About 7mi (11km) north of Qutb Minar is the Tomb of Safdar Jang who in 1748 became Prime Minister of India, during the reign of the Mughal Empire. He was dismissed after only five years and a year later died. His son pleaded with the Mughal Emperor to permit him to construct a tomb in his honour. The monument was the last Mughal garden tomb built.
Across from the eastern corner of Buddha Jayanti Park is a large statue of Gandhi and his followers. The massive black sculpture represents Gandhi’s iconic non-violent march in 1931 against the exorbitant salt tax imposed on India by the British.
Continuing north I made my way through Kamla Nehru Park to visit the Mutiny Memorial that was erected in memory of those who fought during the Indian Rebellion of 1857. The memorial was built swiftly in 1863 in a Gothic style using red sandstone. It received a lot of criticism when it was completed possibly because it didn’t resemble nor complement the Indo-Islamic architecture found throughout Delhi.
A little over 600ft (200m) away is the Ashoka Pillar erected in the 3rd century BC by King Ashoka who converted to Buddhism and used the pillar, amongst many others in India, to inscribe Buddhist edicts and spread the faith throughout the country. The pillar is made out of one large block of sandstone that was cut, dressed, polished into a circular column and inscribed with the edicts. Following an explosion in 1719, the pillar was blown up into five pieces. It remained that way until the mid-19th century when it was repaired and re-erected. It looks like a jigsaw puzzle pieced back together with thick, heavy mortar.
This brings me to the end of my journey. It was a wonderful visual feast of majestic palaces, massive forts, beautiful decorations, geometric patterns, endless love and a fascinating insight into the Mughal empire.
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It's so good to see you here . . .