Sheesh Mahal, Shalimar Garden to be restored by year-end

New Delhi
Restoration of 17th century Sheesh Mahal and Shalimar Bagh garden is likely to be completed by the end of the year, officials said, a day after lieutenant governor (LG) VK Saxena reviewed progress at the site. The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) will restore the park, where work has been underway since June, and the Archaeological Survey of India will anchor the restoration of the Sheesh Mahal structure.
Officials from the LG office on Saturday said that this was the LG’s third visit to the Mughal-era heritage structure and garden, which were a picture of neglect and deterioration until a few months ago. Located within the 150-acre Shalimar Bagh sprawl, the Sheesh Mahal was in a dilapidated condition —red sandstone walls were cracked, pillars were chipped and a fountain was non-functional.
“The main building has a well behind it from where water was pulled up to a storage on the roof. That water then fell down in a gradient, feeding the channels in front of the building and the pressure caused due to gradient led the water to flow out from the fountains in the channel,” an official said.
Officials said around 30 artisans, mostly from Rajasthan, have been working on the structure for the past three months. “Work is also in progress to revive the water body that once existed here and fed the network of water channels and fountains in the Charbagh-style garden,” the official said.
Saxena took to social media platform X to express his satisfaction with the progress of the work so far and said, “Inspected the progress of restoration works at the Mughal Era Shalimar Bagh – Sheesh Mahal in North Delhi yesterday. Rejuvenation works set into motion after my last visit at this monument which hosted the coronation of Emperor Aurangzeb in 1658 is being carried out by DDA and ASI.”
Shalimar Bagh finds a mention in various historical documents — it was planned by Shah Jahan, and some accounts say that it was commissioned by Shah Jahan’s wife, Akbarabadi Begum.
Experts, however, say that DDA does not have expertise in restoration, and the terms of transfer and monitoring of these projects should be carefully decided. Recently, in two separate anti-encroachment drives in Mehrauli Archaeological Park and Sanjay Van, the DDA’s role was criticised after it demolished multiple centuries-old religious structures, calling them “unauthorised encroachment”.