Lodhi-era turret in Delhi gets facelift ahead of G20 summit

A Lodhi-era turret is the latest historical structure in the city to get a facelift ahead of the G20 Summit scheduled to be held in the Capital on September 9 and 10.

Read here: Peeling walls, broken bricks: Delhi’s Lodhi structure awaits repair

Located close to gate no.3 of Lodhi Gardens — at the southeast corner of the Bada Gumbad — the turret is among the three small monuments that fall under the jurisdiction of the department of archaeology. The structure last saw repair in 2010, in the run-up to the Commonwealth Games. The restoration was part of the work undertaken by the Delhi government over the past few months to conserve heritage sites across the city, including those at the Mehrauli Archaeological Park and Gol Gumbad on Lodhi Road.

The work at the turret was completed after a month-long exercise.

“Over the years, gaps and cracks had developed at the structure. We filled the gap with lime mortar and then plastered it to strengthen it. The roof of the turret had sustained damage due to a heavy branch. The edges of the roof were also broken. We restored the dome and layered it with lime,” said, the contractor working on the project said, asking not to be named. A turret is a small watch tower.

The particular turret is circular in plan and made of random rubble masonry. As per Maulvi Zafar Hasan, an archaeologist with the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), who prepared the first list of monuments in 1916, the turret was probably part of an enclosure whose walls had disappeared.

Not much is known about the turret, except that it was presumably built between 1451 to 1526.

A prominent feature of the turret is the jharokha (balcony) supported by brackets. It has a fluted dome. As per an inscription, the turret’s height is roughly 8.5 metres while its circular base has an external diameter of 4 metres and 50cm thick walls.

In addition to the dome and the outer facade, the conservation team also spruced up the circular plan on which the turret stands. The lower level of the turret can be accessed through the small room that remains locked. The upper level of the turret includes two other thin openings in addition to the jharoka.

While the conservation of the turret has been completed, conservation and repair are underway at the Mughal-era mosque and enclosure located within the Rose Garden area of Lodhi Gardens.

Lodhi Gardens, sandwiched between Khan Market and Lodhi Road, is home to at least eight monuments dating to Lodhi, Mughal, and Sayyed dynasties. The complex includes Sheesh Gumbad, Bada Gumbad complex, the Tomb of Mohammad Shah, the Tomb of Sikander Lodi, Athpula, a Mughal-era gateway and enclosure, another mosque, and a turret.

HT reported on July 25 that Gol Gumbad, a Lodhi-era monument on the namesake road, will get a facelift as plans are afoot to transform it into a cultural centre ahead of the G20 Summit. After the renovation work, there are plans to carve out a small space in the monument for hosting cultural performances. The monument, too, last saw repairs in 2010 ahead of the Commonwealth Games.

Read here: Lodhi’s smaller monuments set for G20 facelift

Officials associated with the conservation project had earlier said that the idea behind the exercise was to create awareness about heritage and put heritage structures on the tourist map. “We have three monuments (turret, mosque, enclosure) under our jurisdiction that we aim to put on the tourist map. The monuments will be conserved and restored so that visitors can appreciate the heritage and architecture,” said Sanjay Garg, deputy director, department of archaeology.