Since last few years I had been desperately want to visit the Lodhi Gardens. Whenever I visited delhi I always tried to go there but could not somehow take out time to visit this park. However during the last visit to delhi I decided that I should go there anyhow and l made up mind and turned everything in my routine to make up some time to visit this beautiful park.
This is not the first time l went to this park. I had earlier during my childhood days visited this park. I along with my grandparents had come here for some kind of short picnic. I still have fond memories of that time when I were so amazed by the beauty of the park and I was especially bowled over by the historical heritage of this park because I always interested in the medieval Indian history. This time again it was that charm of those historical monuments that weighed heavily on my mind and I just couldn't stop myself from visiting this park again.
I decided to visit this park in the morning to avoid extreme heat of the afternoon. I parked my car on ashoka gate and enter the park from the that gate which was near the Lodhigarden restaurant.
The moment you enter the park you see a long narrow concrete path flanked by trees on both side and leading to the main park. On the right hand side of this path you can see a small play area for the kids. As you proceed a little straight towards the park you catch the first glimpse of the Lodhi history in the form of a big monument known as the Bada Gumbad.
Bara Gumbad has a mosque on one side and a Mehman Khana or guesthouse on the other. As you enter Bara Gumbad, you suddenly are hit by the sheer height of the dome. In the platform between the dome, mosque and guesthouse are some graves that probably belong to a later period. The Bara Gumbad mosque was the most pleasant discovery of this walk.
From the circular intersection, i turned to the left towards the tomb of the the Muhammad Shah who was the third ruler of the Sayyid dynasty. His tomb was built by the last Sayyid ruler Alauddin Alam Shah and this tomb is the oldest monument in the park.The ceiling again has some elaborate circular painting in blue and red enclosed in a star-like formation. It makes a very photogenic tomb, as it is on a higher mound and is absolutely symmetrical. On way to the tomb one gets to see a herbal garden, lots of beautiful flowers and lovely ornamental trees and shrubs that make you stop and admire the beauty.
The octogonal tomb of Muhammad Shah has some chhatris around its main dome and is built on an elevated paltform. This tomb is built near the boundary of the park near Ashoka gate so it is easily visible from the road. Beautiful landscaping has been done around this tomb which definitely makes you spend more time here.
After sitting in the green space around this tomb and admiring the architecture, l moved towards the center of the park to see other monuments.The green garden infront it seemed to be a hot favourite among the people coming to Lodi gardens. Some people just relaxed sitting under the shade of the trees, some enjoyed playing cricket with their kids, while some other people were enjoying the picnic here.
It would almost feel as if you have come to meet all those who lay buried here. The dead do speak to you, not literally, but through the pieces, they left for the future generations.
The Bada Gumbad mosque has some beautiful carvings and Quranic inscriptions that are definitely a treat to eyes. It also has some jharokas and turrets.
The jharokas are the ideal place for couples shooting for their pre-wedding portfolio. So you will find quite a few number of young posing in these jharokas. And what a view these jharokas offer. Mindblowing must say.
Then I went to glass dome Just opposite to the the Bada Gumbad. 'Glass Dome', called so because of the Blue glazed tiles work on it. This is also square on plan and contains some unknown graves of the period of Sikander Lodhi. The blue tiles make this monument stand out though only a few tiles remains on on the top facade of the tomb now.
Finally you come to the large lake to meet a small army of very friendly ducks, and around it many birds like parrots, pigeons etc. drinking water along with squirrels! The poster showing how many kinds of birds live here, also said that owls are visible often, but I was not lucky enough to see one!
After spending some time here I decided to go back to the Ashoka gate of the park where my car was parked. On way back I decided to take different route. There I Saw a very large rose garden where the roses had dried up, this being April. But the Gardens have a large thatch of nasturtiums growing richly all over it. The nasturtium is a very valuable plant to have, as it deters pests from attacking any plants around them. The garden was enclosed by four walls with a gateway to the rose garden. Just next to the gateway there is a mosque also. The mosque and the gateway were built during the Mughal period. There also we saw a beautiful couple shooting for their pre-wedding photo album. The view of the the girl twirling around in a lehenga dress against the backdrop of the monument was breathtaking.
Must say this park is seriously one of the best places to see in Delhi and must not be missed because of the ambience of the park both historically and naturally. I mesmerised by the beauty of the place. Such was the magic of the place. This short trip to lodhi garden have me memories which will forever remain etched in my heart, mind and soul.