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

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

It was the morning of Delhi’s first monsoon showers…a welcome and much needed respite from Delhi’s summer. We were a bunch of 20 odd people who turned up for this heritage walk, excited by the prospect of exploring Delhi in the rains. Take a look at the pictures…we were conspicuous wandering around with our umbrellas and raincoats.

This heritage walk covers landmarks of the uprising of 1857. We began at Nicholson’s cemetery, near ISBT. This cemetery is named after a British officer, John Nicholson, who was instrumental in recapture of Delhi by the British. He was fatally wounded during the storming of Lahori gate and was buried here. He led a force of British, Pathan and Punjabi troops and his leadership skills were legendary. He was greatly revered by his troops. It is said that at his funeral, his men threw themselves on the ground and wept. They refused to fight any more and left for the hills from where they had come, picking up flowers from their beloved general’s grave. Continue Reading This Post

This heritage walk covers the modern neighbourhood of Kashmiri Gate near the ISBT. Most of the sites here relate to first half of 18^th century and some specific events associated with the revolt of 1857. In the 17^th century this area was part of the Mughal capital of Shahjahanabad, what is today old Delhi. Kashmiri gate has mansions of some important personalities associated with the Mughal court like, Ali Mardan Khan, the noble who was instrumental in building canals which brought water to the city and Dara Shukoh, Shahjahan’s son. Later, the British started living in this neighbourhood. It is their buildings which mostly survive now.

We started the heritage walk from Nicholson’s cemetery. John Nicholson was a British general, instrumental in breaching the defenses of rebels who were controlling Delhi, and in the process lost his life. The cemetery is named after him, but there are other important people buried here as well. Continue Reading This Post