MEHRAULI OR MEHRAWALI!

QUTAB MINAR

The oldest part of Delhi which has continuously been inhabited for the last one thousand years is Mehrauli. The best known structure in this area is the Qutab Minar which was built in the 12th Century during the rule of the Slave Dynasty. My fondest memories of Qutab Minar are associated with my favourite film stars Dev Anand and Nutan. A very beautiful song "Dil ka bhanwar kare pukar" was picturised within the narrow confines of the stairs of the Minar. Romance oozed out of this song due to the extremely stylish Dev Anand and the beautiful, charming and naughty Nutan.

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  Archaeological 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.

BALBAN'S TOMB

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. 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!