Coronation Park, Delhi | The Travelling Slacker

The Coronation Park was the venue of three major coronations of the Raj. The first one was in 1877, that proclaimed Queen Victoria is the Empress of India. The second and the third ones i.e. the coronations of Edward VII and George V were also the subjects of the earliest films ever shot in India. They have now found their way to the youtube. The first two were symbolic event organized by the Viceroys but the last one was attended by the King himself.

But despite such illustrious past, the park is not visited by many as it is located somewhat far off from the heart of the city in the North Western corner near Burari. In case you are wondering, the best way to reach the GTB Nagar Metro, locate the road to Burari and take a shared Tempo to Nirankari Sarovar (Which is located opposite of the Coronation Park and is a better known destination due to large flow of devotees of the sect).

As of now what remains here is the Obelisk erected in 1911 and some puzzling structure of doubtful antiquity. Parts of the plot have been turned into a children’s park, which is a torturous idea to begin with. But this probably contributes to whatever minuscule traffic it receives.

There are several statues on all the corners of the park. What is interesting is that none of them were originally erected here. Most of them were from Lutyen’s Delhi and after independence they were moved here probably to prevent them from being constant reminders of the colonial past. The one that is the tallest is the statue of King George V himself. Identity of the remaining statues are not clearly established but are assumed to be of various viceroys.

Nevertheless, he statues are intricately crafted. Even the posteriors have been sculpted to the last detail. While George V stood tall, Lord Hardinge seemed to be the most popular one with the crows and other birds. I waited for half an hour to get a clear snap but the crow refused to leave. Finally I threatened to throw stones at it and that finally did the trick.