Coronation Park- the unknown foundation of Lutyens' Delhi

When I first heard of a park with statues of ex rulers and viceroys of the British Raj, I was rather uncomfortable. Why would you want to remember an oppressive history. Yet to forget every dark tale of history

would be to belittle the importance of India’s freedom struggle. Moreover, it was here that the seeds of the city (Lutyen’s Delhi) were first laid.

The Coronation Park on Bhai Parmanand Marg(also known as Burari road) in North Delhi is one of the lesser known names in Delhi's wealth of historical monuments. The vast open space that we see today was the site for massive processions marking the reign of emperors and queens, historically known as The Delhi Durbar.

A visit to the park not only gives you a sense of history but you can also appreciate the fine detailed work and artistry used to carve out some very impressive statues one can see here. The huge statue of King George V is especially impressive.

In 40 years of British Rule in India, three major processions were held here. It was the venue of the Delhi Durbar of 1877 when Queen Victoria was proclaimed the Empress of India. Later it was used to celebrate the accession of King Edward VII in 1903, and, finally, it was here that the Durbar commemorated the coronation of King George V as Emperor of India.

Delhi was chosen as the site of the park because of its great historical legacy for such royal activities. The Durbars were a way to celebrate the accessions, and offer a spectacle of British grandeur to native rulers and people who attended these events.

Not to forget, it was during the third durbar, that the proclamation of building New Delhi was made. In 1911, it was announced that the capital of British-held territories in India was to be transferred from Calcutta to Delhi. The name "New Delhi" was given in 1927, and the new capital was inaugurated on 13 February 1931. New Delhi, also known as Lutyens' Delhi, was officially declared as the capital of the Union of India after the country gained independence on 15 August 1947.

After the Coronation Durbar, Edwin Lutyens was authorised by Lord Hardinge to proceed with preparing plans for building New Delhi. The shifting of capital to Delhi in 1912, as announced by the King in 1911 was a way to erase the memory of Mughal rule. The new capital was to be built south of Shahjahanabad (last Mughal city in Delhi).

The Imperial Hotel in New Delhi, considered a legacy of the colonial times, continues to display pictures of the Durbar in a Coffee Shop named "1911".

The park includes a Coronation Memorial erected as an obelisk, a four sided tapering monument that ends  in a pyramid like structure, made of sandstone. The memorial is erected over a high raise square with steps on all four sides. The memorial has been erected at exactly the same location where all the three British Durbars were held in the past. The inscription on the Memorial testifies the final Durbar.

Following the independence of India on 15 August 1947, the park has become the final resting place for some of the statues of former British kings, governors and officials of the British Raj. The statues were moved from various locations (including Rajpath) to the red stone plinths built in the park's specially designed enclosures, around the Obelisk.

The park also includes the largest and tallest statue, a 15 m (49 ft) high marble statue of King George the fifth, designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, opposite to the Obelisk. This statue had earlier stood atop a canopy in front of the India Gate, which is now vacant following the statue's removal in 1968. Nineteen pedestals were built to install the displaced statues but only five are fixed, while the remaining plinthsare vacant. Some of the statues were stolen or damaged after independence.

After much neglect, the park was restored by INTACH and Government of  Delhi in 2005. The vast expanse is now used as a park by community members for walks, and occasionally for major religious festivals and municipal conventions. The empty pedestals convey the end of British rule yet the place seems to encapsulate unheard stories from Pre-Independence India.