Agrasen ki Baoli

Agrasen ki Baoli is a protected monument as designated by Archeological Survey of India .

It is a 60 meter long and 15 meter wide step well on Atul Grove Road (earlier called Hailey Road) near Connaught Place.

There are no known historical records to prove who built Agrasen ki Baoli. It is believed that it was originally built by the legendary king Agrasen and was rebuilt in the 14th century by Agrawal community which traces its origin to Maharaja Agrasen.

Mehrauli Archeological Park:my visit

got up early last sunday and decided to visit this archeological park. i had a vague idea where it was,somewhere on the mehrauli gurgaon road. So we drove down and hit the picnic hut on the MG road.The picnic hut is a park for joggers and for picnics. It is run  by the DDA. This is just off the Andheria Mor traffic light as we come from Gurgaon.

The archeological park is one km+ from this picnic hut on the same side. If one is coming from Badarpur or IIT gate then the archeological park will be on the other side of the road.

As i drove inside i found that the maintenance is as good or as bad as the other monuments. There are no markers, no dustbins and no arrangement for water. You are supposed to just find your way. I am sure this offers an employment opportunity for guides, cleaning supervisors, sketch artists etc.The park beyond is excellently maintained.

The chowkidar drove up in a car and offered us a private tour to jamali kamali mosque which we declined. (I am sure he had some honorarium in his mind.)

I am sure ASI, INTACH, DDA or Delhi governement can take the help of some corporate/s who are so keen to bring media releases about their corporate social responsibilities. Basic amenities can be arranged and revenue can be generated for sustaining these parks.

After all this is our history and those who forget history are condemned to repeat it.

directions to the park

Mehrauli Archeological Park: A Snapshot

Mehrauli, earlier known as Mihirawali means Home of Mihir, was founded by the King Mihir Bhoja of the Gurjara-Pratihara Dynasty.


A massive project of excavation in the year 2000 followed by restoration, and conservation was launched by   (INTACH), and the result is the Mehrauli Archaeological Park. 


A large number of monuments—tombs, mosques, stepwells, and more—have been enclosed within the park. 


Snapshot Mehrauli Archeological Park

Mehrauli Archeological Park: Tomb of Balban

Ghiyasuddin Balban (1200 – 1287) was a Turkic ruler of the Delhi Sultanate during the Mamluk dynasty 

(or Slave dynasty) from 1266 to 1287. He was son of a Turkish noble of the Ilbari tribe, but as a child was captured by Mongols and sold as a slave.  he was bought by Sultan Iltutmish who at the orders of his own master, Qutbuddin Aibak, released him from slavery and brought him up in a manner befitting a prince.

Sultan Balban ascended the throne in 1266 at the age of sixty with the title of Ghyas ud din Balban.

His successors were weak and incompetent and the throne was eventually captured by Jalal ud din Firuz Khilji in 1290, bringing an end to the Slave dynasty.

Mehrauli Archeological Park: Metcalf's canopy

Mehrauli Archeological Park:Jamali Kamali mosque and tomb

Jamali (‘Jamali’ in Urdu language orginates from 'Jamal' which means “beauty”) was the pseudo name given to Shaikh Fazlu’llah, also known asShaikh Jamali Kamboh or Jalal Khan, a renowned Sufi Saint who lived during the pre-Mughal dynasty rule of the Lodi’s (Sikander Lodi to the Mughal Dynasty rule of Babur and Humayun), and he was greatly regarded. Kamali was an unknown person but associated with Jamali and his antecedents have not been established. Their names are tagged together as "Jamali Kamali" for the mosque as well as the tomb since they are buried adjacent to each other. The mosque and the tomb building were constructed in 1528-1529 but Jamali was buried in the tomb after his death.

Mehrauli Archeological Park

Safdarjung tomb:my visit

what i hated about the visit was that the tomb and its surroundings were badly maintained. the water canals were dirty and dried up, the gardens were ill kept.

the ASI or Archaeological survey of India has a office inside the tomb complex and employees were parking their vehicles inside the complex spoiling the look of the structure.


there were plastic water and soft drinks bottles thrown around.


this tomb is used by the local muslim community for namaz every friday and one wonders why their help is not sought for keeping the structure clean.


the tomb also get a lot of young visitors who would rather etch their names on the walls of history rather than make history.


i don't think tourism and culture ministry or ASI understands the word sustainable and i don't think delhi'ites understand "what living with history means" 

Safdarjung tomb:history

directions to safdarjung tombSafdarjung's Tomb is a garden tomb in New Delhi. It was built in 1754.The tomb was built for Safdarjung, the prime minister of Mughal emperor Muhammad Shah (1719 to 1748)


The tomb was built by Nawab Shuja-ud-Daulah, the son of Safdarjung. Safdarjung was the governor of Awadh and later became the Prime Minister of Muhammad Shah. 


Built in 1753-1754, the Safdarjung tomb lies on the Lodi road, New Delhi. Safdarjung's tomb is set in the middle of a garden, which spreads over an area of 300 sq m. The garden of Safdarjung's tomb is laid down on the pattern of the Mughal Charbagh style. 


The tomb was erected roughly on the same pattern as that of the Humayun's tomb. 


directions to safdarjung tomb

safdarjung tomb

safdarjung tomb