Tomb of Mubarak Shah

Kotla Mubarakpur in south Delhi next to south extension gets its name from the prominent tomb of Muizud Din Mubarak Shah, son of Khizr Khan of the Sayyid dynasty of the fifteenth century Delhi Sultanate rule in India.

Khizr Khan who was the governor of Punjab under the Lodi dynasty took over the reigns at Delhi, in 1414 AD, after defeating Daulat Khan Lodi. 


He established the Sayyid dynasty, which had four successors till 1451 AD. 


His son Muizud Din Mubarak Shah succeeded him. He established a city called Mubarakabad on the banks of theYamuna River. No traces of Mubarakabad are present today.


He died in 1434 AD and he was buried in Kotla Mubarakpur, named after him. 


His tomb was built in a fusion of Lodi style octagonal plan combined with Tughlaq style buttresses and wide dome.

Chor Minar, Hauz Khas

Chor Minar or 'Tower of Thieves' is a 13th century minaret with 225 holes.


According to local legends, it was a 'tower of beheading', where the severed heads of thieves were displayed on spear through its 225 holes, to act as a deterrent to others.


 It was built under the rule of Alauddin Khilji

  

Dadi ka Gumbad and Poti ka Gumbad

Both structures are located opposite Aurobindo Market on the road towards Hauz Khas village or SDA.

Poti ka Gumbad was constructed in late 14th c. and Dadi ka Gumbad in late 15th c.

The earlier, smaller tomb is Tughlaq's while the larger, later tomb is Lodhi's.

As per ASI these are also called Bandi or Poti ka Gumbad III-280 and Biwi or Dadi-ka-Gumbad-281.

Siri Fort, the 2nd city of medieval Delhi

Siri Fort was built during the rule of Ala-ud-Din Khalji of the Delhi Sultanate to defend the city from the onslaught of the Mongols.


It was the second of the seven cities of medieval Delhi built around 1303.


Siri has seven gates. Only the southeastern gate exists.


According to the legend of Ala-ud-din’s war exploits, the name Siri given to the Fort was because the foundation of the fort was built on the severed heads (‘Siri’ in Hindi means “head”) of about 8,000 Mongol soldiers killed in the war.


A water reservoir at Hauz Khas provided water to Siri,

The destruction of the Fort is attributed to the local rulers who removed the fort's stones, bricks and other artifacts for their own buildings. In particular, Sher Shah Suri took material from Siri to build his own city.

The battered walls of the fort had a wider base on the outside. A protected passage was provided within the battered walls (now seen in ruins as pictured)

Jantar Mantar

The Yantra Mantra (literally the instrument and formula) is often called the Jantar Mantar.

It consists of 13 architectural astronomy instruments, built by Maharaja Jai Singh II of Jaipur, from 1724 onwards.

It is one of five built by him.

Mughal emperor Muhammad Shah gave him the task of revising the calendar and astronomical tables. 

There was plaque fixed on one of the structures in the Jantar Mantar observatory in 1910 mistakenly dating the construction of the complex to the year 1710. 

Later research, though, suggests 1724 as the actual year of construction.

 

Hindu Rao House

Hindu Rao House  was built in the early 19th century   as the residence of a dynamic British officer, William Fraser.

In 1835 A.D., Shams-ud-Din Khan, Nawab of Ferozepore, murdered Fraser. 

The house was then bought by Hindu Rao, a Maratha nobleman and brother-in-law of Maharaja Daulat Rao Scindia of Gwalior.

Since then the building came to be known by the name of Hindu Rao, even though the owner of the house soon changed when a British family bought it after the death of Hindu Rao. 

Later, the house became the headquarters of British forces in 1857 during the First War of Indian Independence. 

In the early 20th century, the house was converted into a hospital for English nationals. It has continued to function as a hospital after India gained independence, and till date, it serves the needs of the people of Delhi.

It is now called the Bara Hindu Rao Hospital.

Lodhi Gardens

Lodhi Gardens is spread over 90 acres.

In the centuries, after the 15th century Sayyid and Lodhi dynasties, two villages grew around the monuments, but the villagers were relocated in 1936 in order to create the gardens. 

During the British rule the garden was landscaped by Lady Willingdon, wife of Governor-General of India, Marquess of Willingdon, and hence the park was named the 'Lady Willingdon Park' upon its inauguration on April 9, 1936.

In 1947 after India's Independence, it was renamed Lodhi Gardens.

In 1968 it was re-landscaped by J A Stein, who also designed the adjacent India International Centre, along with Garrett Eckbo 

The park contains, Mohammed Shah's Tomb, Sikander Lodhi's Tomb, Sheesh Gumbad and Bara Gumbad,architectural works of the 15th century Sayyid and Lodhis.

Tomb of Kale Khan

 Kale Khan was a courtier in the Lodi period during the reign of Bahlol Lodi.


This tomb is dated to 1481 AD as per an inscription on the Mihrab inside the tomb.


It is stated to be the earliest dated tomb of the Lodi period and is behind the south extension 1 market close to the vocational training college for women in south extension1.

Humayun's tomb

Nasir ud-din Muhammad Humayun was the second Mughal Emperor who ruled present day Afghanistan, Pakistan, and parts of northern India from 1530–1540 and again from 1555–1556.

He originally ascended the throne at the age of 22

He was also deeply superstitious, and fascinated by Astrology and the Occult.

Humayun's tomb is a complex of buildings built as the Mughal Emperor Humayun's tomb. It was commissioned by Humayun's wife Hamida Banu Begum in 1562 CE, and designed by Mirak Mirza Ghiyath, a Persian architect.

It was the first garden-tomb on the Indian subcontinent, and is located in Nizamuddin East close to the Dina-panah citadel also known as Purana Qila, that Humayun founded in 1533. 

It was also the first structure to use red sandstone at such a scale.

The complex was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993, and since then has undergone extensive restoration work.

The complex encompasses the main tomb of the Emperor Humayun, which houses the graves of his wife, Hamida Begum, and also Dara Shikoh, son of the later Emperor Shah Jahan, as well as numerous other subsequent Mughals, including Emperor Jahandar Shah, Farrukhsiyar, Rafi Ul-Darjat, Rafi Ud-Daulat and Alamgir II.

The site was chosen on the banks of Yamuna river, due to its proximity to Nizamuddin Dargah, the mausoleum of the celebrated Sufi saint of Delhi, Nizamuddin Auliya, who was much revered by the rulers of Delhi, and whose residence, Chilla Nizamuddin Auliya lies just north-east of the tomb.

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.