Archive for the ‘Heritage sites in Delhi’ Category

City of Djinns: Exploring Kotla Firuz Shah, 5jul15

July 8, 2015 in DHW,Heritage sites in Delhi,Kotla Firuz Shah,Kotla Firuz Shah Heritage Walks | Comments (0)

‘I’m going to Kotla Firoz Shah’— say these words to a Delhi-ite, and more often than not, his/her first impression would be that you are going to watch a cricket match at the stadium by that name. Yet, just behind the stadium lies the Kotla Firoz Shah monument complex, housing the ruins of the fifth city of Delhi. With numerous arches and pathways with steep steps, the ruins are surrounded by lush green lawns. Birds of prey are constantly gliding around the area, making for quite a dramatic setting. It is not surprising then, that people think this area is haunted. The ruins were almost deserted on a Sunday morning, but that is not always the case. Popular belief about the presence of djinns brings throngs of people to the complex on Thursdays. They carry offerings and bring their wishes/prayers written on a piece of paper, in the hope that the djinns would fulfill their desires.

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Stories of Delhi, through a heritage walk in Mehrauli Village, 3Aug14

August 23, 2014 in Delhi Heritage Walks,DHW,Heritage sites in Delhi,Heritage Walks,Mehrauli Village,Monuments of Delhi | Comments (0)

For good or bad, Qutb Minar has over shadowed the rest of Mehrauli. I can give you names of several monuments which are completely neglected and in the danger of completely disappearing under modern city; it is high time for us to give due to these forgotten monuments. Mehrauli village is a unique place with ancient buildings, medieval tombs, mosques, sufi shrines, palaces and havelis, sarais, reservoirs, step wells and tanks, you name it and it has it all. Our heritage walk this Sunday, covered a little bit of this vast area. We started our trail with Yogmaya temple. (more…)


मेहरौली गांव – वक्त से भी लंबी दास्तां, 8 jun 14

June 13, 2014 in Delhi Heritage Walks,DHW,Heritage sites in Delhi,Heritage Walks,Mehrauli Village,Mehrauli Village Heritage Walks,Monuments of Delhi,Walking Tour | Comments (0)

मेहरौली जिसने शुरुआती हिंदू राजाओं की राजधानी लालकोट को अपनी जमीन पर देखा, जिसने गुलामों के बादशाह बन जाने का अजूबा देखा और देखा सारी बादशाहत को खाक बराबर समझने वाले कुतुब साहब जैसे दरवेश को. मेहरौली जहां योगमाया के मंदिर तक हिंदू-मुसलमान दोनों की पहुंच है, जहां सेंट जॉन का चर्च अपने वास्‍तु में हिंदू और इस्‍लामी इमारतों का मिला जुला रूप है, जहां सिखों के प्रसिद्ध योद्धा बंदा सिंह बहादुर का शहीदी स्‍थल है, (more…)


NatGeo Moment Awards, Instawalk @ Mehrauli, 1mar14

March 12, 2014 in Delhi Heritage Walks,DHW,Heritage sites in Delhi,Heritage Walks,Mehrauli Archaeological Park,Mehrauli Archaeological Park Heritage Walks,Monuments of Delhi,Walking Tour | Comments (0)

Pictures from Instawalk organised for NatGeo channel for the NatGeo Moment Awards 2014. This event was exclusively for 20 odd people selected for participation by NatGeo. The heritage walk + photography event (thus, the name, Instawalk) was organised at Mehrauli Archaeological Park & was led by our team member, Moby Zachariah. The walking tour included Balban’s tomb, Jamali Kamali Mosque & tomb, Thomas Metcalfe’s estate called Dilkusha & a stepwell called Rajon ki Baoli. The pics are by Kavita Singh, another team member at Delhi Heritage Walks. Thanks all for joining!

 

 


The hall of thousand pillars & more…heritage walk to Jahanpanah & Begumpur, 23feb14

in Begumpur,Delhi Heritage Walks,DHW,Heritage sites in Delhi,Heritage Walks,Jahanpanah,Monuments of Delhi,Walking Tour | Comments (0)

Monuments of Jahanpanah never fails to amaze you, the site is full of wonder and mystery. The name Jahanpanah means ‘Refuge of the World’ & was used for the fourth fortified city of Delhi constructed by Mohammad bin Tughluq in the 14th century. It is believed that his coming to throne was very dramatic and controversial after his father and founder of Tughluq dynasty, Ghiyasuddin Tughluq was killed by his own son. As per the plan, Mohd Tughluq linked the older cities, Lal Kot, the then Old Delhi and Siri of Alauddin Khalji, enclosed these cities and built his new city in the centre with his citadel, palace and a grand mosque at its heart. Today, one can see that the fortifications survive in a couple of places in south Delhi & the cluster of ruins in Sarvodaya Enclave is what is left of the citadel.  (more…)