‘On the day of separation from you in helplessness and loneliness nothing consoles us but the sorrow we feel for you.

O Jamali, resort for protection to the door of the friend, for our refuge is the door of the beloved!’

There lie many a stories behind the picturesque ruins in Mehrauli. Delhi is well known as a historic city & within Delhi, Mehrauli is a minefield of historical & archaeological data. Our heritage walk in the Mehrauli Archaeological Park covers some stunning monuments which have incredible stories behind them! The above verse was penned by Maulana Jamali, a sufi & poet whose mosque & tomb gives the park its local name, Jamali-Kamali.

Our heritage walk starts at the gateway to Balban’s tomb. Continue Reading This Post

One of the oldest inhabited neighbourhoods in Delhi region, Mehrauli is a minefield of stories. It has the earliest capital cities of Delhi and has been continuously inhabited for almost a thousand years now. This heritage walk starts at the entrance to the Mehrauli Archaeological Park. The first group of monuments one comes across is a gateway and a recently excavated area which has a courtyard and rooms built around it. Balban’s tomb stands out amongst these ruins. This 13^th century royal tomb is the earliest building in India use the true arch as an element of architecture. Balban is known to be a ruthless king. To his credit, he managed to rule for up to 40 years (first as a vice regent and then as Sultan), a remarkable feat for times marked by frequent change of rulers. Continue Reading This Post

Mehrauli Archaeological Park is one of the most picturesque sites in Delhi. The area is virtually littered with ruins. Besides the prominent tombs and mosques there are numerous unnamed ruins which were probably part of residential settlements. Crumbling walls and niches are peek out from the surrounding vegetation. Balban’s tomb is the first major monument on the heritage walk. It is an extremely significant building as it is the earliest surviving example of the use of the true arch in construction. The adjacent chamber has a grave which is traditionally believed to be of Balban’s favourite son, Khan Shaheed. Immediately after the tomb is a large area covered with ruins of small rooms which may have been residential units. Only the foundations remain now and we can see that some of these structures might have been double-storeyed. A little ahead is the Jamali Kamali mosque and tomb. This is the monument which gives the area its local name. This is a protected monument under ASI and is now always under lock and key. Continue Reading This Post

The members of Hindi Department, Indraprastha College for Women, Delhi University visited the Mehrauli Archeological Park for a heritage walk cum picnic. Being students of literature, many were familiar with the characters & events whose stories unfolded here: Prithvi Raj Chauhan, Qutb ud din Aibak, Balban, the Sufis, Lodi sultans, Thomas Metcalfe, 1857.

We started from Balban’s tomb, walked through the ruins of what might have been a residential settlement, and reached Jamali’s mosque. A faculty member remarked that 10 years ago the area was completely inaccessible and that it impossible to imagine that such a grand structure lay behind the boundary walls. Rajon ki baoli was the next stop. This baoli is always the highpoint of a heritage walk in the Park; it slowly reveals itself as one approaches it. Everybody had loads of fun, walking through the narrow stairs of the baoli. Continue Reading This Post

Today was indeed the foggiest day of the year and special as this was my first walk as Walk Leader .Seven bravehearts, truly heritage enthusiasts joined me along with kanika for the walk.

Mehrauli Archaeological Park is situated on the Aravalli’s and is also oldest inhabited area of delhi.This walk is quite interesting as it covers mouments and structures from 13th century A.D. to 19th century A.D.

ASI carried out some excavation work in summer of 2009 and found some rooms,graves which seems to be part of the larger residential complex…this is were we started todays walk( gives the impression that ASI is doing great job of restoration and excavation work).Next to it is Balban’s tomb,it’s importance lies in the fact that use of true arches in indian architecture begins from here,for the first time true arch was used to cover square plan with a circular roof,a dome. Continue Reading This Post