ASI to carry out restoration of Shish Gumbad next month

ASI had already started cleaning the area around the Shish Gumbad, uprooting grass and plants from the base of the structure.

Shish Gumbad, one of the eighthistoric structures which stands against the serene landscape of the popular Lodhi Garden complex, is set to undergo restoration from next month, to be carried out by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

Walls of Shish Gumbad have started to peel off. (Arvind Yadav/HT Photo)

The Lodi-era tomb houses eight unknown graves. It has been lying in a dilapidated state with layers of wall peeling off and the graves cracking at several spots. The menace that scribbling has also taken over the structure, officials said.

During HT’s visit earlier this week (July 23), ASI had already started cleaning the area around the Shish Gumbad, uprooting grass and plants from the base of the structure.

The core restoration work will see the agency plastering the graves and laying concrete on the floor, said officials. This work, according to an ASI official familiar with the matter, is expected to span from first half of August to October.

“We have sourced most of the materials required. Work is expected to start sometime in the first half of August. The graves will be plastered to prevent them from disintegrating and the floor of the structure will be made concrete,” the official associated with the restoration work said.

The inside walls will also be plastered, followed by a layer of lime.

“From the outside, one can see that at the entrance of the structure, a slab of red sandstone had been used to beautify the door but parts of it have broken. We will replace the broken parts with red sandstone. The structure consists of mostly ashlar stone and at places required, we will do pointing work as well,” the official added. “A layer of lime concrete will also be laid around the base of the structure, to give it preliminary protection. It will be one to one and a half metres thick.”

The Shish Gumbad stands 50 metres north of the Bara-Gumbad masjid. According to historians as well as ASI’s book, ‘Delhi and its Neighbourhood’, “it is not known who lies buried in this tomb, although there exist several graves inside it.”

The western wall of the monument contains a mihrab (a niche in the wall), which served as a mosque, according to the book. The other sides have a central entrance set in a projecting frame.

The book also refers to decorations on the ceiling and says, “Inside, the ceiling is decorated with incised plaster-work containing floral patterns and Quranic inscriptions.”

Much of these decorations are barely visible due to damage and discolouration. The ASI official said that the ceiling might be cleaned at a later stage.

Another significant part of the Shish Gumbad which finds reference in the book is the line of blue tiles, present in two horizontal lines along the outside of the structure.

“This decoration, now surviving in traces, gave it its Persian name meaning a ‘glazed dome’,” the book mentions.

These tiles are now non-existent in certain places and fairly damaged in others.

“We do not want to disturb the original work of the structure. But we will see if anything can be done at a later stage,” the official added.

According to ASI’s book, the structure was built during the Lodi period, “perhaps during Sikandar Lodi’s reign (1489-1517)”.

The protected monuments and structures inside the Lodhi Garden include Muhammad Shah’s tomb, Bara Gumbad masjid, Shish Gumbad, Sikandar Lodi’s tomb and an athpula (eight piers), which refers to a bridge with seven arches and eight piers.