Lal Kot Sanjay Van
| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRAGEMENT
On a damp morning a group of history enthusiasts got together to walk through the ruins at Mehrauli in south Delhi. A peak into the city’s glorious past is always intriguing, and I was in it for a refreshing perspective on heritage along with the walkers of Ahl-e-Dil which means People of Love, led by Delhi University’s Ph.D scholar, Abdul Shafeeque.
He begins the exploration by reiterating that this is “not going to be a typical heritage walk packed with facts; but a random walk through the ruins in the oldest and the lost city of love, as Mehrauli is known. It is the place where the Tomar rulers, Anangpal I and II, rebuilt the city of Delhi from ruins and constructed many shrines of Sufi saints, temples and baolis.
Lal Kot Sanjay Van
| Photo Credit:
Special arranagement
The walk begins from the Dargah of Sufi saint Qutubuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki, winds its way across the Lal Kot and Yogmaya Temple, and culminates at the site of the Akhoondji Mosque, located inside the Sanjay Van, one of the largest forests located in the heart of Delhi. It was once part of the fortified city.
The area is rich in history, culture and religion. The forest hides many ruins of forts built by Delhi’s rulers from the Tomars and the Chauhans and during the Sultanate and Mughal period. Parts of damaged forts, lakes and baoliscan still be seen within the forest. One of the prominent ones is the Lal Kot created by Anangpal II as the first regular defense work in Delhi.
Lal Kot Sanjay Van
| Photo Credit:
SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Shafeeque’s walk is interesting because he chooses to focus on the language of love he sees among the people of Mehrauli.
Showing us around the shrines, he gives insights on how Delhi lost many shrines in the name of encroachment and urbanisation, including some inside the Sanjay Van such as Haji Rozibh’s shrine.
Shafeeque refrains from focussing on just history and chronology. Instead, he tells the stories of people living there now.
As we walk with him, we meet and greet people from Mehrauli. For instance, Rabiya tells us how every morning, without fail bread arrives from a bakery near Nizamuddin Dargah to feed the people living here in the ruins. “It is offered as a tribute from Hazrat Nizamuddin to his teacher Khwaja Qutbuddin. But no one talks about these invisible humanitarian acts,” she says.
Dargah Bakhtiyar Kaki
| Photo Credit:
SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Shafeeque, a young Malayali, impresses with his ability to engage people in a mixture of Hindi and Urdu, not his native tongue. He came to Delhi 12 years ago and started living in Mehrauli two years ago. “I fell in love with the history of the place, its people, architecture, love, and politics.”
He recalls that during his early visits to Bakhtiyar Kaki’s Dargah, he met an old man who locals addressed as the Yellow Baba . Seeing me sitting alone, he offered me a piece of Sheermal roti. I asked him in broken Hindustani, ‘aur kitna pyar batoge? (how much more love will you distribute?)‘; the Baba replied, ‘as much as I can’.”
This simple conversation triggered Shafeeque to spread and share the stories of the love among local people, with those who walk around in search of history. The primary source of information for Shafeeque is not from the history books but the people in Mehrauli who tell him about their lives.
Lal Kot Sanjay Van
| Photo Credit:
SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
One of the walkers, Aishwarya Raj, from Tamil Nadu, says the heritage walks she’s been to earlier revolved around monuments and glorified history. “This is the first time someone is talking about the people in the ruins and weaving interesting historical anecdotes in an innovative manner.”
(Ahl-e-Dil walk is conducted on alternate Sundays; Fee Rs 250 per person; Call 8802203510 for details and timings)
Published – October 11, 2024 01:35 am IST