(pictures by Richa Kedia, a heritage enthusiast)

(photos by Nirmal Dayani, a regular at our walks)

This sultry Sunday evening was spent exploring monuments at Lodi Garden. Our heritage walk starts at gate number one of the Lodi Garden. As we walk in the Bada Gumbad stands majestic right before us. But our our stop is towards the path on the left. After a brief introduction, we walk towards Mohammad Shah Sayyid’s tomb. The tomb is landscaped beautifully, surrounded by tall palm trees. As we enter the tomb chamber, we see a dog lying majestically on the grave of the Sultan. The moral of the story then is, that no matter how important a person you are, somewhere down the line a dog is going to sleep on you!!!

The path from the tomb leads towards the recently created butterfly conservatory, beyond which is the Bada Gumbad complex and the Shish Gumbad. The Bada Gumbad complex consists of a massive gateway topped by a huge dome (which gives the building its name, literally, big dome), a grave platform, a mosque, and a couple of rooms opposite the mosque. Continue Reading This Post

(photos by Nujum, a keen photographer & heritage enthusiast)

(pictures by Geetha Subramanian, a keen participant in our heritage walks)

Braving the summer heat, a group of 30 odd enthusiasts turned up for this Sunday’s heritage walk at Kashmiri Gate. The neighbourhood is extremely busy, particularly for the ISBT being located here, and is constantly abuzz with crowds, anytime of the day. This heritage trail winds its way through the neighbourhood starting from Nicholson’s Cemetery, through the Kashmiri gate near opp. ISBT, the campus of Indraprastha University, and the Lothian Road were stands the grand old Kashmiri gate post office. We can trace some history and lives of personalities in 19th century Delhi in this heritage walk. Moreover, there are a number of sites and memorials associated with the events of the rebellion of 1857. These are built by the British in memory of their troops and commanders who died figting the rebels. However, we do find an attempt to provide an alternative view to this history by the Indian side as well. Each site has atleast two versions of the story. Continue Reading This Post