This heritage walk weaves its trail through the neighbourhood of Kashmiri Gate. Our first stop is Nicholson’s Cemetery, where the British hero John Nicholson is buried. He was an important figure in the British success in putting down the rebellion. At Kashmiri gate, our next stop, the destruction by cannon balls could clearly be seen. Some of the battlements too are missing from the top of the gate. The breach of Kashmiri Gate by the British forces was the turning point in their favour. It was exciting for everybody to climb atop the roof and look as far as St. James Church while the modern metro rail line works like city wall demarcating the city controlled by the rebels and the ridge where the British were camped. Moving ahead, we passed the Bengali Club (estb.1925) walked towards a market setup by Lala Sultan Singh. In the same complex, there stands an 18th century mosque called the Lal Masjid or Fakhrul Masajid. It was built by Khaniz i Fatima in the memory of her husband. Next spot was my personal favorite as I am an alumnus of Hindu College, it was fascinating to see and explain history of the same. Continue Reading This Post

The neighbourhood of Kashmiri gate is always an exciting heritage trail. Sometimes our group wades through knee deep water. On other days the neighbourhood is enveloped in fog during chilly winter mornings! This Sunday was a bright sunny day and we began our heritage walk at Nicholson’s Cemetery. The grass is a little overgrown now but it is charming little patch of land. There are some interesting craved gravestones. These graves belong to both British and Indians many belonging to the year 1857. The cemetery is still in use. The grave of Brig. Gen. John Nicholson (who was called Nikhal Sen by his Indian soldiers) is well protected. Another important personality buried here is Master Ramachandra, who taught at the Delhi College.

Our walk then proceeds towards the old Delhi area, towards the city wall of Shahjahanabad. Kashmiri gate was one of the several gates in the capital city of the Mughals. Continue Reading This Post

The walk this Sunday came after a long break for me…I returning to doing heritage walks after a while…so a new start with gleaming new faces.. With a group of 20, our heritage walk started from the Nicholson’s Cemetery, a hidden historic gem of the city.  Here the graves-big n small decorated with red stone and marble are photographers’ favourite. Across the road crossing the metro line -( where once stood the wall demarcating Shahjahanabad from the outer ridge area) we reached premises of Kashmiri gate. Cannon ball marks from 1857 battles are still prominent around the gate which initially had a single entrance n later made 2 gateways by the by British official – Major Smith.  All major war strategies of 1857 were made by Indians from here. We moved along locating Fakhr-ul-Masajid built in memory of Shujaat Khan (commander under Aurangzeb) in 1728-29. Next to the mosque are famous old buildings of the Hindu College and St. Stephen’s College. Continue Reading This Post

Braving the summer heat, a group of 30 odd enthusiasts turned up for this Sunday’s heritage walk at Kashmiri Gate. The neighbourhood is extremely busy, particularly for the ISBT being located here, and is constantly abuzz with crowds, anytime of the day. This heritage trail winds its way through the neighbourhood starting from Nicholson’s Cemetery, through the Kashmiri gate near opp. ISBT, the campus of Indraprastha University, and the Lothian Road were stands the grand old Kashmiri gate post office. We can trace some history and lives of personalities in 19th century Delhi in this heritage walk. Moreover, there are a number of sites and memorials associated with the events of the rebellion of 1857. These are built by the British in memory of their troops and commanders who died figting the rebels. However, we do find an attempt to provide an alternative view to this history by the Indian side as well. Each site has atleast two versions of the story. Continue Reading This Post

This heritage walk covers the modern neighbourhood of Kashmiri Gate near ISBT. Most of the sites here relate to first half of 19^th century and some specific events associated with the revolt of 1857. In the 17^th century this area was part of the Mughal capital of Shahjahanabad, what is today old Delhi. Kashmiri gate has mansions of some important personalities associated with the Mughal court like, Ali Mardan Khan, the noble who was instrumental in building canals which brought water to the city and Dara Shukoh, Shahjahan’s son. Later, the British started living in this neighbourhood. It is their buildings which mostly survive now.

We started the heritage walk from Nicholson’s cemetery. John Nicholson was a British general, instrumental in breaching the defenses of rebels who were controlling Delhi, and in the process lost his life. Continue Reading This Post