Did you ever notice that the ten rupee note has three animals on it: rhino, elephant and tiger? Or that new species of flora and fauna continue to be discovered in India? Did you think about existence of varied ecosystems in India when you think about ‘unity in diversity’? How does one go about doing wildlife history? These are some of the questions and themes brought into focus during our book discussion on 7 August. Organised by the Delhi Heritage Walks’ Book Club, the work under consideration was India's Wildlife History: An Introduction written by Mahesh Rangarajan. This book captures the relationship between humans and nature over a vast time span and landscape of India's history. It discusses the understanding of wildlife in ancient, medieval and colonial times; questions of exploitation and conservation by drawing upon numerous sources such as official records, memoirs and mythology. Prof. Rangarajan who teaches History and Environmental Studies at Ashoka University, was the discussant.

India is an extremely diverse country when it comes to its ecosystem, and we owe this to many factors including the varied landscape, its location in the tropics, the monsoons, the Indian Ocean and the Himalayas. It’s considered a meeting place for different habitats. The 1960s were the time of environmental awakening in India and the 1990s economic-political shift had a major impact on the environment. India's democratic structure helped in providing a system of checks and balances and the coming of newer scientific knowledge has greatly helped. In the past years, humans have played an important role in the shaping of environment, both consciously and unconsciously. A question about the lessons we learn from the past was raised and Prof. Rangarajan argued that history gives us insights, rather than solutions, and that we cannot deal with the question of nature without dealing with its history. It is difficult to separate the natural world and the cultural world. Conflict and harmony with nature have existed together, although the nature of conflict may change.

The discussion introduced the group to fascinating aspects of wildlife history such as animal cognition, use and symbolism of nature in literature like Abhijyanashakuntalam, Ramayana, Jataka tales and oral traditions, and religious and philosophical approaches to nature. We talked of historical figures like Mauryan Emperor Ashoka whose edicts reveal his policy towards conservation of wildlife. However, even the best of nature lovers can have devastating effects on mankind, as the example of Adolf Hitler tells us. He was a staunch vegetarian and a passionate conservator, yet had no qualms about killing fellow human beings!

Prof. Rangarajan also highlighted the complex relationship human being share with animals. We love some, fear others and treat some like our family. And, the difference remains between value of human life and value of animal life. No discussion of nature-human relationship would be complete without reflecting upon climate change, the cost of development, relationship with indigenous peoples and efforts towards conservation. Prof. Rangarajan urged us to look at crises as windows of opportunities to try new ideas and a time to think of possibilities.

Those who would like to read more about wildlife history, here are a few books which were recommended during the discussion: Amitav Ghosh’s The Great Derangement; Thomas Trautmann’s Elephants and Kings: An Environmental History; Exotic Aliens: The Lion and the Cheetah in India, by Romila Thapar, Valmik Thapar and Yusuf Ansari; From Soup to Superstar: The Story of Sea Turtle Conservation along the Indian Coast by Kartik Shanker.

Happy reading and thanks for joining us!

(posted by Medhavi Hassija, team member, Delhi Heritage Walks)

The post India’s Wildlife History: Book Discussion with Mahesh Rangarajan, 7aug16 first appeared on Delhi Heritage Walks.

The heritage walk at Hauz Khas includes visits to the 14^th century madarsa (Islamic seminary), the water tank and the tombs located around the village and the Deer Park.  This walk was in a way continuation of the first walk held at the Firuz Shah Kotla (citadel and palace of Firuz Shah) as some of the monuments in Hauz Khas were also built by Firuz Shah Tughluq. The monument complex comprising the madrasa is located next to the Deer Park and its passage is through the famous Hauz Khas village market, known for its fashion shops, pubs and eateries.

The walking tour began with a small introduction about the history of the monuments.  Our first discussion was about famous the water tank by Sultan Alauddin Khilji (1296–1316). The tank (spread over 100 acres) was constructed to meet the water needs of the people living in and around the capital city of Siri built by the sultan. A dome now called Munda Gumbad was built in the centre of the tank. At present, the dome is located outside the tank, which has considerably reduced in size over the centuries due to encroachments and construction and lack of water. The tank was first known as Hauz-i-Alai. ‘Hauz’ in Persian means tank and ‘Alai’ comes from Khilji’s first name. It subsequently came to be called Hauz Khas or the royal tank. The tank was later renovated by Firuz Shah Tughluq (1351–88) of the Tughluq dynasty.  Shah had restored many other buildings, the famous being the Qutb Minar and he is known for the construction of irrigation canals, mosques, gardens and other public infrastructure.

Our second stop was the madarsa built by Firuz Shah in 1350s. This was supposed to be the largest Islamic seminary of the world of that time. It’s an L-shaped building, located on the banks of the water tank. To the south-east is the tomb of Firuz Shah and to its north is a masjid (mosque). The madarsa is a two-story structure built in a typical Tughluq-style: it is massive and austere while incorporating the pleasing features of Indo-Islamic style. It seems that the first floor with its pillared halls would be the place for holding classes and the ground floor with small cell-like rooms would be the residential portion. The entire madarsa is inter-connected through domed and pillared halls. Each floor has staircases that lead to the water tank. However these have been locked by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). Timur, a feared Persian ruler who invaded Delhi in 1398 had camped at this madarsa and he wrote praises about it.

The masjid to the north of the tomb is locked. Its a small structure with jharokas (projecting windows) and the mihrab (indicating the west or the direction of kaaba or Mecca ) of the masjid overlooks the water tank.

We next visited the tomb of Firuz Shah which is made of quartzite stone rubble. It also has carvings of battlements made of red sandstone on top of its entrance. There are four graves inside the tomb. These belong to Firuz Shah (the central one), his son and grandson. The identity of the fourth grave is not known. The ceiling of the tomb has Quranic inscriptions. An inscription at the entrance of the tomb indicates that Sikandar Lodi repaired the tomb sometime around 1507.

The final stop on our heritage trail was to the tombs located in the Deer Park. Bagh-i-Alam ka Gumbad (tomb of the garden of universe) is a Lodi period tomb and masjid. The tomb is locked by the ASI. The facade has red sandstone and remains of blue ceramic tiles are still visible. We ended our walk with a visit to the Tuhfewala Gumbad (another imposing Tughlaq period tomb) and Kali Gumti (literally, the black hutment).

(Photos & text by Jamal Kidwai, and the walk was led by Moby Zachariah, both team members, Delhi Heritage Walks)

The post Walking tour to Hauz Khas monuments, 14may16 first appeared on Delhi Heritage Walks.

Mehrauli area of Delhi is one of those sites of the world that has a history of continuous habitation for almost a thousand years.  One of the most famous monuments of India, the Qutb Minar (built in the early 13^th century) is located in this area.  But there are many other tombs, palaces, baolis (stepwell), shrines, mosques and other historical structures that are to be found there.  Mehrauli Archaeological Park has trails developed around medieval monuments dating from the 13^th to the 19^th century.  In other words, beginning from what is commonly referred to as the time of the Slave dynasty right up to the early colonial period.

The heritage walk started at the entrance of the park and our first stop was the tomb of Sultan Balban who ruled from 1266 to 1286. He was a Turk and the ninth sultan of what is called the Slave dynasty.  The Slave dynasty gets it title from the fact that these rulers began their careers as slaves and rose to become Kings. Balban is said to have been sold as slave to the Ghaznis by the Mongols.  He worked for Sultan Iltutmish and later his daughter, Razia Sultan. He went on to become the vizier of Sultan Nasiruddin and finally declared himself the ruler after the former’s death. Balban’s tomb is believed to be the earliest monument in India which uses the correct technique of building arches (the true arch). There is no roof left to the tomb, but it has three chambers adjacent to each other. The biggest and the central chamber would have been the burial chamber of the sultan but no grave exists now. There is a grave in an adjacent chamber and that is believed to be that of Balban’s son, Khan Shahid.  Around Balban’s tomb there are a number of buildings dating from the late-Mughal times, which probably constituted a residential area.

The next stop on our heritage trail was Jamali-Kamali. There are two structures here. The first is the mosque built by Jamali and second is the tomb of Jamali-Kamali. Both these structures are said to be constructed in 1528-29. Jamali was buried here after his death in 1535. Jamali was the pen name of the renowned Sufi saint and poet Sheikh Fazlullah. He wrote in Persian and was the court poet of Sikandar Lodi. He continued to receive patronage from the Mughal rulers Babur and Humayun after the Mughals had replaced the Lodis. Kamali’s antecedents are unknown but he is supposed to be a compatriot of Jamali. This mosque must be one of the first mosques built by the Mughals and a very good example of what is commonly referred to as Indo-Islamic architecture. There are arches, domes and Quranic inscriptions associated with Islamic architecture alongside motifs of flowers and kalash (earthen pot), jharokha (projecting window) associated with the older Hindu, Jain and Buddhist monuments.

The tomb is usually kept under lock and key but this a more recent measure taken by the Archaeological Survey of India when some local Muslim groups decided to reclaim the mosque (existing as a monument) as a place of active religious activity. A few years back the tomb and the mosque were easily accessible. But those of us who have visited the tomb earlier saw some beautiful and intricate decorations on the ceilings of the tomb and Jamali’s compositions too have been inscribed on the interior of the tomb.

From there we walked to the house of Sir Thomas Metcalf who christened his estate, Dilkusha. He was a senior officer in the English East India Company. He had an official residence in north India but he built a country house in Mehrauli. He purchased the 16^th century tomb of Mohd. Quli Khan from the latter’s descendants to build his house with gardens around it. We walked to different parts of his sprawling residence. This included the tomb of Quli Khan, what was supposed to be the boat house and a folly. Metcalf built many follies around his residence, some of which still survive. We get a picturesque view of the Qutb Minar from these follies. Quli Khan was the brother of Adham Khan. The latter was a general in the army of Mughal king Akbar and the son of Akbar’s foster mother, Maham  Anga.

Our last stop was the Rajon ki Baoli. This is a beautiful four floor stepwell which gets it title from the word raj which means masons. Each floor has arcades and rooms. Besides being the source of water supply, these baolis were also a place where people would meet for gatherings and socializing. There are several other baolis in Delhi like the one near Jantar Mantar called the Agrasen ki baoli and another step well in Mehrauli called the Gandhak ki baoli. We ended our walk after a visit to the masjid and a tomb adjacent to the baoli.

(The walk was led by Tanvi Bikhchandani and the blog post is by Jamal Kidwai, both team members, Delhi Heritage Walks)

The post Heritage Walk to Mehrauli Archaeological Park, 7may16 first appeared on Delhi Heritage Walks.

Delhi Heritage Walks’ Book Club held its second session at Lodi Garden on 6 December. The book chosen for the discussion was Romila Thapar’s Somanatha: The Many Voices of a History and Tanuja Kothiyal, a historian of medieval India at Ambedkar University Delhi, and currently Fellow at Nehru Memorial Museum & Library, was the discussant. The choice of the book seemed apt for the day: 6 December is the date of destruction of Babri Masjid in Ayodhya which is believed to have been built on the birthplace of Lord Ram. The act of pulling down the mosque was to avenge the oppression faced by the Hindu community under Muslim rule. Mahmud Ghazni’s raids into India and particularly his raid on temple of Somanatha in the year 1026 is considered the beginning of foreign invasions led by fanatical Muslims who were here to attack the Hindu religion. The Rath Yatra led by BJP leader L.K. Advani which culminated in Babri Masjid demolition, started in 1990, at Somanatha. Romila Thapar’s book notes that the event has been projected as central to relations between Hindus and Muslims in South Asia and explores the interpretations of this event in the last two centuries. The author draws upon a number of sources including local Sanskrit inscriptions, Jain narratives, biographies of kings & merchants of the period, court epics & popular narratives and Persian chronicles to study the different versions of Mahmud’s raids on India.

The event began with Dr. Kothiyal summarizing the main arguments of the book. She remarked that the memorialisation of the event has become more important than the event itself. She pointed out that because the book uses a variety of sources, it allows the reader a larger picture of the relevance of this event for the region of Gujarat and other parts of the Indian subcontinent. And, it is important to understand the context of each of these versions of history. One of the participants noted that while the context is relevant and there can be multiple versions of an event, we must not forget the intent of the raid. He argued that historians should give due credence to the reason why Mahmud raided Somanatha. This point led us to the question of role of historians and history writing in society. One of the participants put forward their view that historians write accounts of the past based on available evidence, using acceptable procedures of enquiry and with a particular perspective. Now, this whole process can result in multiple versions of history and this is acceptable part of historians’ craft. What is unacceptable, are versions of history which are based on prejudice and sentiment. The latter unfortunately leads of popular notions of the past which are not grounded in historical research. Another participant added that while historians establish facts of the past, they also make us aware of the context of each of the facts – why is some information more important than other and gets acceptable as historical fact. This contributes to our understanding of what makes history.

Another issue that came up for discussion was the originality of the site of the temple of Somanath. A site of history will have layers of past and the participants discussed the situation with respect to Somanath. The temple that stands there now is a modern structure, built after Independence. The role of the colonial state and Indian government after Independence was also talked about. Dr. Kothiyal emphasised that the importance of the book lies in its ability to provide us an insight into how memory of a particular event – an event which has contemporary relevance – is developed.

(posted by Kanika Singh, team member, Delhi Heritage Walks)

The post DHW Book Club – Discussion on Romila Thapar’s Somanatha, 6 Dec ‘15 first appeared on Delhi Heritage Walks.

All of us know of the cricket stadium of Kotla Firuz Shah. Right behind the stadium is the ruined city of Kotla Firuz Shah, the complex which gives the stadium its name. The city was constructed by third Tughluq king, Firuz Shah Tughluq in the 14^th century. Our heritage walk to Kotla was organized on Sunday evening which saw a good number of devotees who were in the complex to pray to the djinns. The local tradition is that this is the abode of djinns. The city is believed to have extended from a hunting lodge called Kushak –i-Shikar (presently at Northern Ridge) to Hauz Khas (in south Delhi). The city continued to be inhabited till 18th century but was abandoned later because it had no wall to give protection against dacoits and looters. At present, there are only three prominent monuments which remain standing in the citadel area: Jama Masjid, the pyramidal building with Ashokan Pillar on it and a circular baoli.

The complex can be divided into two areas- public area and private area. In our heritage trail, we first approached the public area which had a series of courtyards which once had gateways. This was used as the official area which was once surrounded by grape gardens. This was followed by remains of the palace area, the more private areas which was known as Kushak-i- Firuz meaning the palace of Firuz. This area had the zenana or women’s quarters for the royal women and few rooms, of which some of them were double storied. It was the first city among the various capital cities of Delhi, to be built along the river. A series of vaulted cells which forms the base of the Jama Masjid of Kotla is used by people to offer prayers to djinns. We saw votive offerings including flowers and incense scattered here and there along with the most interesting, hand written letters for the djinns with personal petitions. According to one source, these beliefs and practices started only in the 1970’s. On the storey above, is Masjid-i- Jama, a mosque which is still active. The Central Asian ruler, Timur, is said to have offered prayers at the Jama Masjid and he ordered all builders and stone masons to build a mosque similar to this one in Samarkand. Another interesting monument of the complex is the pyramidal structure with Ashokan Pillar on top, the latter dating back to the 3 cent. BC. The pillar bear inscriptions ranging from the ‘principles of Emperor Ashoka’s administration’ to ‘regulations restricting slaughter and mutilation of animals’; Ashoka’s initiatives such as planting trees, constructing roads, wells, sarais etc. Uprooted from Topra, Firuz Shah carried it to Delhi and placed it here in his citadel with a new name, Minar –i- Zarin which means the ‘golden column’. For some it is the ‘walking stick of Bhim’ and for some it is the chief djinn known as ‘Lat Baba’. We saw many people praying at the cells and to the ‘Lat Baba’. From above, we got a good view of baoli, an unusal circular double storied step well, which was once used as a pleasure pavilion. The complex with its fascinating past and present motivated few of us to stay back after the heritage walk. Thank you everyone for being a part of the walk.

(blog post by Moby Zachariah & pics by Kanika Singh, both team members, Delhi Heritage Walks)

The post Sunday Evening at Kotla Firuz Shah, 29nov15 first appeared on Delhi Heritage Walks.

Lodi Garden never fails to amaze you with its exuberant greenery in the heart of Delhi; a more scenic and striking place couldn't have been better for our first book discussion on Nehru and Bose: Parallel Lives by Rudrangshu Mukherjee. Salil Misra, Professor of History at Ambedkar University Delhi graciously agreed to be our discussant. He started with giving a brief synopsis of the book and tracking the parallel lives of these two dauntless nationalists from the point of their return home, through their unfruitful struggles to radicalise the Congress, to their final parting of ways in the late 1930s on the issue of Bose's offset victory as president of that umbrella nationalist body. In between these two personalities, fell the shadow of Gandhi in India, and of Mussolini and Hitler in Europe, and a militarised Japan to our east. The Mahatma played an important role in both of their lives and he's considered the reason behind their decision to go their separate ways.

The book is an exceptional piece of work and is a remarkably readable for the non-fiction genre. Professor Salil also praised the book for portraying the lives of both Nehru and Bose in a non-partisan manner. Normally, during comparisons, the author's previous notions cloud the events but this book especially is considered notably fair. Both Nehru and Bose were the product of their times but both of them played such a significant role that they affected their times. The discussion moved on to the conspiracy surrounding Subhash's death. Professor Salil explained that during World War II, a large number of Indians were recruited to fight the Axis powers but many of them were captured and kept in Japan. There was a looming question of what might be done with them and a decision was arrived that they'll be released but made to fight from the other side. This was called the Indian National Army and their main aim was to free India from the  British rule. Before they even reached India, Bose was killed after his overloaded Japanese plane crashed. Many conspiracy theories had come up as lack of evidence created many speculations but the book takes care of all of them. Another question that was raised was how important a role did INA play in the decision of British to leave India. The answer to that was not much. The British left India because its pillars collapsed. The British had created a support system and they ruled India with the support of its citizens. Gandhi primarily focused on withdrawing that support. By 1945, this became a reality. The Army went soft, the policemen became lenient and in many instances the Services began to help people rather than attack them. Secondly, new superpowers were slowly emerging and changing the dynamics of the world. England realised that they will win the War but will be reduced to a secondary power and as a result will have to slowly give up its colonies. Thirdly, Quit India which was a civil disobedience movement launched during the Second World War became a major factor for British to leave India. Another important point that was raised was that did Gandhi not like Subhash Chandra Bose. This was answered by explaining that Mahatma Gandhi was a pan India leader. He had employed 'agents' across states who would keep him updated. In Bengal, Bose was asked to report but Gandhi did not really trust him. He believed that Bose was not capable enough to take care of Bengal. It is true that there were serious differences between Gandhi and Bose but they were not rivals. Gandhi referred to him as his 'prodigal son' and it was Bose who coined the term 'Father of the Nation'. For instance, when Bose became General of the INA, he gave very clear instructions to the Army that he's only temporarily leading them and as soon as they reach Delhi, they only follow Gandhi's mandates. The main difference between Nehru and Bose with respect to Gandhi was that if Nehru differed in opinion with the Mahatma, he never spoke about it in public whereas Bose was very vocal about his thoughts.

This is the first of the discussions by Delhi Heritage Walks’ Book Club. Each month we will invite a scholar to discuss a book on history at a venue which is relevant to the theme. Through this initiative we hope to reach out to a wider audience which is non-academic but interested in history, to discuss issues of contemporary relevance and share the pleasures and frustrations of a historian’s work. This would be a great opportunity to engage with scholars, expand your understanding of history, share your opinion, and of course, make friends!

(posted by Medhavi Hassija, team member, Delhi Heritage Walks)

The post Book Discussion, Nehru & Bose: Parallel Lives, 1Nov15 first appeared on Delhi Heritage Walks.

Many of us know that Delhi has the unfortunate title of one of the most polluted cities in the world. However, standing at the gate of Mehrauli Archaeological Park, an expansive 100-acre space, with greenery all around, it’s quite easy to forget about the pollution. To be sure, the park has many stories to tell; the Mehrauli area is the oldest continuously inhabited part of Delhi.  From the 11^th century Rajput cities of Lalkot, and Qila Rai Pithora, to monuments from Delhi Sultanate, the Mughal, and the British era— there is perhaps no other place in Delhi with such a diverse history. We started our exploration at Balban’s Tomb, the resting place of the Mamluk king who ruled Delhi in the 13^th century. Interestingly, the only grave remaining in the tomb complex is not Balban’s, but that of his son, Khan Shahid. Khan Shahid was not known to be a religious figure, but people do pray in front of his grave, and the enclosure often smells of incense. An example of the past and present interacting— popular memory does not always follow historical accuracy.

Continuing on to our next stop, we crossed over to reach the Jamali Kamali mosque and shrine. Built in 16^th century, mosque is not currently in use. However, the structure still stands and the architecture makes for a pretty sight. The jharokas  (balconies) and lotus motifs on the façade of the building are Indic elements, whereas the arches and the dome point to the Islamic influence. The presence of both types of features represents a cultural syncretism that was quite typical of medieval India.  From the medieval period we moved to the modern as we climbed up a little hillock to see a hexagonal canopy— a “folly”— built by Thomas Metcalf. Metcalfe was an officer of the English East India Company and a resident at the court of the Mughal emperor. He was quite influential in his own right, and owned chunks of the land that makes up the park today. Other than the canopy structure, he also built a boathouse, and converted a Mughal tomb (that of Mohammad Quli Khan) into his summer residence. It seems rather strange to repurpose a grave area into one’s home. But as we stepped into the tomb and looked up at the exquisite carvings on the ceiling, we could perhaps understand why Metcalfe named his residence Dilkusha, or Delighter of the Heart. We were able to climb to the roof of the tomb as well, and had a wonderful view of the Qutb Minar and its surrounding areas.

We ended the walk at Rajon ki Baoli, a step-well named after rajgirs or masons, that also has mosque and tomb attached to it, and even some residential quarters. The step-well is dry now, save for some rainwater that had accumulated. Though we were only ones there at the time, baolis have historically been social spaces, and like so many other places in the—this particular step well has own stories and secrets. 

(post by Tanvi Bikhchandani & photos by Kanika Singh, team members, Delhi Heritage Walks)

The post On the Trail of Sufis & Sultans: Heritage Walk in Mehrauli Archaeological Park, 27Sept15 first appeared on Delhi Heritage Walks.

This heritage walk explores the history of the city of Shahjahanabad, today, old Delhi or Purani Dilli. The trail focuses on the street of Chandni Chowk which was the main boulevard of the 17^th century city, and still remains so. Over a period of 400 years the city has seen many changes, but two events have most prominently shaped it: the suppression of the rebellion of 1857, and the Partition of 1947. Delhi was one of the major centres of the Revolt of 1857. The rebellion was crushed and the Mughal dynasty came to an end. India became a British colony. The British occupied the Red Fort and the city and large parts of the city were flattened. A clearing was created outside Red Fort to provide for firing range, in case of another rebellion; prominent public buildings like Fatehpuri Masjid were razed in this clearance of settlements; the Mughal buildings inside the Fort were pulled down and barracks for British soldiers created. The physical fabric of the city was drastically altered. 1947 saw a massive migration of people across the newly created border. A number of refugee colonies came up to settle the people displaced by Partition. Many of these were built on lands which were part of garden estates of the nobility in Shahjahanabad. Both 1857 & 1947 have had a tremendous impact on the life of the city and as it appears to us today. We also have to keep in mind that in old Delhi many site will have historical associations but the buildings identifying the sites could be fairly recent. This is because it is an area of continuous settlement; people who have lived here have built, repaired and rebuilt on older sites.

Our trail starts at Digambar Jain Lal Mandir, which is well known in old Delhi for its bird hospital. Next to it is Gauri Shankar Mandir established by the Marathas in the 18^th century. The modern buildings of these two temples is a great contrast to lesser known temples in the city. We visited the Kunni ji Maharaj Shivalaya in Katra Neel where the shrine was established under a canopy of which architecture was distinctly ‘Indo-Islamic’. One of the sites covered by us was the Sisganj Gurdwara and the Fountain Chowk. There are a number of sites of interest around this chowk. The Bhai Mati Das Museum has been built on the site of Majestic cinema. The community kitchen (langar khana) of the Gurdwara stands on the location of Mughal Kotwali (police station), an old sign board indicated the location of Ghantewala Shahi Halwai (which shut shop recently), the Sunheri Masjid stands next to the gurdwara, its golden dome now black. A small detour from Chandni Chowk into Parathewali Gali takes us to the famous Kinari Bazaar and a quaint group of households called Naughara. It lies in the neighbourhood of Dharampura where the population is predominantly Jain. The next stop on our walking tour was the Town Hall. A creation of the British, the Town Hall, along with the Delhi Railway Station stands on the estate of Mughal princess Jahanara. When Shahjahanabad was first planned this was also a major city square with a pool. The entire stretch of Chandni Chowk had a canal running through its centre. This water reflected moon light, hence the name ‘Chandni Chowk’ or ‘moonlight square’ for the street. After 1857, the canal, the garden estate were all gone. A new road (nai sarak) was created and named Egerton Road. Later the name was changed to Nai Sarak. Close by is Katra Neel where Chunnamal’s Haveli still stands as the most prominent landmark. The mansion is still occupied by the descendants of Lala Chunnamal and the house has more than 170 rooms. Lala Chunnamal was one of the Indian merchant-bankers who were the new rich in Delhi, after 1857. So much so, that Fatehpuri Masjid which lies at the end of Chandni Chowk was once his private property. Today, Fatehpuri Masjid is an active mosque and madrasa. It is an oasis of calm within the chaos of the old city. Fatehpuri Mosque shares its boundary with the Gadodia market in Khari Baoli. This was the last stop on our heritage walk. One of the biggest warehouses and shop spaces in the spice market, Gadodia Market offers a spectacular view of old Delhi from its rooftop.

(blog post by Kanika Singh & photos by Kavita Singh, team members Delhi Heritage Walks)

The post Stories of Shahjahanabad: Heritage Walk in Chandni Chowk, 6sept15 first appeared on Delhi Heritage Walks.

‘I’m going to Kotla Firoz Shah’— say these words to a Delhi-ite, and more often than not, his/her first impression would be that you are going to watch a cricket match at the stadium by that name. Yet, just behind the stadium lies the Kotla Firoz Shah monument complex, housing the ruins of the fifth city of Delhi. With numerous arches and pathways with steep steps, the ruins are surrounded by lush green lawns. Birds of prey are constantly gliding around the area, making for quite a dramatic setting. It is not surprising then, that people think this area is haunted. The ruins were almost deserted on a Sunday morning, but that is not always the case. Popular belief about the presence of djinns brings throngs of people to the complex on Thursdays. They carry offerings and bring their wishes/prayers written on a piece of paper, in the hope that the djinns would fulfill their desires.

The story behind the construction of this new city of Delhi, called Firozabad, is quite engaging. It was built in the latter half of the 14^th century by Delhi Sultanate ruler Firoz Shah Tughlaq, who succeeded his cousin, Mohammad Bin Tughlaq. All Tughluq rulers had a penchant for building cities— as attested by Ghiyasuddin Tughluq’s Tughlaqabad & Mohd Tughluq’s Jahanpanah. Firuz Shah was also quite a contrast from his predecessor. Muhammad was known to be quite brutal, that after he died, people shed tears of relief. Firoz Shah was more benevolent, and his city too, differs from Tughluqabad in a few ways. Most importantly, it was river facing. The Yamuna, in its unfortunate polluted state, may not be the most desirable in the real estate market today, but in those days it was a different matter. Not only was its presence aesthetically pleasing, it was also practical in terms of managing water supply. The outer (eastern) walls of Firozabad would have looked right onto the river; today, we see the ring road instead.

The architecture of the complex too, is worth mentioning. Firozabad entered into a decline in the eighteenth century, but when it was inhabited it made for a grand sight. The Central Asian invader Timur has written in praise of the size, beauty and carvings of the Jami Masjid, Firozabad’s public mosque. In fact, Timur was so impressed by the mosque, with its domes and courtyards, that he constructed a similar one in his capital city of Samarkand. Not much of this ornate calligraphy remains in the mosque today, and one of the reasons for this is plundering and looting of invaders. Also, stones and other building materials were taken by later rulers of Delhi. The Mughal king, Shah Jahan is thought to have taken a good number to build his capital of Shahjahanabad (present day Old Delhi). Yet, the structures of a number of buildings remain, which give a glimpse of the past goings on in the complex. One can see a series of arched courtyards for administrative work and the king’s audience. Residential quarters are visible too, with the women’s lodgings in a more secluded area. There are underground rooms— perhaps for storage—and tunnels to be used for emergency escapes.

Standing tall among the ruins and enduring the test of time is a large sandstone pillar. It was originally built by Mauryan emperor Ashoka, but we learn that Firoz Shah brought it from Topra (Ambala district), to Delhi. Another structure of interest is the baoli— or step well— nearby. Regular DHW-ers and heritage enthusiasts may have visited other step wells in the city, and notice that most are rectangular. This one, however, is round and thus provides more space for walking around the water. The well is usually kept locked, and the lucky few who chance upon it open can feed the catfish inside. This particular time we weren’t able to go inside, but on the bright side, that gives us another reason to come back! 

(The walk was led by Moby Zachariah & blog post is by Tanvi Bikhchandani. Both are team members, Delhi Heritage Walks)

The post City of Djinns: Exploring Kotla Firuz Shah, 5jul15 first appeared on Delhi Heritage Walks.

Doing a heritage walk in Lodi Gardens is quite different from most of DHW’s other trails. More often than not, the ruins we wish to explore are empty on a weekend, and seem to be part of a distant world. But Lodi Gardens at 7:30am on a Saturday is bustling. It’s not called ‘Jogger’s Paradise’ without reason— walkers, runners, and exercise groups of all ages were out and about.

We made our way to our first stop, the tomb of Mohammad Shah of the Sayyid dynasty. The Sayyids were part of the Delhi Sultanate, and ruled before the Lodis and after the Tughluqs. With their rule lasting less than 40 years, there is not much architecture remaining from this period. This particular tomb, is known for being one of Delhi’s oldest octagonal tombs, with eight smaller chhatris surrounding the main dome. The fusion of Indic and Islamic architectural styles is clearly present, with lotus motifs as well as arches and calligraphy from the Quran.

The tomb is enclosed by a large number of palm trees, spaced out such that the tomb is visible through the trees as well. These trees— indigenous to Cuba— were brought by the British while they were landscaping the park in the 1930s. In fact, not many know that Lodi Gardens was primarily a British project, and was originally called Lady Willingdon Park. It was partially re-landscaped in the 1960s by  The monuments, of course, existed long before the British arrived, but during the time of the Delhi Sultanate, the area was a royal burial ground— a Bagh-e-jud. 

Unraveling the various layers of history, we moved on to our next stop, the Bada Gumbad. Literally meaning big dome, Bada Gumbad is an appropriate, albeit uncreative title. There are three adjacent buildings here— the central one is the dome itself. Its purpose is not clear, but it is thought to be a large gateway. It is flanked on one side by a mosque with stunningly intricate carvings on the wall. On the other side, across from the mosque, there is a walled structure that is thought to be an assembly area, or the residence of the caretakers of the mosque.

   Across from the Bada Gumbad was our next stop, the Shish Gumbad, the Glass Dome. It may be difficult to understand the rationale for this title now, as one can hardly see glass on the structure. However, when it was constructed, it was covered with blue tiles that shone radiantly in the sun. There are precious few tiles remaining, but their luster is absent, and the beauty of the original building is left to one’s imagination.

Our last major stop on our walk was the tomb of Sikandar Lodi. Approaching the monument, one can see a boundary wall with turrets, which gives it a fort-like appearance. Inside the complex, the tomb is in the center, surrounded by a four-path garden, a simple but aesthetically pleasing precursor to the elaborate gardens of the Mughal era. We ended the walk at the oldest architectural structure in the in the park— a stand-alone turret from the Tughluq period. And thus ended our journey across centuries and dynasties, all the while intertwined with the present, of course. So next time you visit Lodi Gardens, take the path less traveled and explore its history!

(The walk was lead by Moby Zachariah and this post is by Tanvi Bikhchandani. Both are team members, Delhi Heritage Walks)

The post Heritage trail at Lodi Garden, 27jun15 first appeared on Delhi Heritage Walks.