The advantage of starting early was that the Red Fort complex was not crowded. Otherwise on holidays and in evenings one always sees a huge rush…this is a prime tourist destination after all. One enters from the Lahori gate. The shops in Chhatta Chowk weren’t open yet. There are some beautiful murals in the music gallery (Naubat Khana), unfortunately, they are badly deteriorated. One can see the different layers of paint on the wall done over several years. The Naubat Khana now has the Indian War Memorial Museum. The Diwan i Aam or Hall of public audience was our next stop. It is an extremely elegant sandstone building. This is the place where Shahjahan held court daily. The marble throne canopy with its delicate inlay work is awesome! The riverside pavilions are few of the private palaces of the royal family that still exist. The Mughal buildings we see in Red Fort today are only about 20% of all that existed originally. Continue Reading This Post

We started the walk at Jama Masjid. It is one of the most impressive monuments in Delhi. And is one of the largest mosques in Asia. The view from the minaret was hampered by the morning fog. We could only see parts of old Delhi, rest of the area including Red Fort and beyond was not visible. Priya Gangadharan, the walk leader explained the history of the area and its immense heritage. The group made their way into the narrow kuchas and katras of Shajahanabad, starting with Gali Guliyan, which specializes in brass & copper antiques. The lane leads to Kucha Hamid, where one of the master builders of Shahjahanabad lived. Digambar Jain Naya Mandir was the next stop. Throughout, we could see finely decorated gateways of havelis, especially in Katra Khushal Rai. Naughara in Kinari Bazar with its Jain temple is one of the better preserved residential areas. It has nine houses in a lane, hence the name. The Kinari bazaar was simple bustling with activity. It is amazing for the visitors to see men, vehicles, and beasts all negotiating the narrow lanes and without any apparent hostility or competition! We ended the walking tour at parathewali gali.

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

Chandni Chowk Heritage Walk

Nicholson’s Cemetery, near Kashmiri Gate ISBT, was the starting point of the walk. One is greeted by deafening noise of the traffic at the bus stand and the chattering of monkeys as one approaches the entrance. Both are a permanent feature. We looked at British officer John Nicholson’s grave and that of Master Ramchandra of Delhi College. Nicholson’ Cemetery is in a much better condition than the Lothian Road cemetery. The latter is completely neglected; never mind ASI’s notice proclaiming it to be a protected site. The boundary walls of the old city of Delhi, Shahjahanabad can be seen adjacent to the Kashmiri Gate metro station. Some restoration work seems to on at Kashmiri Gate itself. Continue Reading This Post

Another great day for a walking tour. The excavations near Balban’s tomb seem to be over, couldn’t see any work going on. Everyone was amazed by the fact that Mehrauli’s ruins constitute the most ancient settlements in Delhi. The 17^th century settlement near Jamali’s mosque fascinated everybody; tiny yet, double storey rooms, the arched niches on walls. Another source of amusement was the stairs in these medieval monuments. They are extremely steep, narrow and those leading to roofs of buildings have such tiny access, like the one in Metcalfe’s Dilkusha. One wonders how people who built magnificent palaces and forts could manage with such awful stairs. In contrast, the steps down to the baoli offer an amazing view. Rajon in baoli is now completely dried up. So is the storm water drain nearby. We walked back, past the Jamali Kamali mosque to Khan Shaheed’s tomb and saw some people offering prayers there. They were people from the Delhi Wakf which is located nearby.

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

Mehrauli Archaeological Park Heritage Walk

We reached a little early and did some exploring of our own. Luckily we found the bonsai garden open. It is a neat little place. There is some information about the bonsai on panels at the entrance. Still, would be helpful if the displayed bonsai too had labels on them. Conservation work on Mohammad Shah’s tomb is over and it looks almost cute now that it is pink all over! One is so used to the ruins looking grey (which gives the impression of age) that the pink is rather hard to accept. But I guess cleaning work will give the plaster and the mortar a light colour. Also, it regains its grey look in a few weeks’ time. Same is the case at the Bara Gumbad. The mosque looked as lovely as ever except, that 2 of its domes were pink in colour & the 3rd was as black as soot. Almost like BEFORE & AFTER…in our advertisements! J We next looked at the Sish Gumbad and walked towards Sikandar Lodi’s tomb. We just managed to get in, as the guards were closing the gates to the tomb. (All ASI protected monuments open from sunrise to sunset). Continue Reading This Post