Site Name: Chhata
Date: 1611-1615 CE
Subject: Southeast facade of the triple-storied Southeast Gateway (Delhi Darwaza)
CENTER FOR ART AND ARCHAEOLOGY
A Mughal-period caravansarai or rest house
located about 90 metres east of the old Grand Trunk Road, in Chhata, Mathura
distric of Uttar Pradesh. Built between 1611 and 1615 CE, the sarai is
mentioned by seventeenth-century travellers such as Steel, Crowther, and the
French traveller V. Jacquemont, who described it as a large, fortified
structure. Partly constructed under the patronage of Sher Shah Suri and later
by Asaf Khan, it was likely completed under the orders of Emperor Jahangir. The
sarai is a rectangular enclosure with high battlemented walls, octagonal corner
towers, and imposing three-storeyed gateways. The monument is protected by the
Archaeological Survey of India (Agra Circle); however, it has suffered
considerable damage and alteration over time, including the loss of the
southeast bastion during the 1857 mutiny and extensive reuse of its cells and
gateways, though parts of the sarai remain occupied and a mosque within the enclosure
continues to function.
