| Khooni Darwaza | |
|---|---|
 Khooni Darwaza | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Mughal-Afghan |
| Town or city | Delhi |
| Country | India |
| External image | |
|---|---|
 Painting of the Khooni Darwaza[usurped] |
28°38′10″N 77°14′28″E / 28.6360°N 77.2410°E Khooni Darwaza (Hindi: खूनी दरवाज़ा, Urdu: خونی دروازہ literally Bloody Gate), also referred to as Lal Darwaza (Hindi:लाल दरवाज़ा, Red Gate) was initially called as Kabuli Darwaza, The gate is located near Delhi Gate, on the Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg in Delhi, India. It is one of the 13 surviving gates in Delhi. It is just south of the fortified Old Delhi and was constructed by Sher Shah Suri.
Khooni Darwaza was situated on an open tract of land before the rise of modern buildings around it. It lies today on the Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg opposite the Arun Jaitley cricket ground, which lies to its east. To the west is the entrance to the Maulana Azad Medical College. It lies about half a kilometre to the south of the Delhi Gate of Old Delhi.[1]
The Khooni Darwaza (Bloody Gate) is first found by name in history after three princes of the Mughal dynasty - Bahadur Shah Zafar's sons Mirza Mughal and Mirza Khizr Sultan and grandson Mirza Abu Bakht, were shot by a British officer, Major William Hodson, before the war of independence. Hodson obtained the surrender of the Emperor, and the next day asked for an unconditional surrender from the three princes at Humayun's Tomb. Hodson arrested about 16 members of the Emperor's family and was transporting them from Humayun's Tomb in a bullock cart accompanied by a detachment of 100 "sowars" (Indian cavalrymen in the British service). On reaching this gate, he was stopped and surrounded by thousands of Muslims, with white cloth tied on their foreheads (a symbol for the shroud) Jehadis or Ghazis. Hodson later recalled, "I was surrounded on all sides by Ghazis as far as my eyes could see." It is said that Hodson ordered the three to get down at the spot, stripped them of their jewelled swords and shot them dead at point blank range.[3] The bodies were then taken away and put up for public display for three days in front of a Kotwali near Chandni Chowk.[1]
The Khooni Darwaza was an archway at the time of the revolt of 1857 and not a gate in the traditional sense.[4] It is often mistaken for the original Kabuli Gate of Old Delhi.[by whom?]
During the riots of 1947, more bloodshed occurred near the gate when several refugees going to the camp established in Purana Qila were killed here.[1]
Khooni Darwaza is today a protected monument under the aegis of the Archaeological Survey of India.
It gained more notoriety in November 2002 when a medical student was raped there by three youths.[5] The incident sparked much uproar and was also discussed in the Parliament of India.[6] Following the incident, the monument was sealed to the general public.
The gate is 15.5 m (50.9 ft) high and built with Delhi quartzite stone. Three staircases lead to three different levels of the gate.[1]
The three-tiered structure is believed to have been a display board used to present the heads of offenders and enemies during Sher Shah Suri's time.[7]
