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Delhi Darshan: The History and Monuments of India’s Capital
DELHI DARSHAN
- GenresIndiaHistoryNonfiction
208 pages, Hardcover
Published May 15, 2019
14 people are currently reading
84 people want to read
About the author
Giles Tillotson
24 books9 followersGiles Tillotson is a writer and lecturer on Indian architecture, art and history. A prolific author, he also works in museum and academic management, in higher education and research, in publishing and in travel.
With family roots in Dorset in the UK, he was educated at Trinity College Cambridge, where he read Philosophy, History of Art and Oriental Studies. On completing his PhD, he was elected a Research Fellow at Peterhouse, Cambridge (1986-90). He then taught for fourteen years at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, where he became Reader in History of Art, and Chair of Art & Archaeology. He is also a Fellow (and former Director) of the Royal Asiatic Society, London.
His areas of special expertise include: the history and architecture of the Rajput courts of Rajasthan, and of the Mughal cities of Delhi and Agra; Indian architecture in the period of British rule and after Independence; and landscape painting in India. He first visited India in 1979 and returned frequently before settling in the country in 2004. He now lives in Gurgaon near Delhi. He is married to the architect and designer Vibhuti Sachdev.
In recent years he has given lectures and informal talks to individual travellers and to visiting groups from institutions including the Guggenheim Museum, the Art Institute of Chicago, Yale alumni, Yale School of Architecture, Princeton University, YPO and CEO.
With family roots in Dorset in the UK, he was educated at Trinity College Cambridge, where he read Philosophy, History of Art and Oriental Studies. On completing his PhD, he was elected a Research Fellow at Peterhouse, Cambridge (1986-90). He then taught for fourteen years at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, where he became Reader in History of Art, and Chair of Art & Archaeology. He is also a Fellow (and former Director) of the Royal Asiatic Society, London.
His areas of special expertise include: the history and architecture of the Rajput courts of Rajasthan, and of the Mughal cities of Delhi and Agra; Indian architecture in the period of British rule and after Independence; and landscape painting in India. He first visited India in 1979 and returned frequently before settling in the country in 2004. He now lives in Gurgaon near Delhi. He is married to the architect and designer Vibhuti Sachdev.
In recent years he has given lectures and informal talks to individual travellers and to visiting groups from institutions including the Guggenheim Museum, the Art Institute of Chicago, Yale alumni, Yale School of Architecture, Princeton University, YPO and CEO.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
April 7, 2024
Political Pamphleteering
This book is sub.-titled: The History and Monuments of India’s Capital. The jacket describes the author as someone who has taught at the University of London (discipline/School/ Department not specified) and one who currently “writes and lectures on a wide range of Indian art and architecture, from the sultanate and Rajput period to the colonial and modern eras.” What the jacket does not mention is that he is also a political pamphleteer. Because this is what he does in the opening pages of this, his slim book.
From pages 4 to 11, he makes repeated references to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and to its nationalist politics. Consider these illustrations:
[1] “It is ironic that nationalist politicians, eager to cleanse the country of traces of colonialism, have changed the hybrid but euphonious names of many other cities, such as Bombay, Calcutta and Bangalore, replacing them with pedantic transliterations from the original languages, but they have been content to leave the name of the national capital in its mangled form.” (Page 4)
What then should we do? Change ‘Delhi’ to the Hindi version ‘Dilli’ or the Urdu version ‘Dehli’ and continue to be charged with the guilt of pedantic transliteration. Or should we celebrate our colonial past by going back to ‘Cawnpore’ for Kanpur, ‘Oudh/Oude/Oudhe’ for Awadh, ‘Seringapatam’ for Srirangapatna, and a million other vulgarized forms introduced by the British to not only place names but the entire vocabulary of our myriad languages? Why not instead refer to the British resident in Afghanistan, Sir (later briefly Lord) William Hay Macnaghten as ‘Lat-e-Jangi’ as he was known in Afghan circles, while writing British history of the period? Why go back to his pedantic name which conveys nothing about his skull duggery? The Afghan synonym for this gentleman which translates roughly to ‘Big Boss of the War’ surely describes his predatory character better.
[2] On the site of the Purana Qila, the author writes (Page 7), “At its heart, perched on top of a rather uninspiring interpretation centre, is an enormous bronze equestrian statute of Prithviraj, bow and arrow at the ready, all set to reconquer. Even the pigeons-its most numerous devotees- look restless. The whole complex was inaugurated by L.K. Advani, at the time minister of home affairs in the central government, and a prominent member of the Bharatiya Janata Party, which was then (as now) widely perceived as adept at harnessing Hindu religious sentiment.”
All this in a chapter which supposedly describes the architectural features of the remains at Purana Qila. In the paragraph which precedes the one containing this sentence, the author makes the following admissions. (i) There is a traditional scholarly view that the first fortification wall in this area was built by the Tomar Rajputs in the eleventh century. (ii) Some time in the twelfth century this fort was captured by the Chauhans. (iii) Prithviraj, who also goes by the name Rai Pithora, the most well-known of the Chauhans doubled the size of the fort and renamed it after himself as Qila Rai Pithora. (iv) Subsequently, he lost the fort to the invading armies of Muhammad of Ghur.
If this indeed is the scholarly view, why is this author objecting to the Prithviraj statue? More importantly, Prithviraj Chauhan is a hero to all Indians, not just the Hindus.
[3] Referring to the destruction of 27 Hindu and Jain temples of the Tomar period to provide material for the building of the Quwwatu’l-Islam mosque, the author goes into a long sermon about the nervousness in academic circles in “building up episodes of this kind”. This is because, the violent demolition in 1992 by “Hindu fanatics” of a mosque in Ayodhya has caused the “Hindu-Muslim relations has itself become a battlefield”. He refers to L.K. Advani again in the context of the Ayodhya movement, and then goes on to give sage advice to devout Hindus to desist from any actions now.
There are three printed pages of this nonsense out of a total of 17 pages meant to explain the architecture of this period.
[4] There is a somewhat detailed description on the use of the spoilage from temples in the construction of the mosque referred above. Now hold your breath, suspend your belief. Go to Page 18 and read what this author writes.
“From the outset, the architecture of the Delhi Sultanate was an act of syncretism and assimilation.”
Going by this standard, the discovery in July 2023, of the rubble of a synagogue destroyed by the Nazis, and used for construction of a dam, is a sign of the syncretic architecture of Nazis and the assimilation of the Jewish community in the development projects of Germany.
A conclusion such as this in a German publication will send the author to jail for holocaust denial. However a similar conclusion in the Indian context earns the author plaudits printed on the back cover from his peers.
It is only fair that the Author is made to realize how his book sounds to an ordinary reader in India. For instance, in a book on classicism in British architecture, if the (Indian?) author were to make the following observations on the Conservative Party, how would it sound? Read on.
"London under Mayor Sadiq Khan of the Labour Party has been reeling under waves of protest led by pro-Palestine groups. These Islamist groups crowd into all the public places in London showing scant respect for the symbols of liberal British values. They have made little effort to cloak the antisemitic nature of their protests, and have repeatedly desecrated the war memorials that are so sacred to the British citizens. To counter this aggression, the Conservative Party, has made concerted attempts to coopt the British Hindus. This effort started quite some time ago. During her state visit, the then PM Theresa May, padded up in a green and gold saree, complete with red tilak, and visited an ancient Hindu temple in Bangalore. In a departure from the old hyphenated India-Pakistan or Hindu-Muslim policy, she kept away from the holy Muslim sites. It was a calculated move knowing that the photo-ops provided by the temple visit made a favourable impression on the well connected Hindu citizenry of this technologically advanced city which has traditional family links with various cities in the United Kingdom.
When her re-election gamble failed, her successor Boris Johnson, made a temple run of the prominent Hindu places of worship in the United Kingdom, and gained the Conservative Party nomination for the prime minister’s post. This included the support of the most prominent Hindu politician, Rishi Sunak. However, Sunak soon brought down the Government by resigning from the cabinet, and offered himself for the leadership of the Conservative party. Sunak, who is reportedly wealthier than his king, garnered the support of a majority of Conservative MPs, although the wider party membership chose Liz Truss over him. On his second bid however, Sunak was successful and moved into the PM’s office. He celebrated Diwali at 10, Downing Street, and served a vegetarian meal to his party supporters, in a powerful symbol of the consolidation of the Hindu votes under the Conservative Party. The Party hopes that the Hindus will decisively move into British public life, and rein in the hard core Islamists, in a repeat of what has happened within India."
Factually accurate, does this sound convincing? Well, not quite, would say any British citizen. Tillotson’s book makes a similar impression on his Indian readers. But then we are too polite to tell him so.
In conclusion, this book only adds to the cacophony of book publishing in India. It can be added to the Avoid List of book lovers.
This book is sub.-titled: The History and Monuments of India’s Capital. The jacket describes the author as someone who has taught at the University of London (discipline/School/ Department not specified) and one who currently “writes and lectures on a wide range of Indian art and architecture, from the sultanate and Rajput period to the colonial and modern eras.” What the jacket does not mention is that he is also a political pamphleteer. Because this is what he does in the opening pages of this, his slim book.
From pages 4 to 11, he makes repeated references to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and to its nationalist politics. Consider these illustrations:
[1] “It is ironic that nationalist politicians, eager to cleanse the country of traces of colonialism, have changed the hybrid but euphonious names of many other cities, such as Bombay, Calcutta and Bangalore, replacing them with pedantic transliterations from the original languages, but they have been content to leave the name of the national capital in its mangled form.” (Page 4)
What then should we do? Change ‘Delhi’ to the Hindi version ‘Dilli’ or the Urdu version ‘Dehli’ and continue to be charged with the guilt of pedantic transliteration. Or should we celebrate our colonial past by going back to ‘Cawnpore’ for Kanpur, ‘Oudh/Oude/Oudhe’ for Awadh, ‘Seringapatam’ for Srirangapatna, and a million other vulgarized forms introduced by the British to not only place names but the entire vocabulary of our myriad languages? Why not instead refer to the British resident in Afghanistan, Sir (later briefly Lord) William Hay Macnaghten as ‘Lat-e-Jangi’ as he was known in Afghan circles, while writing British history of the period? Why go back to his pedantic name which conveys nothing about his skull duggery? The Afghan synonym for this gentleman which translates roughly to ‘Big Boss of the War’ surely describes his predatory character better.
[2] On the site of the Purana Qila, the author writes (Page 7), “At its heart, perched on top of a rather uninspiring interpretation centre, is an enormous bronze equestrian statute of Prithviraj, bow and arrow at the ready, all set to reconquer. Even the pigeons-its most numerous devotees- look restless. The whole complex was inaugurated by L.K. Advani, at the time minister of home affairs in the central government, and a prominent member of the Bharatiya Janata Party, which was then (as now) widely perceived as adept at harnessing Hindu religious sentiment.”
All this in a chapter which supposedly describes the architectural features of the remains at Purana Qila. In the paragraph which precedes the one containing this sentence, the author makes the following admissions. (i) There is a traditional scholarly view that the first fortification wall in this area was built by the Tomar Rajputs in the eleventh century. (ii) Some time in the twelfth century this fort was captured by the Chauhans. (iii) Prithviraj, who also goes by the name Rai Pithora, the most well-known of the Chauhans doubled the size of the fort and renamed it after himself as Qila Rai Pithora. (iv) Subsequently, he lost the fort to the invading armies of Muhammad of Ghur.
If this indeed is the scholarly view, why is this author objecting to the Prithviraj statue? More importantly, Prithviraj Chauhan is a hero to all Indians, not just the Hindus.
[3] Referring to the destruction of 27 Hindu and Jain temples of the Tomar period to provide material for the building of the Quwwatu’l-Islam mosque, the author goes into a long sermon about the nervousness in academic circles in “building up episodes of this kind”. This is because, the violent demolition in 1992 by “Hindu fanatics” of a mosque in Ayodhya has caused the “Hindu-Muslim relations has itself become a battlefield”. He refers to L.K. Advani again in the context of the Ayodhya movement, and then goes on to give sage advice to devout Hindus to desist from any actions now.
There are three printed pages of this nonsense out of a total of 17 pages meant to explain the architecture of this period.
[4] There is a somewhat detailed description on the use of the spoilage from temples in the construction of the mosque referred above. Now hold your breath, suspend your belief. Go to Page 18 and read what this author writes.
“From the outset, the architecture of the Delhi Sultanate was an act of syncretism and assimilation.”
Going by this standard, the discovery in July 2023, of the rubble of a synagogue destroyed by the Nazis, and used for construction of a dam, is a sign of the syncretic architecture of Nazis and the assimilation of the Jewish community in the development projects of Germany.
A conclusion such as this in a German publication will send the author to jail for holocaust denial. However a similar conclusion in the Indian context earns the author plaudits printed on the back cover from his peers.
It is only fair that the Author is made to realize how his book sounds to an ordinary reader in India. For instance, in a book on classicism in British architecture, if the (Indian?) author were to make the following observations on the Conservative Party, how would it sound? Read on.
"London under Mayor Sadiq Khan of the Labour Party has been reeling under waves of protest led by pro-Palestine groups. These Islamist groups crowd into all the public places in London showing scant respect for the symbols of liberal British values. They have made little effort to cloak the antisemitic nature of their protests, and have repeatedly desecrated the war memorials that are so sacred to the British citizens. To counter this aggression, the Conservative Party, has made concerted attempts to coopt the British Hindus. This effort started quite some time ago. During her state visit, the then PM Theresa May, padded up in a green and gold saree, complete with red tilak, and visited an ancient Hindu temple in Bangalore. In a departure from the old hyphenated India-Pakistan or Hindu-Muslim policy, she kept away from the holy Muslim sites. It was a calculated move knowing that the photo-ops provided by the temple visit made a favourable impression on the well connected Hindu citizenry of this technologically advanced city which has traditional family links with various cities in the United Kingdom.
When her re-election gamble failed, her successor Boris Johnson, made a temple run of the prominent Hindu places of worship in the United Kingdom, and gained the Conservative Party nomination for the prime minister’s post. This included the support of the most prominent Hindu politician, Rishi Sunak. However, Sunak soon brought down the Government by resigning from the cabinet, and offered himself for the leadership of the Conservative party. Sunak, who is reportedly wealthier than his king, garnered the support of a majority of Conservative MPs, although the wider party membership chose Liz Truss over him. On his second bid however, Sunak was successful and moved into the PM’s office. He celebrated Diwali at 10, Downing Street, and served a vegetarian meal to his party supporters, in a powerful symbol of the consolidation of the Hindu votes under the Conservative Party. The Party hopes that the Hindus will decisively move into British public life, and rein in the hard core Islamists, in a repeat of what has happened within India."
Factually accurate, does this sound convincing? Well, not quite, would say any British citizen. Tillotson’s book makes a similar impression on his Indian readers. But then we are too polite to tell him so.
In conclusion, this book only adds to the cacophony of book publishing in India. It can be added to the Avoid List of book lovers.
August 21, 2021
It would have easily had more stars if it had more photos. For some reason the things it has are mostly old paintings or drawings or some quarter century old photos in black and white from the author.
Call me old fashioned, but the author also leaving maps out of the walking routes section because everyone has a cell phone also made me reticent to rate higher. Some like the idea of leaving their phone behind and going on an adventure!
Call me old fashioned, but the author also leaving maps out of the walking routes section because everyone has a cell phone also made me reticent to rate higher. Some like the idea of leaving their phone behind and going on an adventure!
January 7, 2020
This book will go well for historical-architectural buffs and also suitable as an addendum reading material to travel guides on New Delhi.
July 26, 2020
History is done right when delivered as a story/narrative, and not a collection of facts and dates. This book manages to do just that, building a very concise but relatable narrative around the evolution of Delhi over the last 900 years. The book is also strongly coloured by the author's background as an architect, and hence this narrative is very relatable as it refers to a lot of places and structures that exist to-date.
Delhi is fascinating as a historical city, in that it has a very little recorded history before the 12th century, but in the last 800 years, it has been central to the developments in India. Moreover, its a city that has been rebuilt multiple times by multiple rulers and hence shrouded with layers. Nonetheless, the city has managed to retain some flavour of each of those periods till-date, which makes its study interesting.
The author starts tracing this history from the 12th century with the onset of the Mamluk (Slave dynasty), with the first city being built around current day Mahrauli (and the Qutub Minar). Delhi is said to have been built 8 times over, starting with this first construction around Mehrauli, through the other cities like Siri Fort, Tughlaquabad etc. and through to Shahjanahbad, built on the banks of the Yamuna by ShahJanah (centred around present-day Red Fort). This culminates with the Britishers setting up their capital in Delhi and Lutyens Delhi being set up in the early 1900s. The city has since continued to grow as its demographic has changed (inclusion of migrant settlements into the city) to the eventually "addition" of the modern cities of Gurgaon etc. as well.
The book is also fascinating from the point of view of providing a great perspective on how the city has "physically" grown. E.g. having spent innumerable evenings walking the laws of Hauz Khas village, the author manages to take you back 700 years to explain why and how the Hauz Khas village was set up as a reservoir, to serve the water needs to the second city set up around the current day Siri Fort. I could manage to print an outline of a Delhi map and trace the growth of the city as the book progresses.
The overall style of writing is very easy and extremely digestible. Highly recommended for anyone who has spent time in Delhi and is looking to explore the historic nature of the city.
Delhi is fascinating as a historical city, in that it has a very little recorded history before the 12th century, but in the last 800 years, it has been central to the developments in India. Moreover, its a city that has been rebuilt multiple times by multiple rulers and hence shrouded with layers. Nonetheless, the city has managed to retain some flavour of each of those periods till-date, which makes its study interesting.
The author starts tracing this history from the 12th century with the onset of the Mamluk (Slave dynasty), with the first city being built around current day Mahrauli (and the Qutub Minar). Delhi is said to have been built 8 times over, starting with this first construction around Mehrauli, through the other cities like Siri Fort, Tughlaquabad etc. and through to Shahjanahbad, built on the banks of the Yamuna by ShahJanah (centred around present-day Red Fort). This culminates with the Britishers setting up their capital in Delhi and Lutyens Delhi being set up in the early 1900s. The city has since continued to grow as its demographic has changed (inclusion of migrant settlements into the city) to the eventually "addition" of the modern cities of Gurgaon etc. as well.
The book is also fascinating from the point of view of providing a great perspective on how the city has "physically" grown. E.g. having spent innumerable evenings walking the laws of Hauz Khas village, the author manages to take you back 700 years to explain why and how the Hauz Khas village was set up as a reservoir, to serve the water needs to the second city set up around the current day Siri Fort. I could manage to print an outline of a Delhi map and trace the growth of the city as the book progresses.
The overall style of writing is very easy and extremely digestible. Highly recommended for anyone who has spent time in Delhi and is looking to explore the historic nature of the city.
February 12, 2025
Delhi Darshan by Giles offers an intriguing exploration of the city’s rich history through its architecture, making it an engaging read for anyone interested in both Delhi’s past and its evolving skyline. As someone who grew up in the city, I already had a fair knowledge of its history, but the book deepened my appreciation for how the city’s architectural evolution reflects its cultural shifts. The way the author ties historical events to the architectural landmarks is particularly striking, showing how each era left its mark on the city’s structures.
While the book effectively brings out the significance of buildings in shaping the identity of Delhi, it could benefit from more fun anecdotes or storytelling to make the information stick better. Additionally, the characterization of people and their roles in the city’s development felt a bit flat—understandable, given that the central “character” in the book is really the city’s architecture itself. Nonetheless, it serves its purpose well by highlighting how buildings are living testaments to the city’s changing history.
While the book effectively brings out the significance of buildings in shaping the identity of Delhi, it could benefit from more fun anecdotes or storytelling to make the information stick better. Additionally, the characterization of people and their roles in the city’s development felt a bit flat—understandable, given that the central “character” in the book is really the city’s architecture itself. Nonetheless, it serves its purpose well by highlighting how buildings are living testaments to the city’s changing history.
September 4, 2024
The stone walls stand solid, and the domes resolutely raise its arc. The view of it bursts upon you, to tell you that five hundred years ago or so, others came where you now walk, and built something to last -- even if they themselves have not.
The sheer frequency of this -- for indeed, there are so many -- is part of what makes Delhi special.
Delhi Darshan is Tillotson's finest. The best Delhi darshan guide there is. From its finest history, architecture, this one has it all.
The sheer frequency of this -- for indeed, there are so many -- is part of what makes Delhi special.
Delhi Darshan is Tillotson's finest. The best Delhi darshan guide there is. From its finest history, architecture, this one has it all.
May 7, 2025
I started the book as a part of my Delhi based reading spree. The good thing is that it didn't disappoint. Short, simple and sweet- this book takes you on a journey in time featuring Delhi's timeless monuments. Recommended for a concise history the architecture and the sulfamate.
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January 23, 2020Nice and easy read. A good narrative and recommended for people who want to explore Delhi
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews