Conservation at the Red Fort – New Delhi...
Transcript of Conservation at the Red Fort – New Delhi...
Conservation at the Red Fort – New Delhi 2003
table of contents:
Neher-i-Behist & Bagh-i-Hayat Baksh> Destroyed Evidence for Medieval Hydrological System> Reconfigured & Reconstructed Terrace> Contravened Conservation Standards
Hayat Baksh Extant Traces – covered or removedIntrusive lighting FeaturesRepaved PathwaysReconstituted Features
Shah Burj Marble Pool re-Pointed with Cement
Diwan-i-Khas & Khas Mahal> Damaged Scale of Justice Jali> Renovated Pietra Dura
C o n s e r v a t i o n at t h e R e d F o r t, S h a h j a h a n a b a d , N e w D e l h i . 2 0 0 3 2
The Red Fort is amongst the finest Mughal
monuments in India- a talismanic emblem of the
subcontinent's struggle against colonial rule.
“The palace at Delhi is, or rather was, the most magnificent palace in theEast – perhaps in the world... The gems of the palace (remain), it is true, butwithout the courts and corridors connecting them they lose all theirmeaning and more than half their beauty. Situated in the middle of aBritish barrack-yard, they look like precious stones torn from their settingsin some exquisite piece of Oriental jeweller’s work and set at random in abed of the commonest plaster.”James Fergusson, James Fergusson, James Fergusson, James Fergusson, James Fergusson, History of India and Eastern Architecture, 1910,in Nicholson, Venturi - The Red Fort Delhi,London: Tauris Parke Books (1989)
s tate m e nt o f p u r p os e
As a public-spirited group of citizens, we draw your attention to
the reckless renovation work at the Red Fort.
We present herewith ev idence of a caval ier approach to
conservation that perpetuates a 'chalta hai' attitude towards a
scientific discipline. The present works at the fort violate
international norms of conservation that could disqualify its
bid to achieve World Heritage status. Adhoc measuresof
'beautification' in the name of restoration attack both protected
material heritage and the cultural identity of a society.
Who is to be held responsible for the criminal negligence in
the execution of well-established guidelines? who answers for:
> the eliminatiion of authentic evidence of material heritage,
and thereby our identity
> the replacement of this authentic heritage with new design
elements in violation of international conservation charters
> the presentation of a complex, integrated hydrological
structure as a decorative feature
> the alteration of a traditional architectural ethos
with an aesthetics of public-works landscapes
> the devaluation of high-quality traditional skills
by patronising substandard workmanship
> the denial of our basic right to be informed
about the state of our heritage
C o n s e r v a t i o n at t h e R e d F o r t, S h a h j a h a n a b a d , N e w D e l h i . 2 0 0 3 3
Compared with its counterpart in Agra, the palacein the red fort of Delhi is a unified whole. Its mainparts were conceived all at once, rather than builtup piecemeal over time, and though it has somelater additions these have not destroyed theoriginal basic pattern. however, it is much less wellpreserved than the Agra palace, for varioushistorical reasons.After half a century of destruction adn neglect, aprogramme of restoration of the surviving parts wasbegun by the Archeological Survey in 1903.GHR TillotsonGHR TillotsonGHR TillotsonGHR TillotsonGHR Tillotson, Mughal India, London: Viking (1990)
‘Of all the Mugal monuments of Delhi which are nowinvested with so much interest owing to the city havingbecome once more the Capital of the Indian Empire, theFort of Shah Jahan will, to the majority appeal to the most.’SandersonSandersonSandersonSandersonSanderson (in ASI Annual report 1911-12,1915, p.1)
In the larger context Red Fort played an enormous symbolicrole for the Indian people throughout the country, bothduring and after the freedom movement. On the morning of15 August 1947, it was from this port Pandit JawaharlalNehru the first prime minister of independent India,addressed his countrymen to commemorate a day that hadlong been sought.A S MukherjiA S MukherjiA S MukherjiA S MukherjiA S Mukherji, The Red Fort,Delhi: Oxford University Press (2003)
the Red Fort
An axonometric view showsbuildings up until theBritish occupation in 1858(adapted from Sanderson)in Nicholson, Venturi(1989) p.122
Circled is the area underscrutiny in these papers.
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Hayat Baksh Garden
There were two major gardens, the HyatBaksh or Life Giving Garden, and theMahtab Bagh or Moonlight Garden,combined to form one grand design. Thelatter no longer exists, but much of theHayat Baksh remains, designed as a watergarden and connected with the easternterrace with the Neher-i-Behist runningthrough it.
In the Hyat Baksh …the centre of each of itsfour sides was marked by pavilions orgateways. On the northern and southernends were Sawan and Bhadon pavilions,and on the eastern and western ends wereMoti Mahal pavilion and the connectinggateway to the Mehtab Bagh respectively.Moti Mahal, no longer extant, isrepresented by the white pavilion inminiature drawings. Written descriptionshowever portray it as a red stone building…(with a) white marble tank in the centre.A S Mukherji A S Mukherji A S Mukherji A S Mukherji A S Mukherji (2002) the Red Fort,Delhi, p.149
In the design of their gardens, the Mughals balanced everythingperfectly: space and texture, light and shade, colour and scent. Inthe realm of waterworks, their imagination knew know bounds;every detail was considered, even surface patterns.
The Hayat Baksh, or life bestowing garden, once had several rowsof cypress and beds of saffron, crimson and purple flowers, afavorite combination in the colorful Timurid charbags. Today thegarden area is modernized with lawns and low, clipped hedges andflower beds, though it is still planted in the old colors. The gardensof the Red Fort, once most splendid of Mughal Gardens, lack eventhe melancholy charm of a ruin.
There has been much restoration and unfortunately, somebuilding. Within the fort today, ugly nineteenth century barracksstand on the site of the Mahtab Bagh and loom over restored riverside terrace.
Above all it was the playful use of water in their gardens that soenchanted and pleased the Mughals. For these gardens were notjust symbols of power where they lusted after pleasure. Rather thedeeper symbolism and the poetic nature of the appeal of theseParadise Gardens is reaffirmed in an inscription in the Red Fortdescribing the water garden of the palace: “The Hayt Baksh (lifebestowing garden), which is to these buildings as the soul is tobody, and the lamp to an assembly; and of the pure canal, thelimpid water of which is to the person possessing sight, as themirror showing the world; and of the water cascades, each ofwhich you may see is the whitener of the dawn… and of thefountains, each of which is hand inclined to shake hands with theinhabitants of heavens, or a string of bright pearls made todescend reward the inhabitants of the earth; and of the tank, fullto the brim of the water and in its purity the envy of light andspring of the sun.”E Moynihan E Moynihan E Moynihan E Moynihan E Moynihan (1979) Paradise as a Garden - In Persia & Mughal India,p.135, 136, 146, 147
“Made the earth the envy of the sky…” Fadil Khan
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the Neher-i-Behist
‘There is almost no chamber but it hath at it’s Door a storehouse of runningwater; that ‘tis full of Parterres, pleasant Walk, shady Places, Rivulets,Fountains, Jets of Water, Grottas, great Caves against the heat of the day,and great Terraces raised high, and very airy, to sleep upon in the cool: in aword, you know not there what ‘tis to be hot.’BernierBernierBernierBernierBernier, in Crowe, Haywood,The Gardens of Mughul India, p.159
Based on contemporary and preceding Mughal water systems, it seemslikely that within the Red Fort, water would have flowed from a storagetank with designated pipe inlets and outlets, through copper pipes intothe pavilion attached to the Shah Burj. Water in the canal, after rising upat fountains at frequent intervals, would have continued through thepavilions into the garden. It would have then entered hammams, theemperor’s private chambers, and the imperial seraglio to finally collect ina baoli in the Asad Burj. Here, it was probably used as a watering hole forthe animals, after which it was allowed to flow back to the river. Since theYamuna also flowed southwards, the direction of currents would haveensured that this used water would not flow back towards the Shah Burjand into the Fort.Mukherji Mukherji Mukherji Mukherji Mukherji (2002) The Red Fort, Delhi, p.115
Once inside Shahajahanabad, the Neher-i-Behist split into two. One branchmet Chandni Chowk near Fatehpur Masjid and flowed down the middle ofthe bazaar to Faiz Bazar. The other branch entered Saihibabad garden andran to the northeastern corner of the palace-fortress near Shah Burj. Aingenious device called Shuturgulu (Camel’s Neck) is said to have lifted thestream from the ground level to the floor of the fort. A marble channeldirected water to the building and the apartments along the eastern wall,while smaller canals diverted the flow to the gardens and waterways.
A mid eighteenth century writer observed: (The canal) brought greennessto Delhi. It ran in all of the city from lane to lane, and the wells became fullfrom it. Having flown to the mansion of princess and amirs it flowed intothe city – to Chandni Chawk, to the Chawk of Sa’adulla Khan, to Pahargunj,to Ajmeri Gate, to the grazing places to the other mahallahs, and to all thelanes and bazaars of the city.
The paradise canal was responsible for much that was fresh green andbeautiful in Shahjahnabad. Sujan Rai wrote: “confers freshness to thegardens in suburbs of the capital, lends happiness to the streets andbazaars, and enhances the splendor of the imperial palaces.”SSSSS ujujuju ju jan Ran Ran Ran Ran Ra ia ia ia ia i, “Khulasat al-Tawarikh,” fol.29b
Water moved regularly from the Jamuna to the city until the middleof the eighteenth century. The canal proved a boon to cultivatorsand the taxes they paid in superintending (amir SafdarJang is saidto have received two million five hundred thousand rupees oneyear) were ample incentive to keep it open. With the collapse oforder and government, however the canal again ran dry.Chatruman RaiChatruman RaiChatruman RaiChatruman RaiChatruman Rai, “Charan Gulshan,” fols. 37 a-bin Stephen P. Blake - Shahjahanabad, The Sovereign Cityin Mughal India (1639-1739) p.65
The Nehar-i-Behist also ran through a pavilion termed the Moti Mahalwhich, as shown in the old maps, is positioned on the eastern terrace asthe climax of one of the Hyat Baksh’s central axes. The rest of the distanceon the terrace that the Neher-i-Behist passed through before entering thehammams appears open to sky.
Excavations by the ASI at the beginning of the twentieth century haverevealed that the channels and the canals in the garden were generallyshallow, with holes in the sites connected to the earthen pipes. Theoverflow from the channels would have thus percolated back into the earthand no doubt used for irrigating the flowers beds and fruit trees, to finallyflow back in the river. The discovery of traces of Mughal drainage system inthe later excavations in the Fort, as in the ‘[t]renching which revealed anunderground drain leading to a doorway in the outer wall of the Fort’(Sanderson, 1914), points to such a possibility.’ The moat around the fort isdescribed as being full of fish in clear water. This suggested that the moatwas connected in a continuous circulation system, and took in water fromthe northern end and emitted it the south end.Mukherji (2002) p.116-117Mukherji (2002) p.116-117Mukherji (2002) p.116-117Mukherji (2002) p.116-117Mukherji (2002) p.116-117
Reconstituted PlanReconstituted PlanReconstituted PlanReconstituted PlanReconstituted Planshowing a stretch ofshowing a stretch ofshowing a stretch ofshowing a stretch ofshowing a stretch ofthe Neher-i -Behistthe Neher-i -Behistthe Neher-i -Behistthe Neher-i -Behistthe Neher-i -Behist& Hayat Baksh Garden& Hayat Baksh Garden& Hayat Baksh Garden& Hayat Baksh Garden& Hayat Baksh Gardensources: Koch (2001) MughalArt and Imperial Ideology,Collected Essays, p.222;Mukherji (2002) The Red Fortof Shahjahnabad, p.118, 146
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the Neher-i-Behistand the science of medieval hydrology
the water parterre looking north towards the Shah-Burj pavilion.
Remnants of this stone pattern were found beneath layers of rubbish
when the gardens were restored at the beginning of the (20th) century.
Crowe, Haywood, Jellicoe - The Gardens of Mughal India, Vikas (1973), 160-61.
Looking south towards the Hammam, more recent photographic
evidence indicates an intricate profile for the stream
Nicholson, Venturi (1989) The Red Fort, Delhi, Tauris Parke Books, p.90
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Configuration & Hydrology before...
These photographs of excavations in
2002 reveal traces of a scientific
system of terracotta pipes contiguous
with the streams that fed the fort
gardens and palaces.
Specific names and uses of separate
pipes- for big and small baths, for
tanks, canals, and passages-were
marked on the tank from which they
flowed onwards
This was a complex, precisely graded
system of waterworks activated by
gravity, as recently revived as part of
the restoration of Humayun's tomb.
there are several indications that the Neher-i-
Behist went underground and reappeared all
along the Eastern terrace of the royal palace.
Left: Neher flowingthrough the Hammam,photo Mukherji (2002) p.115;
Right: through Diwan-i-Khas,photo Dube, Ramanathan(1997) p.124;
Below: Mukherji (2002) p.141
Photos taken duringexcavations, 2002.Courtesy Ratish Nanda
C o n s e r v a t i o n at t h e R e d F o r t, S h a h j a h a n a b a d , N e w D e l h i . 2 0 0 3 8
& after...
In the present configuration, oblong scallops create
a uniformly paved pool that bears no resemblance to
any Mughal structure or historical precedent
before...
Photo taken 09/2003
Configuration & Hydrology ... after
footprint of Moti Mahal
the footprint of the
Moti Mahal plinth,
where the Neher goes
underground, has
not been preserved.
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in the newly finished 'restoration' a
truncated scallop extends right to the
wall of the hammam. this was most likely
a portal in and out of the royal baths to
the terrace, probably done in marble like
the rest of the Neher. a platformed area
here, visible in the photograph above,
would have extended over the intake
pipes, allowing residents to enter and
exit the hammam. It is safe to infer that
the king did not step down and wade into
a stagnant pool at this point.
The end result is the creation of a still,
leaky waterbody, below.
In the process of this so-called
restoration, all evidence of the highly-
evolved water circulation system of the
mughals has been at best concealed, and
at worst destroyed.
Configuration & Hydrology after...
photos taken 09/03
A puzzling aspect of this arrangement is that in such a dustyclimate as Delhi’s, the water that flowed into hammams andthe private rooms of the emperor was allowed to first flowuncovered. An explanation for this may be that the treesflowers and the plantation both within the gardens andaround the Fort produced a micro climate that ensuredreduced level of dust. And it is also probable that at the pointat which these channels entered royal paviions or hammams,a system of filtration removed any adhering particles andpurified the water before it was heated or cooled for bathing.Mukherji Mukherji Mukherji Mukherji Mukherji (2002) p.116
The eastern wall of the
Fort, retaining this
terrace with its
cosmetic changes and
two leaky water bodies,
is already weakening
(refer to 'Red Fort regalia is adamp squib', the Pioneerartical in Annex A)photo Vijay Kumar (2002)
These cosmetic changes
are clearly not
addressing real
conservation issues.
C o n s e r v a t i o n at t h e R e d F o r t, S h a h j a h a n a b a d , N e w D e l h i . 2 0 0 3 1 0
Photos taken during excavations, 2002.Courtesy Ratish Nanda
cornice details along waterway edges
& after...
Configuration of the Neher-i-Behist...
before...
likely before
as suggested by
the main channel,
left, in the Hayat
Baksh garden
and at present
after renovation
Photos taken 09/03.
sections of cornices
C o n s e r v a t i o n at t h e R e d F o r t, S h a h j a h a n a b a d , N e w D e l h i . 2 0 0 3 1 1
Water flowed from the
Neher-i-behist, through
these concealed pipes
under the terrace,
leading into the Hayat
Bakhsh garden
Left: Reconstructed plan of the Bagh-i-Hayat Bakhsh, in Ebba Koch (2001)Mughal Art and Imperial Ideology,Delhi, Oxford University Pub.
Below: Notional sketch
Evidence of stairways
descending into the
garden can be seen in the
retaining wall of the
terrace.
These correspond to the
morphology of the Neher-
i-Behist, and the streams
intersecting the Hayat
Baksh garden
Photos taken 17/09/03.
Configuration & Hydrology before...
C o n s e r v a t i o n at t h e R e d F o r t, S h a h j a h a n a b a d , N e w D e l h i . 2 0 0 3 1 2
The evident traces of stairways leading from
the Neher-i-Behist Terrace down to the Hayat
Baksh garden have recently received Lime-
plaster infill
photos taken on 17/09/03.
Conservation Standards... preserving extant traces
This ad-hoc concealment of
extant architectural traces
indicates a wilfull neglect of
their significance in the
larger architectural and
hydrological scheme, with no
effort at either preservation
or restoration.
Photos taken on 24/09/03.
C o n s e r v a t i o n at t h e R e d F o r t, S h a h j a h a n a b a d , N e w D e l h i . 2 0 0 3 1 3
MM Kaye's book 'the Golden Calm' is based on the post-1867 reminiscencesof Emily Metcalfe, an English memsahib, her mother Lady Clive Bayley andher father, Sir Thomas Metcalfe, a resident at the Mughal court whocommissioned illustrations of the Fort from Delhi artists in his 'Delhie Book'.
Illustration from 'the Golden Calm', ed. MM Kaye (1980), Webb & Bower,Great Britain, reproduced from the 'Delhie Book' by Sir Thomas Metcalfe
Another example of the Neher-i-behist depicted by an artist ofAnother example of the Neher-i-behist depicted by an artist ofAnother example of the Neher-i-behist depicted by an artist ofAnother example of the Neher-i-behist depicted by an artist ofAnother example of the Neher-i-behist depicted by an artist ofthe period, showing the the period, showing the the period, showing the the period, showing the the period, showing the linkage of the terrace to the garden.Illustration from 19th century copy of M. Salih Kanbo, Amal-i-Salih, British Library Collection, reproduced in Ebba Koch (2001)Mughal Art and Imperial Ideology, Delhi, Oxford India Pub.
Significantly, this was a private area, part of the royal household, and henceshielded from the eyes of painters. These painters would have relied onchance sightings, descriptions and imaginative renderings of existing stylisticconventions and work drawings.
These illustrations do not stand scrutiny as authoritative,
incontrovertible evidence towards creating blue-prints for restoration.
Public Campaign to Misinform
This was the 'evidence'cited by the Minister inthe same newspaper -"the Nehr-i-Bihist whichwas covered under earthand debris, wasexcavated and thenrestored with redsandstone in conformitywith the description andphotographs(sic) given inthe book written byMetcalfe (sic) titledGolden Calm(sic)."
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Public Campaign to Misinform
The Minister released these
photographs, through an unsigned
article in a national newspaper, a day
after the first media reports
revealing the fiasco at the red fort.
Misleading the public, the minister
cited this as proof of the "original
structure revealed after ASI
excavation".
The photo actually shows the newly
constructed cement structure, made
to retain the modified Neher-i-Behist.
in the subsequent photo, a platform
with brick-rubble infill and
sandstone cladding further
obscures the footprints of the Neher
and moti mahal.
These "restorations" have now been
completed, unchallenged.
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May 2002 Neher-i-Behist during excavations
Public Campaign to Misinform
photo courtesy: S. Makhija
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at the source of the Neher-i-Behist in the Shah Burj,
Pointing with white cement (a bag of which sits beside the artisan)
A material analysis by an independent conservationist is requested.
Conservation Standards... pointing marble with cement
Shah Burj
The Shah Burj, or royal tower, was used for theprivate council meetings that were part of the dailyroutine of the emperor. It was accessible only to theimperial princes, the vizier and a few importantcourtiers who had the emperor’s special confidence.Koch Koch Koch Koch Koch (2001) Mughal Art and Imperial Ideology, p.219
From the pavilion attached to the Shah Burj, waterdrawn from the river below would have flowed into a poolat the head of the Neher-i-Behist, and continued from thereinto the fort's complex system of waterways.
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Conservation Standards... Shah Burj
Careless reactivation
of Water flow
leaks have developed on
the east wall of the Shah
Burj. This indicates
improper pointing and
water-proofing in the
source pool, from where
water is seeping into the
plinth and foundation of
the structure. The damage
from this flow into the
stagnant Neher-i-Behist
will soon become evident.
Below, cement pointing
and other inappropriate
measures taken to staunch
the flow, endangering
the building.
photos courtesy: S Makhija21 Oct. 2003.
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Conservation Standards... Paving pathways PWD-style
Conservation Standards... preserving extant traces in-situ
several alternatives, true to period technologies,
are available.
For instance, hexagonal-patterned brick
paving in the paien bagh or ladies garden
of Jehangir's Lahore Fort
photo Crowe, Haywood, Jellicoe, Patterson(1973)p. 154,155
C o n s e r v a t i o n at t h e R e d F o r t, S h a h j a h a n a b a d , N e w D e l h i . 2 0 0 3 1 9
Conservation Standards... intrusive lighting features
before media reports
New lighting features
along pathways in the
Hayat Baksh Garden.
Photo taken earlySeptember 2003
after media reports
The Minister claimed that
this pathway lighting was
required for thesound and
light show, when the Red
Fort's son et lumiere does
not extend to this part at
all. (refer to annex A)
However, soon thereafter
the lamps were removed
from this same stretch -
a small change considering
the serious issues raised by
renovations at the fort, but
an acknowledgement of
culpability.
Photo taken late Sept. 2003
indiscreet lighting
continues...
Floodlight mounted on
dome of protected
structure
Photos courtesy A.G.K. Menon,Oct. 2003
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Conservation Standards... Reconstituted features
New Fountainheads
Newly carved fountains have been
added in a denser and atypical
arrangement in the channel
flowing between the Sawan and
Badhon pavilions.
The photograph above indicates
their original form and placement.
Those below document successive
generations: the older, with
weathered blue paint from a
previous beautification effort, sits
unmoored beside an inaccurate
reproduction; fragments from
the succession.
Photos taken Oct. 2003
The Zafar Mahal stands amidstfountains in a pool where fourcanals converge. The southand north canals emanatedfrom the small Sawan and theBhadon pavilions.Right: Photo from E. Moynihan (1979)Paradise as a Garden In Persiaand Mughal India, p. 136
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Footprint of Moti Mahal,in Koch (2001)
details of the pipes being laid
under the new paving of the
Neher-i-Behist terrace
Conservation Standards
cemented water tanks created under
the extant footprint of the Moti Mahal.
Photos 09/03
in electrification
& water storage
C o n s e r v a t i o n at t h e R e d F o r t, S h a h j a h a n a b a d , N e w D e l h i . 2 0 0 3 2 2
Khas Mahal*
One of the finest specimens
of Mughal lattice-work in
the country.
The screen carved with the scale of justice, partof emperor’s insignia, formed a transparentvertical boundary between two central arcadeverandas on the north and south faces. TheNeher-i-Bahist channel flowing below the screenbisected the open width of the Khas Mahal.This space, cooled by the water channel, seemsto have been a favourite spot of the lateremperors, who are often depicted in the courtpaintings with the screen of justice, silhouettingtheir profile amidst the hint of the breeze andthe prospect of a vista of marble pavilions.MukherjiMukherjiMukherjiMukherjiMukherji (2001) p.29
scale of Justice Jali before...
above: 19th cent. illustr. from Kaye (1980) p.75left: uncredited photo from a common postcard;left below: photo taken in 1997,from Mukherji (2001) p. 31
* The Khas Mahal, or special palace, wasthe emperors personal living quarters, withmultiple verandahs and chambers.Its parts were variously designated theKhwabgah, the House of Dreams or moreprosaically, the Sleeping Chamber; theTasbih Khana or Chamber of Telling Beads;the Toshakhana or the Baithakkhana, theRobe Chamber or the Sitting Chamber.
C o n s e r v a t i o n at t h e R e d F o r t, S h a h j a h a n a b a d , N e w D e l h i . 2 0 0 3 2 3
photos taken o9/03, allegedly
two months after breakage.
Is there a first-information/
police report, or any other
records establishing liability
or accountability?
scale of Justice Jali after...
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Diwan-i-Khas renovated Pietra Dura
No picture can give an adequate ideaof it, for in design, proportion,material and finish, it was faultless...a more wonderful building does not existin the world."MetcalfeMetcalfeMetcalfeMetcalfeMetcalfe, in Kaye (1980) p. 168
photo: Nicholson, Venturi (1989) p.115
Photo taken 09/03
Shah Jahan chose to describe
this marble pavilion in
words inscribed on its
southern interior arcades:
Agar firdaus bad zamin ast,
hamin ast, hamin ast
if there is paradise on earth,
it is this, it is this!
photo from Nicholson(1989) p.51
It is this place that the king, seatedin a chair, his Omrahs standingaround him, grants more privateaudience to his officers, receivestheir reports, and deliberates onimportant affairs of the state.Bernier Bernier Bernier Bernier Bernier (1996), Travels in the MughalEmpire, AD-1656-68, p.265
The descriptions of
Diwan-i-Khas by most
writers convey a picture
of a delicately lavish
interior containing
painted gold decoration,
finely carved marble
screens, glass infill on
arched windows, and a
ceiling of pure silver.
Plan of the Diwan-i-Khas
showing its 32 pillars, all
delicately inlaid.
C o n s e r v a t i o n at t h e R e d F o r t, S h a h j a h a n a b a d , N e w D e l h i . 2 0 0 3 2 5
varying state of inlays
on different Panels
in the Diwan-i-Khas
Photo taken 1966, ASI no. 1062-66 TTTTTopopopopopPhoto taken 1989, in Nicholson, Venturi(1989), p.120 Mid Mid Mid Mid Middld ld ld ld leeeee
Photo taken 2003, after restoration BottomBottomBottomBottomBottom
assessing Material-use & skill
renovated Pietra Dura
Documentation of works
Documentation of each stage in the conservation
& restoration process is mandatory.
There must be records of every stage of
conservation for each face of the 32 columns
in the Diwan-i-Khas (approx. 120 faces)
It is incumbent on the ASI and its contrators
to maintain and furnish these public records.
a comparitive study
by independent conservationists and specialists,
based on ASI records, is necessary.
an in-situ assessment
of restoration and expert advice by president-
honoured master craftsmen, for which a request
for has been made to the ASI.
C o n s e r v a t i o n at t h e R e d F o r t, S h a h j a h a n a b a d , N e w D e l h i . 2 0 0 3 2 6
Comparable inlays from the Taj Mahal, Agra,
demonstrate the fine pietra dura craft-
skills that could still be brought to bear
in restoration, where appropriate.
photos from Joshi, Okada, Nou(1993) p.21, 34, 64
Stone (Cornelian, Lapis, Jaisalmer
etc.)was carefully selected (with the
choice of shades obtained by the
heating of stones such as Cornelian
& Jaisalmer) to achieve the subtle
gradations in hue at the turning of
a leaf or petal
There is no justification for craftsmanship
of a quality inferior to the original Mughal
or British colonial work, when today the
skills and the technologies employed by the
country's craftspeople are vastly improved.
Interviews of mastercraftsmen who have
received presidential awards reveal that
none have been consulted.
Material-use
& Craftsmanship
possible
renovated Pietra Dura
C o n s e r v a t i o n at t h e R e d F o r t, S h a h j a h a n a b a d , N e w D e l h i . 2 0 0 3 2 7
the removal of surviving inlays, and
replacement by an inferior grade of
material and workmanship, to effect
uniformity.
The Contrator for the restoration of
inlays was changed after work was
unsatisfactorily 'completed' on 20
columns.
(according to the accounts of craftsmen
working on-site, in early september)
Replacement of Inlays
Negligent choices
examples of careless
inlay with poor,
discoloured stone, &
finishing with epoxy
photos taken 24/09/03
renovated Pietra Dura
C o n s e r v a t i o n at t h e R e d F o r t, S h a h j a h a n a b a d , N e w D e l h i . 2 0 0 3 2 8
Diwan-i-Khas
pietra dura panel
clearly indicating incompatible
adhesive usage & irreversible
restoration procedures.
photo 2002courtesy: s. Makhija
C o n s e r v a t i o n at t h e R e d F o r t, S h a h j a h a n a b a d , N e w D e l h i . 2 0 0 3 2 9
Diwan-i-Khas
pietra dura panel
indicating the removal of original material
prior to current restoration work
photo 2002courtesy: s. Makhija
inappropriate filling with epoxy suspected
(refer to previous image)
permission for evaluation requested.
C o n s e r v a t i o n at t h e R e d F o r t, S h a h j a h a n a b a d , N e w D e l h i . 2 0 0 3 3 0
Bibliography
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Ehlers, Krafft (Ed.) - Shahjahanabad/Old Delhi Tradition and ColonialChange, New Delhi: Ajay Kumar Jain for Manohar Publishers (2003)
Joshi, Okada, Nou - Taj Mahal, Paris: Abbeville Press Publisher (1993)
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Masselos, Gupta - Beato’s Delhi 1857,1997, Delhi: Ravi Dayal Publisher(2000)
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A. S. Mukherji - The Red Fort of Shahjahnabad,New Delhi: Oxford University Press (2002)
Nicholson, Venturi - The Red Fort Delhi,London: Tauris Parke Books (1989)
G.H.R. Tillotson - Mughal India, London: the Penguin Group (1990)
Illustration credits
All uncredited photographs & images in these paperscontributed by R. Sethi & S. ChatterjeeCredited Contributors: S. Makhija, A.G.K. Menon