Zafar is Arabic for 'victory' but there is nothing victorious left in the Zafar Mahal, at Delhi's congested Mehrauli area. The forsaken 18th century palace where the last Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar II wished to be royally buried is now being swallowed up by illegal constructions, some of them as tall as five to six storeys.
The palace was originally built by Akbar II and was later chosen by Bahadur Shah Zafar II as his 'summer palace'. The imposing three-storey main gate of the monument made of red sandstone, with marbled relief, was built by Bahadur Shah to allow elephants to enter the palace. Known as 'Hathi Gate', the structure with its projected windows with curved Bengali domes, leads to arcades on the South and East of the palace.
The 'Naubat Khana' (drum house) with its beautifully carved pillars is where the children play cricket every evening. But Bahadur Singh, who guards the monument, claims that the Moti Masjid or the royal mosque built within the palace is clear of thoroughfare.
The marble 'Sardgah' where Bahadur Shah desired to be buried and the tombs of Akbar Shah II and Mirza Jahangir have also been vandalised.
“Even the masjid was encroached by people for their daily prayers. Around two months back, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) locked the other entry gate to protect the place as it is completely made of marble and the slabs were beginning to come off,” says Singh who claims he was once beaten up by a few rowdy elements for asking them not to play inside.
Crumbling glory
The monument which was declared to be of national importance back in 1920, is literally crumbling. The royal rooms on the upper floors no longer exist and even as some stairs, roofs and gates have disappeared.
But what adds to the misery of the palace is the rampant illegal construction that is eating it away. A newly built five-storey building, that is yet to be painted, glorious stands right on the boundary wall of the crumbling palace. Construction of the foundation of another such high rise is underway, again on the same wall as the monument.
If not for the locals, for tourists, archaeologists and history buffs the sight is a pain — brick walls being built on top of the Mughal era stone walls. Even the front on the monument is blocked by cars of residents whose houses are just about two metres away from the Hathi Gate.
The ASI claims it has followed the entire SOP (standard operating procedure) and taken measures accordingly. “In the case of Zafar Mahal, we have sent the builders show-cause notices twice. But, they haven't responded. Police complaints have been registered three times, but to no avail. When our field officer follows up with the area's SHO, they say ‘ kaam ho gaya hain ’ (the job is done). However, the activities have not stopped. One must understand that the wings of ASI are clipped. We do not have policing power,” said Daljit Singh, Superintending Archaeologist, ASI-Delhi Circle.
When asked about the ability to pass demolition orders to the builders, Mr Singh said the order has to come from the District Magistrate or the SDM. It is pertinent to note here that for the DM or the SDM to issue such an order, the Director General of ASI should also write to him/her informing about such illegal activities around monuments. But, this has not been done so far in this case.
A copy of the ASI's show-cause notices and the police complaints also go to the Lieutenant Governor's office, the Deputy Commissioner and the Delhi government's urban development department, none of whom have acted on the matter as yet.
When the issue was raised by The Hindu with the Delhi tourism and culture minister, Kapil Mishra, he said, “I am unaware of this, but I will definitely do a field visit and take whatever action I can within my capacity.”
Meanwhile, Zafar Mahal, perhaps the last structure made by a Mughal Emperor, is losing the battle with time.
