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shahajahanabad

The document discusses Mughal architecture, particularly focusing on Shah Jahan's founding of Shahjahanabad in 1639 as a reflection of imperial power and cultural synthesis. It highlights the city's design, which embodies both Hindu and Islamic cosmology, and its role as a center of political and spiritual life. Despite its decline after 1739, Shahjahanabad's legacy continues to influence the region's cultural and historical landscape.

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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
24 views2 pages

shahajahanabad

The document discusses Mughal architecture, particularly focusing on Shah Jahan's founding of Shahjahanabad in 1639 as a reflection of imperial power and cultural synthesis. It highlights the city's design, which embodies both Hindu and Islamic cosmology, and its role as a center of political and spiritual life. Despite its decline after 1739, Shahjahanabad's legacy continues to influence the region's cultural and historical landscape.

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Fervent One
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Good morning everyone,

[Section 1 – Mughal Architectural Context]

Let’s begin with a broader picture. Mughal architecture, spanning from 1526 to 1858,
represents one of the richest and most creative architectural traditions of South Asia. As
Ebba Koch notes, the Mughals were not just rulers — they were poets, calligraphers, patrons
of art, and architects themselves.

Each emperor added his own stylistic layer. Babur designed gardens reflecting his Central
Asian heritage. Akbar built massive fortress-palaces with eclectic Hindu-Muslim elements.
Jahangir brought Persian elegance into the mix. But it was Shah Jahan who elevated Mughal
architecture to its most refined and balanced expression — emphasizing symmetry, white
marble, intricate floral motifs, and garden layouts.

[Section 2 – The Founding of Shahjahanabad]

In 1639, Shah Jahan undertook his most ambitious urban project — the founding of a new
imperial city: Shahjahanabad, or what we now know as Old Delhi.

Why build a new city? Shah Jahan sought to establish a lasting legacy, differentiate himself
from his predecessors, and place the imperial center at a geographically and spiritually
meaningful site. The chosen location was strategic — nestled between the Aravalli hills and
the Yamuna River, in a region long associated with sacred kingship and urban power.

According to Stephen Blake, Shahjahanabad was not just a capital — it was a “sovereign
city,” a miniature empire built in stone. It embodied the Mughal state’s patrimonial-
bureaucratic structure, where the emperor's household was the state, and the city was a
reflection of his cosmic order.

[Section 3 – Architectural Vision and Symbolism]

Shah Jahan's vision was infused with both Hindu and Islamic cosmology. The city was
conceived as an axis mundi — the center of the world — connecting heaven and earth. The
city plan followed ancient Indian vastu shastra principles, particularly the karmuka or bow-
shaped layout. The palace-fortress sat at the junction of two grand avenues, symbolically
anchoring the empire.

At the heart of the city stood the Red Fort — a palace-fortress complex embodying imperial
control and aesthetic ideals. Inside, the Diwan-i-Aam and Diwan-i-Khas — halls of public and
private audience — were adorned with marble, inlay work, and Persian inscriptions,
projecting a vision of divine kingship.
Nearby was the Jama Masjid, the empire’s largest congregational mosque, its placement
reaffirming the city as the spiritual and political center of Islam in the region.

[Section 4 – Urban Structure and Daily Life]

Shahjahanabad was enclosed by a massive stone wall — 27 feet high, 12 feet thick, and
nearly 4 miles long — with 14 grand gates controlling entry. This fortified envelope
mirrored the control and order of the imperial court.

Within the city, elite mansions lined the boulevards, especially around Chandni Chowk,
which was both a ceremonial and commercial spine. These mansions weren’t just residences
— they were administrative hubs, cultural centers, and economic engines. As Stephen
Blake emphasizes, the nobles' households dominated the urban economy, culture, and labor
structure.

The city also had a strong spiritual dimension. Delhi was already a center of Sufi saints and
shrines, and Shahjahanabad built upon this, drawing thousands of pilgrims to the tombs of
revered figures like Nizamuddin Auliya.

[Section 5 – Decline and Legacy]

Despite its initial glory, Shahjahanabad’s fortunes declined after 1739, when Nadir Shah of
Persia sacked the city. The trauma of looting, massacre, and humiliation marked the end of
its role as a true imperial capital, though Mughal emperors continued to reside there
symbolically until 1858.

Yet, the legacy of Shahjahanabad endures — in its street names, mosque minarets,
crumbling walls, and layered memories. It remains a living archive of Mughal imagination
and imperial vision.

[Conclusion]

To conclude — Shahjahanabad was far more than a city. It was an architectural embodiment
of divine kingship, a spatial realization of the Mughal worldview, and a theater of power,
ritual, and culture. Through the lens of scholars like Koch and Blake, and the city’s surviving
monuments, we glimpse the extraordinary confluence of art, politics, and cosmology that
defined the Mughal golden age.

Thank you.

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