Know it all about mehrauli Archaeological park................

• Mehrauli Archaeological park, includes around 440 monuments that has rich historical culture.
• The most impressive and time-raged tombs are known to Balban and Quli khan's tomb and Jamali Kamali mosque.
• Rajao ki Baoli is known to be Delhi's finest step well which is an monument of 16th century artistery.
• At the northern end of Mehrauli village is Adham Khan's Mausoleum, which was once used as a British residence.
• Lal kot is the best example of pre-Islamic architecture.
• Zafar Mahal stands in the heart of the jungle. 

Hope you all loved this blog and will surely visit this place to get a feel of the rich history of Delhi.

A tomb with lost name.

A tomb that is now known as a love board rather than a period storyteller.

A Fort with lost Pride

A Fort with lost pride 

Khirki Masjid, where now walls are waiting to tell their story.

Red Fort, the redsand beauty.....

A residence of the Mughal Dynasty, 200 years back, Red Fort stands in the capital of India. Glorifying the beauty of it would make me write thousands and thousands of words, this fort was constructed in 1639 by the fifth Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan as the palace of his fortified capital Shahjahanabad. Red Fort is known for its beautiful red sandstone architecture. This fort is interestingly connected by a water channel known as the Stream of Paradise. The Red is a true example of iconic and innovative architectural style, including its unique garden design to its dome.The fort complex is considered to represent the zenith of Mughal creativity under Shah. Red Fort is now a place where every year, prime minister hosts the national flag on the occasion of 15 August. The marble, floral decorations and double domes in the fort's buildings exemplify later Mughal Architecture. It showcases a high level of ornamentation, and the Kohinoor diamond was reportedly part of the furnishings.

Alai Minar, a minar of lost dreams

Alai Minar, may sound not so familiar because it was not completed but if it would have got completed when it is in the process of making then Delhi would have been lucky to have another big minar, bigger than Qutub Minar. Talking about this minar, Sultan Ala-ud-Din Khalji, dreamt of making it higher than Qutub Minar as a sign of victory from his Deccan Campaigns. The maps and the construction plan was ready and the building process even started and sultan was very happy  also but after the first storey at a height of 24.5 metres, unfortunately Sutan died and the construction could not take place after that because the subsequent successors could not continue the further construction as they lost the war against the Tughlaq and then this empire was taken over by Tughlaq Dynasty. So, because of these series of incidents Alai Minar became a mminar of lost dreams. Sultan while making the plans just had one thing in mind that this monument will be a masterpiece and grander and spectacular than Qutub Minar but sadly his dreams could get its way. It is also said that during the reign of the Khilji Dynasty, a very famous sufi poet named Amir Khusro makes a mention in one of his works named "Tareekh-i-Alai" of the Sultan's intentions to increase the size of the mosque and the plan to construct the  Alai Minar. 

Let's explore new, let's experience, the unexperienced- Tomb of Shaikh Yusuf Qattal

Tomb of Shaikh Yusuf Qattal, a lost monument located in khirki extension area is a monument that was built by a grandson in the memory of his grandfather. Shaikh Yusuf Qattal was a very religious man who was also a disciple of Qasi Jalalu'd-Din of Lahore. He was known to perform religioud works at Satpulla. 

Tha woh to rashke hoor-e-behesti hameen mein Mir!

Samjhe na hum to fahm ka apne qasoor tha"

(This means that hoor from the paradise was part of my being, Mir.

I did not understand and blame my utter lack of comprehension of the ultimate truth")

-Mir Taqi, Urdu poet

This magnificent tomb is equally important in history but its place and its identification seems blurred and faded. Protected by Delhi government but this monument slowly and gradually losing its historical importance. Made up of red sand, located in the heart of New Delhi but this monument couldn't make its place in the news that is why is not so famous. This brings me to a very deep thought that why do we need to know something interesting about something from another's mouth only, why don't we explore and discover new things and show the world and tell the world about our new discovery. This monument is a worth visit and you don't need to get a review to get in there, you just need to visit it and experince its beauty by yourself.

 

Zafar Mahal, A Palace of forbidden pride

Zafar Mahal, a palace of forbidden pride. I have written a lot of blogs around the various monuments that were built in various rulers era. This Mahal is a different one, indeed. This palace was built during the fading years of the Mughal era. Located in South Delhi's Mehrauli area, this monument stands as a symbol of victory.
Actually, a very interesting story is behind this palace, this monument was built twice. First  by Akbar Shah II in the 18th century and then later by Bahadur Shah Zafar II. This was rebuilt because Bahadur Shah Zafar wanted to get buried in the precincts of the Zafar Mahal but sadly this was deported along with the Dargah of Khwaja Qutubuddin Bakhtiar Kaki in Mehrauli after the First war of Independence in 1857.The building has two components located 300 feet to west of Ajmeri gate of the dargah of Khwaja Kaki. All in all this purely reflects the beauty of mughal architecture and the royalty of Delhi.

Moth ki Masjid- A visual delight

Moth ki Masjid, a mosque that is located in Delhi and was built by Wazir Miya Bhoiya in 1505. He was the prime minister during the region of Sikander Lodi of the Lodhi Dynasty. This is the first monument that was built in new type of mosque developed by the Lodis in the 4th city of the medieval Delhi of the Delhi Sultanate. The foundation stone was laid by Sikander Lodi himself and the mosque is believed to be Miya Bhoiya's private mosque but now remains a beautiful monument. This beauty is popular for its Indo-Islamic architecture. This mosque is made in red stone stands proudly and shows the strong architectural knowledge  of the Lodi Dynasty. The mesmerising floral designs are a visual delight. The unique name of this mosque means Lentil Mosque and name tag is Lentil which has an interesting legend. A must visit monument to get a visual delight. 

Rajon ki Baoli-Delhi's pride historical evidence

Rajon Ki Baoli is a famous stepwell in Mehrauli Archaeological Park of Delhi, India. It was Build in 1516 by Daulat Khan during the times of Sikander Lodi, the baoli is three storeys deep with an additional layer at ground level and you can see the enormity of it only when you have walked really close. These rooms were built for masons/travellers to rest.Like all baolis, there is a well in the back and pool in the front. On the right side of the baoli lies a staircase that leads to a small mosque on the terrace. The arched halls on all three sides are shaded, cool and bear calligraphic inscriptions from the Quran. Both these monuments are protected monuments which means that the monument is of national importance under the Ancient and Historical Monuments and Archaeological Act 1951. This monument needs serious protection efforts as this is a valuable monument that marks an important historical part of Indian history. 

Experience nature like never before.

At the end of the weekend, many people love visiting malls, shopping hubs to buy some of their needs but have we ever thought to go to these archaeological parks so that our kids as well we can  get a change in the atmosphere. In our busy life, we often forget to give ourselves a visual delight, and that visual delight can be achieved by visiting this beautiful and heritage rich archaeological park located in Mehrauli. The beauty of nature, the beauty of listening to chirping of birds is what we really miss in the urban atmosphere and this is only what we can get in this park. An architecture 100 years old, birds that we have never seen before and flowers and trees makes a feel alive, this is what you feel when we experience this park. So, do visit this park and tell me about your experience in here. For more updates stay tuned.

The beauty of Khirki Masjid- an overview

Khirki Mosque- The unknown beauty

As we all know that Delhi has so many monuments that it becomes difficult to know all of them. On such mosque is Khirki Mosque which is situated in the heart of Delhi- Khirki Extension. This mosque was built by Khan-i-Jahan, the Prime Minister of Feroz Shah Tughlaq of the Tughlaq Dynasty. Talking about its unique name, according to urdu, the work 'Khirki' means "window" and hence this fort is known as 'The Fort of Windows'.
This fort can be seen as the symbol of peace as it is an unusual fusion of Islamic and Hindu Architecture. It is said to be the only monument style in North India, which is mostly covered; the totally covered fort of the Sultanate period.

The open windows and courtyards are the source light and ventilation, this is really inspiring how in earlier times when we man didn't have facilities like ACs and coolers, through architectural proficiency, they have solved their problems. The roof of this beautiful monument is been partitioned into 25 square of  equal size with 9 small domes in each square.This layout gives a fantastic view, which indeed makes this fort, a photographer's delight.
But, sadly the roof of this doom over the years have been on the verge of collapse many time. Delhi chapter of Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage(INTACH) has listed this monuments in Grade A in terms of archaeological value. We hope that this monument will be recognised and protected.