The old city never rests…no matter how early one lands there…it is buzzing with activity. We timed this heritage walk a little earlier than usual hoping to escape the heat and the noise but the city beat us to it, yet again! The Digamber Jain Lal Mandir was the starting point. It is the oldest Jain shrine here and is unique for having a charitable bird hospital in its premises. Adjacent to it is the Gauri Shankar temple, a very important shrine for the Hindus dedicated to Lord Shiva. There are a number of people selling dhatura (a poisonous weed) which is particularly offered to Shiva. Across the road are more shops selling flowers. A little ahead is the Peare Lal building, an example of colonial architecture. There are similar buildings all along the Chandni Chowk.

Food was top most on all our minds as we explored the area. Continue Reading This Post

A group of students from Denmark on their first trip to India joined us for a heritage walk in old Delhi on Sunday evening. The old city of Delhi is the capital built by the Mughal emperor Shahjahan, who named the new capital after himself, Shahjahanabad. The Red Fort was his palace-fort complex and Jama Masjid the congregation mosque of the city.

We wandered through the narrow lanes of old Delhi: looking at the haveli facades in Katra Khushal Rai, the Digamber Jain Naya Mandir, Naughara, Parathewali Gali. The havelis and Jain temples in the city have a typical late-Mughal aesthetic style: the arches, the life-like representation of flowers, etc, patronised by Shahjahan and used extensively after him. Naughara is a group of havelis (mansions) which still retain much of their traditional appearance.

Next on the route was the main street of Chandni Chowk, Continue Reading This Post

Mehrauli lies on the Aravallis; the terrain is uneven and Acacia is the most commonly found variety of tree. This time of the year is a special treat for the senses. The bougainvillea shrubs are in full bloom and the deep pink and white flowers look exquisite!

We started the walk at the gateway to Balban’s tomb and moved in the large open space created just beyond it after the archaeological excavation. One can find pottery shards lying about on the site. It’s amazing how archaeology transforms landscape. A few months back this area was completed covered in mud and vegetation. One of the chambers’ in Balban’s tomb has the grave of his son, Khan Shaheed although there is another building in the Park which was meant to be his burial place. We next walked through the ruins of a residential settlement towards Jamali-Kamali mosque. Continue Reading This Post

The area that is now known as Lodi Garden was part of the village of Khaipur in the early 20th century. The villagers were relocated by the British and the space was landscaped into a garden named Lady Willingdon Park. It got its present name after independence & the garden was redesigned with Japanese collaboration in 1968. We began our walk from gate no. 1& moved towards the octagonal tomb of Mohammed Shah. The tomb was built by Alam Shah in Mohammed Shah’s memory. From this building we moved in north-west direction towards Bara Gumbad. It is a tall imposing square building with a disproportionately high dome. It is probably a gateway to the grave of an important person. On the west to the grave is a beautifully carved mosque and on the east is a pavilion that might have housed learned men, holy persons or attendants. The entire structure was built during Sikander Lodi’s time. Right opposite to this complex, towards the north is the Sheesh Gumbad, another Lodi period building. Continue Reading This Post

The tank, hauz khas was a reservoir built during the reign of alaudin khilji,under his royal command,was probably intended to supply the needs of the gardens and fields around siri…capital city built by alaudin khilji….here we started our walk..the tank was restored by feroz shah tuglaq….infact when timur ,mongol ruler invaded, defeated mohammed shah tuglaq in1398…had camped here and misunderstood it to have been built by feroz shah tuglaq…feroz shah tuglaq’s tomb and the madarsa form an l-shaped building..as we entered the tomb we found it to be more elaborately carved than the other buildings…one unusal feature is the stone railings at the main entrance of the tomb.next to it is.the pillared hall, is connected .it.has the architectural style seen in hindu -jain temples…flat roof supported by pillars….there is also a hall with a dome…could be a cenotaph……after this we moved to south-west wing of the l-shaped stucture…here as we go down the steps we found ourselves among a row of small cell like rooms that would have been student’s accomodation..next building was an interesting one…it is Continue Reading This Post