Firuz Shah was a Tughluq king who ruled in second half of the 14^th century. His reign is remarkable for its architectural projects. Delhi in particular is full of buildings commissioned and repaired by him. Our heritage walk this Sunday evening was around one such complex. Known as the Hauz Khas village now, it contains the remarkable ruins of Firuz Shah’s madrasa, built around a reservoir. The latter was built by Sultan Alauddin Khalji for this capital city of Siri, but it fell into disrepair, after his death. Firuz Shah not only re-excavated the tank, but also built this impressive madrasa and his own tomb along the edge of the tank. The complex as is stands today, is completely ruined, only a bare skeleton of its original grandeur, and the tank is much reduced in size. However, together they still impress the visitor.

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Sunday evening saw the Hauz Khas monuments buzzing with activity: families with kids playing in the lawn, a group of youngsters playing cricket, friends hanging out, photographers and among these our group, out on a heritage walk. We meet at entrance to the Deer Park and our heritage trail starts in the direction of Hauz Khas village. Walking past the designer shops, we enter the madrasa in Hauz Khas through a small gateway. Those new to the neighbourhood are always amazed to find such a magnificent building hidden among the urban growth! The view of the lake and the grand ruins around it is simply breathtaking! One can only imagine its splendor way back in 14^th century. The madrasa is a 2 storey complex built along the edge of the tank. What survives today is bare skeleton of the original structure. One can make out the colonnaded halls and cells which perhaps housed students. Continue Reading This Post

Hauz Khas is one of the historic neighbourhoods in Delhi. The locality gets its name from the reservoir, Hauz i Alai, built by Alauddin Khalji for his capital city of Siri. About 50 years after Alauddin Khalji, Firuz Shah Tughluq restored the dried-up tank, built his own tomb and madrasa along its edge and called it Hauz Khas or ‘royal tank’. The madrasa complex is impressive even after more than 6 centuries. The tank, in a much altered state, still holds some water. The complex has remains of assembly halls, small-cell like rooms, a mosque and several tombs which probably of prominent members of the madrasa. Firuz Shah’s tomb stands at the junction of the 2 wings of the madrasa. Parts of the monument complex, including Firuz Shah’s tomb is currently undergoing restoration work by Archaeological Survey of India. This heritage walk covers monuments in Hauz Khas village and the adjacent Deer Park. There are 3 prominent monuments in the Deer Park: Lodi period tomb called Bagh i Alam ka Gumbad, and two Tughluq period tombs, the Kali Gumti and the Tuhfewala gumbad. Bagh i Alam ka Gumbad is much like the Lodi tombs in Lodi Garden. Continue Reading This Post

The ruins in Hauz Khas village are among the most fascinating in Delhi. The neighbourhood gets its name from the reservoir, ‘hauz i alai’ built by Sultan Alauddin Khalji in early 14^th century, for his capital city of Siri. About 50 year after Khalji, Sultan Firuz Shah Tughluq restored the silted up tank, built a madrasa along its edge and called it the ‘hauz khas’. The massive madrasa complex along the lake was among the most important in the Islamic world in the 14^th century. A contemporary poet wrote in its praise:

The courtyard was soul-animating, and its expanse was life-giving. Its dusk was musk-scented, and its fragrance possessed the odour of amber…Nightingales, so to say, were singing their melodious songs everywhere. It appeared, as if they had guitars in their talons and flutes in their beaks.

Today, the view is equally grand. Continue Reading This Post

This year’s ample monsoon has added a new element of joy to our heritage walks. It is a treat to walk around imposing ruins of medieval cities, lush green parks dotted with peacocks, pleasant breeze and soft drizzle adding to the charm. This is how one would sum up this heritage walk at Hauz Khas village and Deer Park. The monuments in Hauz Khas are one of the most impressive in Delhi. The reservoir, Hauz I Alai was built by Alauddin Khalji for his capital city of Siri. A few decades later, Firuz Shah Tughluq found it ‘encroached upon’. The tank was silted up and people were selling of water from wells dug for their own private use. Firuz Shah has decided to fill it with water again, called it the Hauz Khas and built a madrasa along its edge. His own tomb stands at the junction of the two wings of the madrasa. In the 14^th century, the madrasa was one of the most prominent centers of learning in the Islamic East. Timur who camped here during his invasion in Delhi, was impressed by the scale and grandeur of the madarsa. Today, what we see is the bare structure which has survived over centuries. It is impressive none the less. Continue Reading This Post