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

With a great group to interact with, this heritage walk was a lot of fun. Here are the pics of the walk. We had 2 very young kids as guests. Check out their photograph.

And as always is the case with Mehrauli Archaeological Park, most managed to get lost on their way here. This happens without fail. People are always somewhere around the place but it takes a while to get to the Park. The signage is a wreck, this time we found it dumped upside down in a ditch along the main road. A little maintenance by civic authorities & less vandalism by locals would go a long way in preserving Mehrauli’s heritage. The Park’s diversity never ceases to amaze. Almost a thousand years of history, incredible stories about characters associated with these ruins & great views. The earliest surviving building in India which uses the true arch (Balban’s tomb), the beautiful tomb complex of Jamali, follies by Metcalfe, tomb converted into a pleasure retreat (Dilkusha) & dovecot converted into a boathouse, baoli of masons… this Park has it all.

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

Mehrauli Village Heritage Walk

Archaeology, someone said, is the science of rubbish. The definition is true to the extent that a lot of archaeology is concerned with rescuing built heritage from being lost in the ever growing city. Mehrauli Archaeological Park is one of the few places in Delhi where in gets to see archaeological excavations at close quarters. The ongoing excavation near Balban’s tomb is an example. A couple of months back this patch was completely covered with soil and vegetation. Prominent structures were the gateway & Balban’s tomb. One could feel the elevation of the ground when walking through the gateway towards Balban’s tomb. Post-excavation the earth level is much lower and ruins of a settlement (in addition to existing ones) are visible.

For some reason, the Jamali mosque was closed this evening and the caretaker was nowhere to be found. Same is the case with Madhi masjid on Dara Bari road. Continue Reading This Post

This walk was special: we had a family with two kids for company. The best part was the involvement of the kids…they tried to understand what they were looking at, had loads of questions about everything and also information & opinions to share with everyone else. In fact, the walk started with a rapid fire question round by the younger one, Sankalp. The fun was that the discussion was never limited to Lodi Garden or its monuments alone, but also soccer, butterflies, animation, movies, birds…..

The conservation work at Muhammad Shah’s tomb seems almost complete. They have started working on the other monuments in the park. We also managed to locate the butterfly conservatory…the interesting thing about this is that most people have read about it and are expect something totally different to what they see. The conservatory is a patch of land fenced off from people…Everyone thought it would be something more jazzy. A guest thought that it would be a covered space. Continue Reading This Post

The crowds at Chandni Chowk are an amazing sight, even on a Sunday morning when the market is officially closed. We were overwhelmed by the hustle-bustle of the people and traffic. From Digambar Jain Lal Mandir till Gurudwara Sisganj there were cars lined all along the road-of devotees to the Jain Mandir, Gauri Shankar temple, Central Baptist Church and Sisganj Gurdwara. Friends who visit the area are often surprised to find places of worship of all faiths so close to each other. But perhaps it is not such an unusual thing in the closely knit urban population as in our Purani Dilli. The walk covered the main street of Chandni Chowk and along with the important historical landmarks an added attraction was the food available all along. The permanent shops like Dariba’s jalebiwala, Haldiram’s and paratha shops in Parathewali gali and Chaina Ram’s had started the day’s preparations. Small hawkers selling treats like Daulat ki chaat, kulchas and chholas and freshly prepared kachoris. Continue Reading This Post