Portion of Qudsiya Bagh changed to Maharana Pratap

A portion of the Mughal-era Qudsiya Bagh, which has a statue of Maharana Pratap, has been named after the legendary Mewar king, officials said on Saturday.

The move by the BJP-led North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) comes ahead of the Delhi Assembly polls.

The 18th century-era garden named after Queen Qudsiya was once a splendid place with a grand mosque, ceremonial gates and other structures.

Located in Kashmere Gate area, it is spread over nearly 36 acres and the upkeep is done by the NDMC, a senior official said.

"A portion of the Qudsiya Bagh having the equestrian statue of Maharana Pratap has been named after the king. The entire park will still be called Qudsiya Bagh," the official said.

The statue has been there in the park for over 30 years. It was moved by the Delhi Metro authorities within the garden during tunnelling work and after that it was reinstalled.

"Some Kshatriya community members had approached NDMC a few years ago to shift the statue to ISBT Kashmere Gate, but we did not move it. Another statue was installed at ISBT later by a group" the official said.

The Bagh, which had suffered damage during the 1857 Mutiny, currently has only one gateway, the Qudsiya Mosque and some building ruins.

"The ASI maintains the archaeological remnants inside the Qudsiya Bagh," he said.

Mayor Avtar Singh on Saturday attended an event held at the park to mark the naming as 'Maharana Pratap Vatika'.

Besides, Tikona Park in Kashmere Gate area was named as Shri Ram Vatika and I & G Park at Majnu Ka Tilla as Shaheed Lalit Kumar Vatia, officials said.

NDMC Councillor Ravi Kaptan and corporation officials were also present at the events.

Singh said Maharana Pratap was a great warrior who waged a long battle against the Mughals and exhibited outstanding courage.

"Exemplary courage and astonishing bravery, shown by him in his lifetime, is worth emulating today for citizens of India," he said.

Singh also inaugurated the beautification work of the building of the Municipal Primary School at Adarsh Nagar.