| Hathi Gate and Zafar Mahal |
|
| Just few meters away from the western entrance
of the Dargah of Qutbuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki lie the remains of
Zafar Mahal with an imposing gateway popularly known as Hathi
Gate. The Mughal Emperor Akbar II, built this grand Zafar Mahal
as his summer palace. It was later reconstructed by his son
and the last Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar. |
|
| Bahadur Shah used this palace as a hunting lodge
and also during the festival of Phulwalon ki Sair when the florists
of the capital honored him every year. It was he who added the
magnificent red sandstone Hathi gate with the curved Bengal
roof. The three-storeyed imposing gate has intricately carved
windows with arcades inside it, which are flanked by rooms.
The interior of the gateway has been built on the lines of Chhatta
Chowk of Red Fort. At present, the Hathi Gate is in a good condition
but the Zafar Mahal has been converted into shops and houses
and it is difficult to imagine that it once was summer palace
of the Mughal emperors. |
| |
| |
|
|
