In an important contribution to a facet of Delhi’s rich history, DAG is hosting an exhibition drawn from its archives of the city’s resplendent durbars. Curated by noted historians Rana Safvi and Swapna Liddle, DAG also launched a book, Delhi Durbar: Empire, Display and the Possession of History, co-authored by the duo.
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“The British Delhi Durbars have been the subject of much recent scholarly study and re-evaluation,” writes Ashish Anand, the CEO and managing director of DAG. “The objects in this exhibition bring them materially present, through works by some of the leading artists and photographers of the period.” The essays give readers an insight into the city that was. We also get rare visuals of Delhi, its monuments, and its three durbars — all of which were landmarks in British-ruled India.
Safvi speaks to Magazine about the project. Excerpts:
Companion of the Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Question: Can you shed some light on the DAG project?
Answer: This exhibition was conceived by Giles Tillotson, senior vice president - exhibitions at DAG. It is the first exhibition that has been drawn from the DAG archives.
Q: With all the attention on the Central Vista project and the new Parliament, how important is it to revisit Delhi’s history?
A: Every ruler negotiates his/ her idea of kingship. If we read the history of Delhi, kings starting with the Tomara dynasty built cities and citadels to perpetuate their memory. While the Mughal city of Shahjahanabad played a pivotal role in the three Delhi durbars, the last one saw King George announce the shifting of the British capital from Calcutta to Delhi. He also laid the foundation for a new city. This is known today as Lutyens’ Delhi.
Q: The book talks of three durbars. How different were each?
A: While all three durbars were unique, there was a thread of continuity. They were all held in the Coronation Park in Delhi and close to the Ridge where the British had fought the Indian forces in the Uprising of 1857. [They] appropriated some Mughal symbols in a bid for continuity and so that Indians could relate to them.
The first durbar, held just 20 years after the Uprising, was called the Imperial Assemblage and was meant to announce the assumption of the title of Kaiser-e-Hind by Queen Victoria with pomp and splendour. It was also meant to legitimise and popularise British rule, using many of the idioms of the Mughal empire, including the word ‘durbar’, which Indians were familiar with.
The second, held in 1903, was to celebrate the coronation of King Edward VII. This durbar envisaged by the viceroy Lord Curzon was a grandiose event with the viceroy and 48 Indian princes riding on elephants through the city in a ceremonial procession. An art exhibition was conceived by Lord Curzon, in his own words, to ‘show that India can still imagine and create, and do’.
The third durbar of 1911 was the first in which the British monarch himself was present with his consort Queen Mary. It announced the reversal of the highly unpopular partition of Bengal and was also used to announce the shifting of the imperial capital in India from Calcutta to Delhi.
Historian Rana Safvi | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Q: The historic Jama Masjid was under British occupation for almost five years after the Uprising of 1857. Why and how did it become a vantage point for the durbar in 1903?
A: After the fall of Delhi, Jama Masjid was confiscated by the British; it was used as a mess and horses were tied along its corridors. In 1862, it was returned to Muslims for worship. The Jama Masjid has always been a symbol of Mughal magnificence and of Muslim togetherness.
Q: Can you elaborate on the demolition of Masjid Akbarabadi during the Uprising? It doesn’t always find a place in our textbooks...
A: When the city of Shahjahanabad was being built, members of royalty as well as nobility were encouraged to build and add to it. Three mosques were built by three wives of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. Fatehpuri Begum built the Fatehpuri mosque, Sirhindi Begum the Sirhindi mosque and Akbarabadi Begum the Akbarabadi mosque.
After the fall of Delhi, when the British army was victorious, the city and its people were punished for their ‘rebellion’. While many notables of Shahjahanabad were killed or driven out of the city, the monuments and buildings were taken over. Fatehpuri mosque’s compound and galleries were auctioned and bought by Lala Chunnamal Ki Haveli and Akbarabadi Masjid was demolished. There is a beautiful description of Akbarabadi mosque in Syed Ahmed Khan’s Asar-us-Sanadid.
Delhi Durbar: Empire, Display and the Possession of History | Photo Credit: Special Arrangment
Q: Does the Coronation Durbar of 1911 mean the British had accepted the primary place of Delhi in India’s history?
A: Delhi’s importance can be seen from the fact that all three durbars were held here. Delhi was associated with Indraprastha, the legendary capital of the Pandavas, and was the city from where the Tomaras, Delhi Sultans and the Mughals ruled. Delhi’s grand history and traditions were used in the durbars. In the 1911 durbar, King-Emperor George V and Queen Mary even gave a jharokha darshan from the Red Fort’s Musamman Burj to Indians in the Mughal tradition.
ziya.salam@thehindu.co.in
