Rana Safvi رعنا राना Profile picture
May 24, 2022 7 tweets 3 min read Read on X
Sam Dalrymple @SamDalrymple123 and I decided to explore and collaborate on documenting the mandirs made in the Mughal Era in Delhi itself.
The series written by Sam :
In the last few days we've been hearing a lot about the temples that were destroyed under Mughal rule
1/ Image
Its right to highlight this, but what's missing from this picture is the many temples BUILT by the Mughals. People are often suprised to learn that over 100 #MughalMandirs survive in Old Delhi. Over the next few days we will be sharing a handful of these with you.

2/ Image
Mughal Mandir #1

This is the Ghanteshwar Mahadev Shivalaya, built under the rule of the last Mughal Emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar. It can be found in 'Katra Neel', which was the epicentre of Shajahanabad's shaivite community.
3/ Image
The image of Shiva on the front is based on Raja Ravi Varma's famous painting from a few decades later, implying that these are not the original paintings
4/ Image
Ghanteshwar temple was built over a much older shivling - possibly the oldest in Delhi. Scholars like Mahamahopadyaya Banke Rai and Zafar Hasan have argued that the lingam might be the same 'Visveswara lingam of Vidyapura' mentioned in the Saubhare Samhita and the Padma Purana
5/ Image
Certainly the Shaivite locality of Katra Neel was known as Vidyapura before the building of Shajahanabad

6/ ImageImageImage
For more information read "Shahjahanabad: The Living City of Old Delhi" by Rana Safvi
& Catherine B Asher's "Mapping Hindu-Muslim Identities through the Architecture of Shahjahanabad and Jaipur"
n/

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
 

Keep Current with Rana Safvi رعنا राना

Rana Safvi رعنا राना Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @iamrana

Jun 8, 2023
Sher dor Madrasa, Samarqand~
Students going to universities or colleges today might wonder at the presence of two tigers chasing deers on the entrance of an educational institution.
But when Yalangtush Bakhodur, the military governor of the city, built this madrasa in Samarqand's… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… Image
If Ulugh Beg's madrasa had emphasised star's & geometric designs showcasing his interest in astronomy, Yalangtush Bakhodur re-emphasised seeking knowledge.

Not just seeking knowledge but seeking it as aggressively as a tiger hunts its prey.
This gives the madrasa its name Sher… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… Image
This madrasa was built after demolishing Ulugh Beg's khanqah on that spot.
The design is very similar to Ulugh Beg's madrasa with double storeyed interior for classes and hostel rooms for the students.
I can only dream & imagine what it must be like to study in such a beautiful… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… ImageImageImage
Read 4 tweets
Jun 6, 2023
Shah Jahan gave orders for building a fort in Delhi in 1639AD and entered the “Qila e Mubarak”, as it was named on June 15, 1648. While the fort was being erected, he also had the city “Shahjahanabad” built around it. He encouraged his wives, sons, daughters and nobles to build… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… Image
Once Shah Jahan began living in the Qila and the settlers in Shahjahanabad grew in number, he felt the need for a congregational mosque bigger than existing ones.
The location chosen thus was a hillock called Pahari Bhojala, at a distance of 1,000 yards (0.91km) from the Qila.… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… Image
On October 6, 1650, the foundation stone was laid for a Jama Masjid by the emperor himself and it was built under the supervision of Sa’dullah Khan, the prime minister, and Fazil Khan, the khansaman or the head of the imperial household establishments.
It was built in six years… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… ImageImage
Read 4 tweets
Jun 5, 2023
Who hasn't heard of Hyderabad's Char Minar? It was built in the 16th century and defines the city.
But recently I saw another Char Minar ( pronounced Chor Minar in the local language) in Bukhara, Uzbekistan.
This is not to be confused with Delhi's Chor Minar where chor meant… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… Image
Is there a connection?
Quite possible because the builder of this char minar was a rich merchant living & trading in Bukhara, who it is possible saw it in India on one of his business trips and got inspired.
“Chor-Minor“ (“Four minarets“) was built in
1807 by a rich Turkmen… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… ImageImage
There is a small yard surrounded by hujras ( Cells) around the madrasa and a small mosque in form of a columnaded ai an.
madrasah includes a small yard surrounding the main building.
One of the towers contains a staircase leading to the second floor of the domed hall. It housed… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… ImageImage
Read 4 tweets
Apr 23, 2023
#worldbookday

Clay tablets used in Mesopotamia in 3BC. The calamus, triangle shaped instrument was used to make characters in moist clay.
Pic -Clay tablets with cuneiform script
1/ ImageImage
At Nineveh, 22,000 tablets found, dating from the 7c BC- the archive &library of the kings of Assyria
In Ancient Egypt, papyrus was used for writing & first evidence from about 2400 BC
A calamus, the stem of a reed sharpened to a point, or bird feathers were used for writing
2/ ImageImageImage
Papermaking started in China about AD 105, using mulberry and other bast fibres along with fishnets, old rags, and hemp waste
paper used for wrapping & padding was used in China since 2BC paper used as a writing medium only became widespread by the 3C
3/ Image
Read 12 tweets
May 26, 2022
Takht e Marmar ( the marble throne) room was built on orders of Fath Ali Shah Qajar (1797-1834) Golestan palace, Teheran, Iran
It's breath taking -adorned with painting, calligraphy, stucco, carving, enamel,mirror & tile work, glass windows
1/ Image
Actual Takht itself in the middle of the room comprises of 65 yellow Yazd sculpted & carved marble pieces, designed by Mirza Baba Nagash Bashi ( head painter of Qajar Art).
Mohammed Ebrahim the head stone Mason along with several experts supervised it's construction.
2/ Image
Coronation of Qajar kings were held here on this terrace.
The last coronation held here was of the self proclaimed king Reza Khan Pehalvi in 1925.
3/ Image
Read 4 tweets
May 25, 2022
#2 in our series on temples of Delhi built in Mughal Era
This is the Shivalaya of Dhummi Lal Khanna, built in the reign of the Mughal Emperor Akbar II in Katra Neel in Old Delhi / Shahjahanabad
Text and idea @SamDalrymple123
#MughalMandirs have been studied significantly less than any other type of mandir in the subcontinent - suprising given that the dynasty's other monuments have been studied more than any other aspect of Indian Art history, giving impression that Mughal Mandirs just didn't exist
2
around 100 Mughal era mandirs survive today in Old Delhi.Reason for their neglect is that they're often hard to find,hidden behind high walls. None of the traditional mandirs there are surmounted by a high shikhara, instead possessing the lotus domes found elsewhere in Mughal art
Read 11 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!


This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Don't want to be a Premium member but still want to support us?

Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal

Or Donate anonymously using crypto!

Ethereum

0xfe58350B80634f60Fa6Dc149a72b4DFbc17D341E copy

Bitcoin

3ATGMxNzCUFzxpMCHL5sWSt4DVtS8UqXpi copy

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us!

:(