Delhi 360°: Mazhar Ali Khan’s View from the Lahore Gate

Images of a city now lost in time

Book title: Delhi 360°: Mazhar Ali Khan’s View from the Lahore Gate

Author: J.P. Losty

Publisher: Roli

Pages: 92

Price: Rs 1,295

By the mid-nineteenth century, Mughal power was on the wane in India. The ageing monarch himself was dependent on the paltry pension doled out by the British, who had established themselves as India’s new political masters. In 1846, Mazhar Ali Khan, one of the finest topographical artists of the time, was commissioned by the British Resident to paint the still-grand monuments and edifices that made up the Mughal city. The result was an enchanting and comprehensive five-metre-long panorama — part of the collection of the British Library — that captures the cityscape in extraordinary detail.

The book brings together, for the first time, this body of work in its entirety, along with inscriptions in Persian and Urdu. The accompanying essays, rich in information and written in a lucid style, help place Khan’s seminal work in its specific historical and artistic context. Conceived and elegantly produced by Pramod Kapoor, the text in the book has been provided by J.P. Losty, formerly in charge of the Indian visual collections of the British Library. Ratish Nanda, a discerning conservationist, has also provided critical inputs on the present state of the Old City and of the Red Fort.

As one of the essays points out, the importance of Khan’s panorama — which comprises five sheets of paper depicting palace buildings, mosques and other locations, including the Jama Masjid and Chandni Chowk in watercolour — is as a record of the original breathtaking appearance of the city and of the changes that were wrought on it later, first by the uprising in 1857 and then by the planners of independent India. It also contains glimpses of the aesthetics that Khan followed in his art. Tight control over space and an emphasis on detail were the hallmarks of this grand production.

Left depicts the Diwan-i Khas from the west and the interior. Top provides a stunning view of the Jama Masjid from the Dariba Bazaar. Bottom left offers a delightful view of Salimgarh and the Red Fort from upstream, while bottom right shows Ludlow Castle — seat of the British Residency in Delhi — along with Metcalfe’s sowarry.

Khan’s panorama would interest historians, conservationists as well as lay readers. Sadly, it would also remind them of India’s inability to protect the capital’s rich architectural legacy.

UDDALAK MUKHERJEE

Published on January 20, 2012

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