‘Hauz Khas is so large that an arrow cannot be shot from one side to the other’ wrote Timur, who raided Delhi in the 14th century. It is ironical that he defeated the Tughluq ruler & hastened the end of the dynasty, but was full of praise for buildings erected by the same dynasty. He camped at Hauz Khas, prayed in the mosque at Kotla Firuz Shah and wrote all about it in his memoirs.
Hauz Khas Village, the uptown market is a delight for Delhi-ites for its cafes & eateries and designer boutiques. And the monument complex here is a popular hangout zone. But few would know of the history of this unusual medieval monument. We walked into HKV and stood at the parapet of the monument looking at the beautiful view of the tank. The Hauz or the tank was initially constructed by Sultan Alauddin Khalji, who is known for his capital city of Siri and landmarks in Indian architecture such as the Alai Darwaza at Qutb Complex. (more…)
One of the lesser known sites of Delhi, this 100 acres green land has 70 odd monuments scattered around. The reason why Mehrauli Archaeological Park fascinates history lovers is because of its wild, un-kept look interspersed with monuments dating back from the first fortified capital, Lal Kot up till British period. The first monument we covered on this heritage walk was built by one of the powerful ‘slave kings’, Sultan Balban. (more…)
Following our previous article on 1857 in Delhi, we move our narrative forward to Kashmiri Gate.
(Kashmiri Gate & city walls)
After visit the Nicholson Cemetery, use the metro subway to cross the road. Walk through the park on your left (the park has a huge statue of Maharaja Agrasen), towards the parking near gate no. 2 of Kashmiri Gate metro station. Keep walking in the direction of ISBT till you reach gate no. 1 of the metro station which will be on your left. (more…)
Mehrauli Village is one of the more unusual trudges in our list of heritage walks. It is a historic village, the first cities of Delhi came up here, & there is plenty of evidence of prehistoric settlements on the ridge area where Mehrauli area if one is careful enough to look.
Our walk this Sunday covered some of the medieval monuments which stand hidden among modern construction in Mehrauli. We meet at Adam Khan’s tomb which is the most prominent building here. (more…)
