Jahaz Mahal

Jahaz Mahal  or the Ship Palace is located next to Hauz-i-Shamsi in Mehrauli.








It is inferred to have been built during the Lodi period (1452-1526) as a pleasure resort or a sarai.

  

  

It was so named, since its reflection (illusion) in the surrounding reservoir looked like a ship floating on a lake. 

   

Zafar Mahal, a video

One of the narrow lanes of mehrauli suddenly opened up and standing directly in front of me was the beautiful palace gate. 

The mahal through my eyes

Zafar Mahal

Zafar Mahal is in Mehrauli.


The Mahal or the palace was built first by Akbar Shah II in the 18th century and the entrance gate that was reconstructed in the 19th century by Bahadur Shah Zafar II, popularly known as “Zafar” .


Bahadur Shah Zafar who wished to be buried at a selected burial ground in the precincts of the Zafar Mahal (palace) , was deported by the British to Rangoon after the 1857 first war of Indian Independence, where he died of old age without any honour.

 

  

  

The graves of  Bahadur Shah I, Shah Alam II and his son Akbar Shah II are in the palace. Also buried here is Mirza Fakruddin son of the last emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar.

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.

Balban's Tomb

Ghiyas ud din Balban (1200 – 1287) was a Turkic ruler of the Delhi Sultanate during the rule of Mamluk dynasty of Delhi (or Slave dynasty) from 1266 to 1287.

His tomb is located in Mehrauli Archeological park.

It was built in 1287 CE.

It was in this tomb architecture that the first true arch made its appearance in India.

To the east of Balban's tomb, lies a ruined rectangular structure said to be the grave of Khan Shahid, Balban's son, whose original name was Muhammad, who died fighting against the Mongols near Multan in 1285.

Tomb of Isa Khan

Isa Khan Niazi was an Afghan noble in the court of Sher Shah Suri.

Isa Khan's tomb was built during his lifetime ca 1547-48 AD and is situated in the Humayun's Tomb complex.

Across this tomb standing at the edge of the complex, lies a mosque, built along with the tomb, known as Isa Khan's mosque.

Qila Rai Pithora

The Chauhan prince of Sakambhari, Vigraharaja IV captured Delhi from the Tomar Rajputs in the latter half of the 12th century. The grandson of Vigraharaja IV, Prithviraja Chauhan III, built Qila Rai Pithora, the first city of Delhi, by extending the  Lal Kot.


The city derived its name from the title of Prithviraja Chauhan and thus came to be known as Qila Rai Pithora, with Lal Kot as its southwestern base.



At present the ruins of Qila Rai Pithora have been conserved in a 20-acre DDA Conservation Park at Mehrauli.

The ruins of Qila Rai Pithora can be reached by taking the IIT-Mehrauli road just past the Adhchini village. The ruins of the ramparts of the extended city are rubble-built and are 5 to 6 meters in thickness, with a height of 18 meters on some sides and are surrounded by a wide moat from the outside.

Out of the 13 gates, 3 gates remain. The Badaun Gate, Hauz-Rani and Barka gates.