Original Sheesh Mahal Gets Heritage Makeover

During HT's Visit in June 2024, When the Conservation Work Was Just About to Start, the Structure Was Crumbling With Broken Red Sandstone and Fading Patterns on the Walls

- Aheli Das

NEW DELHI: Replacing damaged red sandstone with new ones closely mimicking Mughal-era structures, undertaking lime punning with a mixture matching the original composition and redesigning fading patterns of walls — the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has begun the second leg of its restoration work of the 17th-century Sheesh Mahal in northwest Delhi's Shalimar Bagh.

The Sheesh Mahal, occupying the farther end of the Shalimar Garden, also known as the Shalimar Bagh, is one of the structures located in the complex, which is believed to have originally covered about 150 acres.

This is the "original" Sheesh Mahal, which was at the center of a political showdown in the run-up to the Delhi assembly elections held in February 2025, as it lent its name to a moniker given by the Bharatiya Janata Party to former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal's residence at 9, Flag Staff Road. In June 2024, ASI began the first phase of conservation work at the site, which included stabilizing the structure of the Sheesh Mahal.

"Now, we are focusing on replacing damaged stones and restoring as much of the original design as possible," said an ASI official aware of the matter.

During HT's visit in June 2024, when the conservation work was just about to start, the structure was crumbling with broken red sandstone and fading patterns on the walls.