It's not difficult locating Dara Shikoh’s library near the GPO at Kashmere Gate. Hardly half a kilometre walk from the historic Mughal gate and you are there. Nevertheless, not just the ordinary tourists but also heritage-enthusiasts miss this unique building inside the Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University campus. Perhaps, those expecting a medieval structure—Dara was a medieval prince, the eldest son of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal—fail to spot the building because it looks anything but a specimen of Mughal architecture, at least from the front. The Gothic pillars and wooden blinds covering the verandahs, all seem to be in keeping with the nearby colonial buildings. It’s only when one goes for a rear view that one can see Mughal arches made of slim red bricks. As one enters the building the contrast is more apparent. For, hidden behind the Gothic façade are typical Mughal decorative arched pillars, similar to those at the Red Fort.

But first, a bit of history: This was once the library of one of the most scholarly and spiritual princes in the history of India, a liberal intellectual who translated the Upanishads from Sanskrit to Persian. As the favourite child of his father, Dara was the crown prince, but unfortunately not destined to be the king. He was murdered by his brother, Aurangzeb and his body was hung at what’s called the Khooni Darwaza on Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg. Dara’s death in 1659 also meant that the building was handed over to the subedar of Lahore, Ali Mardan Khan. The building further changed hands before finally being captured by the British from the Marathas in 1803. It was used as the residence of Sir David Ochterlony, the first British resident of Delhi, who renovated the original building and added pillars and the verandah.

This perhaps explains why nothing typically Mughal in style or architecture is visible here at the outset. The premises also housed a government college and a school between 1804 and 1904. The building suffered considerable damage during the Revolt of 1857 and was also robbed of its precious books. Now, it functions as the office of the Archaeological Department of Delhi Government and has a gallery displaying relics and pottery, dating late Harappa and excavated from two sites—Mandawali near Nand Nagri and Bhorgarh near Narela. Confiscated sculptures also land here from the Tees Hazari court.

As one of the archaeologists in the building explained, when the department got this building in 1988, it was in a dilapidated condition and it took eight months to painstakingly restore the place. Nothing remotely Mughal was visible till an electrician accidentally came upon a wall that later turned out to be one of the Mughal arches. The basement on the rear side of the building was hidden by debris and a staircase. After removing the debris and stairs, the original Mughal structure with red sand stone arches and ornamental pillars was exposed in 2001—it was like rediscovering Dara’s library, says the archaeologist.