LOST MONUMENTS OF DELHI
Delhi has been
an epicenter of political powers since generations. It has seen the birth and
fall of many rulers and hence the history of Delhi is so diverse. There are
different versions of stories and facts about the history of Delhi. We don’t
know which one is right. But one thing is sure and that is - Delhi has stood by the test of time.
Like a Phoenix the city has risen from the ashes several times. Today it is one
of the most developed cities of India. But in this course of development, there
are lots of loss that city has seen. One of the losses is its lost monuments. There
are some monuments that have been completely unknown to people. Lost amidst the
hustle and bustle of this capital city, they are lying unnoticed.
Old Fort
Let’s start with
the Old Fort. Though Old Fort is not actually lost, I have included this fort
in lost places as it is really underrated and unnoticed. Though located on
Mathura Road, just next to National Zoological Park, which has huge influx of
local people on weekends, the Old Fort is visited only by three kinds of people
today. Firstly, couples who have made this place a dating spot (unfortunately),
secondly by some locals who came here with their kids for an evening boating
ride (in pond that is outside the fort) and thirdly people like me who loves to
visit historical places. The saddest part of this fort is the couple visitors
who have shamelessly made this beautiful historical place a dating spot. I wish
government could do something about it. Anyways coming back to the beauty of
this fort, it is spread over 2 kilometers and surrounded by green gardens. Build
by Sher Shar Suri the fort houses- A lake, Stepped Well (Baoli), Qila-i-Kuhna
Mosque and Humayun’s Library known as Sher Mandal. Though most of the
structures are not maintained the green gardens are quite
maintained. Most of the structures are closed and you cannot go inside, other
than a small museum just beside the main gate. Thankfully every year, one or
the other musical festival(s) are held here which invites decent number of
visitors.
Khairul Manazil,
a Mosque and later a Madarsa built by Maham Anga, stands opposite to the Old
Fort. Lying unnoticed there, it is still surviving. It remains open for Friday
prayers.
Firoz Shah Kotla
Another
beautiful ruin that has survived the course time is Firoz Shah Kotla monument.
I know the world knows Firoz Shah Stadium, but only few have heard of this
monument. But just beside this stadium lies the fortress built by Sultan
Feroz ShahTughlaq. One can find the remains of the fifth city of Delhi, the
Famous Ferozabad, at the Feroz shah Kotla near Bahadur shah Zafar Marg amidst
New and Old Delhi. The Fort of Feroz Shah at Kotla was built by Feroz Shah
Tuglaq in the year 1354. Like many other monuments of Delhi, it is lying there
unnoticed.Unlike Old Fort it is visited by families. Originally it was a
fortress built by Sultan FerozshahTughlaq to house his version of Delhi city
called Ferozabad. A large enclosure of high walls, Feroz Shah Kotla was the
grand and opulent royal citadel of the city. Many visitors like Timur and
others have given splendid descriptions of this fortress. But unfortunately,
most of its beauty is gone today.It houses Palaces, Pillared halls, a
pigeon-tower and a Baoli (stepped well) some of which are still in good
condition. But the two most interesting structure personally my favourite are
The Jami Masjid and The Ashoka’s Pillar.
Beside these,
the most interesting fact about this place is that people come here to light up
diyas and incense sticks. It is considered as the abode of Djinns or spirits. I
don’t know from where and when this belief has come into existence, but it’s
very evident. Believers come here to ask for the completion of wishes. Some people even leave written requests. The fixed
stream of believers assures that wishes are being granted by the Djinns. This
fort has also been mentioned in William Dalrymple’s books.
Tughlaqabad Fort
Lying in
isolation, this fort is in an extremely deplorable condition. It’s crumbling,
yet massive ramparts standing a silent witness to a change its builders could
never have thought. The Tughlaqabad Fort was built by Ghiyas-ud-din Tughlaq,
the founder of the Tughlaq dynasty. The fort is spread over an extensive area
and a piece of architectural genius. I saw the walls of the fort when I was
passing through that area and then I decided that I have to visit this place.
Its architectural beauty is very well defined in William Dalrymple’s book (the
famous travel writer).
Legend says that this place is cursed. For
completing this fort Ghiyas-ud-Din ordered that all the workers of Delhi to
work for this fort. This drew the rage of the Sufi saint, Hazrat Nizamuddin
Auliya, who found work on his baoli (well) interrupted. And hence he cursed this
fort, saying, “May the fort remain unoccupied, or else may herdsmen live here.”
True to this, today fort is
just a mere ruin.
Safdarjung Fort
The fort’s architecture resembles the structure of Humayun’s Tomb. First
time I went there was because it used to house the office of Archaeological
Survey of India and had to interview an officer there. Till that time even I
had no idea about this fort. Known as the “The Last Flicker in the Lamp of
Mughal Architecture”, this monument is not visited by many tourists today as
most of us don’t know about it. I am sure it is not even listed in many
websites that show places to visit in Delhi. This magnificent monument was
completed in 1754 as a memorial of Mirza Muqim Abul Mansur Khan, popularly
known as Safdarjung by his son Nawab Shuja-ud-Daulah of Awadh. Located in the in
the western end of Lodhi road, it is lying unnoticed there.
Jamali Kamali
The
Jamali Kamali mosque and tomb is located on the Mehrauli road. The mosque was
built in 1528-29 during the rule of Babur. Named after the famous Sufi saint
Jamali and his not so know disciple Kamali, this place is quite isolated. Other
than the localites who came here with their herds and a guard, I hardly found
anyone there. The most surprising story about this place is that it is haunted.
Though I did not experienced anything like that. I only felt one thing and that
was how badly this place has been ignored.
