The Mughal Pavilion

Ninad Pandit, Laura Lee Schmidt | 2010

Summary

In the summer of 2006, a structure of no particular archaeological significance was discovered in the process of clearing the overgrown shrubbery in the historic neighbourhood of Nizamuddin in Delhi. This artefact, presumably a tomb, was marked by a complete ruination of its structure. The cloister vault covering its square base had caved in, the stone latticework patterns were lost, and no markers of the commemorated life remained visible. Engulfed by dense vegetation, the structure went unnoticed by at least a century of formal and informal archaeological listings. The accidental discovery of this ancient object and its subsequent restoration acquires a special significance when seen through the framework of the ongoing practice of its restoration.