𝗭𝗮𝗳𝗮𝗿 𝗠𝗮𝗵𝗮𝗹: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗠𝘂𝗴𝗵𝗮𝗹 𝗣𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲𝘀
Its present condition is a cry for help
The name 𝗭𝗮𝗳𝗮𝗿, meaning '𝘃𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆' in Arabic, seems ironic today, as the Zafar Mahal in Delhi's bustling Mehrauli bears no resemblance to triumph. The monument has been so thoroughly forgotten that it has largely faded from public memory.
Zafar Mahal, named after the last Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah II and built by his predecessor Akbar II, is the final significant architectural endeavor of the Mughal dynasty in India. This three-story palace was once a splendid and intricately adorned monument for the royal family but today a long web of cable wires and piles of garbage welcome occasional visitors to the site.
Today, visitors enter through a modest opening in the once-grand Hathi Gate, erected by Bahadur Shah Zafar. The ruins of the structure—collapsed roofs, crumbling walls, and fractured arches—are all that remain of what was once a mesmerizing summer retreat for the later Mughal rulers. The perennial silence inside the palace is only disrupted by a colony of bats that call it home. Its upper balcony that once offered them a majestic view of the surroundings, today recounts stories of its grandeur from the bygone era.
Bahadur Shah Zafar II’s empty burial spot, now known as “𝘀𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗴𝗮𝗮𝗵,” narrates the sorrowful tale of a ruler kicked out of his own kingdom. The empty patch of grass marks the spot reserved for the ruler’s grave. In 1862, he passed away in Rangoon, present-day Yangon, far from his homeland, and was laid to rest in a simple brick-lined tomb.
Last year, reports of vandalism reached the ASI when some unidentified "anti-social elements" kicked in a delicate marble lattice screen enclosing the graves, near the left of the entryway to the mosque.
Adjacent to the once-grand palace complex stands the Moti Masjid, a quiet, poignant relic of a bygone era. Carved entirely from white marble, its magnificent onion domes greet visitors exploring the courtyard of the Zafar Mahal. The white marble evokes a sense of peace, giving a glimpse of the respite devotees must have felt while offering prayers. Today, the prayer hall is overshadowed by silence and is hardly visited by anyone.
Zafar Mahal, the last architectural endeavor of a fading empire, stands as a somber reminder of a once-glorious past. Its current state reflects not just the passage of time but also our collective failure to cherish and protect our heritage. Every fractured arch and empty burial spot speaks of stories untold, urging us to act before this monumental piece of history fades completely into oblivion. Let Zafar Mahal inspire us—not just to remember the past but to preserve it for the future.
#ZafarMahal #MughalHeritage #DelhiHistory #ForgottenMonuments #ArchitecturalLegacy #PreserveHeritage #Heritageverse
