Shahjahanabad, 1857

The beautiful engraving of the city of Shahjahanabad, the grand capital of Mughal India was published in The Illustrated London News on January 16, 1858.

In September, 1857 the British besiegers of Delhi had breached the city, putting many of its inhabitants to the sword, raping and pillaging as they went.

The Shahjahanabad was destroyed, including the city’s mansions.

The Red Fort with its Mughal Gardens, the spacious Jama Masjid compound and Daryaganj, the wide boulevard of Chandni Chowk with its mansions, the markets, houses, gardens and turrets that dot the city.

A broad Yamuna wound beside the ramparts of the walled city. Today the Ring Road is there.