MONUMENTS OF DELHI (Architectural & Historical) Prof. R. Nath, Ajay Nath This is the English translation of Syed Ahmed Khan’s Urdu work ‘Athar’al-Sanadid of 1846 with original Sketches and Inscriptions. Revised and updated 2nd Edition. (Agra Sep ’2010) 14×22 cm, pages 26+254, Architectural Sketches 44, Original Inscriptions 58, Paperback, ISBN : 81-85105-33-2 Rs. 795/- US $ 40 (Sir) Sayyid Ahmad Khan (1817-98), the founder of Aligarh Muslim University, was also a scholar of history. He was greatly interested in the monuments of Delhi, on which subject he authored a work “Athar’al-Sanadid” in Urdu. It contained immensely useful historical and architectural material for the study of the monuments of Delhi, built over a long span of time, from c.1192 to 1846 A.D. Its Arabic and Persian inscriptions were meticulously collected by the author himself, while its sketches were made by his artist Mirza Shah Rukh Beg Musawwir. It was first published in 1846 A.D. and soon became popular in India and abroad. The British and French scholars depended upon it. Almost the whole of it was reproduced in French by M.Garcin de Tassey in the Journal Asiatique. Edward Thomas, the author of the classical work : ‘The Chronicles of the Pathan Kings of Delhi’ (London 1871) largely drew on the Athar’al-Sanadid. It was almost a base book to Alexander Cunningham, the father of Indian Archaeology, and guided him in the preparation of his Report for the year 1862-65 (A.S.I. Vol-I). His assistant J.D. Beglar who prepared his Report on Delhi separately (A.S.I. Vol-IV) also relied upon Sayyid Ahmed, whose work, in fact, laid the foundation of the study of this subject and who was the basic authority for all later works. There always was the need of a faithful and comprehensive translation of his work into English. Though several Urdu editions were published subsequently, it was not translated, for more than a century. This Urdu work : ‘Athar’al-Sanadid’ was translated into English by Prof. R. Nath and was first published under the title : Monuments of Delhi : A Historical Study in 1978. It was popularly received and the first edition was sold out by 1990, and though it is needed and is in great demand, it was out of print for more than two decades. It studies nearly 160 monuments of Delhi built between 1192 and 1846. Sayyid Ahmed’s original scheme has been simplified to be useful to the reader and the work has been updated with comprehensive notes and references. His artist Mirza Shah Rukh Beg Musawwir’s original 44 drawings (sketches, made free hand) and Sayyid Ahmed’s original inscriptions which he collected assiduously and some of which are no longer extant, have been repaired and reproduced. His chronology and architectural narrative have been reformed and, as needed in an English translation, correct technical terms have been substituted. Sayyid Ahmed’s Urdu and English prefaces and his personal narrative of his family are special features of this work. It is, in fact, a mine of information on the subject; recording the first authentic survey of the monuments of Delhi, it is almost an encyclopedic work.

Building Histories offers innovative accounts of five medieval monuments in Delhi—the Red Fort, Rasul Numa Dargah, Jama Masjid, Purana Qila, and the Qutb complex—tracing their modern lives from the nineteenth century into the twentieth. Mrinalini Rajagopalan argues that the modern construction of the history of these monuments entailed the careful selection, manipulation, and regulation of the past by both the colonial and later postcolonial states. Although framed as objective “archival” truths, these histories were meant to erase or marginalize the powerful and persistent affective appropriations of the monuments by groups who often existed outside the center of power. By analyzing these archival and affective histories together, Rajagopalan works to redefine the historic monument—far from a symbol of a specific past, the monument is shown in Building Histories to be a culturally mutable object with multiple stories to tell.

This groundbreaking volume examines how the Mughal Empire used architecture to refashion its identity and stage authority in the 18th century, as it struggled to maintain political power against both regional challenges and the encroaching British Empire.

*Set apart from the descriptive guides that exist on the subject, this book analyzes the meaning of the Qutb Complex's monuments and their afterlife from the fourteenth through the twenty-first centuries The Qutb complex is one of Delhi's major tourist attractions and the Qutb Minar is often used as an iconic emblem representing the city. Yet aside from scholarly essays and largely descriptive books on the site, there has been little attempt to write an accessible analysis of the site's monuments, patrons, inscriptions and history. This book will examine not only the site as it was developed in the early Sultanate period, but also probe its life prior to the establishment of Muslim rule in the late-twelfth century and then again after the period of Sultanate patronage of the site up to the present. The aim of this volume is to prove that over time the complex remained considerably more significant in meaning than is generally believed. The surrounding urban area, including dargahs, temples, mosques, tombs and water sources, will be studied in terms of their relation to the core mosque and minaret. A comprehensive analysis of the interwoven histories of the Qutb Complex and its architecture, this book is both visually sumptuous and informative.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1872. The publishing house Anatiposi publishes historical books as reprints. Due to their age, these books may have missing pages or inferior quality. Our aim is to preserve these books and make them available to the public so that they do not get lost.

The articles by John Burton-Page on Indian Islamic architecture assembled in this volume give an historical overview of the subject, ranging from the mosques and tombs erected by the Delhi sultans in the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries, to the great monuments of the Mughals in the 16th and 17th centuries.

‘Very impressive ... It will enrich the understanding of those interested in the history not only about these buildings but also more widely about historical monuments and their preservation’ – Rudrangshu Mukherjee, Chancellor and Professor of History at Ashoka University ‘The first real attempt to bring historical sites and buildings of the past within the reach of the masses ... A must-read for all’ – Syed Ali Nadeem Rezavi, author of Fathpur Sikri Revisited ‘Offers an excellent academic–public interface for the study of monuments, the cities in which they are located, and their extended geocultural connections’ – Rana Safvi, author of The Forgotten Cities of Delhi and Shahjahanabad ‘A book to be read several times, in different ways’ – Swapna Liddle, author of Connaught Place and the Making of New Delhi Delhi, Agra, Fatehpur Sikri, historic cities of legend and lore and home to six UNESCO World Heritage Sites, have captured the imagination of Indians and the world at large for centuries. In this ambitious book, Shashank Shekhar Sinha traces the extraordinary pasts of the three imperial capitals, their monuments, settlements and extended geocultural connections, while presenting a graphic account of the iconic heritage sites – from the life and times of rulers who built them, their survival through periods of war, turmoil and conquests, to their present afterlives. Packed with intriguing and little-known stories about the monuments – busting several myths around them along the way – the book takes us on a journey from the pillared galleries of the mosque at the Qutb Minar complex, the majestic double dome of Humayun’s tomb, the bastions of the impenetrable Agra Fort, the picturesque pavilions at Fatehpur Sikri, the tapering minarets of the Taj Mahal, to finally the Mughal court of the Red Fort, giving us the full measure of their dazzling grandeur. ABOUT THE SERIES Combining powerful storytelling with deep, recent scholarship, the Magnificent Heritage series uses multidisciplinary approaches to showcase a fresh perspective on heritage sites and storied cities, locating them in their larger geographical, sociocultural and historical contexts.

Built in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, India’s Mughal monuments—including majestic forts, mosques, palaces, and tombs, such as the Taj Mahal—are world renowned for their grandeur and association with the Mughals, the powerful Islamic empire that once ruled most of the subcontinent. In Monumental Matters, Santhi Kavuri-Bauer focuses on the prominent role of Mughal architecture in the construction and contestation of the Indian national landscape. She examines the representation and eventual preservation of the monuments, from their disrepair in the colonial past to their present status as protected heritage sites. Drawing on theories of power, subjectivity, and space, Kavuri-Bauer’s interdisciplinary analysis encompasses Urdu poetry, British landscape painting, imperial archaeological surveys, Indian Muslim identity, and British tourism, as well as postcolonial nation building, World Heritage designations, and conservation mandates. Since Independence, the state has attempted to construct a narrative of Mughal monuments as symbols of a unified, secular nation. Yet modern-day sectarian violence at these sites continues to suggest that India’s Mughal monuments remain the transformative spaces—of social ordering, identity formation, and national reinvention—that they have been for centuries.

On the architecture of Delhi, Ajmer, Badaon, Jaunpur, and Sasaram (Bihar), from 1192 A.D. to 1545 A.D.