Lodhi's smaller monuments set for G20 facelift

NEW DELHI: Delhi's iconic Lodhi Gardens has, for decades, been synonymous with the Shish Gumbad and Bada Gumbad or the mausoleums of Sikandar Lodi and Muhammad Shah

- Sadia Akhtar

But in that time, these towering edifices cast a long shadow across several smaller structures of similar vintage peppered across the sprawling gardens, which lie sandwiched between Khan Market and Lodhi Road.

To remedy this, the Delhi government has put in place a restoration plan to give three of these unassuming structures facelifts and help turn the spotlight on them ahead of the G20 summit in September, said officials aware of the matter.

The state government's archaeology department is likely to begin work on the three-a mosque, a turret, and an enclosure-in August, added the officials. The mosque in question is single-chambered, with three bays, as well as three arched mihrabs (prayer niches) on the west wall.

Sanjay Garg, deputy director of the Delhi government's archaeology department, said, "We have three monuments under our jurisdiction that we aim to put on the tourist map. The monuments will be conserved and restored so that visitors can appreciate the heritage and architecture."