Gates of Delhi

Gates of Delhi, the capital city of the world’s largest democracy, was considered to be the Mughal’s favorite city. No other Indian city can match up to the number of monuments this city has. Delhi leads the camp with glorious forts and monuments and was once home to seven forts and 52 gates. However, only a few have managed to bear the brunt of changing times and development.

KashmiriGate:
Built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, this gate acted as the northern gate to the walled city of Delhi. As it was the starting point of a road that led to Kashmir, the name Kashmere came into existence. It was used by the Mutiny Indian soldiers to fire the cannonballs on to the British camps during the 1857 rebellion.
Today, the gate stands unnoticed next to Delhi’s Inter-State Bus Terminal.

DelhiGate:
Acting as the southern gateway, Delhi Gate is Shah Jahan’s another contribution to the city’s architecture. The rubble structure stands as the border between the Old and New Delhi. The emperor used this gate to visit Jama Masjid for prayers. Today, it stands in the middle of the road in the vicinity of the Daryaganj area of the city.

AjmeriGate:
The south-west gateway of Shahjahanabad was built on a road that leads to the Indian city Ajmer. The architecture of this gate followed a square plan giving it high arched openings. This was also one of the important battlefields during the first revolt of Indian Independence. Presently, it stands tall near the New Delhi Railway station.

LahoriGate:
The main entrance to the Red Fort, the Lahori Gate is one of the most beautiful gateways of the city. It derives its name from the fact that this gateway led to the city of Lahore, in Punjab, Pakistan. The three-storied gateway is built with red sandstone decorated with square, rectangular and cusped arched panels. The ramparts of the gate are host to the flag hoisting ceremony during Independence Day celebrations each year.

TurkmanGate:
Located near Delhi’s Ramleela Maidan, this gate is named after a Sufi Saint, Shah Turkam Bayabani whose tomb still rests inside the monument. The architecture of the gate is in perfect sync with the Mughal ideology. The entry to the monument is now restricted as it happened to be a site of a massacre in the emergency phase of 1975.