Canopy Tomb in W Block Park (Mission for Indian History and Archaeology)

New Delhi, India

1959-62 Survey

Located approximately 300 m south-southwest of Zamrudpur village. Grid ref. I-11

This is a domed building with a square plan, a miḥrāb on the west, and entrances on the other three sides. There is a window on each side of the miḥrāb and all the entrances. On all sides, there appear to have been eaves in the centre; it is unusual that the brackets for the eaves still remain. The inside of the dome is decorated with cross vaults and tadpole shapes surrounding the circle designs at the top. This building is currently in use as an office for residential housing development, and its interior has completely changed. Period III.

IOC: V-7; ASI: IV-32

ザマッルドプル部落の南南西約300メートルにある。附図.I-11

ドームをいただく四角平面の建物で,西にミヒラーブを,他の三方に入口をもち,その左右に,それぞれ窓を開いている。すべての面の中央部上方に,かつて,庇があったらしく,ブラケットがのこっているのがめずらしい。ドーム内部は,頂部の円形文様を囲む,交叉アーチとおたまじゃくし型の文様とによって装飾されている。この建物は,現在では,住宅地造成の事務所として利用されているので,内部はまったく改変されてしまっている。第Ⅲ期。

東研.Ⅴ-7;ASI.Ⅳ-32

2015-18 Survey

The surrounding area has been turned into a park, and the exterior of the building has been covered in stucco. At one point it was used as a library, but it closed by 2015, and by 2018, it had become an ASI monument. The tomb is on a knoll surrounded by an iron fence. 

[現状]周囲を公園として整備、建物の外装もスタッコで上塗りした。一時、公園内の図書館だったが、2015年には閉鎖され、2018年にはASIのモニュメントとして保存される。墓建築が公園の丘上にあり、丘自体が鉄柵で囲まれる。

[平面]Monuments of Delhiによると、外形6.5m四方。西にミフラーブをもち、3方を開口する壁式ドーム建築。

[外観]低い基壇をもち、壁面と8角ドラムに頂部飾を回し、ミフラーブの西面は外側と上部に突出し、3方の開口部も同様な突出部でアーチを枠取る。突出部の壁面に、4つの持送を設け、1959-62年には西面の軒が残る。突出部の壁面上の頂部飾の脇にタレットを有し、ドームには蓮弁が残る。突出部壁面両脇に小アーチを分節する。開口部には梁柱入口を用いる。

[内観]各面中央開口部およびミフラーブの両側に窓を穿ち、ジャリを挿入する。スクインチ・アーチで8角形を導き、16連のアーチのアーチ上にドームをのせる。ドームの星形交差文様はT33と同様にドームに垂直なアーチを用い、中央メダイオンと星形の外側に涙型メダイオンを挿入する。ミフラーブおよび内部壁面両脇にはアーチ型を分節し、その両脇に小アーチがとりつく。

(Paragraphs 2nd, 3rd and 4th from the 2015-18 Survey are translated using Google Translate)

[Plan] According to Monuments of Delhi, the exterior dimensions are 6.5m square. It has a mihrab to the west and is a wall-type dome building with openings on three sides.

[Exterior] It has a low base, and the wall and octagonal drum are surrounded by a crown ornament. The west side of the mihrab protrudes outward and upward, and the openings on the three sides have arches framed by similar protrusions. Four corbels are set on the wall of the protruding part, and the eaves on the west side remain from 1959-62. There is a turret next to the crown ornament on the protruding wall, and lotus petals remain on the dome. Small arches are set on both sides of the protruding wall. The openings use beam-column entrances. 

[Interior] Windows are carved into the central opening on each side and on both sides of the mihrab, and jali is inserted. The octagon is formed by squinch arches, and the dome rests on top of 16 consecutive arches. The dome's star-cross pattern uses arches perpendicular to the dome, as in T33, and includes a central medallion and teardrop-shaped medallions on the outside of the star. Segmented arches are attached to both sides of the mihrab and interior walls, and small arches are attached to both sides of these.

Map Reference: Grid ref. I-11

IOC Reference: T36, V-7

ASI Reference: IV-32

Archived IOC Site Record: https://perma.cc/H5FQ-UYYJ 

Mission Credit Line: Mission for Indian History and Archaeology, University of Tokyo, in 1959-60, 1961-62: the Resurvey of the Delhi Monuments, Research and Information Centre for Asian Studies, Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia, University of Tokyo, in 2015-18.