Today was a perfect day for an evening stroll at the Lodi Garden. One of the most beautiful parks in the city of Delhi, the Lodi Garden is also full of tombs of some of the Sultans of Delhi. Our first stop on this heritage walk is in fact the tomb of Mohammad Shah Sayyid, of the Sayyid dynasty. It stands prominently on elevated ground and the perimeter is marked by tall palms in a way that the beauty of the tomb is highlighted. Next to stands ‘Buddha’s Coconut’ or ‘narikel’ the tallest tree in this park. Continue Reading This Post

The rebellion of 1857 is one of the most significant events of the history of the city and for India. Variously known as the Mutiny, the First War of Independence, the Uprising and the Rebellion, it altered the history of the city. Delhi was one of the centres of the rebellion. It is here that the rebel sepoys from Meerut came, and got the support of the Mughal Emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar. The recapture of Delhi by the British forces comes as the most significant of victories in 1857-8. This heritage walk on 1857 tries to capture some moments of tension, conflict, hopelessness and anger which motivated both the rebels and the British. Our walk starts at Nicholson’s Cemetery and covers the neighbourhood of Kashmiri Gate, which was part of the Mughal capital of Shahjahanabad. The cemetery lies just outside the city walls and it is named after Brigadier-General John Nicholson, who is buried here. He is one of the heroes of British recapture of Delhi. Continue Reading This Post

The crowds at Chandni Chowk are an amazing sight, even on a Sunday morning when the market is officially closed. From Digambar Jain Lal Mandir (of the well known bird hospital) till Gurudwara Sisganj there were cars lined all along the road-of devotees to the Jain Mandir, Gauri Shankar temple, Central Baptist Church and Sisganj Gurdwara. Friends who visit the area are often surprised to find places of worship of all faiths so close to each other. But perhaps it is not such an unusual thing in the closely knit urban population as in our Purani Dilli. Continue Reading This Post

Photographs of heritage walk at Hauz Khas covering the monuments in Hauz Khas village & Deer Park. The monument is a madrasa built by Firuz Shah Tughluq & includes his own tomb. It is built on the edge of the Hauz I Alai, the tank created by Alauddin Khalji for his capital city of Siri. Firuz Shah renamed it Hauz Khas. Continue Reading This Post

No matter how experienced we are in leading heritage walks, talking to school students is always the most challenging! Perhaps as adults, we become set in the ways we think or can think. But for youngsters, nothing seems to be a taboo! We realized this yet again when we led a heritage walk to Red Fort for the students of Amity International School, Pushp Vihar, New Delhi. This was class seven and they all knew their history. The students divided themselves into 3 groups and each group named themselves after a Mughal emperors. So, we had Akbar, Babar and Shahjahan…the rulers whose family built the Red Fort and Shahjahanbad, being led by commoners of Delhi Heritage Walks: Awadhesh, Chhavi and Kanika! J

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