The Yamuna river waters inundating Delhi have not even spared its iconic heritage sites: Red Fort, Qudsia Mosque, Shah Alam’s tomb and the Wazirabad bridge are flooded to varying degrees.
These monuments are among the 173 heritage sites in the city protected by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). The extent of damage caused to these structures, if any, can be gauged only after the floodwaters recede and proper de-silting is done, sources in the ASI told The Hindu.
Purana Qila spared
Purana Qila, another iconic site where pre-Maurya-era remnants were recently found, has escaped unscathed as of now, with the excavation points safely covered in tin sheds and no water entering the premises, the sources added.
Red Fort has been flooded the most, with parts of the 17th-century Mughal-era monument under as much as 12 feet of water. This includes the area around the ‘Musamman Burj’, the balcony from where Mughal rulers would appear for daily audience with their subjects.
It was from this balcony that King George V and Queen Mary also appeared before the public in 1911 during the Delhi Durbar.
The Wazirabad bridge, a Tughlaq-era marvel that has survived for over 700 years in Delhi’s northern corner, and Shah Alam’s tomb are partially underwater. Both were built by Feroz Shah Tughlaq during his reign (1351-88) at Wazirabad.
Qudsia Mosque, adjacent to the Qudsia Garden in Kashmere Gate, is partially submerged as well. The complex was constructed in 1748 for Qudsia Begum, the mother of Mughal emperor Ahmad Shah Bahadur.
Large parts of the complex were destroyed during the First War of Independence in 1857.
Though access roads from central Delhi are as of now blocked, local teams have visited the site, ASI sources said.
Officials take stock
Minister of State for Culture Meenakshi Lekhi, ASI Director General Janhwij Sharma, Additional Director General (Archaeology) Alok Tripathi and ADG (Administration) Purni Singh Chawla visited Red Fort on Friday morning to take stock of the situation.
A monument is deemed to be protected by the ASI when it is declared to be of national importance under the Ancient and Historical Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains (Declaration of National Importance) Act, 1951, or by section 126 of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956.
Following this, the administration of the monuments is governed by the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act.
According to the Act, an area up to 100 metres in the vicinity of the monument is considered ‘prohibited’ and a further area up to 200 metres falls under the ‘regulated’ category. Any repair or modification of buildings in this area requires prior permission.
