This was the last walk of the year & it gets colder every day! Still, there is nothing like walking through the ruins of Delhi to get warmed up. Our heritage walk this weekend was at Lodi Garden. Originally known as Bagh-i-Jud, it was a selected by medieval kings for the royal burials because of its close proximity to a dargah of a revered Sufi saint Nizamuddin Auliya. The garden came up as a part of re-landscaping done during colonial rulers who named the garden as Lady Willingdon Park named after the wife of then Governor General. (more…)

Winters are around the corner & this is the best time to explore the city. This Saturday, Delhi-ites came out in large numbers to join our heritage walk at Lodi Garden. Lodi Garden is the most popular park, located in the heart of the city. Originally known as Bagh I Jud, this piece of land has tombs of medieval rulers Mohammad Shah Sayyid, Sikander Lodi and a few other prominent buildings, including tombs, mosques & garden pavilions. However the area was landscaped into a garden only by the British as a part of beautifying Delhi, their Imperial capital. (more…)

Heritage walk at Hauz Khas complex also aims at telling people that there’s more to Hauz Khas than the village. The place known as hippest shopping centre in Delhi, the group walked along the lane to a monumental complex amongst all that greenery along the banks of the Hauz, an artificial tank constructed by Alauddin Khalji in the 13th century named as Hauz-e- Alai. We all climbed on a slightly raised, platform which overlooks a stunning view. I am sure people must have thanked Alauddin for constructing a tank of 28 hectares which catered to the water needs of the villagers around the place. Sadly, after Alauddin’s reign ended, the hauz was abandoned and water channels got silted. The Tughlaqs took over in the 14th Century; & Firuz Shah Tughluq decided to make use of the water body once again. (more…)

If a Delhi-ite wants to experience a place which tells you stories about Delhi’s Islamic rule and present life, one must visit, Hauz Khas complex. Amidst of contradictions, once forming the outskirts of the city of Siri, known for its reservoir and monuments of 14^th century is now a fashion street & has come a long way. One of the most fascinating things about this place is we walk down through a busy road with shops and boutiques, this chaos and noise leads to a quite and different place, the Hauz Khas monument complex. The participants in our heritage walk are awestruck at the view when we stand on the parapet which over looks the tank; the first reaction I get to hear is “wow, what a view!” The credit of building this tank goes to Alauddin Khalji. (more…)

The monsoons have blessed us a little late this year, but oh, what a treat are the rains! One of the good things about a heritage walk in Lodi Garden is has the terrain is easy to negotiate even in rains. The payments are well marked out & the trees look mighty refreshed after the rains! Hence we continued with our heritage walk in Lodi Garden, even though the clouds threatened to pour. I started with an introduction to the history of the area and why it was the chosen area for tombs of Sayyids and Lodis. Right from the early Islamic period to 2010 commonwealth games, this complex has seen several additions and changes. (more…)