HAZRAT, AULIYA, KHWAJA!

KHWAJA NIZAMUDDIN CHISHTI'S DARGAH.

Hazrat Nizammuddin was associated in my mind as only a railway station in Delhi. It was the one from where trains bound for South India departed.

Yesterday  I took a walk  with Asif Khan and discovered the different facets of this unknown area. From the moment I parked my car infront of the Police Station at Nizammuddin, I slowly started getting transported in time. I travelled to the 19th century and heard in my mind's ears,

“Ye na thi hamaari kismat ki visaale yaar hota,

agar aur jeete rahte yehi intezaar hota!”

GHALIB'S TOMB

The tomb of one of the greatest Shayar of India seems quite small as compared to his stature. It is in a large enclosure, it's in marble, there is nice lattice work, yet somehow it left me feeling that something was missing. I couldn’t identify what was missing, but the feeling that one should have got after visiting the tomb of such a great poet was not there. Asadullah Khan Ghalib was a member of the aristocracy. His grandfather had come from Uzbekistan and settled down in India.

Ghalib(1797-1869) lost his father, then his uncle and therefore at the age of thirteen he got married to Umrao Begum and became a ghar jamai. He was colloquially called Mirza Nausha. He wrote in Pharsi (Persian) which few people understood. After a long time he started writing in Urdu, a language which people could understand easily. He was quite a liberated person, who loved his wine and  lived a life without inhibitions.

"Zahid sharab peene de masjid mein beth kar,

Yaa woh jagha bata jahan Khuda nahin.."

He said let me sit and drink in the Masjid, or else let me know of the place where God is not present.

While he lived, he lived in poverty, was not as famous as he now is. He received a pension and had a tough time trying to make both ends meet.

Now, he is known all over and his couplets are quoted very freely.

Posterity will know him and recognise him. Alas! While living he didn't get his due.

STORY TELLING ON THE GATE OF A SARAI.

 As we moved on there was a hujoom(crowd) of people in front of the local Mosque. This part of Delhi remains as it must have been in the 18^th century. All the men were in kurta pajama and  white caps and were busily walking down the road, with not an inch of space for fresh air. We went up an old gate of a fort like structure. This gate was built during the Lodi Empire. It was the gate of a sarai(inn) for people who came to visit the Dargah of Nizamuddin. It was a cool, wide and interesting place. We sat like little children listening to Asif Khan narrating the story of Ghalib, like an old time daastangoii( story narrator)

A HUJOOM OF PEOPLE

We then went down a few more centuries as we went into labyrinthine gullies. There were rose petal sellers, chadar(sheet) sellers, people selling caps and everyone inviting us to leave our shoes with them. Little children were manning a number of shops. The 20th Century thought of BAN child labour came to my mind, but I quickly banished the thought, and returned to the 19th century or was it the 16^th century?

TOMB OF AMIR KHUSRO

As soon as one enters the Nizamuddin dargah, one sees the tomb of Amir Khusro. Amir Khusro(1253-1325) was a poet who wrote in Persian and also introduced the khadi boli or Hindvi. He was of Turk origin. He composed a number of riddles, which are still popular. It is also said that he introduced the tabla and the sitar. He is also credited with enriching Hindustani Classical music by introducing Persian and Arabic elements in it.  He also introduced Qawwali style of singing. He was also the originator of the Khayal and Tarana style of music. Khusro was a great disciple of Nizamuddin and died within 6 months of the Auliya’s death. 

After visiting Amir Khusro’s  tomb we moved towards the main dargah of Nizamuddin Aulia(1238-1325). He was also of Turk origin and his grand father too had come from Uzbekistan and settled in Badayun in present day UP.

PRAYERS & RED THREAD

 At that time Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq was the Emperor of Delhi. He had banned all construction work as he was getting his fort built at present day Tughlakabad.  At that time Nizamuddin was getting a hauz (water tank) made for use by his many followers and visitors. As there was a ban on construction,the workers would work for the Auliya in the night. Tughlaq was annoyed at this and banned the sale of oil, so that work would not be possible at night. But to the astonishment of everyone the workers discovered that water turned into oil and they could light lamps to continue the construction of the Baoli. Delhi has a lot of legends and stories which keep our interest alive, and make us feel great to belong to this city which was full of intrigue as well as mysticism.

It is quite amazing to see the number of people who came to India from the Middle East, Turkey, Uzbekistan, and made it their own land. We also made them our own people. What do borders actually mean? I wonder! Who belongs, who have come to settle lately, who made my city rich with their culture, poetry, and style? Who are we?

TOMB OF JAHAN ARA

The tomb of the designer of Delhi's Chandni Chowk is also located in this complex. This designer was Jahan Ara the daughter of Shah Jehan. Her tomb is not covered by stone on the top, and there is no roof too. There is only a marble screen enclosing the tomb. It is said that Jahan Ara wanted the natural elements to visit her grave, and had asked that her tomb remain without a cover on top.

BADSHAH MOHD. SHAH RANGEELE!

A later day Mughal Badshah, who gave away the Takhte Taos or the Peacock throne as well as the Kohinoor to Nadir Shah of Iran in 1793 is also buried here. This Badshah was Mohd Shah also called “Rangeele(colourful)”.

People throng the dargah of Nizammuddin, and there was a constant stream of men going in to offer flowers, chadar and their prayers. Women of course are not allowed inside the main chamber, they can look in through the lattice work. Almost all the beautiful lattice work in marble is filled with red thread. These are all applications of the people with their wishes spoken directly to the Auliya. It is said that all wishes made at this Dargah are fulfilled. Faith they say moveth mountains!

PRAYERS, ARZIAYAAN!

We then visited the famous hauz. The water was absolutely green. There were small children willing to dive in for a few rupees. Child labour again raised its head. I banished the thought again. This my dear is India where little children have to bear the burden and bring home some money to add to the meager money that their father must be earning.

After this interesting and intriguing walk down centuries, I walked out as if in a trance. It took me a while to realize that this is the 21^st century as I had travelled pretty fast from the 13^th century to 15^th, 19^th and finally 21^st Century.

I AM CAPTIVATED

It is amazing to see these pockets of places where time and style is very different. Where the dead are revered and prayers are answered. Where Ghalib the great Nausha Miyan who looked for more money and thought of his marriage as a cage where one is entrapped, is buried. Ghalib’s couplets, ghazals and writings are known to almost everyone. He was a man who lived with his head held high, but lived a life of want. Do we only recognize a person’s worth after his death?

QAWALLI SESSION

Now after going to the 14^th century and seeing all the sights, sounds and smells as they must have been then, I know and believe that Sufism, music, qawallis and ghazals will remain forever. They talk of love, peace, happiness and sukoon! These are the things that remain in the hearts of people through generations!

The Qawwals at the Dargah sang what Amir Khusro said, 

“छाप तिलक सब छीनी रे मोसे नैना मिलाइके

बात अगम कह दीनी रे मोसे नैना मिलाइके
प्रेम भटी का मदवा पिलाइके
मतवारी कर लीन्ही रे मोसे नैना मिलाइके  

“You've taken away my looks, my identity, by just a glance.

By making me drink the wine from the distillery of love,

You have intoxicated me by just a glance."

THE MAZAAR

Yes indeed Hazrat Nizamuddin is not just a train station. It is a station which takes you to your destination with peace and love, and beautiful, soulful, entrancing music! 

KASHMIRI GATE-THE MUTINY OF 1857!



Red Fort from Jamuna side.

I simply love Delhi! Dilli is the place of all the dilwallahs! There is simply no place like Delhi. It's not only yours truly who loves Delhi, but there have been many others before me and there will be many more after me who will love this city.

Delhi they say was built seven times. In the beginning there was Lal Kot and Quila Rai Pithora founded by Anangpal and Prithviraj Chauhan. Prithviraj Chauhan was defeated by Mohd Ghori in 1192. Qutubuddin Aiback his slave became ruler and developed Mehrauli, the next city. He also built the Qutab Minar.

The next city was Siri founded by Allaudin Khilji. This city is located near Hauz Khas area. The next city was Tughlakabad created by Ghiyassudin Tughlak.

Shergarh or Purana Quila was then founded by Sher Shah Suri, who wrested power from Humayun. Incidentally the GT Road or Grand Trunk road which connected the country from West to East was erected at the behest of Sher Shah Suri. This road went from Peshawar to Calcutta.

Shajehanabad or the Red Fort was erected by Shah Jehan who had already immortalised Mumtaz Mahal by making the Taj Mahal for her.

Well this little bit of history of the love of rulers for Delhi is only an aside.



NICHOLSON CEMETERY

What I want to tell you about today is the walk that I went to from the Nicholson Cemetery to the Lothian Cemetery. Between these two cemeteries lies a lot of living history. History of education, rivalry of educational institutions, the Siege of The Kashmiri Gate, the uprising of the Mutiny of 1857 and a lot more. The British magazine(arms depot), despots, White nawabs, Ochterlony, the advent of the Railway, post and telegraph, the Walled City and the Civil Lines.

 Lothian Road is an important road. The huge peepal, and neem trees in and around this road stand mute witness to the fall of the Mughal and the rise of the  British empire! They watched the lives of the Indian noblemen and the British rulers!

Nicholson cemetery is near ISBT( Inter State Bus Terminus) in Old Delhi. Brigadier General John Nicholson was instrumental in the defeat of the Indian Mutineers in 1857. Nicholson was a much loved General and was mortally wounded during the 1857 Mutiny. He was barely 34 when he died. His name was Indianised to Nikel Sain by his Indian soldiers. I call it Mutiny as the East India Company was the virtual ruler and the rebellion was against the de facto ruler. Our last Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar was actually already getting a pension from the East India Company!

This cemetery has the grave of this much loved military leader. It also has the grave of Yesudas Ramchandra  an Indian who was a teacher of Mathematics at the Delhi College, and had converted to Christianity.

ST. STEPHEN'S COLLEGE-OLD BUILDING

Interestingly, three famous colleges were located in very close proximity to each other in Kashmiri Gate area. The magnificent and haughty St Stephen's College, which was exclusively for white and Christian students.

HINDU COLLEGE-FIRST BUILDING

The Hindu College established by Shri Krishan Dass Gurwale in 1899 to enable Indian students to get higher education.  In fact in 1902 Rai Bahadur Lala Sultan Singh donated a part of his property in Kashmiri Gate for the College as without their own building the college would have had  to close down.  The third was the historic and ancient Delhi College. Legend has it that the famous poet Mirza Ghalib was offered appointment as a teacher in Delhi College. On the appointed date Mirza arrived in a palanquin. He kept waiting at the gate expecting to be welcomed by the Principal himself! When the Principal did not come to welcome him, Mirza returned home and refused to take up the assignment. Suffice to note that Mirza Ghalib was facing a lot of financial hard ships and actually was surviving on financial help provided by the Nawab of Rampur!

DARA SHIKOH'S LIBRARY

Much before the British arrived, during the 17th Century, Dara Shikoh the eldest son of Shah Jehan and the real heir to the Mughal throne was a very literate and scholarly prince. He had built a magnificent Library near the Delhi College. It was massive and contained a number of books. Dara Shikoh was executed by his brother Aurangzeb, who had already usurped the throne. After the British captured power Sir David Ochterlony, the first British Resident of Delhi, built his opulent palace above this Library.

OCHTERLONY'S RESIDENCY

 Ochterlony lived like a Nawab surrounded by khidmatgars, had 13 Indian wives, dressed like an Indian Nawab, smoked the hukka and hosted lavish nautch parties  where the Mughal Royalty too was invited. Today this building appropriately houses the office of the Archaeological Survey of India.

The city of Shahjehanabad was surrounded by a wall and even today that part of the city is called the 'Walled City' although the walls were broken down after 1857. There are only some bits and small stretches of the fortified walls still visible in some places. There were seven gates in the walls. They were the Lahore Gate, The Delhi Gate, The Ajmeri Gate, The Turkman Gate, the Mori Gate, Kashmiri  Gate, and Kabuli Gate.



KASHMIRI GATE



Kashmiri Gate had two gates side by side. One was made by the Mughals and had thin bricks, the other is said to be a replica made by the British and the bricks used by them are much bigger. Interestingly this gate was in constant use till a few years back. While travelling to the University I used to go under this gate everyday as buses too went on this road. There were marks of cannon balls on the gate and they were preserved as it was in 1857! This morning I could go up the stairs of the gate and see what the view from there was like and how thick were the walls.

Now the gate has been closed to traffic and a sort of memorial has been built there. To the north of this gate was Civil Lines where the British lived. That area was on the ridge at a height, therefore the British had an advantage and could watch all the goings on in the walled City. There is a Mutiny Memorial on the Ridge, near the Hindurao Hospital.

MAGAZINE -OPPOSITE GPO

The famous Lothian Road was the place where the arms and ammunitions of the East India Company were stored. It was called 'The Magazine'. This was right in front of the General Post Office. During the time of the Mutiny this magazine was blown up by the British themselves, so that the mutineers could not capture the arms. On the Lothian Road are also located the famous buildings of James Skinner, and St. James Church built by Skinner. Skinner was an Anglo Indian, knew excellent Persian-the court language and had founded the Skinner's Horse, a Cavalry unit of the Indian Army, which still exists.

Just next to the Railway line where it crosses the Lothian Road is the Lothian Cemetery. It is the oldest cemetery in Delhi. When the railway track was to be laid a part of the Cemetery was acquired for the railway tracks. The General Post Office, the Telegraph Office was also opened on this road. There used to be two famous book stores on this road. One was Atma Ram & sons and the other was Rajpal & sons. There used to be a famous halwai called Mithan Lal, besides the Carlton and Khyber restaurant on this road. Kashmiri Gate at one time was a posh area, as the British Officers lived here. They worshiped at the St. James Church. At the time of the Mutiny there was some bloodshed witnessed at the Church also where some British families had gathered to take shelter! Sir Thomas Metcalfe, an Agent of The East India Company, is also buried in the Churchyard of this Church. James Fraser too is buried in this Churchyard.



SKINNER'S HOUSE NEAR KASHMIRI GATE



BENGALI CLUB



On this famous road are also located a lot of Gun shops as well as Banks, and also the famous Bengali Club! This is the place where I had to send the Bank's Guard for servicing the Bank's guns and for getting the bullets etc!

Punjab National bank brought back memories of my in- laws who had their accounts and locker in the bank in the 1920's. Close by is Bela Road where my husband TNN was born and spent his childhood. In the premises of Dara Shikoh's Library was the Office where my father- in- law worked. He was then employed in the Education department of the Govt of British India. In the ruins of the Magazine TNN played with his friend Subhash almost 60 years ago. The amazing story is that they are still in touch with each other and a couple of years back they took a trip to Disneyland in LA. I was accompanying them and was amused to see their childlike excitement and thrill while taking all the rides. I guess they actually travelled back 55 years and had a whale of a time.

TNN'S FATHER'S OFFICE

Had I continued on my way south from the Lothian Cemetery I would have soon reached Red Fort and Chandni Chowk. I didn't go further on this road, as Kashmiri gate, the three colleges, the Siege of the Walled City the two oldest cemeteries of the City and St. James Church, in a day was enough for me!

MEHRAULI ARCHEOLOGICAL PARK

QUTAB MINAR

The oldest part of Delhi which has continuously been inhabited for the last one thousand years is Mehrauli.

Balban's tomb

I find history very interesting, and walks are very exciting. I discovered that walks to historical places are organised by "Delhi Heritage Walks"and I decided to spend a beautiful Sunday morning going on a Discovery trail with them. Our guide knew a lot, and described the place very well. The walk that I took was in the "Mehrauli Archeological garden" where one watches one's step carefully as one could be treading over the tomb of some  person of either the Slave,Lodi or Mughal dynasty. This place is full of ruins, and one walks over a lot of history.  I was quite amazed to see the tombs, ruins, mosque and baoli(well) located inside this park. Raja Anangpal   the Gujjar King from Kannauj constructed the Lal Kot around 731 AD. Prithvi Raj Chauhan of Sanyogita fame further expanded it and called it Qila Rai Pithora.

Then Mohd Ghori of Afghanistan invaded, conquered and left behind his representative, his slave, Qutab ud din Aiback in charge of Delhi. The Slave dynasty thus started. They built the Qutab Minar. Razia Sultan belonged to this dynasty. This area was later called Mehrauli.

The first tomb that I saw in this Archaeological garden was that of Balban who ruled for almost 40 years in the 13th century. Before him there were a number of rulers who ruled for short durations.  Balban ruled continuously and ruthlessly. Balban's  tomb is now in ruins, but one can see from the ruins that once upon a time the mausoleum must  indeed have been majestic. His son's tomb is also close by and there are some blue tiles and a little bit of beautiful design on the walls. The roof does not exist. Either it is time which has taken its toll or vandals who have removed the embellishments or even the stones and bricks. Ibn Battuta, the Moroccan traveler who visited Delhi about 40 years after Balban mentions this tomb in his account as a shrine where “all debtors who entered it had their debts discharged, and if a man who had killed another took refuge there ,the Sultan bought him pardon from the friends of the deceased.”

As one walks on we can see the newly excavated ruins which show us the way people lived then. There are foundations and walls of rooms with niches for keeping the lamps for lighting up the place.

JAMAL KAMALI TOMB-ROOF

One moves on to an enclosed area which is kept under lock and key. This is the tomb of a Sufi poet called Shaikh Fazalullah. His pen name was Jamali. He lived during the times of Sikandar Lodi, Babur and Humayun. His tomb is called Jamali Kamali. It is a beautifully maintained tomb, square in shape.  Kamali was an unknown person but was associated with Jamali and his antecedents have not been established. Their names are tagged together as "Jamali Kamali"  as  they are buried adjacent to each other.

JAMALI KAMALI TOMB

There is a mosque adjacent to the tomb. The mosque and tomb were constructed between  1528-1529 but Jamali was buried in the tomb in 1535. This tomb has a flat roof which is plastered and beautifully decorated.  I was surprised to see Rangoli patterns on the panels of the wall. One normally associates Rangoli with the area South of the Vindhyas. The main colours used here are red and blue with some Koranic inscriptions and very beautiful patterns.

Jamali Kamali's beautiful colourful walls.

This tomb is worth a visit. The place is kept under lock and key as a few years ago there was an agitation to reclaim the mosque for conducting prayers. 

  Another tomb in this complex is that of Quli Khan, who was the brother of Adham Khan and the son of  Maham Anga the wet nurse of Akbar.

Sir Thomas Metcalfe the Last British Resident in Delhi during the rule of the last Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar II, purchased a lot of land in the  Mehrauli area. A number of tombs were located within the area purchased by him.  He converted the tomb of Quli Khan into his Residence and called it Dilkusha.  He made a Boat House by diverting streams of water to make a tank which was used for boating and swimming. Steps built from the boathouse lead to his residence.  He also built, in “pseudo Mughal” style, a Chhatri or a folly with a dome and arches,  which  was surrounded by a sprawling landscaped garden. The central hall of the tomb of Quli Khan was converted into a dining hall. Two wings were added as annexes. He also converted some of the old buildings around the tomb into guesthouse, staff quarters and stables It is also recorded that  Metcalfe,  spent a lot of time at this place during his 40 years in Delhi.

METCALFE'S FOLLY!

In Metcalfes words,"The ruins of grandeur that extend for miles on every side fill it with serious reflection.The palaces crumbling into dust... the myriads of vast mausoleums, every one of which was intended to convey to futurity the deathless fame of its cold inhabitant, and all of which are now passed by, unknown and unnoticed. These things cannot be looked at with indifference."

There is another beautiful construction in this area which is quite different from tombs and actually is all about life. It is the "Rajon ki baoli" or the well of the Masons. These are subterranean water bodies and is actually a  huge step well. There are many floors as one goes down and there are rooms on every floor. With the water table of  Delhi having gone down this has now become a "sookhi(dry) baoli".

RAJON KI BAOLI(STEPPED WELL)

Delhi has always fascinated me and after seeing these majestic ruins which tell the tale of long- long ago, I could almost see apparitions of people going about the business of murder, plunder, intrigue and the change of rulers from one dynasty to another.

Delhi is replete with history, rulers, dynasties, and beautiful structures. Sadly, these structures only pay tribute to the dead, they are mostly tombs!







THE CITY OF DJINNS-FEROZE SHAH KOTLA




At the City of Djinns!




As I set out for my walk to Feroze Shah Kotla,the 5th city of Delhi,with the Delhi Heritage Walks, I realised that this part of the History of Delhi was practically zilch in my knowledge. I therefore went with great expectations. All that I found were ruins. There was not a single building which was intact. They were surely not that old to be in the state that I found them in! To my dismay I found that  later day rulers had removed material from here to build their own cities. Dust unto dust....and all that came back to my mind!

Sprawling lawns!

Coming back to my own Discovery walk, I found that the present complex is sprawled in acres of land and the lawns are well maintained.

Feroze Shah Tughlaq was actually a chance King. He was not the direct descendant of his predecessor Mohd Bin Tughlaq. Mohd. Bin Tughlaq was in fact the King who had shifted his capital with all its inhabitants from Tughlaqabad in present day South Delhi to a new city called Daulatabad, which he founded in present day Andhra Pradesh. His subjects were unhappy with this movement of lock, stock and barrel, and soon enough the capital with its population was shifted back from Daulatabad to Delhi. On returning this time Mohd. Bin Tughlaq founded the City of Jahanpanah, which is located somewhere near present day Saket and Sheikh Sarai. Mohd Bin Tughlaq was disliked by his subjects and therefore after his death his cousin was chosen as the king. It was expected that the new incumbent would rule as per the desire of the nobility or people who had enthroned him.

True to their expectations, Feroze Shah actually became an appeaser King. He tried to keep everyone happy.Feroze Shah was born in 1309 and died in 1388. He ruled from 1351 to 1388. The entire Tughlaq Dynasty ruled a large part of India from Delhi, from 1320 to 1414.

To appease his subjects as well as the nobles and Umrah, Feroze brought about a lot of improvements and established Institutions, which were for the betterment of all the people. He  instituted economic policies to increase material welfare of his people. He built sarais, gardens, tombs and canals.  He was actually a great builder. He got a Madrasa built in present day Hauz Khas and  encouraged literacy. He built mosques in Khirki and Mohammedpur, which still stand. He repaired two top storeys of the Qutab Minar which had got damaged due to lightening in the year 1368. He set up hospitals for the free treatment of the poor called Darul Shifa and encouraged physicians in the development of Unani medicine. He provided money for the marriage of girls belonging to poor families. He built over 300 villages and dug 5 major canals for irrigation bringing more land under cultivation for growing grain and fruit.   He allowed hereditary succession in the army.  He allowed a nobleman's son to succeed to his father's position and jagir after his death. The same was done in the army, where an old soldier could send his son, son-in-law or even his slave in his place. He increased the salary of the nobles. He stopped all kinds of harsh and barbaric punishments such as cutting off hands. Firoz also lowered the land taxes that Muhammad had raised.  He established the Dewan e Khairat(department for poor & needy people) and the Dewan e bundagan( department for slaves).  Yet Firuz's reign has also been described as the greatest age of corruption in medieval India.

The Ashoka Pillar.

Coming back to the present day Kotla,there are ruins of a baoli or water body, or rather a huge well from which water was drawn to maintain the huge gardens. There is a Mosque, beneath which  are a lot of rooms. The layout is rather strange as these rooms have no windows. They look like black holes. There are thick walls on three sides and there is just a door to enter the room. Even daylight does not enter these rooms and therefore it is pitch dark inside. It is said that Djinns inhabit this place, Djinns are friendly ghosts, I am told. A lot of people visit this place on Thursday and leave their petitions in these rooms. Alas! Ignorance, belief, blind faith, makes us believe in such pathetic practices for wish fulfillment!

Rooms for Djinns!

The next structure in this complex is pyramidical, on top of which stands the "Ashok ki laat", or the Ashoka Pillar made of sand stone. This is a 3rd century BC pillar which has edicts of Emperor Ashoka. This pillar was brought from Meerut by Feroze with a lot of care and intelligent planning so that this massive pillar could be transported without damage via way of the  river Jamuna. The pillar has inscriptions in Brahmi lipi(writing), where Ashoka had written down certain rules. The pillar is beautiful, massive and shines like gold!

One has to make extensive use of ones imagination to think of what the place must have looked like at the time it was called Feruzabad and when this benevolent King ruled from here. Nothing much remains except for very thick walls, and extremely dilapidated ruins. I can only say "Khandahar bata rahein hai imaarat buland thi". Literally translated it means that the ruins tell us that once these buildings were magnificent.

Somehow this visit left me with a lot of reflective thoughts. Nothing remains. Time takes its toll. Historians and those who write are really very powerful. It is how written  material is preserved and interpreted  that after a long time people perceive of what once was! Such huge structures also were ravaged and pillaged.

Where once the River Jamuna flowed, now is a well maintained Rose garden. There are a lot of kites which nest in the trees in the sprawling  gardens of Feroze Shah Kotla.There are a lot of cats too around the place. Djinns, nine lives of cats...city of djinns, ruins.. That for you my friends was Feroze Shah Kotla!

The Rose garden & New Delhi beyond.

I have a personal connection with this place as this is the place where my mother at the age of 19 had selected her life partner from amongst 3 suitors, who had  all returned from England after completing their education!

THE MOONLIT SQUARE-CHANDNI CHOWK

Naughara Mansion

Dilli, that is how I like to call it when I talk of Shahjehanabad, Chandni Chowk and the gali, kuche and katras of Dilli.

Just uttering the word "Chandni Chowk" transports me to an altogether different world. A world of beauty, charm, poetry, romanticism and the cool, calming effect of “chandni” or a moonlit night where everything looks charmed. Even a visit to the actual mundane, extremely busy, commercial, dirty, chaotic place is not able to remove the thoughts from my mind. I still like to think of Chandni Chowk, only as it was meant to be, when it was made by Jahan Ara, the daughter of Shah Jehan, in 1650.

The thought that Ghalib, Zauq, Meer Taqi Meer, and Momin, lived here, and wrote beautiful poetry speaks for the finesse of the place. How enchanting and beautiful the place would have been at one time can only be imagined now. 

Chandni Chowk runs straight from the Lahori Gate of the Red Fort to the Fatehpuri Mosque, which was built by a Begum of Shah Jehan. On both sides were shops and in the center where now stands the Town hall was the Chowk.

DAULAT KI CHAAT

This place is a foodies paradise. Have you heard of “daulat ki chaat”? Fabulous name...again! Well it is the froth of the milk when it is being boiled in a huge couldron. This froth is collected and sold early in the morning.  This is usually available only in winter.It is sprinkled with powdered sugar and actually melts in your mouth. Besides this there are jalebis, dahi bhalla, parathas, and mouth watering Chaat.

I recently went to Chandni Chowk on a Walking trip with “Delhi Heritage Walks”. The walk started at the Bird Hospital attached to the Jain temple built in 1656, right at the beginning of the famous road. Standing next to it is the Gauri Shankar temple which was built by a Maratha general Appa Gangadhar in 1761. Quite close by is Gurudwara Sheeshganj  built in   1783. This is the place where Guru Teg Bahadur was beheaded on the orders of Aurangzeb in 1675. 

SUNEHRI MOSQUE

Next to the Gurudwara is Sunehri Mosque built in 1721. This is the famous place where in 1739,Nadir Shah the invader from Persia ordered a katl-e-aam, or killing of all and sundry. He watched the massacre of the people of Delhi, sitting here. It is said that about 20,000 people were killed in one day. Across the road is the Christian Central Baptist Church built in 1814.

Chandni Chowk has a lot of kuchas and katras. The first that we came across was Dariba Kalan. Dariba means an incomparable pearl. In  Persian it was 'Dur-e be-baha', meaning 'pearl without compare' Dariba used to be famous for its jewellery shops. At the starting point of this gali is a shop famous  for its jalebis. Next comes the famous parathewali gali. This gali has famous saree shops in the beginning and then one finds the exotic parathewalas. They make different kinds of stuffed parathas. These parathas are soaked with ghee and are very tasty, although health conscious people may have second thoughts, yet this is a treat which should not be avoided.

Katras are lanes with shops on both sides. Each Katra is specialised and while one sells sarees, the other sells lehengas and so on and so forth.

At the end of Parathewali gali is the famous Kinari bazaar. All sorts of gota, kinari, embroidered laces, borders, can be bought here. There is Chawdi Bazar, which means a broad market famous for printing business. Nai sadak, famous for its book shops. There is Katra Neel, Katra Mahajani, Maliwara, Ballimara, Gali Qasim Jaan, Gali Rehmani, Khari Baoli, Hauz Qazi and a lot more.

There are huge mansions and palaces in this area. Shah Jehan had alloted land to eminent people to build their residences in Chandni Chowk. To name a few there is the Khazanchi haveli, Begum Zeenat Mahal’s haveli, Begum Samru’s haveli, Lala Chuna Mal’s haveli, and the Naughara mansions Begum Samru was a Lady who married a mercenary and had huge properties here. Her famous palace is now called Bhagirath Palace and is a famous market for Electrical goods.

LALA CHUNA MAL'S HAVELI

Lala Chuna Mal's haveli still stands, with a huge facade. Lala Chuna Mal was a financier and lent money on interest. Katra Neel is located behind this haveli. 

Naughara mansions in Kinari Bazaar is a quiet, serene and calm place in this extremely busy bazaar. There are nine houses in this area of mainly Jain jewellers. The doorways and front of the mansions are beautiful. How majestic, huge and well planned they must be from inside can only be imagined. My favourite building of course is the State Bank of India building. This is the place from where began my journey in the service of the biggest bank of India in 1975!

FATEHPURI MOSQUE

Having walked down this majestic Chandni Chowk we reached Fatehpuri Mosque. This place was huge, peaceful and clean. One has to take off one's shoes and carry them inside. One is not allowed to put shoes down on the floor with the soles touching the floor! There were a number of madarsas in the Mosque, where children were being tutored.

We then went to Khari Baoli, the present day famous Spice market which transports you to an altogether different world. While a few days back I had stopped myself from buying a kilogram of walnuts at Rs. 2000/- a kilo from another market in Delhi, the Khari baoli price of Rs. 750/- a kilo for the same stuff, made me quickly shell out money and buy the walnuts.

We then went to the roof of the Gadodia Market from where the view was  grand and majestic. 

Chandni Chowk, is really incomparable, majestic, and a beautiful memory! I would suggest that one should not go by what one sees, but one must think, imagine, and transport oneself to what it once was!

If you see it with eyes wide open, you would feel a sense of total loss. Loss of history, loss of heritage, and loss of the grandeur. Where once stood beautiful buildings with fine work on balustrades, carvings on walls, artwork on balconies, one finds only fragments of all this peeping through some dilapidated wall, balcony or railing. The heirs to these mansions have obviously divided the properties in such a way that the total building has no single owner and therefore there is no maintenance, it is all shabby and pathetic. It pained me immensely to see the way history has been mauled, and beautiful mansions have been turned into virtual jig saw puzzles, because of its fragmentation.

Nevertheless, as Zauq the famous poet had said, "Kaun jaye magar Dilli ki galiyan chod kar", I a diehard fan of Dilli and Shahjehanabad, came back with visions of a grand Dilli that once was!