The Mehrauli Archaeological Park is one of the best areas to explore in Delhi. Located on the Aravallis, this area is extremely rich in history. Being the longest inhabited region of Delhi, the Mehrauli area has seen settlements for a thousand years now. This is where the first cities of Delhi came up, and even when the capital moved to other locations, Mehrauli continued to be inhabited. So this area is practically littered with monumental remains.

Our heritage walk starts at the entrance to the park. We walk towards a gateway, which gives way to a clearing. Continue Reading This Post

The walk this Sunday came after a long break for me…I returning to doing heritage walks after a while…so a new start with gleaming new faces.. With a group of 20, our heritage walk started from the Nicholson’s Cemetery, a hidden historic gem of the city.  Here the graves-big n small decorated with red stone and marble are photographers’ favourite. Across the road crossing the metro line -( where once stood the wall demarcating Shahjahanabad from the outer ridge area) we reached premises of Kashmiri gate. Cannon ball marks from 1857 battles are still prominent around the gate which initially had a single entrance n later made 2 gateways by the by British official – Major Smith.  All major war strategies of 1857 were made by Indians from here. We moved along locating Fakhr-ul-Masajid built in memory of Shujaat Khan (commander under Aurangzeb) in 1728-29. Next to the mosque are famous old buildings of the Hindu College and St. Stephen’s College. Continue Reading This Post

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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(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

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