The year 1857 is of great significance to the city of Delhi. It changed the life of the city and its people like perhaps, never before. The Mughals were gone, the city was witness and victim to tremendous violence and it was shorn of its status as a capital. The neighbourhood of Kashmiri Gate still carries the traces of the rebellion of 1857. This is where the most bitter battles were fought between the rebels and British armies. The British who emerged victors, marked these sites with memorials to their heroes. Our heritage walk this Sunday looks at some of these. It is remarkable that the city was the central to the events of 1857 and also in our imagination today, does not have a memorial which might try to represent the point of view of the rebels. 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 rebellion of 1857 is well known in Indian history. 1857 was the largest uprising anywhere against the British and Indians call it the first war of Independence, the Uprising or the simply the rebellion. For the other side, the British, it remains the Mutiny. After suppressing the rebellion, India was brought directly under the rule of the British Crown. Delhi was one of the biggest centers of the 1857 rebellion and our heritage walk in the northern ridge explores some of the sites where events of 1857 unfolded.

The first stop on our heritage trail is the Flagstaff tower. A look out space, it would have been one of the highest points on the ridge. This is where European men, women and children took shelter when they escaped the city of Shahjahanabad, away from the attacking rebels. They waited for help and when none came they moved further to Karnal. Now the area is surrounded by trees but photographs of 1858 show this land to be barren, with the Flagstaff tower standing lonely at this height. There was a photographer, Felice Beato who travelled around the country photographing the sites of the rebellion in the year 1858. His photos are a telling account of the situation then, and help us imagine it as we see those very sites today.

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These are pictures by Angela Karp, who attended the 1857 heritage walk at Kashmiri Gate

This heritage walk weaves its trail through the neighbourhood of Kashmiri Gate. Our first stop is Nicholson’s Cemetery, where the British hero John Nicholson is buried. He was an important figure in the British success in putting down the rebellion. At Kashmiri gate, our next stop, the destruction by cannon balls could clearly be seen. Some of the battlements too are missing from the top of the gate. The breach of Kashmiri Gate by the British forces was the turning point in their favour. It was exciting for everybody to climb atop the roof and look as far as St. James Church while the modern metro rail line works like city wall demarcating the city controlled by the rebels and the ridge where the British were camped. Moving ahead, we passed the Bengali Club (estb.1925) walked towards a market setup by Lala Sultan Singh. In the same complex, there stands an 18th century mosque called the Lal Masjid or Fakhrul Masajid. It was built by Khaniz i Fatima in the memory of her husband. Next spot was my personal favorite as I am an alumnus of Hindu College, it was fascinating to see and explain history of the same. Continue Reading This Post