The walk of the month for January was themed on 1857 uprising and its landmarks on the northern ridge.  The ridge is an exciting place to explore any time of the year. And this Sunday morning was a perfect day to plan the walk. We started at the Flagstaff Tower, near Delhi University VC’s office. British residents from cantonment of Delhi assembled here after the rebellion broke out in Delhi. They waited for help but none came their way and they fled to Punjab. Nearby is an enclosure which was the burial place of four British officers commanding native infantry stationed in Delhi, and were killed by the rebels. The graves do not exist anymore but the enclosure stands. From here we entered the narrow walking trails within the ridge and reached the Khooni Jheel. This water body is named so because bodies of British killed by the rebels and then then the rebels killed by the British were dumped here. Continue Reading This Post

Sunday evening saw the Hauz Khas monuments buzzing with activity: families with kids playing in the lawn, a group of youngsters playing cricket, friends hanging out, photographers and among these our group, out on a heritage walk. We meet at entrance to the Deer Park and our heritage trail starts in the direction of Hauz Khas village. Walking past the designer shops, we enter the madrasa in Hauz Khas through a small gateway. Those new to the neighbourhood are always amazed to find such a magnificent building hidden among the urban growth! The view of the lake and the grand ruins around it is simply breathtaking! One can only imagine its splendor way back in 14^th century. The madrasa is a 2 storey complex built along the edge of the tank. What survives today is bare skeleton of the original structure. One can make out the colonnaded halls and cells which perhaps housed students. Continue Reading This Post

Delhi was the centre of the Uprising of 1857. As a result, the area around the Mughal capital of Shahjahanabad is full of landmarks of the revolt. This heritage walk beings at Nicholson’s Cemetery, named after the British general who was fatally wounded fighting the rebels. His grave lies in the cemetery. The cemetery has several contemporary graves, one of the most prominent being that of Master Ramachandra, of Delhi College fame. The trail then continues into the fortified area of the former capital of Delhi. The Kashmiri Gate stands testimony to the battles of 1857. It is the point from where the Indian rebels stood to defend themselves from the British siege. The breaking of the defenses at Kashmiri Gate, turned the tide in British favour and they soon overtook the city of Delhi. Before 1857, the neighbourhood around here had residences of prominent officials of East India Company. Some traces of these still remain. Walking through the market here, one can see the Lal Masjid also known as the Fakhrul Masajid and the old Hindu College & old St. Stephen’s College buildings. St. James Church, the oldest church in Delhi, stands tall, across the road. It was built by James Skinner, in thanksgiving, when he survived wounds suffered in a battle. Continue Reading This Post

Walking through Lodi Garden is always a pleasant experience and this Saturday, a small group of enthusiasts undertook a heritage walk in this park. The beauty of the garden is enhanced by the imposing monuments in a pleasant winter afternoon. The name ‘Lodi Garden’ is due to the fact that the most prominent of these monuments were built during the times of the Lodi Sultans. The garden is in fact a creation of the British, when they were building their new capital of Delhi. It was originally called Lady Willingdon Park. Its current name was given post Independence when it was re-landscaped under Joseph Allen Stein. Stein also designed some of the important buildings in the neighbourhood: the IIC, the Ford Foundation are the most well known.

If one enters from gate no. 1 of the Garden, one can see a tall imposing building straight ahead. We took a detour towards the left and began our heritage trial from Muhammad Shah Sayyid’s tomb. This is a royal tomb dated to mid 15^th century. Continue Reading This Post

Our restlessness in your love has passed beyond bounds, our hope is that you will pity our weeping.

How could your pardon be known, had we not shown ourselves guilty!

These are verses penned by Jamali, a traveler and poet who lived in the 16^th century. Today his name lives on as an area in Mehrauli called ‘Jamali Kamali’ or the Mehrauli Archaeological Park. Our heritage walk in this park covers some very interesting landmarks of Indian history. We start our heritage trail near Balban’s tomb. The area around the tomb was recently excavated to reveal a courtyard and some rooms and grave platforms. A few months ago, the whole patch of land was covered in silt and vegetation and there was a only a narrow path among the vegetation, leading to Balban’s tomb. Continue Reading This Post