Situated in the heart of Priya Park in Vasant Vihar, New Delhi, Bara Lao ka Gumbad commands attention, visible from all corners of the park. This monument, dating back to the late 15th century CE, is believed to have been built for a dignitary from the Lodi period. The tomb shares architectural similarities with Bara Gumbad and Shish Gumbad in Lodi Gardens.
The imposing structure stands atop a raised terrace, featuring arched entrances with doorways supported by brackets on architraves—a characteristic of Lodi-era tombs. The dome was originally adorned with blue glazed tiles, which were restored during a significant renovation effort in 2018.
In the complex, there once stood a domed pavilion, part of a Baradari—a structure with twelve doorways. Though the pavilion has since vanished, remnants of the Baradari can still be seen.
During my visit, the caretaker did not permit me to take photos of the tomb with my mirrorless camera but oddly allowed mobile phone photography. At the time, this was quite frustrating—why renovate the tomb only to discourage visitors from capturing it? However, I later discovered a possible reason for this restriction.
The tomb is currently at the center of a legal dispute. Since 1948, a family had been living inside the structure for three generations but was evicted in preparation for the Commonwealth Games in 2010. The family had painted the tomb’s interior pink and installed electricity and running water. Surrounding the tomb, they had rented out land to fifteen families who lived in huts. Anup Singh, a member of the evicted family, claims the land belonged to them via the Wakf Board, inherited from his grandfather. A wakf, or waqf, formally known as Wakf-alal-aulad, is a permanent religious endowment in Islamic law, often used for Muslim charitable or religious purposes. It appears this dispute is still being contested in court.
Inside the tomb, there were four unmarked graves, which were destroyed at some point, possibly by the encroachers when they converted the tomb into a living space.
Near Bara Lao ka Gumbad, within the park, are the remnants of what is believed to be the earliest garden complex in India—the last surviving example of around 1,500 gardens laid out by Firoz Shah Tughlaq in the late 14th century.
Firoz Shah had a deep fondness for fruit orchards, and historical records describe the cultivation of a variety of plants in these gardens, including grapes, pomegranates, apples, melons, oranges, figs, lemons, red gooseberries, mangoes, beans, poppies, and black sugarcane, as well as numerous flowering plants and trees.
Additionally, the garden contains archaeological remnants of two wells and a water system. Although the channels are too damaged to fully trace their paths, we know from Firoz Shah’s other projects, such as Hisar and Firozabad, that he built highly advanced irrigation and canal systems.
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