Discover Delhi XXXIII: Mehrauli Archeological Park

When you say Old Delhi, image of Shahajahanabad pops up and you want to head there for its Paranthas and other delicacies. But hold on, that is not the oldest living area of Delhi, it is only 400 or so years old. Mehrauli has been a living area for more than a millennium. And this longevity means that it has been witness to all the known history of Delhi, and sure you find imprints of all times in this small living village of Delhi. You can see the imprints of Jain city Yoginipura, of Tomars, Chauhans, Khiljis, Slave kings, Lodis, Mughals and British. To create the imprint of post independence India ASI carved out Mehrauli Archeological Park as a tourist hot spot. Though not sure of many tourists visit it, in spite of being so close to Qutub Minar Complex, but it is definitely a place that I recommend to all history enthusiasts and nature lovers. 

This park was a living village till sometime back, and villagers were moved out and some conservation work done on the some of the ancient monuments here. Traditionally this place is known as Jamali Kamali, after the sufi saint whose mosque is located here. Unfortunately there are no guides here to explain you the structures and give you the stories, unless you are going with some walking tour groups. Still move around and you would see nature and history interspersed with each other. There are tombs of Balban and Khan Shahid and when you look at the ruins of these, look at the early stage Indo-Islamic architecture. The arches are basic and gateways still have the beam and lintel, as the knowledge of making arches was not there with native workers. See the stone used and how it has managed to survive all these years. 

Little ahead is Rajon ki Bauli, a step well that was meant for the masons working on these sites, it usually sounds like a step well belonging to the kings. A little ahead of this in the Mehrauli village is Gandhak ki Bauli. These step wells were the native method of preserving water in an area, which does not have a direct water source like a river, though a canal used to pass through this area and there is a spring in Mehrauli village even now. The water levels have gone down a lot now so all these step wells are dry. If you wonder what are these long pillars corridors and rooms around the stepwell, well these step wells were social spaces as well or shared resources. So people used to meet here, sit in the cool air around water on hot days and rooms I assume would have taken care of any guests like traders who would be visiting the area. This is a beautiful Bauli and if you are tired after walking around in the park, you can sit here and relax.

Quili Qutib Shah’s tomb that was converted into a retreat by Metcalfe is a typical tomb from outside. Inside it was converted to act as the dining hall and there were lot of small structures added to make it living quarters. The most talked about structure Metcalfe’s canopy or folly here is a small canopy on top of a hillock that was added just to create the old world for the place is not an original structure from the park. This canopy though is a good vantage point to view the wonders of this park.

Early 16th century Jamali Kamali mosque is the best-known monument of this park, it has the mosque of Saint Fazalullah or Jalal Khan. I read an interesting story about his conversion from a Jalali i.e. an angry saint to a Jamali i.e. a loving saint. It is said that at this Kamal or magic happened at this place and hence the place came to be known as Jamali Kamali. Another story says that another saint names Kamal was responsible for converting Fazalullah, hence the name. Whatever may be the story but visit the tomb of the saint inside the mosque compound to see Delhi’s best-preserved tile work. The colorful work will hold you for sometime as you hardly expect the color in those surroundings. See the influence of Rajputana as Jharokhas on outer walls. 

Apart from this there are trees and lawns with no visible signs of modern day. You can do long walks here and if lucky you can see some birds too, specially the peacocks. Do visit this gem in your own city. 

Discover Delhi XXXI: Old Delhi Walk XXI: Ferozabad aka Feroze Shah Kotla

Early 14th century seems to be have been an era of fort construction in Delhi, as it saw the building of three major forts in the city. First being Tughlaqabad, which was quickly followed by Adilabad and then came the Feroze Shah Kotla, which was the only fort from where the king ruled. It was the century of Tughlaq rule in Delhi. After Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq and his son Mohammed Bin Tughlaq came his nephew Feroze Shah Tughlaq.

It is said that Feroze shifted the fort and palace to the banks of Yamuna to tackle the persistent water problem. His city extended from the current day northern ridge to the Hauz Khas on one side and Purana Qila on the other side. Besides the ruined fort there are other imprints of Feroze scattered around the city like his hunting lodge Khuske-shikar on the ridge, Ashoka pillar outside Hindu Rao hospital and his tomb at Hauz Khas. Ferozabad was the first capital on the banks of Yamuna that would later become a norm as Purana Qila, Salimgarh, Shergarh and Lal Qila are built along the Yamuna. About 1.5 Lakh people inhabited the city of Ferozabad, which it seems was a big number in those days though today a small colony may have a similar number. This city was built from the material from the forts of Lal Kot and Siri, which was again pulled out from here for the construction of later forts. So what you see now in the fort is just the ruins with open bare stones.

The most important part of the ruins of Feroze Shah Kotla is the Ashoka Pillar, which was brought here from Topara near present day Ambala. There is an interesting story of how the pillar was wrapped in cotton and then transported through the river route. A grand three storeyed pyrimadical structure was built to mount the prized pillar. Ironically, today an industrial chimney many times in height of the Ashoka pillar and very similar in shape makes the original pillar look dwarfed. When you climb up the dilapidated structure, almost taking a risk, you wonder what is it about these pillars that they have been a subject of intrigue for so many centuries. They were erected by a king who wanted to spread his chosen dharma, but what was it that Feroze Shah Tughlaq saw in them that he wanted to have them in his fort. Was it just the fancy of a ruling king or was there a superstition associated with the pillar? It must not have been for the height of pillar as Delhi already had it Qutab Minar, and must not have been for the inscriptions as they are not even in a language known to the king. The pillar’s top is broken as of now, but it is said that when it was installed here, it was crowed with a capital of precious stones and a globe with a crescent on top of it, probably indicating the goals of the Sultan. Though the whole structure is enclosed in an iron grill, a small opening in the grill allows you to enter the structure. Now we do not know is officially you are allowed to go inside or not, but the ASI in charge led us to the opening, so we assume you can enter it. Though the structure’s glory is hard to imagine, but it seems a fait amount of effort was put to construct a beautiful structure on which would be mounted this pillar, indicating again the importance that the pillar had. There are many inscriptions on the pillars, most of them are in Pali language and Brahmi script but the last 4 lines are in Devnagari script and dates to 1220 Samvat which would mean about mid 12th century. From wherever you stand in the fort, you can see this pillar.

Another interesting feature in the fort is the round Baoli or step well. Unfortunately, the structure is closed from all sides and you can just get glimpses of it from some the openings in the walls. When you climb on top of the pyramid structure to close to Ashoka pillar, that is when you get a top view of this baoli which does look elegant with lust green lawns around it and an old tree standing by its side like a security guard. 

Jami masjid or mosque on side of the Ashoka pillar is still a practicing mosque. You have to climb a flight of stairs, which seem to be recent construction, and then pass through a gate with a dome to enter the mosque. The arches around the corridors have been marked green and most of the structure is nothing but an open space. In the centre of courtyard is what looks like an erstwhile tank, which is now filled to make a smooth ground. Most of the other parts are not visible now, but it was supposed to be a beautiful mosque as the literature tells us that invader Timur was so impressed by this mosque that he got a similar one built in Samarkand. 

The part that is marked palace ruins is hard to decipher. You can see some rooms on the side and some corridors with open arches. One interesting feature in this palace part is protruding rooms with pyramid roofs, which are quite spacious for rooms of security guards. There are gateways with recessed arches, and you may wonder what they divide the space into. Very few walls are left with a thick plaster that would have covered the stones below. You can see the modern inscriptions of visitors who wanted to leave their names on the structures. Only in one place I could see the red color in an arch with white outline amidst the monotone grey color of the rest of the complex. You cannot see any parapets on top of the wall, which going by the period of construction would have been there, but you do see arrow holes in the walls. 

We noticed the multiple signs of a strange kind of worship being done on various walls and gates of the fort. These walls were dead black from smoke and soot of the incense and oil lamp burning and then there were marks in various bright colors. There were nails in the walls, which seem to be a part of the worship. We were told that some Baba Syed is worshipped here, but no one could tell us more about it. Interestingly, even the Ashoka pillar seems to be worshipped regularly. There were lots of cats, a few dogs and vultures flying over the structure, as there were feeding bowls all over the place to feed the animals and birds. 

This fort today is known more for the cricket stadium that bears its name, at least its name is not lost like that of Lal kot whom no one seems to remember, not even Archeological Survey of India. Located in the heart of the city, the fort is easily accessible, but not many seem to visit it. To me the strong bastions at the entrance were quite inviting. About 150 years of city’s history are buried in the ruins of Ferozabad, so go there sometime to meet that part of your history.

Discover Delhi XXX: Old Delhi Walk XX: Tughlaq Forts

The two Tughlaq forts stand opposite each other, divided by a road and almost no time, built by father son duo, none of whom lived in these forts as far as we know. Each fort can be best viewed from the parapets of the other fort as if they were keeping an eye on each other. In between them lie the graves of both father and son along with the women who bound them together. Not much is known or said about these forts, but what makes these forts interesting is the stories that have lived in the memory of the people. These forts are contemporary to the most popular saint of Delhi, Hazrat Nizammudin.

Tughlaqabad fort can be called the fasted constructed fort, constructed in about 2 years and that too in a mode where different commanders of the Sultan built various parts of the fort and the joints to these parts were the city gates. The founder of Tughlaq dynasty Ghiyassudin Tughlaq built this third city of Delhi, after Lal Kot and Siri, in early 14^th century. Spread over more than 6 kms, it has two walls – an outer and an inner wall, many step wells and a palace area. As you climb the fort now, all you can see is total ruins, showing the broken bare walls, walkways, bastions, courtyards, rooms and multiple layers of the various structures. There are certain parts that carry a distinct Mughal era stamp on them but the walls are definitely prior to that. Some ends of the fort are still inhabited by people, but most of the fort lies barren. You may find a few young couples here and there otherwise it can be scary to be alone there.

I could see a very deep square step well inside. There were probably rooms below the thick outer wall and you could walk on the top of these rooms and have a look outside the fort. There are parapets here and there on the walls while most of them are gone. There are bastions that probably belong to an inner wall which are not solid but have some structures built in them. The stairs take you to various levels of the fort. From the back wall of the fort, you can see the landmarks of south Delhi like Lotus temple and tall buildings of Okhla and Nehru place. On one side a narrow passage below the surface level with spacious rooms on both sides would intrigue you. You can walk past the passage to reach a part of the front wall and would wonder what these rooms could be. It could have been a jail, but the rooms look too big for that. It could have been living quarters for the summer season when you need to keep yourself cool. From different points in the fort, the picture of the fort looks entirely different. From the front wall parapet you can get a bird’s eye view of the tomb and the Adilabad fort across the road.

Legend is that when Ghiyassudin Tughlaq wanted to build this fort, he asked all the labor in the city to come and work on the building of the fort. At the same time Sufi saint Nizammudin was building a Baoli (step well) in a village a few miles away, which was ironically called Ghiyaspur then and would be later known as Nizammudin. The Sulan being a Sultan, forced the labor to work at the fort, but the labor was more inclined to work for the saint, so they would work during the day at fort and at night for the Baoli. This was also eventually stopped by the Sultan and this is when the saint got angry and said that the fort will either not be inhabited or only Gujjars (the local tribals) will live here. Incidentally, it looks like the saint’s words did come true and the fort was not inhabited by the sultan and his men and till sometime back Gujjars were living inside the fort. Another legend says that when Tughlaq was serving the earlier Sultan of the Khilji clan, once he had proposed to build a fort here and the Sultan sarcastically told him that when you become the Sultan of Delhi, you build a fort, little realizing that his words would come true.

A narrow causeway connects the Tughlaqabad fort to its builder’s tomb across the road. The tomb is simple and elegant with fort like walls. Well maintained with manicured gardens around the building, the building in red with white dome and slanting walls stands tall. There is not much ornamentation on the walls, or inside the white marble dome or on the graves or the mihrab. The two male graves belong to the Ghiyassidun Tughlaq and his son Mohammed Bin Tughlaq and the female grave belongs to the former’s wife and latter’s mother. On one corner of the compound lie the graves of another couple Zafar and his wife, who was a commander of Tughlaq’s and his grave probably, preceded the now more famous ones. There are corridors along with arched openings along the boundary wall that has long narrow openings giving view of both the forts. It seems there are cubicles for the convicts below the ground as at places there are steep staircases going down and there are holes from where the guide told us the food was thrown down for the prisoners. There is a small grave in the corridor that is supposed to be of the pet dog of the sultan.

Walk or drive across the vast ground to reach the base of Adilabad fort, a little known fort of Delhi. Climb the flight of stairs and then climb a steep slope to reach the gate of the fort built with beam and lintel. The fort is being restored at the moment and we could see the ongoing work at the front bastion. The fort as it stands now is much smaller than the Tughlaqabad fort. It is said that the plan of this fort was very similar to that of Tughlaqabad fort and the two forts were connected through a causeway, though I could not locate this causeway. A map there shows the layout plan of the fort. From the main gate you get a panoramic view of the other fort. The lawns have been recently laid and so have been the small plants. Looks like ASI or Delhi Govt have some plans for the fort.

This walk requires good 2-3 hours and involves climbing two forts. Like one of my historian friend told, this is a site that belongs to a single culture and is not multi-cultural like say Mehrauli or Purana Qila. This is a lesser-known and not so frequently visited part of Delhi. Explore it when you get time.

Discover Delhi XXVIII: Food Walk by Sid Khullar of Chef at Large

I being a vegetarian would never be able to do justice to Delhi's food on this blog, so I invited Sid Khullar, to do a guest post on Delhi's food. Sid is the primary contributor to and editor of Chef at Large. A self confessed food addict who likes cooking, writing and photography... and travel, if it gets him closer to a good book and interesting food. He's spent 17 years in varying functions of technology including research & development, training, sales, marketing and mentoring technology startups. He now applies himself to learning more about food and building food and beverage brands online for Chef at Large clients. 

Foodwalk: /fud:wak/ An out of home excursion comprising one or more people, the focus of which is the copious consumption of interesting food and drink. 

I was introduced quite recently to the concept of a foodwalk, perhaps just a few years ago, when my interest in food led to numerous street side excursions the prime purpose of which were to hunt down good fare. Joining the bustling food scene in Delhi, I found quite a number of people were already engaged in an activity called ‘Foodwalks’; quite similar to our own fond ventures. Obviously, most of us foodies weren’t quite satisfied with the fare we had easy access to and weren’t afraid to venture out of our comfort zones in search of a better platter. It had to happen; the hunt for better comfort food was inevitable. How many times have we found ourselves unable to eat a roadside aloo-tikki or gol gappa, finding them utterly unworthy of their names? Many times, I’ll guess. A few days ago, we found a street vendor selling the ubiquitous aloo-chat and two bites later, we continued on our way, leaving our snack unfinished. It just was so badly made, finishing it was out of the question. Considering the calories one such meal contains, every bite must satisfy. Foodwalks, I guess were started for similar reasons; one person compulsively finds joints and shares them with others during walks expressly meant for that purpose. 

Our most frequented Foodwalk destination is Old Delhi, as is probably the case with most others. We usually visit the predominantly non-vegetarian Jama Masjid though the largely vegetarian Chawri Bazaar and Chandni Chowk areas are also quite popular. A typical day will see us taking the Metro and meeting opposite Jama Masjid Gate #1. We start with Dilshad’s boti and seekh kebabs, both of which are spicy, juicy and quite delicious. Accompanied by roomali roti, green chutney, lemon and onions, we try not to overdo it here and barely succeed. Popping into Yaseen’s next, located on the right barely a few seconds after entering Matia Mahal opposite Jama Masjid Gate #1, sees us feast on portions of Nihari, extremely tender meat bathed in a thick, meaty and spicy broth. Our next stop is Aslam’s Butter chicken, a few minutes further, to the left. Aslam’s speciality is grilled fish and chicken, tossed in spices and large quantities of butter and cream, served with roomali rotis. A health freak’s nightmare, chicken doesn’t get tastier than this. A ten minute walk, with numerous twists and turns through tiny galis brings us to Biryani Point in Haveli Azam Khan, a tiny, literally hole in the wall that sells one thousand kilos of Biryani a day. There’s no seating, so standing, we sample one of the best biryanis in town keeping just a little space for dessert, for which we make our way back towards where we started and stop at Cool Point on the left, which offers some pretty good Shahi Tukra and flavoured milk. Note, all of these places offer Buffalo meat only. 

While most foodwalks I know tend to centre on street food, at Chef at Large, we do tend to take things a bit further. For example, home based period food cooking is a tedious labour of love where we pick a region and a period, then cook using the technology, techniques, recipes and food stuffs available to people in that region and period. Though there’s no walking involved, period cooking is very high on labour and research and ends up amazingly satisfying and informative for hard core foodies. We usually pick Indian or British territories for period cooking foodwalks. 

Then there’s the lure of foreign food. Delhi is rapidly becoming a city where tastes of most kinds can be indulged in without travelling very far or forking out a great deal of money. These are the easiest kind, where there’s little or no physical effort involved, apart from the tedium of perusing and ordering from a menu. Far eastern food is a hot favourite these days, and some of our favourite destinations are Fu in Greater Kailash for Chinese and Chinese influenced food, including fare from Malaysia and Indonesia, Tamura Hauz Khas for Japanese, and Gung in Green Park and Gurgaon for some excellent Korean food in Korean surroundings. 

Apart from the obvious culinary impact, foodwalks are a great way to meet likeminded people. I know of quite a few good friendships that have developed within groups of people who didn’t know one another from Adam, the common thread being a love of good food. Foodwalks have greatly enriched my knowledge of Delhi as a city, exposed me to different types of food and brought me into touch with some very nice people, so much so, that I eagerly look forward to every foodwalk. 

Do you know of any interesting places? If so, join us on Facebook and share it with a growing and dynamic community of hard core foodies. 

Thanks Sid for this lovely introduction to Delhi's Food.

Discover Delhi XXVII: Old Delhi Walk XIX: In and around Purana Qila

Purana Qila in the heart of Delhi is a unique monument. Standing on the banks of Yamuna, it contains within it the mythology and the stories of medieval era and an excavation that is giving us insights into our past. Today, it has also become the favorite place for events and performances with the scattered monuments providing the romantic backdrop, vast size providing the required space for large gatherings and central location providing the much-needed convenience.

The beginnings of Purana Qila lie in the mythology or the most ancient history known, as you would like to believe. This was the legendry city called Indraprasth founded by Pandavas in pre-historic times. This is where the famous assembly hall of Mahabharata created by Maya was, though there is no archeological evidence that supports this today. The only oral evidence is the fact that till recent past there was a village by the same name that used to inhabit this area. 

The better-known part of the history of this fort is its construction by mughal emperor Humayun as a citadel for the city founded by him Din-a-panah in 1538 CE. It was soon captured by Sher Shah Suri of Sur dynasty and was renamed Shergarh. He also added some buildings to the fort during his short reign of 5 years from here. After Sher Shah this fort remained neglected for some years before being re-captured by Humayun, who died within a year of capturing it. Last Hindu King Hemu ruled for about a month from this fort. If you look at the pattern, no one actually ruled very long from this mighty fort. Anyone who captured this was killed very soon. This complex also served as a refugee camp for people displaced during the partition of the nation. Interestingly the British designed New Delhi is aligned along Purana Qila.

There are 3 gates to this fort and a huge moat surrounds it, which is now used for boating. The Bara Darwaza, facing west and flanked by two huge bastions is the main entrance for the fort. The southern gate facing Humayun’s tomb is called by the same name Humayun Darwaza. The third gate facing North is interestingly called Talaqi Darwaza and is closed permanently owing to a story. Story says that a king went out from this gate and this gate was to be opened only when he returned victorious, since he did not return this gate remains closed to this date. No one knows who the king was, but the only king who it could have been is Sher Shah. All these gateways are an example of Indo-Islamic architecture, adorned with beautiful Rajputana style Chhatri's that are decorated with blue inlayed tiles. 

Qila-e-Kohna mosque and Sher mandal are two monuments that are well preserved within the Puran Qila complex. Qila-e-Kohna mosque designed as a Jami or Friday mosque is a beautiful example of Indo-Islamic architecture style. Built by Sher Shah Suri, this mosque with one dome and 5 gateways has extensive ornamentation especially on its mihrabs. Walls have geometrical designs in red, black and white marble done skillfully through inlay work. The inside of the dome has a nice play of bright blue and yellow color through glazed tiles. The pointed arches are horseshoe shaped. The corner pillars at the back of the mosque if looked in isolation would give a feeling of a Rajputana building in red sandstone with well defined Chhajjas and beam and lintel arches. A staircase from within the hall leads to the upper storey that was meant for the females of the royal family. There is an interesting water body in the courtyard outside the mosque, which would have been used for Wuzu purpose when the mosque was practicing.

Shermandal is an independently standing double storeyed octagonal structure in red sandstone with a Chhatri on its top. This structure was built as a pleasure resort by Sher Shah to enjoy the weather and a good view. It is said that it was intended to be higher than this and was planned as an observatory, but could not be completed because of Sher Shah’s death. Later when Humayun took over, he converted it into library and one fine January morning he died on the stairs of this building as he tried rushing to the call of prayer from the mosque. 

All the above is more or less commonly known about Purana Qila. The not so well known things are the ASI museum, which traces the history of Delhi through the articles discovered through various excavations in different parts of Delhi region including the Purana Qila. Here you can see the ornate doorways of ancient Jain temples from Mehrauli area, along with potteries of various eras discovered from the different layers of Yanuna riverbed. Then there are two small but interesting excavated sites within the complex. One is a step well, which has many storeys and is in an elongated rectangular form, with arches on one side. The steps seem to have been recently restored. The other is a Hamam or a bathing place, which seems like a complex structure and has various places where water can flow from one place to another. I tried but could not make out the exact functioning of this Hamam. 

Another interesting thing to see is Kunti Devi temple, right in the middle of the complex. It is a small temple dedicated to Shiva. It is said that this is a temple from the time of Pandavas and probably belonged to their mother Kunti as it is still known by her name. It is a small temple with nothing much to note about except its historical reference. There are two Bhairon temples just outside the Qila complex, adjoining its back wall. Both these temples are said to be have been setup by Pandavas when they had made their capital here. In fact one of the temples has an idol of Bhima, one of the Pandava brothers who is said to have carried Bhairon on his shoulders to this place, before building the temple. Interestingly alcohol is the preferred prasad or offering for this deity. All the beggars gather around to receive the prasad for obvious reasons and government has a tough time controlling the crowd here, especially on Sundays. 

You can walk around the Qila along it thick and seemingly impregnable walls. The walls also served as the quarters for the soldiers and guards and today these are home to ASI offices and ASI museum. Most walls are in dilapidated state and those that are standing erect, have been restored by ASI not so long ago. The same is true for the two unused gateways. If possible, try and walk on the walls of the Qila to get a view from the top and from here Delhi does seem a beautiful city. 

Bang opposite Purana Qila, across the Mathura road is Khair-ul-Manzil mosque. The name literally means the best or most auspicious of the houses. The name is also a chronogram that means the letters when written in Persian refer to the year of its construction. Built in 1561 CE, this mosque belonged to Maham anga, the wet nurse of Akbar and Adham Khan’s mother. It is a relatively plain mosque when compared to Qila-i-Kohna mosque but has an impressive gateway and is fairly large in size. The glazed tile ornamentation on arches has more or less worn out. It also houses a madarsa or a school.

Just ahead of Khair-ul-Manzil mosque is the Sher Darwaza more often known as Lal Darwaza, built by Sher Shah Suri. This is an impressive gateway in red sandstone, quartzite and marble with remains of a massive wall behind it. There are ruined shops on both sides of the pathway leading to the gateway. This was one of the gates to Delhi Sher Shahi. Its northern gate is near Feroze Shah Kotla known as Khuni Darwaza. 

To complete this walk you can also visit the Zoo that is in the area that was inherently a part of Purana Qila and take a boat ride in the small lake outside Qila Walls. On a good weather day you can enjoy the extensive gardens of Purana Qila. 

There is something for everyone in this walk.

Discover Delhi XXVI: Old Delhi Walk XVIII: Basti Nizamuddin

Nizamuddin along with Mehrauli is one of the oldest living spaces in Delhi. It has been inhabited for more than 700 years now. Originally called Ghyaspur, having been built during the reign of Ghyasuddin Tughlaq, it was re-named after the Sufi saint Nizamuddin Auliya who lived in this area and who even today attracts millions of devotees from all over to this area. Most people though may recognize this area because of the railway station of the same name. A walk through the lanes and bylanes of Nizamuddin basti will take you through lots of tombs and would remind you the India of your childhood if you have grown up in small town India. The criss-cross of narrow lanes, the bustling bazaars, people everywhere busy doing their daily chores, eating on the street and a religious fervor make this a very lively place. You can feel life all around you. Though you would wish that these lanes were a bit cleaner so that you can walk more freely. 

My walk began from the Shiv temple that is next to the Lodhi road crematorium. Though the temple loudly announces it is an ancient temple, the priest told us it probably little more than 100 years old. The Shiva linga is supposed to be Swayambu i.e. the one that has emerged on its own and has not been manually made. The temple is a typical modern Hindu temple, patronized by rich people, has all possible popular deities adorned in the finest clothes managed by a priest or a team of priests. I did not find anything noteworthy in the temple. 

From here you get into the adjacent lane, and if it is a Monday, you would see a crowded, colorful and almost crazy market. The sellers are at their best trying to attract customers and buyers trying their best to get the best bargain from them. You would see a few gates and gateways from the old times, the only remnants of the bygone era. Some of them have been restored by agencies like Aga Khan trust and INTACH and the others are just facing the winds of time. You can get into a lane called Phoolwali Gali, which was so called as this was an area full of flowering trees and plants once upon a time and flower sellers would sell flowers from here. It is only with a very strong imagination that you can imagine flowers here now, as the whole place has haphazard construction with not a single plant or tree in sight. You will come across the tomb of Inayat Khan, son of Vilayat Khan, which is very obviously just renovated, not at all in sync with anything that surrounds it, but probably the only clean monument in the area. A small gateway leads to Mohalla Kot, which is said to be the original living Mohalla of the area, but you are not allowed to go inside unless you know someone there. 

The biggest structure that you would see in this area is Kalan masjid, one of the set of 7 similar masjids built around Delhi. Today, this and the Kalan masjid near Turkman gate are the two practicing mosques. All of them were built in 14th century during the Tughlaq period. When you look at the fort like walls of the mosque you wonder why such thick walls were needed for a mosque meant for people. This mosque also has more than 200 pillars and at least as many arches. It is a relatively plain mosque, but you can see a remarked resemblance with other mosques from the period like the ones in Mehrauli. 

Walk through the bazaars selling day to day needs and Atar or tradition oil based perfumes and reach Urs Mahal. This is a newly built platform provided by the government of independent India for followers of Nizamuddin Auliya to perform his annual Urs. In the courtyard you would see platforms with graves and some, where graves used to be. Most of these graves exist because many people wanted to be buried close to Nizamuddin. But most graves are unidentified today and practically speaking it is not possible or required to know about each and every grave. 

The beautiful white structure next to Urs Mahal is famous Chausanth khamba. As the name suggests it has 64 pillars but it is a small trick to count all of them. Try counting when you are there. Now this is a monument from the time of Jahangir, and this is evident from the fact that there is no dome on the pavilion. Interestingly you can see the domes when you are inside it, but the roof on top is absolutely flat. This is the only completely white, marble structure in this area with typical Jali work on all walls. Perfect symmetry makes it a very picturesque place. Here lies the tomb of Mirza Aziz Kokaltash, son of Atgah Khan, whose tomb is also not too far. Here and there are graves of mughal royal families and those of their higher officials. Even outside the pavilion you see an array of graves. Sometimes it seems that the dead in this area occupy more space than the living ones. 

Come out and you would see the grave of Mirza Ghalib, the best-known poet of Delhi. There is a couplet by him on a plaque that talks about the Ego. This grave has been renovated just about a year back and was probably not so beautiful earlier. But this is one grave where I like to spend some time. It would be a dream come true to listen to his poetry sitting by his grave. It is said that Mirza Ghalib was buried here as he counted Amir Khusro as one his masters. 

Just outside his grave around the corner is Ghalib academy, which has a lovely and extensive library with a good collection of Urdu and poetry books. You can also buy the literature of Ghalib and like from the shop outside. The auditorium in the academy is used for hosting various events like Mushaira’s and plays primarily around Ghalib. Not many people know of his hidden treasure of Delhi. I wish they would conduct some courses for creating awareness of poetry and works of Ghalib here for general public. There is also a museum on Ghalib here. Ghalib once described Delhi as the Soul of the world and I am sure his soul is still roaming around somewhere here. 

Another Gali would lead you to the tomb of Atgah Khan, which is a beautiful tomb, perfectly symmetrical and a good example of Indo-Islamic architecture, with many colorful panels on its outside made from glazed tiles. There is a small Baradari or a pavilion, which looks like a madrasa or a school. Notice the swastik woven into the patterns on the walls. The tile inlay work is intricate and must have looked amazing when all colors would have been present in their full glory. The inside of the dome would have been painted in typical red and blue but only a very small portion of that remains intact today. Atgah Khan was the husband of JiJi Anga, the wet nurse of Akbar and was killed by Adham Khan, whose tomb is in Mehrauli. There is another plain but big dome looking at you from across a wall and this is said to belong to Baba Kambalposh, who I guess must have been a revered Fakir. 

From here walk towards the Nizamuddin Dargah, where in lie the most famous saint of Delhi and his best known follower and poet Amir Khusro. Till date, every Thursday Khusro’s devotional qawwalis are sung for his master. The narrow lanes lines with shops selling flowers, chadders and other items on both sides lead you to the dargah. Leave your footwear outside, cover your head and secure your wallets as you enter these lanes. First you see the tomb of Amir Khusro, then Mohammed Shah Rangila and Begum Jahanara and then the bright golden dargan of Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya. He was a saint of the chisti tradition; other famous saints from this tradition are Garib Nawaz of Ajmer, Moinuddin Chisti of Fatehpur Sikri and Baba Bakhtiar Khaki of Mehrauli. On the side is a red mosque wall which a Mihrab well painted in Gold. Unfortunately, women are not allowed inside the two important tombs. Today the main Dargah is painted is pure gold with many other colors decorating each and every part of the walls, but I assume that given the fact it belongs to a Sufi saint, it must have been a much plainer dargah to begin with. You can see many women sitting around the dargah and crying and this is something that I have observed in Ajmer and Mehrauli as well, and I want to understand why they cry, while they should be praying. 

Amir Khusro often referred himself as the beloved of Nizamuddin, ensured that he is buried next to him. Later Mohammed Shah was buried in between them and as per the legend; this is what led to the decline of Mughals in Delhi as he came between the two lovers. I enjoy listening to these legends and it seems that almost all old places have some such legends associated with them. 

On the backside of the dargah is a Baoli or a stepwell, dating back to the time of Hazrat Nizamuddin, around 1321-22 AD, which is probably in the worst condition that it can be. I assume that being associated with the dargah, it should a holy place too, but the condition of the Baoli denies any such assumptions. 

If you come out towards the Mathura road, you would see the Sabj Burj, which is actually a blue dome. There is a park called Mirza Ghalib Park on the corner of this road, which also has a Baradari and a few other small-unexplained monuments. Being a vegetarian, I never tried the food options at Nizamuddin, but I am sure for those who enjoy Non-veg this place would have many things to offer. 

This is a walk through the ruins and remains of Delhi as it was 700 years ago, a walk through an era and with not much signs of modernity. Aga Khan trust for Culture conducts regular walks in Nizamuddin. The guides are local youth of Nizamuddin basti who have been trained for the purpose. It also serves as one of the ways to provide livelihood for this urban village.

Discover Delhi XXV: Old Delhi Walk XVII: Walk on the walls of Lal Kot

Lal Kot is the oldest known fort of Delhi, besides the mythical Indraprastha about which we do not know much. Sometimes it is referred to as the original red fort of Delhi. There is not much known about Lal Kot and its history can be summarized in few lines. The Tomar King Anangpal II built it in 736 AD. His name is also inscribed on the Iron Pillar in Qutub Complex. It was re-built in mid 11th century by Prithvi Raj Chauhan and re-named Qila Rai Pithora. Interesting bit is that Anagpal of Tomar dynasty is said to be the descendent of Pandavas or Arjuna to be precise. Chauhans were also related to Tomars by marriage and one of the son-in-laws of Tomar dynasty succeeded to the throne and hence the baton passed to Chauhans. The Tomars gave the name Dilli or Dhilli to this city. After this the slave dynasty came and ruled over Delhi and rest is better known history.

As of now behind the Qutub complex, the ruins and remains of Lal Kot still survive. Most visible parts of Lal kot are in the Adham Khan’s tomb, which is probably one corner of the fort. There are probable tanks, various buildings that could be living quarters and a very broad wall with huge semi-circular bastions at irregular intervals. As one point there seem to be two walls, one external and one internal. The walls are mighty and broad even as ruins, giving a glimpse of the fort that they would have guarded. There is an apparent water tank, which is full of foliage as of now. There is another plane, which is used as a cricket ground by kids, which could be another tank or some part of the fort that requires huge plane area. On the walls there are some signs of restoration as here and there some cement plastering can be seen, but we do not know who did that. There are two graves, apparently one male and one female, that lie between the two walls. Some say that they belong to a couple and some say that they belong to the soldiers. But whoever they are, they are revered even today as the graves were adorned with new chaddars. Some distance ahead, there is a dargah of Baba Akbar Shah. Now we could not make out much about the baba, but from the shops outside it looks like many people come here to pay respects. There is also a well outside this dargah that is said to have healing powers. This is possible because Gandhak ki Baoli is not too far from here and may be the ground water in this area had sulphur, which has curative properties.

Standing there on the walls, one wonders how come some excavations have not been carried out here and how come there are no efforts to restore this important part of city’s past. And this led me to basic search on ASI website and this is what they have to say about this site: 

Lal-Kot (28°32'; 77°11'), Delhi: An irregular fort enclosure within which the famous Qutub-Minar stands. It is reputed to have been built by a Tomara Anangapala, possibly to be identified with Anangapala II, who figures in certain dyniastic lists and whose name with samvat 1100 (A.D. 1052) is inscribed on the iron pillar of Chandra. Its extension on the n. and w. bounded again by massive stone walls, is known as Qila Rai Pithora and is ascribed to the Chauhana king Prithviraja III, also known as Rai Pithora, who was defeated by Muhammad Ghuri. The two enclosures together have long been known as the first city of Delhi of early medieval times. Some points along the LaI-Kot walls and inside it were probed in 1957-8 and 1958-9 by Y.D. Sharma, ASI in order to examine the reasons behind the obvious structural differences between the w. and e. flanks of the LaI-Kot rampart walls. and also to ascertain if the pre-Sultanate occupational levels could be distinguished from the Sultanate ones.

A small trench to the s. of the Qutub-Minar has indicated that this was the residential part of Lal-Kot, at least in Sultanate times, for on either side of a 1.52 m wide street here flanked portions of houses. Drains from these houses join an open lime-plastered gutter running in the middle of the street, which show several road levels. 

The pottery from these excavations can be divided into two phases. From the lower levels come plain red wares, sometimes slipped, the main types of which correspond generally with those of the topmost stratum of Ahicchatra, c. 850-1100. From the middle depth of the upper levels come glazed ware and associated black-slipped grey ware. The two phases are separated here by a deposit of ash and earth mixed with debris.

So the site was excavated, probably the details of the excavation are not well known. You get some very different views of Qutub Minar from Lal Kot walls. You get a view of Qutub Minar and Alai-Minar and you can well imagine if that Alai-Minar was completed, how it was would have dwarfed the Qutub Minar. From one angle you see a small dome on top of unfinished minar. From some angles Qutub Minar seems to be growing out of greenery. You can see the top view of Sanjay Van where the treetops give the feeling of being a green carpet and make you forget that you are well within the megacity of Delhi. 

Sam Miller, the author who loves to walk around Delhi, guided a group of 11 people on this walk. Sam, thank you for taking us on this very unusual walk.