Friday 6 March 2015

A Walk Through Lodhi Gardens

My mother loves all things Historical and Archaeological and though we live in Delhi, we have seen hardly any of the historical sites of the city. So this time for my Mum's 60th birthday, as a treat we decided to take her to the Lodhi Gardens where we would get a chance to see some beautiful architectural structures, enjoy a lovely walk in the beautiful garden (a rarity in itself in a city like Delhi believe you me!!!) followed by a lunch in Lodi - The Garden Restaurant of increasing popularity and gorgeous food! And it turned out to be a day to remember for all of us!

I will admit that though the monuments in the garden complex were pretty fascinating, I paid more attention to the garden, the birds and the walk around the place, and I loved every minute of it!

Lodhi garden is a walker's delight in a big concrete city. It gives one the feeling of being out there in the "fresh" air (well as fresh as it can be given its location!) and a feeling of being one with nature. It takes you away from the daily hustle and bustle of life and for a few precious hours makes you forget the city that will inevitably surround you once you step out of the garden.

A Small Section Leading Up To Muhammad Shah's Tomb
We chose a Sunday to visit the place, but if you like solitude and can take the time out from work, visit the Lodhi Gardens on a non-holiday weekday. That way you will be able to take in the natural beauty and not worry about the throngs of people, all looking to escape the city! Of course, the one thing you cannot avoid are the couples locked in passionate embraces in all the nook and crannies the garden provides, trying to get those few precious moments away from people they hope to avoid and keeping out of sight as well as they can! But then again, that is just a part of living in a big Indian city.

The Lodhi garden claim to house a large number of birds. I managed to see only 3 or 4 varieties of birds including the parrot, eagles, geese and a couple of other birds commonly seen in the area. I suppose you will have to make the effort to visit the garden early in the mornings to have a better chance of seeing more varieties of birds. I plan to visit the Garden again as soon as I can manage to wake up early enough. I will definitely do a follow up post on whether I managed to catch sight of any of the birds advertised in the garden.


The Parrot (If You Can Spot it!!!!)




The Sun Peeping Out From The Canopy Of Trees
It was a real pleasure to visit the enclosure that housed the ducks and the geese. Artificial though it seemed, it felt good to get an opportunity in a city to observe the behavior of these birds up close. Caution to parents planning to visit with their little children - please don't leave your toddlers to run amok in the geese cage! Both have a tendency to scare each other silly, thereby creating chaos and confusion and frankly destroying the blissful peace otherwise enveloping the casual observer of nature!






Definitely worth a visit is Sikander Lodhi's Tomb, if for nothing else than the delightful garden they have maintained inside the tomb complex. They do have some of the most beautiful and exuberant flowers in the complex. I would have liked to show you more pictures of the flowers but they also feature people who might not appreciate a mention on my blog!!!! 







I do not want to sound as if I am not giving the monuments their due credit. They are rather interesting and definitely worth a visit. Here are pictures of a few of them. Again, please note that I had a very cursory look at the monuments as it it was one of those days when I was more in the mood for a walk than for History. 


Carvings Inside A Mosque

Some carving Outside The Mosque Near The Bada Gumbad

The Bada Gumbad

Muhammad Shah's Tomb

What was interesting about visiting Lodhi garden in a Sunday was the view of Humanity one got while walking down one of the several walking paths made in the garden. It was nice to see families coming out to spend time together in the outdoors rather than sitting at home watching television or stuck to their mobile phone. It was heartening to hear people laugh out loud and have fun. It was a joy to watch children running around and watching adults act like children while playing cricket with them. We were also treated to a group who decided to sing the afternoon away which surprisingly coincided with a couple of people who brought their guitars along. All of it created a wonderful atmosphere of which I was lucky to be a part on in these busy times. 


Strumming The Guitar On A Lazy Sunday Afternoon
Lodhi gardens also boast of a small bonsai section that is rather interesting for those who like these kind of things! 

The ,lunch at the  Lodi - The garden Restaurant was scrumptious to say the least! The offer European, Mediterranean and Lebanese cuisines - all very well prepared be it beef or sea-food or vegetarian. The staff is very friendly and helpful. I would love to go there  again, the food was just too good! To add to all the AWESOME food is the ambiance. They have outdoor seating. But if you want to stay indoors, they even have an area that has glass walls so that you can enjoy the sights of natural beauty in the Garden while sitting inside. A truly beautiful place! 

All in all, the day was a great success and we all went home feeling rather pleased with life. I leave you with a few more random pictures of the Lodhi gardens....




Monday 2 March 2015

Jamali Kamali - A Lesser Known Jewel

I welcome you a to a little known Jewel set in New Delhi by the name of the Mehrauli Archaeological Site. All those who wish to tour the city, will benefit if they manage to take out some time to visit this little known historical site on the outskirts of Delhi, situated just behind the ever popular Qutub Minar. It has several small historical sites in the complex and you should set aside a good couple of hours to enjoy the area. Here are some bits that I found very interesting during my walk through area.

Though the Archeological Site consists of several monuments of various importance, this area receives its fame from 2 monuments - the Jamali Kamali Tomb and Masjid (mosque). Wikipedia tells us the following about some of the History of Jamali Kamali - "The name "Jamali" is Urdu, though originates from "Jamal" which means "beauty". "Jamali" was the alias given to Shaikh Fazlu'llah, also known as Shaikh Jamali Kamboh or Jalal Khan, a renowned Sufi saint who lived during the pre-Mughal dynasty rule of the Lodi's, a period from the rule of Sikander Lodi to the Mughal Dynastyrule of Babur and Humayun. Jamali 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 were constructed in 1528-1529, and Jamali was buried in the tomb after his death in 1535". 


Jamali-Kamali Mosque


The Intricate Work Seen Inside The Jamali-Kamali Tomb


Painting Done On The Ceiling Of The Jamali-Kamali Tomb


One of the stories that go around is that Jamali and Kamali were lovers and hence are buried next to each other. There is also a story that says that Kamali was the poet and Jamali took credit for his work. Ofcourse, there really is no way to substantiate these stories. To add intrigue to this story is the fact that if you Google Jamali-Kamali you will read in several places that the Jamali Kamali mosque and tomb are haunted. This is something you are going to have to try out for yourself and see whether it is true or not. As for me, though it increases the intrigue and the mystery of the place, I am not a believer....

The Jamali-Kamali Tomb from Outside

View From A Window at the Jamali-Kamali Mosque

Right next to the Jamali Kamali mosque is Balban's Tomb. Unfortunately, not much of the architecture around the actual tomb survives. It is worth it, however, to visit the tomb and take in the terrain created by the ruins. Most of the actual tomb has survived time so far, though for how much longer is hard to say. It is a lovely and exciting albeit short walk right up to the tomb.

The Ruins Leading Upto Balban's Tomb

Ruins Around Balban's Tomb

Remains Of Balban's Tomb

Another exciting structure a little way down the path is the Rajaon Ki Baoli, or the Step-well for the king, built by Daulat Khan during the reign of Sikander Lodi. Is is a real sight to behold specially when you see how deep the step well goes with every step you take towards it. This too has a small mosque attached to it with lovely carvings on it. It is a complete pleasure to go to the top of the structure and look around you to see the magnificence of the step-well along with the surrounding areas.

The Walk Up To Rajaon Ki Baoli

Looking Down Into Rajaon Ki Baoli

Looking At A Corridor Around The Baoli Through  A Hole In The Wall

The Mosque Attached To The Baoli

An Small Sample Of The Carving At The Mosque

The Main Wall of The Mosque At Rajaon Ki Baoli

I also visited Metcalf's guest house, or Dilkusha which was made around  Quli Khan's Tomb. This structure has breath-taking work inside it and a magnificent view of the Qutub Minar. For those who are interested Quli Khan was the brother of Adam Khan and son of Emperor Akbar's wet nurse Maham Anga. Sir Thomas Theophilus Metcalfe refurbished the tomb of Quli Khan to create his country house or "Retreat" which he rented out to honey-mooning couple because of its location and the view it offered of the Qutub Minar.

Quli Khan's Tomb

A Sample Of The Breath-Taking Work Inside the Structure

View Of The Qutub Minar from The Site

The Idyllic Metcalfe's Bridge leading Up To Metcalfe's Boathouse and Retreat

If these monuments are not as appealing to you as they are to me, the Mehrauli Archeological Site is a pleasure to simply walk around on a holiday. It is a lovely place to go to for a picnic or just a day out with family or loved ones. The entire area is lush green and dotted with ruins that do wonders for the fertile imagination or a restless soul.

I highly recommend that you spend an excellent day here and leave all your stress and worries behind as you allow the site to weave its magic around you.