City Monument – Nicholson Cemetery, Kashmere Gate
The next world. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] It’s a mystery why guidebooks have been indifferent to the (deathly) charms of one of Delhi’s oldest British cemeteries. Guarded by a cross-shaped gateway, Nicholson Cemetery has a sloping, grassy…
City Monument – Subz Burj, Central Delhi
A mysterious blue. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] In the evening, it looks frail. At night, it is barely perceptible. During the day, it is a dust-cloaked apparition. The dome of Subz Burz should have looked subz (green)….
City Monument – Cathedral Church of the Redemption, North Avenue
Memories of Venice. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The former Viceroy’s Church, housed in the President’s Estate in Lutyens’ Delhi, is built of red sandstone and Burmese teak and was opened in 1931. The design, inspired by the…
City Monument – Safdarjung’s Tomb, Aurobindo Marg
A melancholic spectacle. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The mausoleum of Mughal aristocrat Safdarjung (1754), with its stained sandstone walls and inadequate marble, reflects the twilight years of a great empire. The ruin looks very sad and beautiful…
City Monument – Sacred Heart Cathedral, Central Delhi
Hall of grace. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Delhi’s largest Catholic church has twice been graced by the presence of Pope John Paul II. Spread over 14 acres, which includes two schools, the cathedral is the headquarters of…
City Monument – Restored Ruin, Humayun’s Tomb
A silver lining. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The restoration work on the Mughal emperor Humayun’s tomb in Delhi ended in September 2013. “It took us six years and 200,000 man-days of painstaking work by craftsmen,” says Ratish…
City Monument – Chor Minar, Hauz Khas Enclave
The ghastly landmark. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The people of Delhi – at least their rulers — have always been barbarians. The Chor Minar, meaning ‘the tower of the thief’, served to display the severed heads of…
City Monument – Gandhi’s Samadhi, Rajghat
Official India’s holy shrine. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] In our city of tombs, this mausoleum stands without a tomb. This is the site of Mohandas K Gandhi’s cremation. The stone footpath runs along a manicured lawn. The…
City Monument – Akshardham Temple, Noida Modh
Our new monument. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] According to The New York Times, Swaminarayan Akshardham Temple has a “Disney touch”. That’s very insulting but that’s no exaggeration. Akshardham has a musical fountain, a large format movie screen,…
City Monument – Mughal Masjid, Mehrauli
Unembellished beauty. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] Delhi’s most heartbreakingly beautiful mosque, it is inside the Qutub Minar complex. With three onion-shaped domes, the mosque is small, its two minarets look frail, and it faces a little walled…
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