Delhi Gate (; ) is one of the six remaining historic gates of the

Walled City of Lahore The Walled City of Lahore, also known as the Old City or Inner Lahore, refers to the historic core of Lahore, the capital and largest city of Punjab, Pakistan. The early settlements were established between the Origins of Lahore, 1st and 7th ...

Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...

Punjab, Pakistan Punjab (, ) is a Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Pakistan. With a population of over 127 million, it is the Demographics of Pakistan, most populous province in Pakistan and the List of first-level administrative divisions by popu ...

. Delhi Gate and the adjacent

Shahi Hammam The Shahi Hammam (; ; ), also known as the Wazir Khan Hammam, is a Turkish bath which was built in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan, in 1635 Common era, C.E. during the reign of Emperor Shah Jahan. It was built by chief physician to the Mughal Court, Ilam ...

were restored in 2015 by the Aga Khan Cultural Service Pakistan.

Background

The Delhi Gate was originally built during the

Mughal Mughal or Moghul may refer to: Related to the Mughal Empire * Mughal Empire of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries * Mughal dynasty * Mughal emperors * Mughal people, a social group of Central and South Asia * Mughal architecture * Mug ...

period, and is now known as the Chitta Gate, about 100 metres west of the new Delhi Gate. The gate was named after

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...

since the gate opened east, in the general direction of that city. During the Mughal era, the gate served as the main gateway to Lahore, and its doors were shut every evening. The surrounding area includes several buildings of historical significance including the 17th century

Wazir Khan Mosque The Wazir Khan Mosque (, ''Wazīr Khã Masīt''; Persian language, Persian, ) is a 17th-century Mughal Empire, Mughal masjid located in the city of Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab, Pakistan. The mosque was commissioned by the then governor ...

, and

haveli A ''haveli'' is a traditional townhouse, mansion, or manor house, in the Indian subcontinent, usually one with historical and architectural significance, and located in a town or city. The word ''haveli'' is derived from Arabic ''hawali'', me ...

s. "The original 13 gates around the city of Lahore were built by the third

Mughal emperor The emperors of the Mughal Empire, who were all members of the Timurid dynasty (House of Babur), ruled the empire from its inception on 21 April 1526 to its dissolution on 21 September 1857. They were supreme monarchs of the Mughal Empire in ...

Akbar Akbar (Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar, – ), popularly known as Akbar the Great, was the third Mughal emperor, who reigned from 1556 to 1605. Akbar succeeded his father, Humayun, under a regent, Bairam Khan, who helped the young emperor expa ...

in the mid 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". Delhi Gate also served as Union Council 27 (UC 27) in Tehsil

Ravi Ravi may refer to: People * Ravi (name), including a list of people and characters with the name * Ravi (composer) (1926–2012), Indian music director * Ravi (Ivar Johansen) (born 1976), Norwegian musical artist * Ravi (rapper) (born 1993), a Sou ...

of Lahore City District.

History

The gate was once part of Lahore's city walls, which were torn down by the British after the

Sepoy Mutiny The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against the rule of the British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the British Crown. The rebellion began on 10 May 1857 in the form ...

of 1857. The gate itself was also destroyed by the British, but was reconstructed in the 19th century under the

British Raj The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani language, Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British The Crown, Crown on the Indian subcontinent, * * lasting from 1858 to 1947. * * It is also called Crown rule ...

. Following the

Partition of British India The partition of India in 1947 was the division of British India into two independent dominion states, the Union of India and Dominion of Pakistan. The Union of India is today the Republic of India, and the Dominion of Pakistan is the Islam ...

, the gate housed a girls' school. The gate is mentioned by

Rudyard Kipling Joseph Rudyard Kipling ( ; 30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936)''The Times'', (London) 18 January 1936, p. 12. was an English journalist, novelist, poet, and short-story writer. He was born in British Raj, British India, which inspired much ...

in his 1891 short story "The City of Dreadful Night." Lahore's famous Zamzama Gun was originally placed at Delhi Gate, but was relocated by the British to a site in front of the

Lahore Museum The Lahore Museum (; ) is a museum located in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. Founded in 1865 at a smaller location and opened in 1894 at its current location on The Mall in Lahore during the British colonial period, Lahore Museum is Pakistan's larg ...

Structure

The gate is a two-story structure with space for ten to twelve shops. The gate's rooftop can be accessed by a staircase. The gate opens up into a Bazaar heading to the Wazir Khan Mosque and further leading to Shah Alam Market and ''Suha Bazaar''. The famous spice market ''Akbari Mandi'' is also located next to Delhi Gate.

Restoration

undertook a project to renovate the gate that was funded by the government of Norway. Goals of the project were to conserve not only the gate, but also the nearby 17th century

, as well as the adjacent

Gallery

File:Delhi_Gate_23_(WCLA).jpg, The gate is now illuminated by accent lighting following restoration. File:Dehli_Darwaza_-_interior.jpg, The gate's interior features several cells which are used as shops. File:00-Delhi_Gate_Lahore-_By_@ibneazhar_(2).jpg File:Gates of walled city.jpg File:Delhi_Gate_3_(WCLA).jpg, Within the gate's vicinity are several shops and stalls. File:Delhi_Gate_(WCLA).jpg, Delhi Gate's night market. File:Grand_entrance_of_Delhi_Gate.jpg, Entrance to the gateway is illuminated at night. File:Dehli_gate_lahore_walled_city.jpg File:Delhi Gate of Lahore.JPG

References

External links

Walled City Has thirteen gates on Archived website
{{Walled City of Lahore Gates of Lahore Populated places in Lahore District Ravi Zone