On the day of separation from you in helplessness and loneliness, nothing consoles us but the sorrow we feel for you.

O Jamali! Resort to the door of the friend, for our refuge is the door of the beloved.

These are lines by poet & traveller, Sheikh Fazlullah, who went by the pen name Jamali. And his name lives on today…the park where our heritage walk was organized is locally known as Jamali Kamali. Officially, the Mehrauli Archaeological Park, very few know it by that name. The Mehrauli Archaeological Park is a minefield of archaeological remains! Everywhere the eye goes, there are remains of historic settlements, some almost devoured by vegetation. Close to the entrance is a clearing, beyond a gateway, which is a recently excavated archaeological site. I shared some of my surface finds with the group: a small clay toy shaped like a horse, bits & pieces of pottery! (more…)

There are many a heritage trails in old Delhi area. What is today the old city for us, was the capital city of Mughal empire, called Shahjahanabad. Built in the middle of the 17the century, it is full of old buildings, traditional food shops, traditional crafts & professions which are dying out. This walking tour combines sites of monumental heritage with food stops.  Hence the title ‘Heritage Walk & Street Food’.  (more…)

Our walking tour in Lodi Garden covers monuments scattered around the park, spread over an area of 90 acres. The monuments date back to the 15^th century but the park is a colonial invention. It was designed in 1936. Once called Bagh-i- Jud, a royal burial ground was landscaped by British & named Lady Willingdon Park. The present name, Lodi garden was given post independence. Now, one of the favorite parks for joggers in south Delhi, the garden is a perfect amalgamation of our glorious past and present day Delhi. (more…)

The Mehrauli Archaeological Park is a part of the Aravallis bits of which is landscaped & maintained by Delhi Development Authority.  Mehrauli being the oldest continuously inhabited area of Delhi has a long and fascinating history. This is where the first cities of Delhi came up. There are remains of Rajputs’ cities to monuments built by Delhi Sultans & then the Mughals. British could resist the temptation of compete with the Sultans of Delhi either. (more…)

This walking tour combines some sites of historical interest with food stops. Our starting point was Jama Masjid, the main congregation mosque built by Emperor Shah Jahan & is still an active mosque. It is one of the biggest in South Asia, the other competing mosques being the Badshahi Masjid in Lahore & the Taj ul Masajid in Bhopal. However, much of the grandeur & beauty of the mosque is lost because of poor maintenance; (more…)