February 7, 2022: Modern India takes immense pride in having taken huge strides forward in the backdrop of the subcontinent’s past. Living in times of nanotechnology, space warfare and cryptocurrencies, we often conclude that the India of today is far better off than what it was centuries back.
Yet, if we look at modern India’s economy, for example, which is a key metric of comparison, the India of the Mughal empire and the India before that era were remarkably wealthier than today’s India.
One such interesting phase was the spell of the Lodi Dynasty that ruled the northern Indian region in the 15th and 16th centuries. The Afghan-origin empire of the Lodis (also called Lodhis) was the last of the five back-to-back Delhi Sultanate empires.
The Lodi empire was eventually replaced by the more popular Mughal empire, which during that time took the subcontinent’s economy to even greater heights.
Let alone learning from that eventful past, modern India consistently shows disdain for that history by choosing to ignore priceless monuments and landmarks left behind by former empires. An example is Lodi Garden in the heart of Delhi, home to several tombs, monuments and a sprawling Lodi-era park.
As it is the case with many Mughal-era structures, the Lodi Garden relics are today lying in near-total dereliction. Awbuck Qandoe of Empire Diaries captured this dereliction on camera on a soft, sunny winter afternoon. Here are some snapshots.
So sad! Excellent pictures. They really bring home how magnificent this building must have been–as well as the ravages time and weather can wreak when no maintenance is done. Who owns it now?
The govt..