tourist map
On a winter morning, walking through the Qudsia Bagh can be therapeutic. The inter-state bus terminus is almost intruding into this 18th century Mughal garden, yet once inside, the noise that one hears is from a different world. With the sun’s rays seeping through the numerous trees, the bird kingdom is abuzz with activity. Hearing birds flapping, singing, screeching, one can’t help but wonder why this place is not what Lodhi Gardens is to central and south Delhi. It’s not difficult to locate the garden near Kashmiri Gate and accessibility is no problem either, with the Metro station nearby, but most tourist itineraries prefer to give it a miss.
In the recent past, initiatives have been taken by the INTACH to restore the garden. As O. P. Jain, the former convenor of INTACH’s Delhi chapter, says, “A presentation to develop the heritage structures inside the garden into a unique museum depicting the lives and times of prominent women of Delhi between 17th and 19th centuries has already been made before the Chief Minister and a proposal submitted to the State Department of Archaeology. The idea is to have regular programmes at this historic garden.”
The State Department of Archaeology, though enthusiastic about the proposal, has its own constraints. As a senior official of the department says, “There are two primary concerns: whether the money invested would ensure adequate footfalls and the fact that repeated use can be detrimental to the structure.” In any case, right now the entire project is on hold due to the Assembly elections, he adds.
Till the time the proposal becomes a reality and Qudsia Bagh regains its lost glory, all it needs is a flight of imagination to take one back to 1748 when the char bagh or typical Mughal garden, complete with a mosque, a baradari or pavilion, a stream, and chambers with jharokhas stood here with the Yamuna flowing next to its three-storey wall with balconies and rooms.
The Hatikhana with an impressive gate, a ruined pavilion, a mosque with brick gateway, carved red stone, plaster-work and vaulted rooms are what remain of the buildings. The covered gate has two turret-like structures on either side, and is made of thin lakhori bricks covered with incised plaster. One can only imagine Qudsia Begum’s convoy passing through this gate.
Qudsia Begum was born Udham Bai, a dancing girl, who later married Mughal emperor Mohammad Shah ‘Rangeela’. After he died in 1748 and was succeeded by his son Ahmad Shah, Qudsia Begum became the power behind the throne. Besides the Sunheri Masjid near Daryaganj, she also laid this garden, which bears her name.
The garden has had a turbulent history. During the Revolt of 1857, the British moved their battery and troops here and bombarded the Kashmiri Gate that was closed by the sepoys. One of the smashed arches of the mosque bears a signature of a cannon ball.
The baradari is a curious mix of Mughal and British architecture. Traditionally, a baradari is a pillared open pavilion, but this building, with verandah, large windows and curved staircase is different, because of the facelift the British gave it. When they occupied the Qudsia Bagh, the British added walls to the baradari. Later, a large part of the garden was destroyed to make way for the inter-state bus terminus and the adjacent tourist campsite.
The Yamuna no longer flows by, but once you are inside the quiet garden, it’s not difficult to imagine a queen’s paradise. One hopes the authorities don’t shelve the proposal for restoration and setting up a museum here. After all, though off the beaten path, the place is worth a visit once one has been through the more popular sights.
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