This heritage trail covers sites associated with late-Mughal period and landmarks of the uprising of 1857. We began at Nicholson’s cemetery and spent some time sauntering around, looking at the interesting gravestones. Some are indeed beautifully carved. The cemetery is named after Brigadier Gen. John Nicholson who is one of the heroes of the 1857 rebellion for the British. He was fatally injured when the British forces were trying to enter the walled city of Shahjahanabad (where the rebels had set up base). The cemetery also has Master Ramachandra’s grave. Continue Reading This Post

A heritage walk in old Delhi is always exciting: the noise, the colourful sights & the delicious smells of food being prepared, adding to the general enthusiasm of visitors & locals alike. This Sunday, seemed a little less crowded than usual. Of course the shrines like the Digamber Jain Lal Mandir, the Sisganj gurdwara and Gauri Shankar temple were bustling with activity. In contrast, the Fatehpuri Masjid at the end of Chandni Chowk is remarkably peaceful. We started our heritage walk at Digamber Jain Lal Mandir. This walk covers interesting points along the main street of old Delhi, the Chandni Chowk. Continue Reading This Post

The ruins in Hauz Khas village are among the most fascinating in Delhi. The neighbourhood gets its name from the reservoir, ‘Hauz i Alai’ built by Sultan Alauddin Khalji in early 14^th century, for his capital city of Siri. About 50 year after Khalji, Sultan Firuz Shah Tughluq restored the silted up tank, built a madrasa along its edge and called it the ‘Hauz Khas’. The massive madrasa complex along the lake was among the most important in the Islamic world in the 14^th century. Continue Reading This Post

Among the many cities in Delhi one counts, our heritage walk this Sunday explored one of the lesser known of all these. The Tughluq king, Firuz Shah built a new capital city for himself, along the banks of the Yamuna and called it Firuzabad. This is present day area around ITO and Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg. It is believed to have been almost twice the size of Shahjahanabad (Shahjahan’s capital, the old Delhi of today) extending from Pir Ghaib in the northern Ridge to Hauz Khas in the south. Today only the inner citadel of this massive city survives, known by the name Kotla Firuz Shah. Continue Reading This Post

Chandni Chowk or ‘moonlight square’ is the main thoroughfare in old Delhi. So much so, that the name is sometimes used synonymously with purani dilli or for the entire old city. The heritage walk in Chandni Chowk starts from the Digamber Jain Lal Mandir, the oldest Jain temple here. The shrine is contemporary to Shahjahan’s time but most of the temple building dates to mid-18^th century. Right next to it is the Gauri Shankar temple, which was a small shrine to start with, in the 18^th century, but now is one of the most prominent landmarks in the area. On the other side of the road are flower shops selling dhatura (a poisonous weed) and bel (fruit with a hard outer shell) which are especially offered to Lord Shiva. Continue Reading This Post