Barely standing: The Wall of Walled City

A formidable 6km-long fortification once encircled Shahjahanabad. Today, the last stretch of this wall still standing - the Daryaganj section- stands in distress

- Paras Singh

(Clockwise from the top) The condition of the last standing section of the fortification as seen during an HT spot check.

(SANJEEV VERMA/ HT)

In the mid-seventeenth century, when Mughal emperor Shah Jahan shifted his capital from Agra to the banks of the Yamuna, he imagined a city secure enough to guard an empire and grand enough to project its splendour. Thus, Shahjahanabad, the so-called seventh historic city of Delhi, was born enclosed within a formidable 13-metre-high, six-kilometre stone-and-rubble wall. A total of 13 monumental gateways and 14 smaller wicket gates punctuated this fortification, sealing the city's boundary between what chroniclers often described as "civilisation and wilderness," order and the chaotic world outside.

Originally made of mud, the wall was rebuilt in red sandstone in 1657. But centuries later, what survives is scattered, stressed, and scarred. Its decline started with the British conquest, and continues under civic neglect, unchecked construction, and layers of everyday urban life pressing against its stones.

Today, last stretch of the fortification still standing, the Daryaganj sectionoften described as the best preserved - stands in distress. During a spot check along the 1.4-km stretch, HT found sections falling apart, rubble spilling onto parked scooters, and portions swallowed by careless urban growth. Makeshift temples nestle into its arches. Electricity transformers lean against the stone. Hospital visitors sit in waiting areas carved out of ancient recesses of the wall.

Near a printing unit, a worker Rajeev Dubey points to a jagged hole in the structure where a large section fell during the monsoon. "Thank God no one was standing there. Only vehicles were damaged. But the next part could fall anytime. It needs reinforcement," he said.

That was three months ago, but the rubble remains uncollected.