DELHI

Delhi’s Heritage at Mehrauli Archaeological Park

We arrived at the lovely sight of a rose garden via the little entrance, with the Qutub Minar rising in the distance.
Watch Qutub Minar sparkle as dusk falls.
The sign board, or rather, the sign stones, provided some guidance for the monuments that lay in front of us.

Idyllic views

The walled city authorities did not find it worth protecting or caring for the park. Free entry to the walking trail and dark, dusty monuments in bad condition are proof of the same.

Qutub’s background to the rose garden

The small entrance through which we entered led us to the beautiful sight of a rose garden, with the Qutub Minar towering in the backdrop. See how Qutub Minar glitters after sundown. The sign board (rather, sign stones) gave some direction for the monuments that lay ahead.

One of the direction pillars

A magnificent green zone with green plantations on both ends is a welcome sight as you cross the rose garden. Thank God the authorities at least provided a green cover.

The nursery is a savior

Soothing green nursery

As you take a left towards the Jamali Kamali Mosque, you have to pass by a lush green grassland. The elevated section of the land has Metcalfe's Folly. It is indeed sad to see names scribbled all over, including on the dome structure. I'm wondering how they got up there. It is not an architectural masterpiece but offers a panoramic view of the park and surrounding area.

Metcalf’s Follly

Keep walking further until the walls of Jamal Kamali Mosque appear on your right. This was the only place I could explore properly.

Jamali Kamali Mosque

The silence was eerie

It was nearly closing time, and hence we could not enter other tombs or baolis. I had to take pictures from outside the gate. But we came back a week later to cover the whole park.

Rajon ki Baoli is the largest and most ornamented of all the three baolis in Mehrauli Park.

Rajon ki Baoli

The arched passageway

With four floors and rooms at each level, this baoli is named after the rajmistries, or masons, who used it. It is believed to have been constructed during the 16th century by Daulat Khan during the rule of Sikander Lodhi. The step well appears like a courtyard from the medieval period, with passages that have carved symmetrical arches that form the three sides. The other two baolis, namely Anangtal Baoli and Gandhak ki Baoli, have not been maintained. They lie in neglect, serving as a rubbish bin for the locals residing around. Anangtal does not even have a marker or sign board.

The unnamed mosque

Moving further, we chanced upon the tomb of Quli Khan. As legend has it, Quli Khan was Emperor Akbar’s foster brother, born to Maham Anga. (Remember Ila Arun in Jodha Akbar?)

Tomb of Quli Khan

The octagonal tomb built in the 16th century was bought and remodeled by  Sir Thomas Theophilus Metcalfe, the Governor General’s last British Resident agent at the Mughal Court of Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar. It was refurbished as a pleasure house or Dilkhusha in Urdu by surrounding it with sprawling  gardens and rest houses. He used to rent out Dilkhusha to honeymooning couples for idyllic view of the Qutub Minar.

The tomb has a huge resemblance to Mughal architecture with entrance on alternate sides and walls with floral calligraphy and Quranic verses.

Among other structures of the park, there are several other unnamed tombs, structures and graveyards, protected but unnoticed.

The unnamed tomb

The crumbling ceiling

This was the last leg of our visit inside Mehrauli Park, and we headed home with lots of good memories. This place is indeed a photographer’s delight and great for history enthusiasts like us.

How to reach Mehrauli Archaeological Park 

There is a story behind this as well. It's an easy-to-reach place but not really noticed because it's not highlighted or advertised anywhere. I have stayed close to this place for four years but never learned about this hidden gem. Having read so much about it recently, I convinced my husband to explore this less-known place. Little did we know that the place would not be easy to find.

Easily missed entrance

We passed by two entrance gates twice but did not realize those were the entry gates. (Not even the gates mention that it is an archaeological park.) One of the entrances is 1 km away from Qutub Minar metro station. A narrow Kuccha road through the wilderness leads to the archaeological park. We chose not to tread on this path since these kinds of secluded paths are unsafe and full of uncertainties.

The second entrance gate is near the Qutub Minar roundabout. Google also led us to the Mehrauli bus terminal. However, we are not sure if there’s an entrance to the park or not at the bus terminal.

Entry fees

None

Parking

The park has a parking space inside. But we still do not have an idea where to drive through. (We had hopped into an auto from Qutub Minar metro to the gate near roundabout that costed Rs.50). Bikes and cars were parked outside this small gate near the main road. God save your vehicle from being towed away or damaged since it seemed to be an unauthorized parking space.

Wheelchair friendly?

Not at all.

Pet friendly?

Though the notice boards warn against bringing in your pets, we still saw visitors bringing in their pet dogs for a walk. (Sigh!) A lot of stray dogs roam inside the premises, harmlessly lazing around.

Harmless furries often fed

Though poor maintenance and garbage menace were major turnoffs for us, we still recommend this place to history and photography enthusiasts. We went twice to witness the neglected glory of history, which needs to be told.