Delhi--Mahmood of Ghuznee--Shah Jehan--Gates of Delhi--Mosques--The
Palace--Hall of Audience--Chapel of Aurungzebe--The Gardens--The Jumma
Musjeed--Khoonee Durwaza--Protestant Church--The Observatory--Tomb of
Zufder Jung--The Cootub Minar--Allah-ud-Deen--Gheias-ud-Deen--Mahomed
Togluk--Humayoon--Nizam-ud-Deen--The Cantonments--Mahomedan
College--Delhi--Produce of Delhi--Shah Allum II.--Lord Lake--Monsieur
Louis Bourgion--Sir David Ochterlony--Holcar--Lieutenant-Colonel
W. Burn--Mr. E. Thornton--Allahabad--Marquis Wellesley--Defence of
Delhi--Mahomedan Population--Colonel Ochterlony's good Generalship.
DELHI, or Dilli, in Sanscrit Indraprastha, an ancient Hindoo city,
founded by Delu, was, according to tradition, built more than 300
years before the Christian era. The Rajahs of Dilli, or Indraput, are
mentioned by the Mahomedan historians as early as A.D. 1008. In 1011
the city was taken and plundered by Sultan Mahmood, of Ghuznee, but
afterwards it was restored to the Rajah as a tributary.[60] It is
reported to have covered a space of twenty miles, and the ruins now
are very extensive. It is scarcely possible to conceive anything more
striking and picturesque than the first appearance of Delhi, situated
on its rocky mountain chain, with its mosques, monuments, palaces,
and tombs rising in perfect beauty amid the widely scattered ruins of
bye-gone days and former greatness, environed with verdant gardens,
corn-fields, palms and cypresses; while the silvery Jumna flowing in
the luxuriant valley imparts a bright relief to the whole scene. To
see the magic grandeur of the _tout ensemble_ the traveller should
ascend the lofty Cootub Minar which is about seven miles from the
city. The effect produced on the mind by this grand panorama is quite
indescribable.
In the year 1631, the Emperor Shah Jehan founded the city of New Delhi,
on the west bank of the Jumna, and named it Shahjehanabad, but it did
not long retain his name. It is about seven miles in circumference,
and is surrounded on three sides by a wall of brick and stone, in most
beautiful preservation, with, as far as I could judge, not a stone
displaced. The wall is furnished with embrasures, and has been more
strongly fortified by the English, who surrounded it with a moat. It
has seven gates built of freestone, each indicating by its name the
direction in which it lies; thus the Lahore gate points to the city of
Lahore; the Ajmere gate to the city of Ajmere. The other five gates are
named Agra, Turkoman, Delhi, Mohur, and Cashmere.
The modern city is built on two rocky eminences. It is divided into two
parts, the old and the new; the streets are inferior and narrow, except
two, the one leading from the palace to the Delhi gate, which is thirty
yards broad, and 1,900 yards long, with an aqueduct along the middle
of its whole extent, supplied with water from Ali Merdan Khan's canal,
and the other leading from the Lahore gate which is still wider and
handsomer, being forty yards in width and a mile in length.
Ali Merdan Khan, the Prime Minister, brought the above-named canal from
the Jumna, where that river approaches Kurnaul, to Delhi, a distance
of more than 100 miles; but it became choked up after the Persian
and Affghan invasions; in consequence of which, in 1810, the English
undertook to clear and repair it. It was not finished till 1820, and is
said to have cost £35,000. It furnishes the inhabitants of Delhi with
a supply of fresh water, the water of the Jumna being much impregnated
with salt below Kurnaul. And here I would mention, by the way, that
it is owing to this circumstance that the overflowing of the Jumna
does not improve the soil like the inundation of the Ganges and other
Hindoostanee rivers, the deposits of which are of a very fertilizing
nature. The restoration of this canal proved an immense benefit, the
country around having become scarcely habitable from the deleterious
effects of the water.
Delhi contains about forty mosques, and many splendid palaces and
residences of rich natives, surrounded with gardens, baths, and other
out-buildings. The palace of the Great Mogul, commenced by the Emperor
Shah Jehan in 1640, and finished in 1648, has two noble entrances,
flanked by massive towers, over the principal of which is the residence
of the officer commanding the palace guards, from whom it is necessary
to obtain leave for visiting the palace. The palace is all that now
remains to the king, of the glory and splendour of his ancestors. It
lies on the west bank of the Jumna on some low cliffs; it forms an
irregular quadrangle, enclosed by a wall of red sand-stone, between
thirty and forty feet high, and about a mile in circumference, with
forty-five small bulwarks and towers. Immediately below the wall is a
deep moat. A pretty garden extends from the eastern side of the wall to
the Jumna.
Passing through the massive portals which I have already named, a long,
dimly lighted vaulted passage and gateway, brought me into the first
court, which is 300 paces square, enclosed by walls, and traversed by
a canal. A large gate led me into another square, containing the hall
of audience, which is an open quadrangular terrace of white marble,
the façade of the hall being formed by a double row of twenty marble
columns, and the sides by eight, in the Arabic-Byzantine style. Here
stands the throne, which is also of white marble, ornamented, and, like
the hall, adorned with arabesques, Florentine Mosaic, and sculptures in
relievo. Here the Great Mogul used to give audiences to the ambassadors
and nobles of the empire, who, on these state occasions, always rode on
elephants. The docile animals marched in a particular order, and were
drawn up in array behind the barrier, which was sufficiently capacious
to admit 200 elephants.
Through another white marble court I entered the Khas, or chief hall
of audience, which is also of white marble, and the vaulted ceiling
supported by thirty-two white marble columns in double file. Here
stood the celebrated peacock throne. The throne itself was of gold,
covered with diamonds and precious stones, supported on either side by
a peacock, whose brilliant outspread tail glittered with jewels, while
above the throne was a parrot the size of life, cut out of a single
emerald, with wonderful skill. The value of the throne was estimated
at between six and seven millions sterling. We all know that Timoor
carried off the precious rubies, and that Nadir finished the work
of demolition by removing all the other jewels. It is now a simple
seat standing on a platform ornamented with gold, and a few worthless
jewels, while the canopy which hangs over it bears the following
inscription in Arabic: "If a paradise ever existed on earth, it is
here, it is here." Alas! for the man who seeks his paradise here below!
Close by this hall is the chapel of Aurungzebe: it is of white marble,
very small, but of the most exquisite workmanship. Altogether this
pile of building presents a combination of splendour and elegance,
with its gardens and fountains, mosques and columns, halls, balconies,
corridors and minarets, which awaken feelings of melancholy as we
recall to mind its former grandeur, of which the glory is now departed.
The gardens are said to have cost Shah Jehan a million sterling; it
would have been far too expensive to keep them up in their former
style, and they are now rather like a neat park in England than an
appendage to an Indian palace.
The Jumma Musjeed is a noble pile, built by the Emperor Shah Jehan,
and finished in 1656 at a cost of £100,000; it is raised upon an
equilateral foundation, composed of blocks of red sand-stone, about
30 feet above the level of the ground. It is said that the Emperor
employed several thousand men for six successive years in its
construction. It is, as the word Jumma or "gathering" denotes, the
place of worship where all the Mahomedans are expected to meet on
Fridays. This building is one of the finest and most perfect specimens
of the Arabic-Byzantine style, and is constructed of white marble and
red sand-stone, inlaid with arabesques. The massive portico, with an
elegant minaret on either side, leads into the marble hall under the
principal cupola. In the centre of this hall is a limpid fountain
for the ablutions of the worshippers; and the whole is lighted by
ever-burning lamps.
Quitting this mosque by the northern gate, I proceeded down the Dureeba
Street, in the neighbourhood of which are the principal bankers and
jewellers, and issued by the Khoonee Durwaza, or Bloody Gate, so named
from the scene that took place during the massacre of 200,000 of the
inhabitants by the tyrant Nadir Shah, into the Chandee Chowk, a place
where an officer is stationed to receive tolls and customs. Leaving on
my left a small mosque called the Roushen-ud-Dowlah, built in 1721,
and ornamented with gilt cupolas--where the despot sat unconcerned,
while the inhabitants were being slaughtered around him--I traversed
the whole length of the street, went out of the Lahore Gate, round the
outer wall of the City, and returned to the Cashmere Gate.
Close to this gate, and just inside it, is the Protestant Church,
called the Church of St. James. It was built by the late Colonel James
Skinner,[61] in 1837, at an expense of £12,000. It is a miniature
resemblance of St. Paul's Cathedral, and is certainly a very elegant
little place of Divine worship.
I also visited the Observatory, which was built in 1730 by Rajah Jey
Singh, of Ambheer, a favourite minister of Mahomed Shah, and a great
lover of astronomy. The troublous political events of this period,
prevented the completion of this noble work. It is now dilapidated,
and is surrounded by buildings, which have shared a similar fate, some
more, some less in ruin. I saw, however, enough of the general design,
and of the genius of its founder. The sun-dials and quadrants are on an
immense scale, and rest upon huge red sand-stone arches.
The fine tomb of Zufder Jung, which was built in 1754 at a cost of
£30,000, stands in the midst of an extensive garden. The King of
Lucknow caused a suite of apartments in one of the large summer-houses
of this garden, to be fitted up at a considerable cost for the
convenience of travellers. The Mausoleum, is like many of the
Delhi edifices, of white marble and red sand-stone, in alternate
perpendicular stripes. The cornices of the building are ornamented with
small towers and graceful minarets.
April 8th.--Being anxious to obtain a good panoramic view of the
city, I hired a horse and buggy, and went to the celebrated Cootub
Minar, which, as I said before, is situated about seven miles from
the gates of Delhi. This wonderful and gigantic monument stands in
the midst of ancient buildings and temples. Some, dating from the
times of the Hindoo dynasty, and dedicated to the service of Buddha,
indicate the great prosperity of that era, and the perfection which the
arts had attained. The richly sculptured friezes, delineating events
descriptive of their history and religion--combats--processions--and
ceremonies--are alike interesting and instructive.
The Cootub Minar is so called from Cuttub-ud-deen, "The Pole-Star
of religion," the favourite of the emperor Mahomed Gauree. He was
originally a slave, and was purchased by that monarch, in whose favour
he gradually rose from one office to another, till, on the death of
the sovereign, he ascended the throne with the title of Shums-ud-deen
Altumsh. He was the first Pathan, or Affghan sovereign. He erected
this noble minaret to commemorate his successes over the infidels.
It was commenced in 1214 and finished in 1228. It was repaired by
Sultan Feroze the Second in 1368, again by Sultan Secunder Ben Lodi in
1503; and, lastly, by the British Government, after the dome had been
shattered by an earthquake, in 1803. It is not certain whether the
original structure consisted of five stories, as at present, or of only
three; for the style of the two upper, does not by any means correspond
with the lower portions. It is the loftiest column in the world, being
250 feet (some say 265 feet) in height, with a diameter, at the base,
of about 40 feet. A spiral staircase, of 381 steps, leads to the
summit of the Cootub Minar, from which I enjoyed a glorious prospect.
The late Brigadier Smith, of the Engineers, in repairing the Cootub,
restored it, as far as his ingenuity went, to its original appearance.
There are various inscriptions, in Persian, on this building. One of
these says:--"The prophet, on whom be the mercy and peace of God, has
declared, 'he who erects a temple to the true God, on earth, shall
receive six such dwellings in Paradise.'"
Close to the Minar are the remains of an old mosque, to which it is
supposed to have belonged, the decorations of which are admirably
executed. But the most beautiful and interesting object, after the
Minar, is the square domed building on the south-east, erected as
a gateway; the lofty Saracenic arch of which, coupled with the
graceful and beautiful style of ornament, surpasses anything in the
neighbourhood. It was built in 1243, by Sultan Allah-ud-Deen, whose now
ruinous tomb is close at hand.
The poor emperor, who is now a pensioner upon the British Government,
passes some months every year in this vicinity, where he can ruminate
in silence on his fallen greatness.
Having spent a considerable time among these noble erections, which
immortalize their founders and the era that produced them, I returned
to my buggy, and drove a distance of eight miles, to the ancient and
long deserted city of Toglukabad, built by Gheias-ud-Deen Togluk
in 1321; it is remarkable for the rude and massive grandeur of its
fortifications.
In the midst of a small level plain close by, stand the tombs of
Gheias-ud-Deen and his son Mahomed Togluk. Near the river is a decayed
building, two stories high, deeply imbedded in the terraced roof of
which stands the famous pillar, Lath or Monolith, formed of a single
stone, which, according to the inscription upon it, as deciphered by
the late gifted Mr. James Prinsep, was one of eight similar monuments
erected at Allahabad, Hissar, and other places, somewhere about the
year B.C. 250, by a sovereign of all India, named Asoka, and was
removed from its original site, in the vicinity of Sadowra, by Shah
Feroze, to adorn his new residence.
Two miles further is the fort of Deenpunna, built by the emperor
Humayoon, in 1531, which contains a highly-ornamented mosque of a
peculiar style, built at the same time as the fort. A couple of miles
beyond this, is the mausoleum of the emperor Humayoon, son of Baber,
whose tomb is at Cabool. This magnificent pile was erected between
the years 1565 and 1571, at an expense of £150,000, by his son the
famous emperor Akbar. Besides the central dome it contains a number of
small chambers, in which are the tombs of members of the royal family,
amongst which are those of the Bunoo Begum, mother of the emperor
Akbar, and the emperor Alumgeer the Second, who was assassinated in
1756. There is a fine view from the top. Near this Mausoleum is a tomb
with a marble screen, to the memory of the poet and historian Ameer
Khosroo, who died in 1325. A walled tank, some fifty feet in depth,
was dug here by the saint, Nizam-ud-Deen. This is now a place of great
public resort for the beggars and idlers of the neighbourhood, who
exhibit various feats of diving headforemost, for any coin which the
traveller may throw to the bottom for the benefit of the diver.
All these interesting buildings have been so often described, as to
render any further account of them unnecessary; but they will long live
in my recollection as peculiarly striking and splendid. In them we may
read a sad but useful lesson, on the utter nothingness of this world,
and learn that the most magnificent creations of puny mortals, are in a
world's existence to be compared only to a passing shadow.
Their present imperial master is now a mere pensioner upon the bounty
of the British government,[62] and his sway is bounded by the walls
of his own palace. The semblance of royalty is all that remains to
him. I was told by the sentries at the Cashmere Gate, that as a mark
of respect, I must close my umbrella in passing through; no camels or
carts are allowed to enter by that particular gate.
At a short distance from the Cashmere Gate, lie the cantonments. Two
Native Infantry corps, and a Horse Field-battery are now stationed
here. There is also a large magazine for military stores. Close to the
cantonments is a bridge of boats across the Jumna, which is in constant
use.
Some years ago, there was a Madrissa or Mahomedan college in Delhi;
but it is now in disuse, and instead of it there is a college for the
instruction of natives in the English language. Mohun Lall, of Cabool
celebrity, was educated here.
Delhi is a place of great antiquity and importance, having been the
capital of one of the greatest of the Hindoo sovereigns, long before
the invasion of India by the followers of the Prophet. In 1011, as I
before remarked, it was taken by the Mahomedans, and became the seat of
the Affghan monarchs. In 1525, the Mogul dynasty was founded by Baber,
when he slew the last of the Affghan kings in battle; and as the
deliverer of his people ascended the vacant throne. Under the Mahomedan
sway, it became one of the most magnificent cities of Asia; and in
the time of the illustrious Aurungzebe, it contained a population of
upwards of two millions of inhabitants. According to Shakespear's
Statistics for 1848-49, Delhi contained 137,977 inhabitants at that
time. It continued under the Mahomedan power till the establishment of
the English in India. Since it has been under the British government,
it has recovered somewhat of its ancient importance, being one of the
principal channels of the Oriental trade with Britain and the Western
world.
Delhi is famous for its jewels, shawls, scarfs, medallions, and painted
drawings of noted kings, queens, and buildings. I would here venture
to offer a word of caution to the traveller, to beware of being duped,
for, in the purchase of these articles, there is a vast difference
both in the price and value of the materials; and he will often find
that what may be considered very good and cheap here, could have been
procured in London at a more moderate cost, and of better workmanship.
Ever since the disastrous invasion of Nadir Shah, the emperors of
Delhi had been either dethroned or assassinated; in 1761, Shah Allum
II. ascended the throne; he attacked the British possessions, but
was defeated; and having surrendered himself, remained under their
protection till 1771, when he repaired to Delhi under a Maharatta
escort. He ascended the throne, and became a puppet sovereign, the
Maharattas paying him insulting homage. He remained a prisoner in the
hands of the French officers who commanded the Maharatta army till
1804, when Lord Lake defeated the Maharattas, and entered the capital
on the 12th of September.[63]
M. Louis Bourgion, who commanded Sindiah's troops, had crossed the
Jumna on the night of the 10th of September, with sixteen battalions
of regular infantry, 13,000 in number, and 6,000 cavalry, making a
total of 19,000 men, and 70 guns. The British had about 7,000 men,
and 22 field-pieces. Victory, however, soon declared on the side of
the British. General Lake restored Shah Allum to his throne; but his
power was merely nominal. He had been deprived of his eye-sight by
the Rohilla chief, in 1788. It is not usual among the Mahomedans for a
blind sovereign to succeed to the throne; but Shah Allum had previously
been emperor for forty-two years. His death occurred in December 1806.
The present emperor is his grandson.
The late Major-General Sir David Ochterlony was the Resident at
Delhi, at the time when it was found necessary to undertake military
operations for its protection against the Maharatta chief, Holcar. He
had refused to join the confederation of Sindiah, and the Berar Rajah,
and now came forward, single-handed, to fight the English, who had
destroyed the armies of two chiefs more powerful than himself. Colonel
Ochterlony began to put the defences of the city in order, and planted
guns on the ramparts. Holcar, escaping the vigilance of General Lake,
appeared before the city of Delhi about the 2nd of October, 1804.
At this time there was only one corps of Native Infantry, the
rest being irregulars, not above 2,500 men altogether, at Delhi.
Lieut.-Colonel W. Burn, 2nd Battalion 14th Native Infantry,--now 29th
Bengal Native Infantry,--commanded the troops; and, when Holcar's army
appeared, Lieut.-Colonel Ochterlony made over the command of the city
to him. Holcar having erected batteries, the troops made sallies and
destroyed them; upon which he constructed others, but more distant.
At length the enemy, having made some gaps in the walls, determined
to storm the place; for which purpose they brought several ladders.
But the British having thrown them down, they did not attempt another
assault, but kept up an incessant fire from their guns. General Lake,
who had heard of the state of affairs at Delhi, marched towards that
city; whereupon Holcar began to retreat on the night of the 8th of
October.
Mr. E. Thornton, in his History of British India, intimates, that the
Resident did not consider that it was possible to defend the city, but
that Colonel Burn took a different and bolder view of the means of
defence. A certain Lieut.-General, still living, was then a subaltern
in the 14th Native Infantry, and present at the siege; from him, and
others, we know that Sir David Ochterlony did plan the defence, and
that Colonel Burn thanked him for his ability and advice. Mr. Thornton
might have seen Lieut.-Colonel Ochterlony's report to General Lake,
stating what he had done for the defence of the imperial city, as
well as Colonel Burn's letter of thanks and report of the siege. It
is singular, too, that Mr. Thornton was not aware that the _Resident_
was afterwards the celebrated Sir David Ochterlony, G.C.B., the pride
of the Bengal army; distinguished no less for his gallantry, than
for his political conduct; for he was, when he died, in August 1825,
the Governor-General's Agent for the North-west Provinces, an office
which has been changed into the designation of Lieut.-Governor of the
North-western Provinces.[64]
In 1806, Lieutenant-Colonel Ochterlony was removed from the post
of Resident at Delhi to the command of the fortress of Allahabad,
in consequence of an order from the Court of Directors, that no
military officer should be the Resident at any Native Court. He was,
however, granted the allowances of Adjutant-General of the army, as
he had, by being Resident, lost his promotion to the head of that
department. The Marquis Wellesley had appointed chiefly military men
as Residents, which, in a country like India, seems to have been the
best arrangement; for a divided authority in an unsettled country has
generally proved injurious.
I have thought it right to make the above digression, because Mr.
Thornton's omission might lead some to suppose that Colonel Ochterlony
had entertained erroneous military notions, and was deficient as a
military man. The defence of Delhi depended on two circumstances;
firstly, the walls of the city, and secondly, the prevention of an
outbreak among the Mahomedan population; for, the people having been
under British rule only one year, it was to be apprehended that the
disaffected would rise and join Holcar. It was, therefore, Colonel
Ochterlony's military skill, together with his knowledge of the native
character, his temper, and cool judgment that saved the city of Delhi.
FOOTNOTES:
[Footnote 60: Ferishta, Rennel, Francklin, etc.]
[Footnote 61: Son of the late Colonel Hercules Skinner of the Bengal
Infantry. Colonel James Skinner, for many years commanded the 1st Local
Horse, then called Skinner's Horse.]
[Footnote 62: The East India Company allow him an annual pension of
£120,000.]
[Footnote 63: Thorn's History of the Maharatta War, p. 110.]
[Footnote 64: As Lieutenant, he accompanied the Bengal force under the
late Colonel Pearse, which marched to Madras in 1781, and was present
in the battles with Hyder Ali Khan. At the siege of Cuddalore, in 1783,
Sir David was wounded; as was also the late King of Sweden, Bernadotte,
then a sergeant in the French army.]