Delhi was a key site where events of 1857 unfolded. 1857 changed Delhi forever & this heritage walk recalls some of the events of 1857 rebellion. Although the remains of the 19^th century & memorial on 1857 are of the British, there is an attempt to present both sides of the story. Our walking tour starts at Nicholson Cemetery, followed by Kashmiri Gate. The sites covered include the Bada Bazaar, old St. Stephens College & its rival, Hindu College’s old campus & Fakhr ul Masajid. Close by is the first church of Delhi, St James Church built by James Skinner. William Fraser’s house is located behind the church. In the campus of a university is the building where David Ochterlony had his Residency, said to have been built upon Dara Shukoh’s library. Our heritage trail ends on Lothian Road where there are two very important British memorials: the telegraph memorial & the British Magazine.

(posted by Kavita Singh, team member, Delhi Heritage Walks)

1857 Uprising: Kashmiri Gate Heritage Walk

Heritage Walks at Lodi Garden are a regular feature of our calendar. This walking tour is usually organized in the evening, when it is pleasant to walk around the park. Our heritage walk starts at Mohammad Shah Sayyid’s tomb & covers Bara Gumbad, Shish Gumbad, Sikander Lodi’s tomb, a Mughal period bridge called Athpula, some late Mughal buildings & a standalone turret

(posted by Kavita Singh, team member, Delhi Heritage Walks)
Lodi Garden Heritage Walk

The neighborhood of Mehrauli is a delight for a lover of history, for someone who revels in looking under the multiple layers of time. Mehrauli is the area where the first cities of Delhi came up & even when the capital shifted this area was never abandoned. Which means that as dynasties came & went, politics changed, the river shifted course, Mehrauli continued to be inhabited. So understanding the development in Mehrauli, its changes, helps us understand Delhi. (more…)

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…)