photos by Dipanjan
As the heritage enthusiasts met at the gate of Deer Park in Hauz Khas village, we formed an interesting group of professional/amateur photographers, architects, journalists, IT and management professionals and of course an historian..I started the walk with an introduction of the structures constructed by different dynasties that take us to Delhi of 13th/14th century. first structure of our walk was the Hauz Khas, a water tank constructed under the royal command of Alauddin Khilji in early 14th century,it was probably intended to supply water to the gardens and fields around Siri Fort and also way of collecting rain water.However after Alauddin’s death the hauz was not maintained, it was then restored and brought back to use by Firuz Shah Tughluq in mid 14th century..when he came to throne ,was a middle aged man and understood the need of creating public utility works, (a lesson from history for our elected leaders). 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 18th century and some specific events associated with the revolt of 1857. In the 17th 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
Mehrauli Archaeological Park is one of the most picturesque sites in Delhi. The area is virtually littered with ruins. Besides the prominent tombs and mosques there are numerous unnamed ruins which were probably part of residential settlements. Crumbling walls and niches are peek out from the surrounding vegetation. Balban’s tomb is the first major monument on the heritage walk. It is an extremely significant building as it is the earliest surviving example of the use of the true arch in construction. The adjacent chamber has a grave which is traditionally believed to be of Balban’s favourite son, Khan Shaheed. Immediately after the tomb is a large area covered with ruins of small rooms which may have been residential units. Only the foundations remain now and we can see that some of these structures might have been double-storeyed. A little ahead is the Jamali Kamali mosque and tomb. This is the monument which gives the area its local name. This is a protected monument under ASI and is now always under lock and key. Continue Reading This Post
