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


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.


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


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


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


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


& 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.


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


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...


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.


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)."



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.


May 2002 Neher-i-Behist during excavations


photo courtesy: S. Makhija


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.


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.


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


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


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


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


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.


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...


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.


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.


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



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



Diwan-i-Khas

pietra dura panel

clearly indicating incompatible

adhesive usage & irreversible

restoration procedures.

photo 2002courtesy: s. Makhija


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.


Bibliography

S. P. Blake - Shahjahanabad The Sovereign City in Mughal India 1639-173, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press (1993)

Crowe, Haywood, Jellicoe, Patterson - The Gardens of Mugal India,Delhi: Vikas Publishing House Pvt. Ltd. (1973)

Dube, Ramanathan - Delhi, The City of Monuments, New Delhi:Timeless Books (1997)

M.M. Kaye (Ed.) - The Golden Calm,Devon: Webb & Brown Ltd. (1980)

Ebba Koch - Mugal Art and Imperial Ideology Collected Essays,New Delhi: Oxford University Press(2001)

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)

MARG, Vol. XXXIX, No.1, Patrons of Art: The Mughals and the Medici,Bombay: MARG Publications.

Masselos, Gupta - Beato’s Delhi 1857,1997, Delhi: Ravi Dayal Publisher(2000)

E. Moynihan - Paradise as a Garden In Persia and Mughal India, NewYork: George Braziller, Inc. (1979)

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

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