Some distance from the Civil Lines in Bhai Parmanand Marg, little known and visited is Coronation Park. This is the famous venue for the last Durbar in India on 11th December of 1911.The first Durbar was in 1877 to commemorate Queen Victoria as Empress of India. The second was to commemorate the accession of Edward VII to the throne in 1903 but it is the third one held in 1911 which actually had the King and Queen attending. On this occasion King George V proclaimed Delhi as the new capital of India and Queen Mary laid the foundation stone. The capital was moved from Calcutta to Delhi and Lutyens was the architect encharged with taking this forward.
It was Lord Harding however, the Viceroy at the time, who organised the Durbar of 1911. For any of you wanting to see what this splendid event looked like go to the "1911" Bar at the Imperial Hotel, order a drink and then wander round inspecting all the wonderful pictures of that time.
The park now is a huge expanse on which boys play cricket. In the middle rises an impressive Obelisk to commemorate the Durbar of 1911.
Just to the side of the obelisk is the park. When I went I was at the same time shocked and saddened by what I saw. The park is small but dotted with red stone plinths. On some of these plinths stand imposing figures of the era commemorating their importance in the history of India.
To the side, lesser statues but no less significant of important personalities of the day. The park is shamefully neglected, with weeds growing out of control and the pigeons damaging the statues. Some have been destroyed or lie on the ground. It is sad to see this and since I visited I was asking various people about the park in an effort to find out more. Is it the British High Commission who have neglected this or the Indian Government ? It is more likely to be the latter and this was confirmed in the Times of India recently in an article to say that plans are afoot to restore the Park in time for the centenary celebrations in December of 2011. I will hopefully visit again and blog about the changes.
Till then, do not be put off, this is a fascinating step back in time and one well worth seeing.
Your pictures remind me of the poem "Ozymandias" by Shelley:
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Who said: `Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed.
And on the pedestal these words appear --
"My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!"
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away."
Shelley captured so well how imperial power ends in wrecked, broken and neglected statutes, even as it always imagines that it will be permanent.
Sharmishtha
HI Sharmishtha what a beautiful and moving comment. Shelleys poetry evokes the sentiments beautifully. Thank you for sharing this with me.
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