• Home
  • Contact Me
Thursday, December 8, 2022
Rana Safvi
  • Home
  • About
  • Book & Publication
  • Culture & Heritage
    • Our Cultural Heritage
    • Sufi saints
  • Food
  • Hazrat-E-Dilli
  • Rana’s Space
    • Walks & Talks
    • Rana’s Space
    • Sher o Sukhan
  • Travel
    My favorite artworks from European Museums

    My favorite artworks from European Museums

    Gandhara Art in Humboldt Forum: Life of Lord Buddha

    Gandhara Art in Humboldt Forum: Life of Lord Buddha

    Jewish Heroes Square in Krakow, Poland

    Jewish Heroes Square in Krakow, Poland

    Block no. 4 in Auschwitz concentration camp

    Block no. 4 in Auschwitz concentration camp

    Ottoman tent in Princess Czartoryski Museum in Krakow, Poland

    Ottoman tent in Princess Czartoryski Museum in Krakow, Poland

    The Steam Engine Building, Potsdam, Germany

    The Steam Engine Building, Potsdam, Germany

    Assyrian human-headed winged bull from Nimrud; 9th cent. BCE; Pergamon Museum, Berlin

    Assyrian human-headed winged bull from Nimrud; 9th cent. BCE; Pergamon Museum, Berlin

    Catacombs in St Peter’s Abbey Salzburg, Austria

    Catacombs in St Peter’s Abbey Salzburg, Austria

    St Nicholas Church in #Leipzeg, #Germany

    St Nicholas Church in #Leipzeg, #Germany

    Gloriette, Schonbrunn Palace, Vienna,Austria

    Gloriette, Schonbrunn Palace, Vienna,Austria

    Matthias Church on Buda Castle Hill, Budapest

    Matthias Church on Buda Castle Hill, Budapest

    The Neptune fountain in Schonbrunn Palace, Vienna, Austria

    The Neptune fountain in Schonbrunn Palace, Vienna, Austria

    The Dohany Street synagogue in Budapest

    St Peter’s Abbey Church in Salzburg, Austria

    St Peter’s Abbey Church in Salzburg, Austria

    The Residence Fountain in Salzburg: Oundof Music

    The Residence Fountain in Salzburg: Oundof Music

    Sultana Daku and Raj Bhawan of Nainital

    Sultana Daku and Raj Bhawan of Nainital

    Sultana Daku and Raj Bhawan of Nainital

    Sultana Daku and Raj Bhawan of Nainital

    Jahan koshan cannon, Murshidabad

    Jahan koshan cannon, Murshidabad

    Takht-e Marar, Golestan Palance, Teheran, Iran

    Trending Tags

    • Contact Me
    No Result
    View All Result
    • Home
    • About
    • Book & Publication
    • Culture & Heritage
      • Our Cultural Heritage
      • Sufi saints
    • Food
    • Hazrat-E-Dilli
    • Rana’s Space
      • Walks & Talks
      • Rana’s Space
      • Sher o Sukhan
    • Travel
      My favorite artworks from European Museums

      My favorite artworks from European Museums

      Gandhara Art in Humboldt Forum: Life of Lord Buddha

      Gandhara Art in Humboldt Forum: Life of Lord Buddha

      Jewish Heroes Square in Krakow, Poland

      Jewish Heroes Square in Krakow, Poland

      Block no. 4 in Auschwitz concentration camp

      Block no. 4 in Auschwitz concentration camp

      Ottoman tent in Princess Czartoryski Museum in Krakow, Poland

      Ottoman tent in Princess Czartoryski Museum in Krakow, Poland

      The Steam Engine Building, Potsdam, Germany

      The Steam Engine Building, Potsdam, Germany

      Assyrian human-headed winged bull from Nimrud; 9th cent. BCE; Pergamon Museum, Berlin

      Assyrian human-headed winged bull from Nimrud; 9th cent. BCE; Pergamon Museum, Berlin

      Catacombs in St Peter’s Abbey Salzburg, Austria

      Catacombs in St Peter’s Abbey Salzburg, Austria

      St Nicholas Church in #Leipzeg, #Germany

      St Nicholas Church in #Leipzeg, #Germany

      Gloriette, Schonbrunn Palace, Vienna,Austria

      Gloriette, Schonbrunn Palace, Vienna,Austria

      Matthias Church on Buda Castle Hill, Budapest

      Matthias Church on Buda Castle Hill, Budapest

      The Neptune fountain in Schonbrunn Palace, Vienna, Austria

      The Neptune fountain in Schonbrunn Palace, Vienna, Austria

      The Dohany Street synagogue in Budapest

      St Peter’s Abbey Church in Salzburg, Austria

      St Peter’s Abbey Church in Salzburg, Austria

      The Residence Fountain in Salzburg: Oundof Music

      The Residence Fountain in Salzburg: Oundof Music

      Sultana Daku and Raj Bhawan of Nainital

      Sultana Daku and Raj Bhawan of Nainital

      Sultana Daku and Raj Bhawan of Nainital

      Sultana Daku and Raj Bhawan of Nainital

      Jahan koshan cannon, Murshidabad

      Jahan koshan cannon, Murshidabad

      Takht-e Marar, Golestan Palance, Teheran, Iran

      Trending Tags

      • Contact Me
      No Result
      View All Result
      Rana Safvi
      No Result
      View All Result

      Here Stones Speak in Hindustan Times

      inBook and Publication
      0

      In search of Delhi’s first city, Mehrauli

      • Manjula Narayan, Hindustan Times, New Delhi
      • Updated: Aug 29, 2015 14:07 IST

      Built of red and buff sandstone, Qutub Minar has five storeys and four balconies. (Photo: Saumya Khandelwal/HT)


      Author Rana Safvi leads a walk through Mehrauli, where Prithviraj Chauhan’s army fought Mohammad Ghori’s men, and where Timur pledged not to sack the city of Delhi

      Safvi is one of those few Twitter celebrities – she has about 20.6k followers – who isn’t given to relentlessly pummelling the ether with tweets full of sound and fury signifying nothing. Her Twitter feed offers Urdu poetry, ruminations on Delhi’s culture and heritage, occasional panegyrics to Krishna, great pictures of historic landmarks, and a glimpse into her own erudite, graceful personality. So when I learn that she has written a book on Mehrauli, the oldest of Delhi’s seven cities, I waste no time in fixing to wander with her through the precinct.

      We meet at Qutub Minar’s gate and make our way into Mehrauli and past Emperor Akbar’s foster brother Adham Khan’s tomb. Son of the emperor’s wet nurse Maham Anga, Adham Khan was thrown off the ramparts of Agra fort for killing another of the ruler’s foster brothers. The monument is currently being restored and already the intricate tiled pattern in the central dome seems to be emerging from under centuries of grime.

      https://i2.wp.com/www.hindustantimes.com/Images/popup/2015/8/RanaSafviatAdhamKhantomb.jpg

      Rana Safvi at Adham Khan’s tomb. (Photo: Saumya Khandelwal/HT)

      Trudging down lanes that wind past homes and shops, we arrive at the Shahi Eidgaah where the Delhi sultans once offered their Eid prayers and where Timur pledged not to sack the city. “He called all the ulema and the nobles and promised that he would not destroy or kill people. Then, his women went to see the famous Imarat e Hazar Sutun in Adilabad, where someone misbehaved with them. Some locals also fought with his soldiers. So then Timur revoked his promise, sacked Delhi and killed thousands of people,” Rana says. The silence that follows the story is rent only by the screeching of parrots.

      Wandering further into Sanjay Van – where once the city sprawled – we come upon the dargah of Aashiq Allah or Nazariya Peer. “A lot of people come here, especially with babies, to ward off the evil eye,” Rana says. The complex includes a cave where Baba Farid Ganj-Shakkar is believed to have meditated without food or water for a long stretch. Close to the dargah, which has a fair number of visitors even on a muggy afternoon, are a number of graves. “That’s Ganj e Shaheeda’n, which means ‘the place where the martyrs are buried’,” Rana says explaining that the martyrs here were Mohammad Ghori’s soldiers, who fell in the battles against Prithviraj Chauhan in 1191-92. Watching a family of mongooses scramble away from the graves and into the forest, I think about the ephemeral quality of human existence, of vital young men sinking into graves from one century to the next, hacking at each other till the end of Time. Rana draws both of us away from sombre thoughts and to the well close by where Baba Farid “did his chillah-e-makoos”, a feat that involved hanging upside down for 40 nights.

      Where Stones Speak; Historical Trails in Mehrauli, the First City of Delhi. Rana Safvi; HarperCollins (Rs.499; PP183)

      Soon we are trudging down winding paths through the jungle and past the remains of a fort wall. “This is where the original city was; where Anangpal Tomar, Prithviraj Chauhan’s grandfather, established Lal Kot,” says Rana adding that the later Sultans called it Qila Rai Pithaura. The Qila was eventually abandoned by Alauddin Khilji for Siri Fort. “It’s called Siri fort because of the 8,000 Mongol heads he had buried in the foundations. That’s the legend,” Rana says as we return to the busier part of Mehrauli past overflowing garbage heaps and remnants of more ruins, a testament to how badly we treat our magnificent historical sites that would otherwise rival the monuments of Rome. But whatever the state of our built heritage, you must pick up a copy of Rana Safvi’s book. Full of information about Mehrauli’s monuments and interspersed with legends and poetry, Where Stones Speak is the handbook you should cart along on any exploratory walk through an area where ghosts canter past unseeing crowds in the evening light.

      1. Qutub Minar

      https://i0.wp.com/www.hindustantimes.com/Images/popup/2015/8/13QUTUB8.jpg

      (Photo: Saumya Khandelwal/HT)

      At 72.5m with 379 steps and built of red and buff sandstone, the Qutub Minar has five storeys and four balconies. Built by three sultans and repaired by many, the history of its construction is all given in the inscriptions on the various levels of the minar. It is the tallest ashlar masonry minar in the world

      2. Adham Khan’s tomb

      https://i1.wp.com/www.hindustantimes.com/Images/popup/2015/8/AdhamKhantomb.jpg

      (Photo: Saumya Khandelwal/HT)

      The son of Maham Anga, Emperor Akbar’s foster mother, Adham Khan murdered another of the ruler’s foster brothers, Atgha Khan, in a fit of rage. For this, he was twice thrown off the ramparts of Agra Fort. His mother died of grief six months later. Akbar built this monument to Adham Khan. Maham Anga is also believed to be buried in the complex though her tomb is no longer visible.

      3. Shahi Eidgaah

      https://i0.wp.com/www.hindustantimes.com/Images/popup/2015/8/ShahiEidgaah.jpg

      (Photo: Saumya Khandelwal/HT)

      The date of the Eidgaah’s construction is not known but it definitely existed during Timur’s invasion of Delhi in 1398 AD. Now made of whitewashed brick, it has a small doorway in the centre of the west wall. This was used by the sultans so they didn’t have to cross the common courtyard.

      4. Lala Kot Wall

      https://i1.wp.com/www.hindustantimes.com/Images/popup/2015/8/LalKotwall.jpg

      (Photo: Saumya Khandelwal/HT)

      Angpal Tomar, Prithviraj Chauhan’s grandfather established Lal Kot, parts of whose wall is still visible.

      5. Dargha of Aashiq Allah

      https://i2.wp.com/www.hindustantimes.com/Images/popup/2015/8/AashiqAllahdargah.jpg

      (Photo: Saumya Khandelwal/HT)

      The dargah was built in 1317 for Sheikh Shahabuddin, who is also known as Aashiq Allah or Nazariya Peer

      6.Ganj e Shaheeda’N

      These are the graves of Mohammad Ghori’s soldiers who died while battling the forces of Prithviraj Chauhan.

      7. Baba Farid’s Well

      The well at the entrance to the Aashiq Allah dargah is where Baba Farid is believed to have done his Chillah-e-Makoos, a form of penance where the person hangs upside down.

      http://www.hindustantimes.com/books/in-search-of-delhi-s-first-city-mehrauli/story-cdPyi97lpOCtVx4l5RZNLM.html

      http://m.hindustantimes.com/books/in-search-of-delhi-s-first-city-mehrauli/story-cdPyi97lpOCtVx4l5RZNLM.html

      Share this:

      • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
      • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)

      Related Posts

      Siri the second city of Delhi
      Book and Publication

      Siri the second city of Delhi

      by ranasafvi
      January 23, 2022
      How Bahadur Shah Kept His Hindu And Muslim Subjects United [Book Excerpt]
      Book and Publication

      How Bahadur Shah Kept His Hindu And Muslim Subjects United [Book Excerpt]

      by ranasafvi
      November 24, 2020
      The Shah Burj in Red Fort, Delhi : Then and Now
      Book and Publication

      The Shah Burj in Red Fort, Delhi : Then and Now

      by ranasafvi
      November 9, 2020
      Leave Comment
      Twitter Facebook Instagram Youtube
      Rana Safvi

      Come, explore and fall in love the Beauties of Delhi (Dilli ki Ranaiya’n) and the World with me, Rana Safvi

      I have a masters in medieval history from the prestigious Centre for Advanced Studies, Dept. of History, AMU. A firm believer in our Ganga Jamuni Tehzeeb, I am passionate about gaining and sharing knowledge and these days I am doing it via the social media platform.

      Browse by Category

      Currently Playing

      © 2018 Rana Safvi - A blog Exploring Ganga Jamuni Tehzeeb of India, website handcrafted by Abu Sufiyan.

      No Result
      View All Result
      • Home
      • About
      • Book & Publication
      • Culture & Heritage
        • Our Cultural Heritage
        • Sufi saints
      • Food
      • Hazrat-E-Dilli
      • Rana’s Space
        • Walks & Talks
        • Rana’s Space
        • Sher o Sukhan
      • Travel
      • Contact Me

      © 2018 Rana Safvi - A blog Exploring Ganga Jamuni Tehzeeb of India, website handcrafted by Abu Sufiyan.