Lodhi Garden, New Delhi

Lodhi Garden is central Delhi's favourite park, with Sultanate-era tombs set among its lawns. Here are its NDMC timings and the monuments worth finding on a walk.

Lodhi Garden (also spelled Lodi Gardens) is a public park on Lodhi Road in central New Delhi, maintained by the New Delhi Municipal Council. It was laid out around a group of older tombs in 1936 as Lady Willingdon Park, and was relandscaped in 1968. Its lawns, trees and paths surround some of the finest monuments of the Sayyid and Lodi dynasties, the last rulers of the Delhi Sultanate before the Mughals.

The octagonal tomb of Muhammad Shah (died 1444), the third Sayyid ruler, has a verandah of arches and chhatris on its roof. Sikandar Lodi's tomb of 1517 is also octagonal and stands inside a walled enclosure. Near the centre, the Bara Gumbad is a large square domed building from the 1490s with an attached mosque known for its carved stucco. Facing it, the Shisha Gumbad still carries traces of the glazed blue tiles that gave it its name.

The Athpula, a seven-arched bridge from Akbar's time, crosses a stream near the small lake. The garden is one of Delhi's most popular places for morning walks and runs. It also has a bonsai park, a glasshouse and many birds. There are several gates, including ones on Lodhi Road near the India International Centre and on Max Mueller Marg. Jor Bagh on the Yellow Line is the nearest metro station. Entry is free.