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    My favorite artworks from European Museums

    My favorite artworks from European Museums

    Gandhara Art in Humboldt Forum: Life of Lord Buddha

    Gandhara Art in Humboldt Forum: Life of Lord Buddha

    Jewish Heroes Square in Krakow, Poland

    Jewish Heroes Square in Krakow, Poland

    Block no. 4 in Auschwitz concentration camp

    Block no. 4 in Auschwitz concentration camp

    Ottoman tent in Princess Czartoryski Museum in Krakow, Poland

    Ottoman tent in Princess Czartoryski Museum in Krakow, Poland

    The Steam Engine Building, Potsdam, Germany

    The Steam Engine Building, Potsdam, Germany

    Assyrian human-headed winged bull from Nimrud; 9th cent. BCE; Pergamon Museum, Berlin

    Assyrian human-headed winged bull from Nimrud; 9th cent. BCE; Pergamon Museum, Berlin

    Catacombs in St Peter’s Abbey Salzburg, Austria

    Catacombs in St Peter’s Abbey Salzburg, Austria

    St Nicholas Church in #Leipzeg, #Germany

    St Nicholas Church in #Leipzeg, #Germany

    Gloriette, Schonbrunn Palace, Vienna,Austria

    Gloriette, Schonbrunn Palace, Vienna,Austria

    Matthias Church on Buda Castle Hill, Budapest

    Matthias Church on Buda Castle Hill, Budapest

    The Neptune fountain in Schonbrunn Palace, Vienna, Austria

    The Neptune fountain in Schonbrunn Palace, Vienna, Austria

    The Dohany Street synagogue in Budapest

    St Peter’s Abbey Church in Salzburg, Austria

    St Peter’s Abbey Church in Salzburg, Austria

    The Residence Fountain in Salzburg: Oundof Music

    The Residence Fountain in Salzburg: Oundof Music

    Sultana Daku and Raj Bhawan of Nainital

    Sultana Daku and Raj Bhawan of Nainital

    Sultana Daku and Raj Bhawan of Nainital

    Sultana Daku and Raj Bhawan of Nainital

    Jahan koshan cannon, Murshidabad

    Jahan koshan cannon, Murshidabad

    Takht-e Marar, Golestan Palance, Teheran, Iran

    Takht-e Marar, Golestan Palance, Teheran, Iran

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      My favorite artworks from European Museums

      My favorite artworks from European Museums

      Gandhara Art in Humboldt Forum: Life of Lord Buddha

      Gandhara Art in Humboldt Forum: Life of Lord Buddha

      Jewish Heroes Square in Krakow, Poland

      Jewish Heroes Square in Krakow, Poland

      Block no. 4 in Auschwitz concentration camp

      Block no. 4 in Auschwitz concentration camp

      Ottoman tent in Princess Czartoryski Museum in Krakow, Poland

      Ottoman tent in Princess Czartoryski Museum in Krakow, Poland

      The Steam Engine Building, Potsdam, Germany

      The Steam Engine Building, Potsdam, Germany

      Assyrian human-headed winged bull from Nimrud; 9th cent. BCE; Pergamon Museum, Berlin

      Assyrian human-headed winged bull from Nimrud; 9th cent. BCE; Pergamon Museum, Berlin

      Catacombs in St Peter’s Abbey Salzburg, Austria

      Catacombs in St Peter’s Abbey Salzburg, Austria

      St Nicholas Church in #Leipzeg, #Germany

      St Nicholas Church in #Leipzeg, #Germany

      Gloriette, Schonbrunn Palace, Vienna,Austria

      Gloriette, Schonbrunn Palace, Vienna,Austria

      Matthias Church on Buda Castle Hill, Budapest

      Matthias Church on Buda Castle Hill, Budapest

      The Neptune fountain in Schonbrunn Palace, Vienna, Austria

      The Neptune fountain in Schonbrunn Palace, Vienna, Austria

      The Dohany Street synagogue in Budapest

      St Peter’s Abbey Church in Salzburg, Austria

      St Peter’s Abbey Church in Salzburg, Austria

      The Residence Fountain in Salzburg: Oundof Music

      The Residence Fountain in Salzburg: Oundof Music

      Sultana Daku and Raj Bhawan of Nainital

      Sultana Daku and Raj Bhawan of Nainital

      Sultana Daku and Raj Bhawan of Nainital

      Sultana Daku and Raj Bhawan of Nainital

      Jahan koshan cannon, Murshidabad

      Jahan koshan cannon, Murshidabad

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      Takht-e Marar, Golestan Palance, Teheran, Iran

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      The Graveyard of Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya ‘s Khalifa in Chanderi

      inMy Travels, Our Cultural Heritage
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      It is best known for its textiles, but Chanderi is also a town of historical importance

      It is town mentioned in the Mahabharat. It has a rich history, having been ruled at various points by the Gurjara-Pratiharas (who first made it their capital), the Bundela Rajputs, the Delhi and Malwa Sultans, as well as the Mughals, Scindias, and the British. Yet, many in India have only heard of Chanderi in connection with the traditional textile craft for which the town in Madhya Pradesh is famous. At least, I only knew of Chanderi sarees.

      But Chanderi is much more than that. Tucked away in the hills on the edge of Bundelkhand and Malwa, this town, which was a major link for connecting trade routes, is of historical importance. The presence of various rulers, some of whom were enthusiastic builders, especially the Malwa Sultans, can be seen in the heart of the town in its many Jain and Hindu temples, huge rock sculptures, baolis (stepwells), tombs, chatris (dome-shaped pavilions), madarsas and dargahs. The grand vizier of emperor Akbar, Abul Fazl, in his 16th century work titled Ain-e-Akbari (Constitution of Akbar) mentions that Chanderi had 14,000 stone houses, 384 markets, 360 caravanserais, and 1,200 baolis.

      During the 14th century, when the Tughlaq rule in Delhi was on the decline, governors in the Deccan declared their independence one by one. Building activity was suspended in Delhi, and artisans and skilled labourers found generous patrons in Malwa where the kings were starting their construction activity. This combined with Persian influence gave rise to a Malwa style of architecture.

      According to the art historian Percy Brown, workmen were also recruited to Chanderi from Ahmedabad. While Tughlaq architecture can be best described as solid, it is hardly ornamental. The workmen who came from Gujarat were well known for their intricate stone latticework, which is most famously seen in the Sidi Saiyyed mosque in Ahmedabad. The stone latticework screens (jaalis), which are not only ornamental but also functional as they provide light and air, symbolised Chanderi town for me. But although I travelled through Chanderi to all its famous historical spots, including a massive rock sculpture of the Jain Thirthankara Adinath, what held me spellbound was a simple graveyard.

      Driving into the town, I saw a board that read ‘Hazrat Nizamuddin parisar’ (compound). Old town houses stood in this area, but they were not what I was looking for. I had read of a beautiful grave complex there. A young boy, who saw our group wandering around, asked us what we were looking for and led us through some passages to what he called the qabristan, or cemetery, in the inner city. Inside these narrow lanes, I saw some exquisite jaalis with every kind of symbolic and geometrical pattern on them.

      We reached the cemetery. In every enclosed tomb was the Mihrab, a semicircular niche that indicates the direction of the Qibla, or the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca. The graves were neat and clean, and had no flowers or lamps on them. Most of the intricately carved grave cenotaphs lay under the open sky; a few were inside domes. The dome of one particularly beautiful grave had fallen down and the jaali was worse for wear. The jaalis had obviously seen better days.

      According to the Archaeological Survey of India, these are the graves of the family of the famous Delhi Chisthi Sufi Saint Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya’s descendants, who had come to Chanderi. However, the Delhi Nizami family says they have no records of anyone moving here.
      From an article by Simon Digby I found out that Hazrat Nizamuddin had sent a khalifas to Chanderi.This graveyard should be, his family, in my humble opinion.

      No book on architecture mentions this complex either. The origin of the complex, according to an inscription on one of the graves, goes back to the 15th century.

      However, what I could research were some of the symbols — thenagabandhana, or entwined snakes, for instance, which are carved on the stones and are magical even in their broken state. Their eternal knots symbolise the flow of time and movement. According to my friend Sudha Ganapathi, an iconography expert, many of the symbols on these jaalis are similar to the kolam patterns (geometrical designs drawn traditionally with rice powder outside homes) in south India.

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      Rana Safvi

      Come, explore and fall in love the Beauties of Delhi (Dilli ki Ranaiya’n) and the World with me, Rana Safvi

      I have a masters in medieval history from the prestigious Centre for Advanced Studies, Dept. of History, AMU. A firm believer in our Ganga Jamuni Tehzeeb, I am passionate about gaining and sharing knowledge and these days I am doing it via the social media platform.

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      © 2018 Rana Safvi - A blog Exploring Ganga Jamuni Tehzeeb of India, website handcrafted by Abu Sufiyan.