Canopy
Metcalfe's Canopy
Also known as Metcalfe's Folly, Metcalfe's Chhatri
A small nineteenth-century structure built into the Mehrauli landscape, reflecting the romantic garden culture of colonial Delhi.
See our guide to Mehrauli Archaeological Park
About Metcalfe's Canopy
Sir Thomas Metcalfe, the British Agent at the court of the last Mughal emperors, made himself a country retreat in Mehrauli in the nineteenth century out of the sixteenth-century tomb of Muhammad Quli Khan, one of Akbar's foster brothers, and called it Dilkusha, 'delight of the heart'.
Around it he added garden follies in the romantic taste of the day: a canopy in the form of a Mughal chhatri set on a mound, a boat house and other ornamental structures, which together came to be known as Metcalfe's Folly. They're scattered through Mehrauli Archaeological Park and make a curious contrast with the Sultanate tombs around them.
Metcalfe's Canopy At A Glance
- Location
- Mehrauli, Delhi
- Type
- Canopy
- Heritage Status
- Colonial-era structure
- Entry
- Arranged by your guide on the day
Also Covered Here
- Mughal-era Metcalfe's Folly
- A picturesque historic structure that forms part of the unusual mix of medieval ruins and colonial-era interventions in Mehrauli.
Good To Know
Visiting Metcalfe's Canopy
What is Metcalfe's Folly?
- The name given to the garden follies Sir Thomas Metcalfe built around his Mehrauli retreat, the best known being this chhatri-style canopy on a mound. They stand in Mehrauli Archaeological Park, which is free to walk through.
Is it worth the detour?
- As part of a walk through Mehrauli Archaeological Park, yes; it's a few minutes from Jamali Kamali and Rajon Ki Baoli.
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