Zafar Mahal

Zafar Mahal, in Mehrauli village, in South Delhi, India, is considered as the last monumental structure built as a summer palace during the fading years of the Mughal era. The building has two components namely, the Mahal or the palace, which was built first by Akbar Shah II in the 18th century, and the entrance gate that was reconstructed in the 19th century by Bahadur Shah Zafar II, popularly known as "Zafar" (the nom de plume of Bahadur Shah II) meaning ‘Victory’. It has a forlorn history because Bahadur Shah Zafar, who wished to be buried in the precincts of the Zafar Mahal (palace) and the famous Dargah of Khwaja Qutubuddin Bakhtiar Kaki in Mehrauli, Delhi, was deported by the British to Rangoon after the failed Revolt of 1857, where he died of old age.

The monument today is in a neglected and ruined state, locals play cricket and gamble freely inside the protected monument. The 18th-century palace has been all but subsumed by unauthorised constructions.

Text adapted from “Zafar Mahal (Mehrauli)” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Zafar Mahal ranks #4,447 of 8,764 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #161 of the 220 mapped in India. Founded c. 1750, it is older than 18% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 638 atlas entries founded in the 18th century. Its Wikipedia articles were opened 1,355 times in the last 60 days, more than 57% of the atlas. 9 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. The nearest day-trip guide is Delhi, 17 km away. See how India compares in the castle statistics.

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