The Unruly Histories of Delhi

From Shah Jahan's Red Fort to the Qutub mosque, Aditi Chandra's book, 'Unruly Monuments', shows how monuments are spaces of contest and change, not merely the symbols of power.

- PANKIL JHAJHRIA

Dissatisfied with the narrow streets of Agra, which he felt were too small for grand imperial processions, Mughal emperor Shah Jahan decided to move his capital to Delhi. In 1648, his palatial residence—originally called Qila-i Mubarak or the "Auspicious Fort"—was completed. Today, it is known as the Red Fort. The city he built around it, Shahjahanabad, also became home to the Masjid-i Jahannuma (now the Jama Masjid), constructed on the highest point near the fort.

In her book, Unruly Monuments: Disrupting the State at Delhi's Islamic Architecture (Cambridge University Press), art and architectural historian Aditi Chandra argues that besides being the symbols of state power, monuments are also spaces where that very authority is challenged. The active questioning "makes it difficult for the state to use these monuments effectively for nation-building," she writes.

Reclamation by people
History is not frozen in stone for Chandra. Heritage buildings also belong to the people. She mentions the farmers' march to the Red Fort in 2021 to protest farm laws—the same fort used by the nation's leaders—activist Therese Patricia Okoumou climbing the Statue of Liberty in 2018 to oppose US immigration policies, adivasis protesting against the inauguration of Statue of Unity, and many more such instances.