Urban Morphology of Shahjahanabad 15 Sept 2011

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Urban Morphology of Shahjahanabad -A MedievalIndian Experience

by Shama Mitra Chenoy

Shahjahanabad was the capital city of the M ghal Empire! inhabited in thegeographical region of "elhi in the mid #$ th cent ry %#&'(- #()$*+ Itrepresented the apogee of town- planning in medieval India and was the last cityof "elhi inhabited in the pre- colonial period+

Several factors were inherent in the Medieval Indian Experience+ ,hisexperience comprised essentially a composite c lt re! contin o sly evolvingsyncretic traditions on acco nt of several cent ries of coming together of people

of different regions of Indian s b- continent! Arabia! ersia! Central Asia!Afghanistan etc! of different religions! sects! ethnicities! castes and professionsall within the space of India! in the , r.ish and M ghal states and partic larlyin their capital city of "elhi+ ,his coming together occ rred thro gh processesof assimilation! absorption! conflict! relativism and dialog e+ "elhi became theref ge of a h ge m lti-ethnic! m lti-religio s pop lace see.ing sec rity andlateral or vertical shifts in their politico- socio- economic positions+ /ith somany processes and infl ences at wor. the idea of Shahjahanabad had alreadyoriginated+

#+ ,his new- fo nd relevance of "elhi was s itably c shioned by somenat ral advantages partic lar to its geographical region! li.e a perennial river!hills for s pply of stones for constr ction and a b ffer in times of war!converging and diverging trade ro tes from and towards all directions of thes b- continent and a very rich agric lt ral hinterland to feed a colossal rban

pop lation! engaged in non- agric lt ral p rs its+ 0nce in "elhi! "oab and1engal lay in easy access+

2+,hree principal habitations and many palace fortress complexes came p in thetriangle formed by the river and the hills or the ridge+ ,hese palace fortresscomplexes have been nderstood as cities! s ggesting lac. of organic growth onacco nt of their conscio s and short lived identities+

A per sal of these cities and habitations ma.es a case for an organic growth ofthe city on acco nt of instit tional! c lt ral contin ities co pled with the factthat habitations were few and confined to the river- mo ntain triangle within thegeographical region of "elhi+


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As early as the thirteenth cent ry the idea of "elhi was internali3ed by theciti3ens and poets! who referred to it as Hazrat-i Dehli %revered "elhi* or theShahr %the City*+ "elhi was contin o sly inhabited and s stained as an Imperialcapital for over '44 years and again after an interregn m+

5owever! a st dy the o ter forms of the cities of "elhi from 6ila- i 7ai ithorato "in anah8 Shergarh reveals both planned and nplanned spaces! with thelatter far exceeding the former+ 9ot only that! there was a considerable lac. of

p blic spaces for the emphasis was mainly on the formal settings of the palaces!the :ama Masjid and rgently re; ired water bodies+ As far as otherarchitect ral and rban re; irements were concerned these were aconglomeration of hapha3ard constr ction of gates! ba3ars! mansions! ghettos!sl ms and sarais+ Instead of localities there were ghettos based on ethnic!

religio s or sectarian divisions+ Moreover! irrespective of the formality withwhich the palace complexes were laid o t there was little concept ali3ation ofspace at a large scale+ /hether it was the 6 tb complex in 6ila- i 7ai ithora!the small palace and cantonment of


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'+@+ ,he morphology of Shahjahanabad had to be made to overcome

infirmities of plan and layo t while being mindf l of the c lt ralcomplexities of the times+ ,he M ghal nobility was most varied in terms

of religion! sects! ethnicity and regions+ ,here were , ranis! Iranis!Afghanis! Indian M slims! 7ajp ts and


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,he wall by itself s ggests a holistic and formal plan for the city in whichspaces wo ld be earmar.ed b t not everything wo ld be necessarily designed orocc pied by the r ler! his family or his nobility+ 1 rgeoning ba3ars! localities!encroachments and state sponsored instit tions are evidence of the fact that thestate was not in control of everything that was happening in the city+

,he wall was interspersed with ## mon mental gates and several posterns toallow easy access! in and o t! from all parts of the city+ ates were named on a*the basis of direction they pointed to! b* the p rpose they served or c* wereeponymo s+ ,he "elhi! , r.man! Ajmeri %a* and


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Shahjahan favo red a geometrical layo t and architect re that was delicate!

light and very adaptable to the environment+ ,he fort was aligned to the river inthe east bringing in the cool bree3e and the west had high walls to protect fromstrong chilly winds in winter+ ,here was always an interplay of a b ilding withgreenery and channels of water! fo ntain or a waterfall+ ,he b ildings! whetherinside the fort or o tside! had an architectonic symmetry abo t them! were lightand airy! ; ic. to cool in s mmer and easy to be heated in winter+ ,he walls rfaces were wor.ed in s ch a manner as not to re; ire any f rtherembellishments and! if not nd ly damaged! co ld be maintained easily+

ShahjahanGs b ildings were famo s for their symmetry! trefoil and m lti-foliated arches with perfectly located springing points! high relief carving withits three dimensional effect in the dado panels! low relief carving and chevron

patterning! ncommon bea ty of stone !alis or perforated screens! c t ingeometrical shapes or arabes; e! the art of calligraphy on stone covering largespaces and the techni; es of tessellation and "ietra- dura ! encr station of stonein stone with common or precio s8 semi precio s stones+ ,he chiselling of themarble s rface and encr station of semi precio s stone gave the impression ofwalls having been needle- wor.ed+ "ecorative elements on wall s rfaces andflower motifs were inspired by ersia and


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/hile the fort was nder constr ction several nobles b sied themselves planning their own havelis+ A haveli was an imposing mansion with a largestaggered gateway+ ,he internal plan of a haveli incl ded several foci aro ndwhich were concentrated sections for men and women! offices of the owner! alibrary! a formal drawing room! formal gardens with r nning water andfo ntains! barrac.s! stables and perhaps a man factory+ /alls were covered withcarved or painted with geometrical designs and flower motifs+

Amongst those who b ilt havelis while the fort was nder constr ction were"ara Shi.oh! the heir apparent! M lla SaGad llah


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worship+ 1a3ar towards Agra or +aiz 1a3ar 6 was located along the north- so thaxis between another imposing congregational mos; e! A.barabadi Masjid and"elhi gate+ 1oth mar.ets were famo s for exotic and most extraordinary waresand art de objects from Afghanistan! Central Asia! Iran and China and for,ahwa &ha$as or coffee homes+ ,he bea ty of the ba3ars was a gmented by

Nahr-i #ihisht ! a paradisiacal canal of r nning water and this was interspersedwith reservoirs! fo ntains and bridges+ ,he canal was bro ght by Ali Mardan


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pop lace of the city b ilt ho ses! both commodio s and modest+ Small templesand mos; es were accommodated between ho ses+ ,he big ho ses of thelocality had their own well%s* in the co rtyard while others drew water fromcommon wells of the neighbo rhood+ 7esidents of big mansions c t smallchannels from the canal to divert some water for their se+ Merchants whoowned shops in the two main ba3ars occ pied the pper floors of theseestablishments as their residential spaces+ It is said many 5ind and Armenianmerchants had ho ses that were five to six storeys high+ 9

A large n mber of rban poor also jostled for space tho gh many were forced tolive o tside the city walls+ ,he thatch roofed ho ses of the poor were s bject tofre; ent conflagrations+ ,he &otwal0s onero s job was to police the city!

maintain peace and order! prevent dishonesty in weights and meas res! loo.after the welfare of the foreigners and r n an efficient and s btle networ. ofspies+ Unofficially! it was the Nagar Seth who drove the daily economy of thecity in a non- obtr sive manner+ ,he state made arrangements for basic civicamenities incl ding clean and well lit roads and streets! partic larly beca se thecity was d sty and animals were chief means of transportation+

Shahjahanabad had an intense interaction with its s b rbs! the roots of a tree asthey were called+ S b rbs were sed for residential! commercial!man fact ring! religio s! spirit al p rposes as well as for sports and in p rs itof a Dilliwala0s favo rite pastime! sightseeing mon ments+ ,he wholesale ofheavy b l.! low val e goods was confined to the s b rbs+ S b rbs were ringedwith sarais for merchants to halt with their vol mino s goods+ Some famo ss b rbs were Paharga$! ! a!a ka #azar ! Shahdara ! Subzi Ma$di ! 1aghShahlamar! with Shikargahs or h nting lodges at Hastsal and 'a$ti +

/hile Shahajahanabd exemplified the apogee of town planning in later

medieval times! many spaces were developed in a spontaneo s manner+ 5encethe vigo r! charm and attraction of many perfect b ildings! fancy bo levardsand handsome s; ares within the city was f rther a gmented by theheterogeneo s mass of people! who interacted here! with one another and withthe environment+ ,he spaces that best showcased this were Chow. SaGad llah


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:ama Masjid+ 1oth were interspersed with fo ntains at reg lar intervals+ Chow.SaGad llah


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localities! which along with places of worship! ba3ars and shops! m shroomedeverywhere within the city+ In late #( th cent ry! fear of life forced artisans livingo tside to see. shelter in the walled spaces of the city+

Shahjahanabad embodied a m ltiplicity of identities and its f nctionalcharacteristics increased manifold in n mber and scope+ ,he 1adshah lived inShahjahanabad and it was Dar- ul &hilafa or seat of both religio s and temporala thority+ 5is co rt and ho sehold were located here+ 5e distrib ted largessefrom here+ It was a symbol of the r lerGs legitimacy over his competitors andenemies and perpet ation of a thority over everyone in the realm+ It was thecentre of power! governance! j stice! administration and glamo r+ It was thecapital of both a strong M ghal Empire and a tottering one+ A large n mber of

nobles lived here+ Dater! when it was no longer convenient for governors ofdifferent regions to live in the city! they only paid perf nctory obeisance to the.ing b t stationed their representatives here+

Shahjahanabad was a centre of higher learning and .nowledge transfer! onacco nt of the n mero s ed cational centres f nctioning in different parts of itsareas+ ,he literary achievements! literat re and poetry of *$quilab and Shahr

Ashob %change and lament*! verses in praise of the city! 2hazal or love poetryand Marsi%a &hwa$i or elegies ! gave "elhi a vibrant intellect al expression!em lated in other cities with adaptations and variations+ ,he streets of the citytoo! were also a great learning experience+

Shahjahanabad was a flo rishing economic centre+ ,his economy rested ontrade! finance! man fact re and thro gh trade+ It had hori3ontal and verticallin.ages with cities and towns of the Indian s b- continent+ It had a ring ofentrepot mar.ets! credit facilities and other instr ments of trade+ ,here was anama3ing range of the typologies of mar.ets! central! regional! speciali3ed! local!

$akhas or elementary and wee.ly ba3ars+ In addition! there were constantlyincreasing retail o tlets or shops! man factories and some karkha$as belongingto the .ings! nobles and merchants+ Doans co ld be raised and the choicest andmost commonplace commodities co ld be bo ght in the ba3ars+ A diversity ofhandicrafts were man fact red or finished here! silverware! brassware! inlay!engraving and setting of stone and polishing and f rbishing on varieties ofs rfaces! jewellery from the cheapest to the most expensive metals and stonesand the art of calligraphy+ ,here were fashioners! painters! limners! sc lptors!

seal engravers and people who speciali3ed in pyrotechnics+ It was a tr ism forShahjahanabad as it was for every city of "elhi that every commodity fo nd a


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mar.et here+G Shahjahanabad was a city for charity! employment and highcons mption levels+ ,he city collected octroi from trade+ It was a space thataccommodated demographic press res that the process of rbani3ation led to+ Inact al fig res this translated into a pop lation of ) la.hs in mid #$ th cent ry to24 la.hs %estimate of :es its* for mid #( th cent ry+ In the constant attac.s anddepredations of :ats! Si.hs! Marathas and athans that followed from #$'4Gsonwards! the pop lation declined! many eminent poets migrated to other centresof patronage while the people lived with fear as their companion+

Shahjahanabad exercised a p ll over other regions and in its spaces peopleco ld be very mobile! vertically pwards and downwards+ Its rban spaces

provided for people and comm nities to interact+ ,he symbiotic relationship

between the =ort and the city was played o t here+ In #$th

cent ry the fort wasthe centre of power! largesse and glamo r for the people of the city+ In #( th

cent ry! conf sion and desperation emanated from the 6ila and it became awarring field between nobles in wars of attrition! as the inmates of the fort

became indebted to the merchants of Shahjahanabad+ In #B th cent ry! the fortand the .ing had val e for nostalgia+ ,he powerless 1adshah was propped pand for residents of the city! English East India CompanyGs largesse seemedhonorable if it was followed with a meaningless title from him+

Shahjahanabad was a space from where patronage was extended+ As the city lifegrew in mat rity! the circle of patrons widened to incl de not only members ofthe royalty and the nobility b t also merchants! professionals and the artiststhemselves+

Mir ,a;i Mir loved the bea ty of the rbanscape and was awed by it as he wrotein the second half of the #( th cent ryJ

Dilli ke $a the kuche auraq musawwir the 'o shakl $azar a%e taswir $azar a%e +

,he streets of "elhi were not mere streetsK they were li.e a painterGs alb mKEvery fig re I saw there was a model of perfection+

,he .ingGs fort in Shahjahanabad occ pied pride of place in its location andsi3e+ 5owever! if we did find any other hierarchy of rban space in the time ofShahjahan! demographic press re leveled that to a large extent+ ,his becomesevident when we loo. at a map of the city+ Act ally! beca se of the proximity of


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the river and so many gates! posterns! central ba3ars! the canal and arterialro tes in the city! there were many coveted locations+ ,his in t rn! dil ted the

press re that co ld have been exercised on the city+

Moreover! in spite of a planned and developed rbanscape! segregation ofspaces was ha3y! the bo ndaries f 33y which become more so withdemographic press re+ Caste! class and professional distinctions weremaintained to some extent! b t these factors were not the overarching reality tot rn the city into m ltiple ghettos+ /hile Chow. SaGad llah


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learnt to follow a policy of divide and r le very early in "elhi and the riot of#(4B was a major example+

S fism and s fi practices did not go down well with the religio s orthodox+

7eligio s reformers li.e Shah /ali llah felt a sense of deep discontentment atthe behavio r of the .ings and the general M slim pop lace+ 5e fo nd! m ch tohis chagrin! his co-religionists were partisans of s perstitions and had createdro tes of pilgrimage! and performed 3iyarat at the s fi dargahs+ 5e was in aconstant state of contestation with certain ways of life+ In spite of thesecontestations! S fism had become a way of life and its greatest victory was that"elhi was also .nown as 33 &hwa!a ki Chaukhat or the threshold of twenty-two saints++

Shahjahanabad was a centre of orthodox! organi3ed religions b t also a spacewhere heterodoxy rather than conformity was a great tradition+ Several s fisaints! Shah 5are 1hare! S fi Sarmad and Shah 1 la! Shah Madar %ma3ar*occ pied spaces aro nd :ama Masjid and made their presence felt! irrespectiveof whether their religio- spirit al ideas were accepted or not by the orthodoxy orwhether the latter frowned on their sacred spaces and religio s transgressions+,he Charandasis challenged social discrimination in a similar manner+ S fismchallenged orthodoxy b t Shahjahanabad was not .nown to have any womansaint and "argahs had largely become bastions of male dominance+

S fi ethos was highly pervasive and n mero s festivities attest to this as to thefact that the s b rbs were very closely integrated to the city+

eople of "elhi enjoyed themselves most when paying homage to "irs and fakirs %mendicants! ascetics and spirit al preceptors*! participating in theceremonies of Urs at n mero s "argahs! celebrating 1asant at 6adam Sharifand rophet M hammadGs birthday at Arab .i Sarai! watching regal processions!

being entertained at the street corners by artists of merit! getting together inwards where the Muhtasib dared not exercise his a thority to cens re them fortheir lac. of morals! celebrating seasons! in competitions of physical prowessand had the deep desire to travel to places of architect ral and scenic bea ty+,hese were occasions that bro ght people of all segments and strata of societytogether+

A festival of comm nal harmony! Phoolwalo$ &i Sair ! combined two old

religio- spirit al places in Mehra li! :og Maya ,emple and "argah of6 tb ddin 1a.htiyar


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ingen ity! within the c lt ral festivities+ In the early #B th cent ry ceremonies andfairs were held at 5an man ,emple %present 1aba


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contemporaries! La .! Momin! Shefta! "aag and others! who lived in the< chas and


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S rgeries were performed by the company officers on the rban fabric to red cethe cl tter the city and ma.e its environment more cond cive to healthy living+

An earlier instit tion revived by the 1ritish was "elhi College shering in an

ed cational and c lt ral 7enaissance+ rior to the mayhem of #()$ the 1ritishhad tried to rectify the misplaced priorities of the natives who spent more onmarriages and less on civic necessities+

Shajahanabad and its rban form provided the space for contestation betweenthe sepoys and their partisans vis-a vis the 1ritish and their partisans in #()$+,his episodic intervention was ca se eno gh to begin a process of conflict withthe political masters b t also bring abo t major changes in the morphology ofthe city and red ce it to a Mofussil town s ggesting lac. of tr st between ther lers and the r led+

Ever since modern Indians have become heritage conscio s Shahjahanabad has become the new poster city to showcase long rooted c lt ral traditions! the basic sec lar fabric of the city as all places of worship are located on the mostimportant street of the city! extending between the fort and =atehp ri Masjidand erroneo sly called Chandni Chow.+ ,he fact is so m ch of the past end resin poc.ets within and in the c lt re of people o tside these poc.ets+ In &hari

#aoli best condiments and spices can still be bo ght as can stars! spangles! brocades! mas.s and weapons of earlier times from &i$ari 1a3ar+ In < chas and


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schools! the serpentine < chas and


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Associate rofessor Shivaji College! University of "elhi+24 S nder 9agar

9ew "elhi ##444'+

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Urban Morphology of Shahjahanabad 15 Sept 2011