Posts Tagged ‘Balban’s Tomb’

Many layers of Delhi’s pasts: heritage walk at Mehrauli Archaeological Park, 25 Mar 2012

March 26, 2012 in Delhi Heritage Walks,DHW,Heritage Walks,Mehrauli Archaeological Park,Mehrauli Archaeological Park Heritage Walks | Comments (3)

The Mehrauli Archaeological Park reflects the changing colours of season. The time around the bougainvillea was in full bloom and lent a splash of bright colour on a landscape which is almost wild. Our heritage walk started from the clearing near the entrance. This patch was recently the site of archaeological excavations. The stone floor, foundations of rooms, graves were some of the things which were revealed. There were many surface finds too: shards of pottery, a clay horse, part of a cheelum (smoking pipe) with soot stuck to it still! Balban’s tomb stands right ahead, one of the most important buildings in India, architecturally speaking. Continue Reading This Post


Where the first cities of Delhi came up…a heritage walk in Mehrauli Archaeological Park, 22 Jan 2012

January 26, 2012 in Delhi Heritage Walks,DHW,Heritage Walks,Mehrauli Archaeological Park,Mehrauli Archaeological Park Heritage Walks | Comments (3)

A large part of our city’s monumental heritage is invisible…hidden behind massive malls, residential colonies. This is the first realization to strike anyone who begins exploring Mehrauli Archaeological Park. Our first thought is ‘we have driven past this road a hundred times, but never realized all this lay behind it!’ Our heritage walk in Mehrauli weaves its way through some of the most interesting monuments in Delhi. Mehrauli being the area where the first cities of Delhi came up: the Tomars, the Chauhans, the Turkish slaves had their capitals here; the Lal Kot, Qila Rai Pithora and the Qutb area. Even when the capital shifted this area continued to be settled. So today we find remains from different time periods in this region. Our first stop is a clearing which was created by archaeological work here, about a year ago. It revealed a stone floor, some foundations, rooms, graves. Continue Reading This Post


On the trail of sufis, sultans: a heritage walk in Mehrauli Archaeological Park, 4 Dec 2011

December 6, 2011 in Delhi Heritage Walks,DHW,Heritage Walks,Mehrauli Archaeological Park,Mehrauli Archaeological Park Heritage Walks | Comments (0)

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 verses 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. Our group of 20 odd met at the entrance to the Park and began exploring. 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. Continue Reading This Post


A heritage walk in Mehrauli, 6 Nov 2011

November 10, 2011 in Delhi Heritage Walks,DHW,Heritage Walks,Mehrauli Archaeological Park,Mehrauli Archaeological Park Heritage Walks | Comments (0)

The Mehrauli Archaeological Park is one of the least known and yet, most interesting places in the city of Delhi. It is the poorer cousin of the Qutb Complex, adjacent to it, which is a World Heritage Site. The ruins in this Mehrauli park stretch all the way up to Andheria More. Our heritage walk this Sunday covers a small part of the Mehrauli Archaeological Park. There is a small clearing near the entrance to the park, beyond a gateway, which is a recent site of archaeological excavations. If we were here a little more than a year ago, the ground level was at least a feet higher and covered with vegetation. Now, one can see parts of rooms, some graves which are visible after excavations. There are probably remains of a settlement built around a courtyard. Balban’s tomb stands right next to it. A completely ruined structure, the main chamber of the tomb doesn’t even have the grave of the ruler for whom, it was built. Continue Reading This Post


Sunday morning at Mehrauli Archaeological Park, 15 August 2010

August 17, 2010 in Delhi Heritage Walks,DHW,Heritage Walks,Mehrauli Archaeological Park,Mehrauli Archaeological Park Heritage Walks | Comments (0)

 

Leading the walk on 15th August…our Independence Day made this walk very special for me and started the walk by wishing all Happy Independence Day….this group of heritage enthusiasts also had a young boy studying in 3rd standard… the heritage walk at Mehrauli Archaelogical Park shall always be my favorite walk..as the place has some very interesting monuments of various dynasties… Situated on the Aravalli’s oldest fold mountains is perhaps earliest inhabited urban area of Delhi…we first walked to an from an arched gate that leads to Balbans tomb, it is here that 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…. ( well ASI is doing a 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. Continue Reading This Post