Khooni Darwaza
Encyclopedia
Khooni Darwaza also referred to as Lal Darwaza (Hindi:लाल दरवाज़ा, Red Gate), is located near Delhi Gate
, on the Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg in Delhi
, India
. It is one of the 13 surviving gates in Delhi. It was just south of the fortified Old Delhi
constructed by Sher Shah Suri
.
opposite the Feroz Shah Kotla
cricket ground, which lies to its east. To the west is the entrance to the Maulana Azad Medical College
. It lies about half a kilometre to the south of the Delhi Gate of Old Delhi
.
on September 22, 1857 during the Indian Rebellion of 1857
(also known as the First War of Indian Independence). After having secured the surrender of the Emperor, Hodson the next day asked for an unconditional surrender from the three princes at Humayun's Tomb
. They had gathered an army of thousands of rebels and refused. Hodson, armed with one hundred horsemen ordered the band to disarm which they did. Thus he got an unconditional surrender of the three princess. On their way to the Red Fort, Hodson ordered the three to get down at the spot, stripped them naked and shot them dead at point blank range. The bodies were then taken away and put up for public display in front of a Kotwali.
The Khooni Darwaza was an archway during the revolt of 1857 and not a gate in its traditional sense. It is usually mistaken for the original Kabul Gate of Old Delhi. A lot of legends have since been woven around the place a lot of them unverified and most likely a result of the depressing name. A few legends attributed to the place, but are unlikely to have occurred at the location (it is probable that these incidents took place at the Kabul Gate):
Emperor Jehangir who succeeded his father Akbar to the throne was resisted by some of Akbar's Navaratnas
. He ordered two sons of Abdul Rahim Khan-I-Khana
, one of the Navratnas, to death at this gate. Their bodies were left to rot at the gate.
Aurangzeb
(Shah Jahan's son) defeated his elder brother Dara Shikoh
in the struggle for the throne and had his head displayed at the gate.
The gate is supposed to have seen bloodshed in 1739 when Delhi was ransacked by Nadir Shah of Persia. However, this is also disputed - according to some sources, this massacre occurred at another gate of the same name located in the Dariba locality of Chandni Chowk
.
A few stories also refer to the place being called so during the Mughal reign but there is no record of any mention of the Khooni Darwaza before the events of 1857.
, more bloodshed occurred near the gate when several refugees going to the camp established in Purana Qila were killed here.
Khooni Darwaza is today a protected monument under the aegis of the Archaeological Survey of India
.
It gained more notoriety in December 2002, when a medical student was rape
d there by three youths. The incident sparked much uproar and was also discussed in the Parliament of India
. Following the incident, the monument was sealed to the general public.
stone. Three staircases lead to different levels of the gate.
Delhi Gate (Delhi)
Delhi Gate is the southern gate of one of the many gates of the historic walled city of Delhi, or Shahjahanabad. The gate links the New Delhi city with the old walled city of Delhi...
, on the Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg in Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. It is one of the 13 surviving gates in Delhi. It was just south of the fortified Old Delhi
Old Delhi
Old Delhi , walled city of Delhi, India, was founded as Shahjahanabad by Mughal Emperor Shahjahan in 1639. It remained the capital of the Mughals until the end of the Mughal dynasty....
constructed by Sher Shah Suri
Sher Shah Suri
Sher Shah Suri , birth name Farid Khan, also known as Sher Khan , was the founder of the short-lived Sur Empire in northern India, with its capital at Delhi, before its demise in the hands of the resurgent Mughal Empire...
.
Location
Khooni Darwaza was situated on an open tract of land before the rise of modern buildings around it. It lies today on the Bahadur Shah Zafar MargBahadur Shah Zafar Marg
Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg , is a road in Delhi, India. It is named after the last Mughal Emperor of India, Bahadur Shah II...
opposite the Feroz Shah Kotla
Feroz Shah Kotla
The Feroz Shah Kotla or Kotla was originally a fortress built by Sultan Ferozshah Tughlaq to house his version of Delhi city called Ferozabad. A pristine polished sandstone pillar from the 3rd century B.C...
cricket ground, which lies to its east. To the west is the entrance to the Maulana Azad Medical College
Maulana Azad Medical College
The Maulana Azad Medical College is a government medical college in Delhi affiliated to University of Delhi. It is named after Indian freedom fighter and first education minister of independent India Maulana Abul Kalam Azad. It is located at Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi...
. It lies about half a kilometre to the south of the Delhi Gate of Old Delhi
Old Delhi
Old Delhi , walled city of Delhi, India, was founded as Shahjahanabad by Mughal Emperor Shahjahan in 1639. It remained the capital of the Mughals until the end of the Mughal dynasty....
.
History
The Khooni Darwaza (Bloody Gate) earned its name after the three princes of the Mughal dynasty - Bahadur Shah Zafar's sons Mirza Mughal and Kizr Sultan and grandson Abu Bakr, were shot by William HodsonWilliam Stephen Raikes Hodson
Brevet Major William Stephen Raikes Hodson was a British leader of irregular light cavalry during the Indian Rebellion of 1857 . He was known as "Hodson of Hodson's Horse."His most notable action was to apprehend the Emperor of India...
on September 22, 1857 during the Indian Rebellion of 1857
Indian Rebellion of 1857
The Indian Rebellion of 1857 began as a mutiny of sepoys of the British East India Company's army on 10 May 1857, in the town of Meerut, and soon escalated into other mutinies and civilian rebellions largely in the upper Gangetic plain and central India, with the major hostilities confined to...
(also known as the First War of Indian Independence). After having secured the surrender of the Emperor, Hodson the next day asked for an unconditional surrender from the three princes at Humayun's Tomb
Humayun's Tomb
Humayun's tomb is the tomb of the Mughal Emperor Humayun. The tomb was commissioned by Humayun's wife Hamida Banu Begum in 1562 AD, and designed by Mirak Mirza Ghiyath, a Persian architect...
. They had gathered an army of thousands of rebels and refused. Hodson, armed with one hundred horsemen ordered the band to disarm which they did. Thus he got an unconditional surrender of the three princess. On their way to the Red Fort, Hodson ordered the three to get down at the spot, stripped them naked and shot them dead at point blank range. The bodies were then taken away and put up for public display in front of a Kotwali.
The Khooni Darwaza was an archway during the revolt of 1857 and not a gate in its traditional sense. It is usually mistaken for the original Kabul Gate of Old Delhi. A lot of legends have since been woven around the place a lot of them unverified and most likely a result of the depressing name. A few legends attributed to the place, but are unlikely to have occurred at the location (it is probable that these incidents took place at the Kabul Gate):
Emperor Jehangir who succeeded his father Akbar to the throne was resisted by some of Akbar's Navaratnas
Navaratnas
Navaratnas Nauratan was a term applied to a group of nine extraordinary people in a emperor's court in India...
. He ordered two sons of Abdul Rahim Khan-I-Khana
Abdul Rahim Khan-I-Khana
Khanzada Mirza Khan Abdul Rahim Khan-e-Khana , also known as Rahim was a composer in the times of Mughal emperor Akbar, and one of his main nine ministers in his court, also known as the Navaratnas; he is most known for his Hindi couplets and his books on Astrology...
, one of the Navratnas, to death at this gate. Their bodies were left to rot at the gate.
Aurangzeb
Aurangzeb
Abul Muzaffar Muhy-ud-Din Muhammad Aurangzeb Alamgir , more commonly known as Aurangzeb or by his chosen imperial title Alamgir , was the sixth Mughal Emperor of India, whose reign lasted from 1658 until his death in 1707.Badshah Aurangzeb, having ruled most of the Indian subcontinent for nearly...
(Shah Jahan's son) defeated his elder brother Dara Shikoh
Dara Shikoh
His Highness, The Imperial Prince Dara Shikoh was the eldest son and the heir apparent of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan and his wife Mumtaz Mahal. His name دارا شكوه in Persian means "Darius the Magnificent"...
in the struggle for the throne and had his head displayed at the gate.
The gate is supposed to have seen bloodshed in 1739 when Delhi was ransacked by Nadir Shah of Persia. However, this is also disputed - according to some sources, this massacre occurred at another gate of the same name located in the Dariba locality of Chandni Chowk
Chandni Chowk
Chandni Chowk , originally meaning moonlit square or market, is one of the oldest and busiest markets in Old Delhi, now in central north Delhi, India...
.
A few stories also refer to the place being called so during the Mughal reign but there is no record of any mention of the Khooni Darwaza before the events of 1857.
Post-independence
During the riots of 1947Partition of India
The Partition of India was the partition of British India on the basis of religious demographics that led to the creation of the sovereign states of the Dominion of Pakistan and the Union of India on 14 and 15...
, more bloodshed occurred near the gate when several refugees going to the camp established in Purana Qila were killed here.
Khooni Darwaza is today a protected monument under the aegis of the Archaeological Survey of India
Archaeological Survey of India
The Archaeological Survey of India is a department of the Government of India, attached to the Ministry of Culture . The ASI is responsible for archaeological studies and the preservation of archaeological heritage of the country in accordance with the various acts of the Indian Parliament...
.
It gained more notoriety in December 2002, when a medical student was rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
d there by three youths. The incident sparked much uproar and was also discussed in the Parliament of India
Parliament of India
The Parliament of India is the supreme legislative body in India. Founded in 1919, the Parliament alone possesses legislative supremacy and thereby ultimate power over all political bodies in India. The Parliament of India comprises the President and the two Houses, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha...
. Following the incident, the monument was sealed to the general public.
Architecture
The gate is 15.5 m (50.9 ft)high and built with Delhi quartziteQuartzite
Quartzite is a hard metamorphic rock which was originally sandstone. Sandstone is converted into quartzite through heating and pressure usually related to tectonic compression within orogenic belts. Pure quartzite is usually white to gray, though quartzites often occur in various shades of pink...
stone. Three staircases lead to different levels of the gate.