Khan Market

 Delhi Heritage Trail  : 41

         Khan Market 

     This seventy year old market is a stone’s throwaway from Lodhi Garden in the heart of Lutyens Delhi. It was started in 1951 as a middle class retail market and was given to the immigrants from North West Frontier Province mostly from Peshawar. It was named in honour of Frontier Gandhi Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan. It is a double storeyed U shaped market wherein the shopkeepers  had their houses in the first floor and shops in the ground floor. 

       Over a period of time it had turned into a high class  retail destination catering to the upmarket areas of Golf Links , Sundar Nagar and Diplomatic enclave of Chanakyapuri . It is now the most expensive retail location in India and 21st most expensive retail street of the world.  Due to real estate boom in last decades of twentieth century all the first floor residences have been sold out for shops. 

       Happened to meet the owner of a book shop called “ Fakir Chand  & Sons “started in 1951 and met Abhinav a fourth generation descendant of the owner Fakir Chand who was a refugee from Peshawar. He said that their ancestors had to run for their life from NWFP due to communal riot of Partition and the shops were given as seed land to the refugees to start their life afresh. From then on it is no stopping for the immigrants it being the most expensive place in Delhi worth crores of rupees.

Haveli Dharampura

 Delhi Heritage Trail 40

       Haveli Dharampura

      As you walk down the small by lanes near Jama Masjid in old Shahjahanabad you can come across this grand old Haveli in Gali Guliyan sandwiched between Jain temples.  This is more than 150 year old Haveli restored to its original style. The area is called Dharampura since many Temples are situated. The story of the Haveli is one of how to keep our Heritage in tact if concerted attempts are made to do so.  From the roof top of the Haveli a grand view of Red Fort, Jama Masjid, Sisganj Gurdwara can be seen.

    Till ten years ago it was in shambles until it was purchased by the local Member of Parliament Vijay Goel for restoration. The restoration was done aesthetically keeping the original in mind by acquiring materials like yellow stones from Jaisalmer, iron railings from Jaipur, wooden doors from Shekhawati glasses  from Firozabad. The beautifully laid out Jharokas( windows) Chattris( umbrella) Baithak( sitting place) Chabutras( platform)  in grand old style add to the beauty of the Haveli. Some of the old world furniture are kept to add to the grandeur. 

       The Haveli has been turned in to a Heritage restaurant serving to people interested in old world classic charms.  Had the opportunity to visit the restaurant  with family yesterday and was blind folded by its beauty and class. The restaurant serves typical Mughal dishes both vegetarian and Non vegetarian  ranging from Traditional Kanji, Broken wheat Kachori, Mushroom Makana and Awadhi Subz ki Biryani. It is a gourmets delight.  A Kathak performance by a local artist was part of the dinner. 

       A visit to Haveli Dharampur is recommended for connoisseur of Art, Heritage and good Food.

Athapulla Bridge

 Delhi Heritage Trail : 39

       Athpulla Bridge or Eight pier Bridge

       This  arched stone bridge inside the Lodi Gardens is perhaps one of the oldest stone bridges in India. It was built in 16th century during the reign of Akbar. It was built at a time when Agra was the Capital of Moghuls on one of the tributaries of Yamuna river flowing inside. Still a trace of the tributary with water is flowing underneath the bridge . In those days granite  stone was mainly used for building the bridges .

    The place where the Lodi Gardens are situated  now was once a village called Khairpur having the Sayyid and Lodi era tombs. The villagers were evicted in 1936 during the Viceroyship of Lord Willingdon and Lodi Gardens was developed.

Tomb of Alauddin Khilji

 

 Delhi Heritage Trail :38

       Tomb of Alauddin Khilji

     Delhi has many beautiful Tombs for lesser known Kings, Sultans and Nobles  but this stone built Tomb inside the complex of Qutub Minar is the  tomb of the great Sultan Allauddin Khilji  the great king of Khilji dynasty in the 14 th century.  The emperor who thought himself of second  Alexander  after more than 1600 years is interred in a nondescript Tomb without any architectural beauty inlaid Marbles and carvings. 

     Alauddin ruled the greater part of the subcontinent  from Bengal in the East to Bamiyan in the West in Afghanistan and from Deccan in the South to Hindukush in the North. He was the most powerful ruler and was a harsh administrator. He even built the Chor Minar to hang the heads of those who were killed as punishment .  He was so ambitious that he wanted to  overshadow the Qutub Minar by building the Alai Minar in  the complex.  But he could build only one storey in his lifetime and his successors never bothered to continue it and  it lies ruined a little away from his tomb.  He also built the Siri Fort city nearby and Hauz Khas complex and the water tank which are a great testimony to his administration. 

        The Tomb of Alauddin  is very simple black stone structure not in keeping with his name, fame  and statute. It is said his body was brought from Siri nearby and buried here in the complex. The tomb lies unnoticed inside to any visitor to the  Qutub complex . 

        When I visited last I spent a little time  sitting near the Tomb wondering whatever may be your might and fame death is a great leveller.

 Delhi Heritage Trail. : 37

       Old Magazine Gate, Lothian Road

      This is the surviving gate of Delhi Magazine used for storing arms and ammunition which in the early days of Indian Mutiny of 1857 was defended  by Lieutenant George Willoughby of the Bengal Artillery and his band of eight British soldiers and civilians. On 11th May 1857 when hundreds of Mutineers from Meerut crossed the Yamuna river and demanded the surrender of the Magazine along with its arms and ammunition Lieutenant George and his assistants barricaded the outer gate of the magazine and resisted the demands of mutineers.

        The mutineers used scaling ladders to assault the gate of the magazine the Lieutenant used grapeshot from his cannons effectively and defended it for almost four hours.  However faced with inevitable defeat because of the large no of mutineers attacking Lt. Willoughby gave orders to his assistant Scully to blow the Magazine depot.  Instantly the Magazine was blown up and the sound which shook Delhi City and heard up to Meerut Town killed hundreds of mutineers who were buried under the ruins or blown in to air.

         Scully was killed in the blast but some of the Britishers survived with their uniforms almost blown off their bodies and found their way to British lines. The tablet at the top commemorates the British deeds. The gate is a mute testimony to the happenings of Indian mutiny  163 years ago.

India Gate

 Delhi Heritage Trail  : 36

         India Gate

     This iconic arch in the Rajpath formerly called Kingsway is a picnic spot for many of the Delhiites. It was a master piece structure designed by Edwin Lutyens the maker of modern Delhi and its iconic buildings in early 20th century. Construction of such arched gateways was the trend in many European cities during that period of time.  

        The foundation for the gate was made by Duke of Connaught on 10th Feb 1921. It was constructed as a memorial to the soldiers of British  Indian Army who lost their life in first world war (1914-1919). It was part of the project of Imperial War Graves Commission. Remembering the dead soldiers by building grand structure was the order of that period.  After 10 years construction it was declared open by Lord Irwin  on 12th Feb 1931. Around 13218 soldiers  names who lost their life in the war are inscribed on its walls. The gate is 42metre(138 feet) in height and is at the eastern end of Rajpath. 

        Around 150 metre east of the gateway is a 73 feet high Cupola constructed in 1936 which housed a statue of King George V. The statue remained there even after independence inspite of opposition to it and demands for its removal. Ultimately it was removed in the year 1968 and placed in Delhi’s Coronation Park where many British Raj era statues are kept.

Ashokan Pillar at Firoz Shah Kotla

 Delhi Heritage Trail  :  35

          Ashokan Pillar at Firoz Shah Kotla

       In the third century  BC Ashoka the great raised seven  stunningly  carved and polished  monolithic stone pillars to promulgate  his new found Buddhist  faith.  This pillar in Firoz Shah Kotla was brought  from Topra in Ambala district  in 1356 AD. The pillars were carefully  lowered  into a pile of silk cotton and transported on a 42 wheel carriage because Firoz Shah did not  want to damage  the inscriptions  in Brahmi script  although he could  not  decipher  them. Each wheel was tied with a rope and  pulled over by 200 persons   to transport  it.

       After reaching  Delhi a bridge of boats was formed by the king to cross the Yamuna river and brought to Firozabad.  The three storeyed building  on which it stands was constructed  purely to support  the pillar. Each level was constructed  around the  pillar which was raised to the next level  as each was completed.  At every level  the small rooms are linked and are part of Sultans route to the roof. The rooms on each floor form an arcade around  a solid core and some of them are now used for  Pujas. 

         The Ashokan Pillar  is 13 metres high with over a metre sunk below the platform.  Originally  when it was built  it should  have  had a Sarnath Iron Capital which  was not there when Firoz Shah brought it. He is said to have decorated the top with  friezes in Black and white stone surrounded  by a guilded copper cupola. But now  nothing is left at the top but the pillar is enormously smooth  surface with  the inscriptions visible as if carved yesterday.  

          The Brahmi inscriptions of Ashoka were deciphered by James Princep in the year 1837. Many more inscriptions  were added to this  pillar over a period of time.  It was also believed by the local folklore  in those  days that it was the  walking  stick of Bhim  one of the Pandav brothers  of Mahabharata.