Urban Mehrauli - the Original Old Delhi

A Sunday afternoon stroll in Mehrauli is probably not everyone's idea of fun. Mehrauli is the very embodiment of urban chaos. Narrow streets and by-lanes with cars and bikes jostling for space with people, animals and rickshaws make for a perfect mess at the best of times. However, peppered all over the place are buildings from the past, obscured by electricity wires and modern high-density accommodation. It takes some work to find one's way through Mehrauli, but patience does pay off in the end, revealing architectural pieces that one would never expect to find there.

I had visited the Mehrauli Archaeological Park earlier in the year, and the sites on today's trip would have been contemporaneous to so much of what exists in the Park. Today's vist was to be a selection of buildings spanning the Lodhi and Mughal periods. None of the buildings I on this trip are ticketed and are, therefore, quite likely to be occupied by local children playing cricket.  I decided to walk from the Qutub Minar metro station to save myself the intense pain that would accompany driving in Mehrauli. Walking north along the Mehrauli-Gurgaon road, there is a small road to the left around 100 metres beyond the metro station. Taking this road, and walking down about 200 metres, I came to the Madhi Masjid on my left.


It isn't easy to learn about this lovely mosque. The internet is not forthcoming with information, and the ASI has not deemed it important enough to provide their customary info-block. About all I was able to learn was that it is a Lodhi-era mosque (which would date it to the 15th-16th century). There's not a soul in sight over here, barring the security guard, making this a great place for photos, or to just lose oneself. There is a huge and ornate gate just at the entrance to the compound, with a flight of steps leading up to it.  As one climbs up, one walks into the courtyard of the mosque, with a couple of tombs in the centre. At the western end of the courtyard is a walled enclosure with a mihrab pointing towards Makkah. The clover-shaped embellishments running along the upper ridge of the wall and the entrance gate confirm the mosque's Lodhi origin. There is some lovely blue-tile work along the wall enclosure, and detailed calligraphy to complement it. It's possible to climb up to the top of the mosque by staircases along the sides. It affords a beautiful view of the surrounding forest.

Entrance Gate to Madhi Masjid

Madhi Masjid from the outside - beautiful serenity

The inner courtyard of the Madhi Masjid

A closer look at the detailing on the walls

The view from the top

From the Madhi Masjid, I continued walking up the road, past a Jain temple. This part of Mehrauli is a low hill, and the incline is quite noticeable. Following the natural course of the road (and avoiding the roads branching off to the sides), I ended up at the Zafar Mahal, a later Mughal summer palace. It is easy to get lost on the way, but the locals are helpful enough to direct you to the place. 


Now, Zafar (Victory), was the nom de plume of Bahadur Shah II, the last Mughal king. However, the building itself was constructed by Akbar Shah II, his father, and was probably called the Lal Mahal at the time. The choice of location, atop the hill, would have made for a lovely view back in the day. However, more significantly, it is adjacent to the dargah of Qutubuddin Bakhtiar Kaki, one of the most famous Sufi saints of the time. Several of the later Mughals are buried here, and the grave-site is quite cluttered. Bahadur Shah II himself planned to be buried here, but the events of 1857 would see him exiled to Burma, where he lived out the rest of his days.


The most impressive part of the building today is the massive red sandstone and marble entrance gate, something of a cross between the Naubat Khana and Chatta Chowk that one sees at the Red Fort. Most of the rest of the palace is in ruins, though it is possible to climb up to the top of the gate, and even visit the adjoining Moti Masjid, used by the royals for personal prayer.

Entrance to Zafar Mahal

Intricate craftsmanship on entrance gateway

Ruined interiors of Zafar Mahal

Upper floor pavillion with pillars

Moti Masjid and Dargah of Qutubuddin Bakhtiar Kaki in the background

View from the windows today

A visit to the adjacent Dargah would have been a very reasonable addition to the itinerary, but I was a little short of time, and decided to press on. Continuing up the road towards the Mehrauli bus terminus, I ended up at the Tomb of Adham Khan. 


Adham Khan was one of Mughal emperor Akbar's generals and a 'foster brother' of sorts. He and his mother, Maham Anga, were not too pleased with the position and favours bestowed on a certain Ataga Khan, another of Akbar's 'foster' brothers. They decided to do away with Ataga Khan, and killed him at Agra fort. Akbar was, understandably, enraged by this, and ordered Adham Khan killed by throwing from the walls of Agra fort (he went through it a second time, since he survived the first fall). With that, he was buried here, on what is apparently part of the wall of the Tomar period Lal Kot. As a side note, Adham Khan was the brother of Quli Khan, who's tomb, the Dilkusha of Metcalfe, is part of the Mehrauli Archaeological Park. Small world.


The tomb is an octagonal structure with a labyrinth on the lower level, because of which the locals refer to the place as the Bhoolbhulaya or place of forgetting. It isn't the most impressive of monuments, but it is quite large for the tomb of a nobleman. I suppose it would be more interesting if they let one wander through the labyrinth.

Octagonal tomb of Adham Khan

The most noticeable feature of the tomb is the artwork on the inside of the dome

The Qutub Minar, as seen from Adham Khan's tomb

For those inclined, there is a little lane behind the Mehrauli bus terminus that takes one to the Gandhak-ki-Baoli (bulit during Iltutmish's time in the 1200s, and is quite dry now). However, I decided to move on. From there, I walked to the Qutub Minar, and caught a shuttle minibus to the Qutub Minar metro station. Taking the metro to the next stop at Chattarpur, I walked back into the south end of Mehrauli at Andheria Mode, around 250 metres away. From there, I walked up the Mehrauli market road for about 600 metres till I arrived at the Hauz-i-Shamsi and adjacent Jahaz Mahal.


The Hauz-i-Shamsi was a Mamluk-era water tank built by Iltutmish, after he saw a dream in which Muhammed asks him to build a tank here. The fact that Qutubuddin Bakhtiar Kaki saw the same dream only seemed to confirm to Iltutmish the necessity of constructing this structure. On the other side of the tank, there is a pavillion to mark the spot where they believed the hoof-print of Muhammed's horse was found. Today, the pavilion is off-limits, locked behind an iron gate. This tank was the primary water source for Mamluk-era Mehrauli.


On the market-side of the tank, the Lodhi-era Jahaz Mahal emerges out of nowhere. It was probably used as an inn by travellers and pilgrims who were visiting the tombs of Sufi saints in the city, though there seems to also be a theory of this place being used as a summer retreat by royals. The building gets its name from the fact that it is built on what was then the bank of the Hauz-i-Shamsi, making it look (you have to be very imaginative here) like a ship on the water's edge. Today the tank is much smaller than it once was, and the Jahaz Mahal is a good 20 metres from the water's edge. The building is constructed on two levels, and the the arches and cupolas do catch the eye.

Jahaz Mahal from the road

Entrance to Jahaz Mahal

Inner courtyard of Jahaz Mahal

Iltutmish's pavillion with the Jahaz Mahal across the Hauz-i-Shamsi

The Mehrauli area has so many other places of interest, and it would take a significant amount of time to cover everything in detail. People often just visit the Qutub Minar and don't see beyond it, not realizing just how much history is lurking around the corner. What is impressive is how there are pockets of tranquility so close to the bustle of the marketplace, with the opportunity to appreciate history thrown into the bargain.


Here is a map of places on the visit:

View Urban Mehrauli in a larger map