Mehrauli lies on the Aravallis; the terrain is uneven and now Acacia is the most commonly found variety of tree. Centuries ago, this landscape was interspersed with natural streams & the rocky landscape provided plenty of scope for habitation. There is evidence of prehistoric settlements on the Aravallis in the Delhi region. Our heritage walk today covered a small part of this landscape. The neighbourhood of Mehrauli is located on the southern part of Delhi on the Aravallis & this is where the first cities of Delhi came up. As a result Mehrauli is a minefield of historical remains. We traced a heritage trail through the Mehrauli Archaeological Park in search of some of these. (more…)

Our team at Delhi Heritage Walks had an opportunity to interact with students of St. Thomas School, Sahibabad and take them on a heritage walk at Mehrauli Archaeological Park. It was the last working day for them and they were all excited to explore! These were class X students and it was their first heritage walk. All were locals to Sahibabad but were well familiar with Delhi, its main historic site like the Qutb complex, the Red Fort & the Lotus Temple. Continue Reading This Post

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

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 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