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| Qudsiya Bagh is today a modern public park north of Kashmere Gate across the road from the Inter State Bus Depot. It was the garden palace of Qudsiya Begum who started her life as a dancing girl. She caught the eye of the Emperor Muhammad Shah who was so fascinated by her that he married her, giving her a short-lived position of power and splendour. The garden palace she built was an elegant pleasure house embodying the fashions of the day and is said to have been a place of luxury and reckless amusement. |
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Today, only a handful of ruins – the old entrance gateway and a crumbling mosque half-hidden by shrubbery, remain as a testimony to its past glory. The building was existing up to the siege of Delhi in 1857, but was destroyed when General Nicholson pounded the Water Bastion and Kashmere Gate from behind its walls. |
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| INTACH Delhi Chapter proposed to develop the renovated building as a museum to commemorate eminent women of Delhi, their contributions to the city and the times they lived in. The display at the museum will be divided in chronological sections: |
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Ancient Delhi |
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Medieval Delhi |
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Mughal Delhi |
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The British period |
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The Struggle for Independence |
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Each of these sections is expected to place prominent women of the period in their political, cultural and social context. This will give insights into the lives of the women as well as make the exhibits visually more interesting.
The project has been approved by Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and government of NCT of Delhi. Release of funds for the project is awaited following which work on the project can commence. |
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