DELHI GATE LAHORE TODAY: DELHI GATE LAHORE TODAY

By Nadeem Dar

From the Lahore Railway Station, going towards Do Moria Pul (a bridge with two openings) it takes hardly three minutes to reach the gigantic Delhi Darwaza (gate). It is a huge structure welcoming you to old Lahore, a dream city. This gate is one of the thirteen gates of Lahore. The gate, still intact and standing majestically, was built by the third Mughal Emperor Akbar in 1600s. These thirteen gates provided access to the city of Lahore which was once enclosed within a thirty feet high fortified wall, built by the same Mughal emperor.

The Delhi Gate, situated on the east of Walled City was named so because it faces towards Delhi, which was the capital of the Mughal Dynasty. During the Mughal era, and even some time later, this gate remained the main entrance to the city of Lahore.

During the British era, all the gates of the Walled City of Lahore were demolished and the area was turned into the circular road and circular garden which still exist today. The gates were reconstructed in early 1900’s by the British. This is one of the reasons why the existing few gates including Delhi Gate, have reflections of British Architecture.

The only Mughal Gate is the Roshnai Gate which is next to Maharaja Ranjeet Singh’s Samadhi. According to historic accounts and archival references, all the gates around the city of Lahore were built on the pattern of Roshnai gate, and while rebuilding the gates, the structures were reduced and modified.

The Delhi Gate has witnessed seasons of tranquility and turbulence. Once it enjoyed the status of the welcoming gate to the Royal City, and later in Sikh era and during British rule it served as the court of magistrate, jails and police station. The gigantic wooden doors, still intact in Lohari Gate, were also a part of the building, but according to researchers, the doors were either burnt or damaged during riots and War of Independence. During the Mughal era, the doors in these gates were closed after sunset when the city would go to sleep, thus allowing no access into the city. After 1947, the building of the gate was used as girls’ school which is still functional. The locals of the area also use the upper storey of the gate for marriages and religious ceremonies.

The roof of the ground floor interior of the Delhi Gate is dome shaped with six rooms. These rooms were used by the chobdars in Mughal era, magistrate and police in later eras. For some time after 1947, the rooms served as dispensary and health centers for the local community. Presently the rooms are being used by the Walled City of Lahore Authority as tourist information center. Any walking in tourist can easily get hold of a tourist guide, the facility is now there. One can still see the pigeons resting on the bordered windows inside the gate, a charismatic feature of Walled City’s buildings. Going to the upper storey one can see the recently conserved Royal Bath “Shahi Hammam” on the right side. It is said by the locals that when the gate was rebuilt, some of the portion of Shahi Hammam was demolished and included in the gate’s building. The existing Hammam is half of its original structure.

The upper storey of the gate, presently a school, has almost nine rooms, a courtyard and a huge hall. The same hall was used by the magistrate during British era, as the concrete raised platform is still intact, but now used by the teachers. The other rooms are serving as class rooms and science laboratories. The stairs, built on ninety degree angle, leading to the roof top are one of the most interesting features. The reason of such construction as told by a tourist guide was to reduce the climbing speed of the attacking forces, and yes one is breathless while climbing up these stairs no matter how healthy you are! The roof is plain and even, which gives a marvelous view of the old city and the Royal Trail’s vibrant bazaar. An old watchman of the school sighed that once the minarets of Wazir Khan Mosque were seen from the roof top of the Delhi Gate, but after the addition of several high rise buildings these are not visible now. The same watchman said that a couple of years back, the entrance of the gate was encroached upon by several temporary vendors, shops and shoe sellers. These shops and structures had over shadowed and damaged the gate’s building. Those encroachments were removed as a part of the restoration project of the gate which was completed in 2011 under a World Bank’s funded project.

Delhi gate has another unique feature “The Royal Trail” which makes it distinctive from the other gates of the Walled City. The Royal Trail was used by the Mughal Emperors while travelling from Lahori Gate of Red Fort in Delhi to the Lahore Fort. The Royal Trail leads you straight to the Akbari Gate of the Lahore Fort which is named after the Mughal Emperor Akbar. The stately monuments of the Walled City like Shahi Hammam, Chitta Gate, Dina Nath Well, Wazir Khan Mosque, Sonehri Mosque, Pani Wala Talaab and Mariam Zamani Mosque all are seen across the trail.

At the main entrance of the gate, on its left, there is famous food grain market “Akbari Mandi” named, again, after Mughal emperor Akbar. According to an Italian tourist who visited this market in the Mughal era, camels and elephants were commonly used to transport goods and food grains, which are now replace by other animals and man held carts. The same gate leads to the lively and rich Waan Market, Kasera Bazaar and Kashmiri Bazaar which are known for their antiquity and specialties. One can find antique crockery, traditional furniture and clothes in these bazaars.

Out of the thirteen gates, Delhi Gate, Kashmiri Gate, Sheranwala Gate, Roshnai Gate, Bhatti Gate and Lohari Gate are still seen standing magnificently around the Walled City of Lahore, but without the huge walls which joined them, whereas, Masti Gate, Taxali Gate, Mori Gate, Shah Almi Gate, Mochi Gate, Akbari Gate and Yakki Gate do not exist now. Some of these gates were burnt during the War of Independence and the others collapsed.