Hauz Khas is one of the historic villages in Delhi region. And it has one of the most interesting monument complexes existing in India: the madrasa built by Firuz Shah Tughluq. ‘Hauz’ is a tank & ‘Khas’ is special or important. The name ‘Hauz Khas’ comes from the fact there existed a tank built by a king called Alauddin Khalji. The tank was originally named ‘Hauz i Alai’ after Alauddin Khalji, but later began to be called Hauz Khas. The tank still exists but in a much altered form. It now has a popular district park around it.

We started the heritage walk from the Kunzum travel café in Hauz Khas village. The monuments are located a few meters away. The madrasa is a large L-shaped building built along the tank. Once the water from the tank would have lapped at its walls; now the tank is much smaller. In fact, the Persian invader Timur, when he camped here before fighting the Delhi sultan, describes each side of the tank being more than a bow-shot long! The double storeyed madrasa is mostly in ruins now but one can imagine that it must have been a grand place. Contemporary accounts are full of praise for this complex. Continue Reading This Post

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

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

Here are some of the photographs of a heritage walk in hauz khas and deer park. The walk covered the madrasa complex around the 14th century hauz (tank), Firuz Shah Tughlaq’s tomb, Lodi period tomb & mosque in Deer Park. Towards the end of the heritage walk we walked down to the tank, which offers a stunning view of the madrasa.

(posted by Rajesh Ranjan & Kanika Singh, team members, Delhi Heritage Walks)

Hauz Khas Heritage Walk

It is difficult to imagine a world of medieval monuments just beyond the glamour of boutiques, art galleries and restaurants in Hauz Khas village. The hauz (tank) and the 14^th century madrasa are a grand sight even as ruins. Fine examples of Tughlaq architecture, these buildings impress a visitor with their strength. They are simple massive & very austere; thick, sloping walls, massive stone beams and pillars. One of the visitors could not help wondering if they (the residents) were expecting an invasion! The madrasa complex is a double-storied structure with colonnaded halls on the top floor and small cell-like rooms on the lower storey. It is an L-shaped complex, on an edge of the Hauz and Firuz Shah Tughlaq’s tomb is built at the meeting point of the two wings. The tomb is not heavily decorated but it is a massive building. The interior has beautiful plaster work decoration. There are a couple of monuments is the deer park as well, the Kali Gumti and Bagh-i-Alam ka Gumbad. The second is a typical Lodi period tomb, very similar to the ones in Lodi Garden. A combination of ruins among trees, wild shrubs, birds makes a very picturesque view.

(posted by Rajesh Ranjan & Kanika Singh, team members, Delhi Heritage Walks)

Hauz Khas Heritage Walk