[jyotirmoy]

Located in the grounds of what is now Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, Delhi, near the General Post Office, is the Dara Shikoh Library of the Department of Archaeology, Delhi Administration. The building is of immense historical importance as it was built by Shah Jahan's liberal intellectual son and chosen successor, Dara Shikoh. Dara Shikoh was murdered by his brother Aurangzeb in 1659 and his property along with this library passed through several hands before the British finally took it from Marathas in 1803. It was later used as a residency by Sir David Ochterlony, the first British Resident of Delhi. Sir Ochterlony renovated the original building of Dara Shikoh and added the pillars and the verandah to the older structure. The present library was one of the rooms used by Dara Shikoh. If one looks carefully one can differentiate between the architectural designs of the interior (Mughal) and exterior (British) of the building. The building was damaged to a great extent during the 1857 war and robbed of its precious books. However, one can still imagine the grandeur and opulence in which the first British Resident lived in Delhi, by looking at the majestic building. The building also characterized the nature of its first occupant, Sir Ochterlony. He was one of the only British officers who fully adopted the Mughal culture, customs, traditions and lifestyle.

[priya]

There is a basement on the rear side of the building which was hidden by debris and stair case. After removing the debris and stairs, the original Mughal structure was exposed in the year 2001 thereby discovering red sand stone arches and ornamental pillars.

Attached Files

•  Before_exposure.jpg   11.52K   16 downloads
•  Dara_Shikoh_Library1.jpg   9.46K   15 downloads

[jyotirmoy]

Thanks a lot Priya for attaching the pics