Today was indeed the foggiest day of the year and special as this was my first walk as Walk Leader .Seven bravehearts, truly heritage enthusiasts joined me along with kanika for the walk.

Mehrauli Archaeological Park is situated on the Aravalli’s and is also oldest inhabited area of delhi.This walk is quite interesting as it covers mouments and structures from 13th century A.D. to 19th century A.D.

ASI carried out some excavation work in summer of 2009 and found some rooms,graves which seems to be part of the larger residential complex…this is were we started todays walk( gives the impression that ASI is doing great job of restoration and excavation work).Next to it is Balban’s tomb,it’s importance lies in the fact that use of true arches in indian architecture begins from here,for the first time true arch was used to cover square plan with a circular roof,a dome. Continue Reading This Post

Another great day for a walking tour. The excavations near Balban’s tomb seem to be over, couldn’t see any work going on. Everyone was amazed by the fact that Mehrauli’s ruins constitute the most ancient settlements in Delhi. The 17^th century settlement near Jamali’s mosque fascinated everybody; tiny yet, double storey rooms, the arched niches on walls. Another source of amusement was the stairs in these medieval monuments. They are extremely steep, narrow and those leading to roofs of buildings have such tiny access, like the one in Metcalfe’s Dilkusha. One wonders how people who built magnificent palaces and forts could manage with such awful stairs. In contrast, the steps down to the baoli offer an amazing view. Rajon in baoli is now completely dried up. So is the storm water drain nearby. We walked back, past the Jamali Kamali mosque to Khan Shaheed’s tomb and saw some people offering prayers there. They were people from the Delhi Wakf which is located nearby.

(posted by Rajesh Ranjan & Kanika Singh, team members, Delhi Heritage Walks)

Mehrauli Archaeological Park Heritage Walk

With a great group to interact with, this heritage walk was a lot of fun. Here are the pics of the walk. We had 2 very young kids as guests. Check out their photograph.

And as always is the case with Mehrauli Archaeological Park, most managed to get lost on their way here. This happens without fail. People are always somewhere around the place but it takes a while to get to the Park. The signage is a wreck, this time we found it dumped upside down in a ditch along the main road. A little maintenance by civic authorities & less vandalism by locals would go a long way in preserving Mehrauli’s heritage. The Park’s diversity never ceases to amaze. Almost a thousand years of history, incredible stories about characters associated with these ruins & great views. The earliest surviving building in India which uses the true arch (Balban’s tomb), the beautiful tomb complex of Jamali, follies by Metcalfe, tomb converted into a pleasure retreat (Dilkusha) & dovecot converted into a boathouse, baoli of masons… this Park has it all.

(posted by Kanika Singh & Rajesh Ranjan, team members, Delhi Heritage Walks)

Mehrauli Village Heritage Walk

Archaeology, someone said, is the science of rubbish. The definition is true to the extent that a lot of archaeology is concerned with rescuing built heritage from being lost in the ever growing city. Mehrauli Archaeological Park is one of the few places in Delhi where in gets to see archaeological excavations at close quarters. The ongoing excavation near Balban’s tomb is an example. A couple of months back this patch was completely covered with soil and vegetation. Prominent structures were the gateway & Balban’s tomb. One could feel the elevation of the ground when walking through the gateway towards Balban’s tomb. Post-excavation the earth level is much lower and ruins of a settlement (in addition to existing ones) are visible.

For some reason, the Jamali mosque was closed this evening and the caretaker was nowhere to be found. Same is the case with Madhi masjid on Dara Bari road. Continue Reading This Post

We started a bit later than the decided time: no one reached on time as no one seemed to know where the place was. Add to it the traffic jams in south Delhi and the result was a delay of good forty minutes. In fact, the first person to reach could do so only because he rode a bicycle and not a motor vehicle! Everyone complained that there is no signage to direct visitors to the park, until one of us pointed out the broken sandstone slab with the park’s name on it, lying on the ground. It was unanimously decided that this was in keeping with the ‘archaeological’ nature of the park and promptly stopped complaining!

A patch of land near the meeting point has been recently excavated. This is adjacent to Balban’s tomb. They have discovered a stone floor, a few cell-like structures and some graves. A couple of months back, this space was completely covered with vegetation and rocks. Now it is just ruins and heaps of mud. It is amazing to see how archaeological excavations alter an area. Continue Reading This Post