Barapullah bridge: A lost piece of history in plain sight

New Delhi
Millions of motorists from Delhi and NCR cross the Barapullah corridor – a critical signal-free link that connects parts of south and central Delhi to east Delhi and Noida – every week. But the genesis of the corridor’s name is a factoid that finds mention only in niche books that describe the city’s history.
Its namesake is a 400-year-old Mughal-era bridge, dubbed Barapullah, because of 12 prominent piers that dot the structure, which lies under the Barapullah flyover, behind the Nizamuddin railway station, with one end of the bridge overlapping with the start of the Madrasi Colony in Jangpura-B.
Decrepit and unrecognisable, the effects of time and neglect have taken a heavy toll on the heritage structure. Standing over the Barapullah drain, one can see an accumulation of untreated sewage from surrounding areas and de-silting work going on, barely befitting the history of a cultural site. Along one side of the flyover, a line of vegetable stalls are stacked against the pavement. Unfinished concrete structures — part of a colony that has come to exist adjacent to the bridge — have broken into the bridge, severely damaging the piers.
People living in the colony, too, seem to be unaware of the bridge’s importance. To them, the market that used to reside on the bridge a month ago, till the encroachments were removed, was much more important as it was the local place to procure daily necessities, clothes and shoes.
In an attempt to revive it for use by only pedestrians, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) started working on the conservation plan by the second week of August. A senior ASI official said that while the agency is in the process of drawing up a plan for conservation and restoration, the work is scheduled to start in another month.
The impetus for revival comes after Delhi lieutenant governor VK Saxena visited the 14-metre-wide, 195-metre-long bridge on August 4 and instructed ASI to restore it within three months. The structure was in a dilapidated condition and heavily encroached.
A historic, but neglected, structure
Built in the early 17th century during the reign of Mughal emperor Jahangir, the bridge, according to historians, was constructed over a tributary of the Yamuna. According to the revised edition of the book “Delhi and its Neighbourhood”, published by ASI in 2001, the bridge was built on the Old Mathura Road, a kilometre east of the Rahim Khan-i-Khanan’s Tomb — a massive structure made of stone and lime mortar, pattered with marble blocks, which is visible on the left when driving from Humayun Tomb towards Bhogal.
An excerpt from the book mentions, “It [the Barapullah bridge] consists of 11 arched openings, but 12 piers which appear to have given it its name, meaning ‘12 piers’. Each pier is surmounted by a two-metre high minar.”
The once-mentioned Yamuna “tributary” is now nowhere to be found — likely lost in the centuries of development and concretisation that have altered the course of the river and consumed many such rivulets.
Instead, a wide drain, adjacent to the Nizamuddin Basti, passes under the bridge. Repeated use, neglect and heavy encroachment have completely worn the bridge out – now barely recognisable as a heritage structure.
According to historian and author Swapna Liddle, “The bridge was commissioned by Mihr Banu Agha, the chief eunuch in charge of the royal household during the reign of Jahangir. Mihr Banu Agha came to live in Delhi after his retirement.”
The road between the bridge and Humayun’s Tomb was a tree-lined path that Mughals used to cross the Yamuna and reach the Nizamuddin Dargah, on their way to Agra, according to historians.
There is, however, some uncertainty about the exact year of construction of the bridge.
While some historians believe that the bridge was constructed in 1612-1613; according to ASI’s book, ‘Delhi and its Neighbourhood’, the year has been listed as 1621-22.
“There was an inscription on one of its arches, now not traceable, according to which, it was built in 1030 A.H. (1621-22) by Mihr Banu Agha, the chief eunuch of Jahangir’s court,” the book mentions.
According to “The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology”, A.H. or Anno Hegirae stands for years according to the Islamic calendar starting in one A.H., when Muhammad was banished from Mecca. Year one A.H. is equivalent to 622 AD or Anno Domini in the Christian calendar.
A conservation assistant of ASI, closely associated with the restoration plan of the Barapullah bridge, said that the date of completion of the entire conservation process is uncertain at the moment and will only be able to be finalised once the work starts.
Complexities of rebuilding a 400-year-old structure
On August 11, ASI officials looking after the restoration of the bridge inspected it and laid forth a complex plan that aims to give the bridge back its historical charm. This plan involves removing layers that were added to the bridge.
Huge heaps of garbage lay on top of the bridge at present, as authorities continue de-silting and removing tonnes of garbage from the drain below. The 12 piers that line the entire bridge, on each side, are now broken and defaced with random scribbles. The bridge, which was once a passageway for kings, now has to be observed very closely to be recognised as remotely historic.
A senior ASI official said that the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), Public Works Department (PWD), and other stakeholders, along with ASI, were successful in removing all the encroachments on August 5, which is the first step before restoration work can start.
“Nearly 120 shops were removed. One gate has been set up on one side of the bridge and another one will be set up on the opposite side, to stop any vehicular flow. Only pedestrians will be allowed. This is happening simultaneously with the de-silting of the Barapullah drain, which is in the final stages as well,” the official said.
A second ASI official said, “Once the conservation work starts, the first step will be dismantling the bituminous layer of the bridge to reveal the original material. The original stone used was probably Delhi quartzite, which was extensively used during the Mughal era and came from nearby hills.”
“Once the original material used is confirmed, we will bring stones according to the requirement to restore places of the bridge which have deteriorated over time,” the official, also a conservation assistant, said.
Following the inspection of the bridge, ASI officials further concluded that the core conservation work will also include lime and surkhi plaster on the bridge wall and arches, fencing of the bridge on both sides with iron grills, masonry, and pointing work.
The work will be carried out in two parts.
In the first phase, the primary aim will be removing the upper layers of construction to reveal the original material used in making the bridge, following which restoration will be done according to how damaged it is.
The second phase will concentrate on fixing the boundary wall and fencing. An iron gate has been installed on one end of the bridge, to regulate usage of the bridge by rickshaws and autos. A similar gate will be installed on the other end, once the de-silting of the drain is completed. This phase will also focus on conservation of the piers, which have been chipped at places. ASI officials said the bridge will also be fenced.
The bridge, even in its worn-down state, holds great historical significance and is one of the many heritage structures peppered across the Capital. ASI officials said that once the entire area is cleaned and the bridge is restored, it might offer yet another spot in the city for reliving history, even though its resemblance to the original structure might be somewhat compromised due to the heavy urbanisation around the bridge.