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    Samode Palace near Jaipur

    Samode Palace near Jaipur

    Char Bangla Temple, Azimganj, West Bengal

    Char Bangla Temple, Azimganj, West Bengal

    Was BNR House in Garden Reach Kolkata Wajid Ali Shah’s Sultan Mahal?

    Was BNR House in Garden Reach Kolkata Wajid Ali Shah’s Sultan Mahal?

    Sarai Nur Mahal in Punjab

    Sarai Nur Mahal in Punjab

    The Moorish Mosque in Kapurthala, Punjab

    The Moorish Mosque in Kapurthala, Punjab

    Tomb of Haji Jamal in Nakodar, Punjab

    Tomb of Haji Jamal in Nakodar, Punjab

    The Tomb of Ustad Muhammad Mumin Hussain in Nakodar, Punjab

    The Tomb of Ustad Muhammad Mumin Hussain in Nakodar, Punjab

    The Hathikhana or Khan e Dauran’s estate in Agra

    The Hathikh ana or Khan e Dauran’s estate in Agra

    The Hathikhana or Khan e Dauran’s estate in Agra

    The Hathikhana or Khan e Dauran’s estate in Agra

    The Hathikhana or Khan e Dauran’s estate in Agra

    The Hathikhana or Khan e Dauran’s estate in Agra

    The Gajantak incarnation of Lord Shiva on the Outer Walls of Kalinjar Fort

    Amravati Ashram in Chitrakoot

    Mrigdhara in Kalinjar Fort, Bundelkhand

    Mrigdhara in Kalinjar Fort, Bundelkhand

    Kal Bhairava in Sati Ansuyya ghat in Chitrakoot

    Kal Bhairava in Sati Ansuyya ghat in Chitrakoot

    Kal Bhairava in Kalinjar Fort

    Kal Bhairava in Kalinjar Fort

    Chaturbhuj Temple, Orchha

    Chaturbhuj Temple, Orchha

    Dandeshwar group of Temples near Almora

    Dandeshwar group of Temples near Almora

    Moti Bagh Mosque, Agra

    Moti Bagh Mosque, Agra

    The art of khatamband or decorative ceilings of Kashmir

    The art of khatamband or decorative ceilings of Kashmir

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    Rozabal in Srinagar, Kashmir

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      Samode Palace near Jaipur

      Samode Palace near Jaipur

      Char Bangla Temple, Azimganj, West Bengal

      Char Bangla Temple, Azimganj, West Bengal

      Was BNR House in Garden Reach Kolkata Wajid Ali Shah’s Sultan Mahal?

      Was BNR House in Garden Reach Kolkata Wajid Ali Shah’s Sultan Mahal?

      Sarai Nur Mahal in Punjab

      Sarai Nur Mahal in Punjab

      The Moorish Mosque in Kapurthala, Punjab

      The Moorish Mosque in Kapurthala, Punjab

      Tomb of Haji Jamal in Nakodar, Punjab

      Tomb of Haji Jamal in Nakodar, Punjab

      The Tomb of Ustad Muhammad Mumin Hussain in Nakodar, Punjab

      The Tomb of Ustad Muhammad Mumin Hussain in Nakodar, Punjab

      The Hathikhana or Khan e Dauran’s estate in Agra

      The Hathikh ana or Khan e Dauran’s estate in Agra

      The Hathikhana or Khan e Dauran’s estate in Agra

      The Hathikhana or Khan e Dauran’s estate in Agra

      The Hathikhana or Khan e Dauran’s estate in Agra

      The Hathikhana or Khan e Dauran’s estate in Agra

      The Gajantak incarnation of Lord Shiva on the Outer Walls of Kalinjar Fort

      Amravati Ashram in Chitrakoot

      Mrigdhara in Kalinjar Fort, Bundelkhand

      Mrigdhara in Kalinjar Fort, Bundelkhand

      Kal Bhairava in Sati Ansuyya ghat in Chitrakoot

      Kal Bhairava in Sati Ansuyya ghat in Chitrakoot

      Kal Bhairava in Kalinjar Fort

      Kal Bhairava in Kalinjar Fort

      Chaturbhuj Temple, Orchha

      Chaturbhuj Temple, Orchha

      Dandeshwar group of Temples near Almora

      Dandeshwar group of Temples near Almora

      Moti Bagh Mosque, Agra

      Moti Bagh Mosque, Agra

      The art of khatamband or decorative ceilings of Kashmir

      The art of khatamband or decorative ceilings of Kashmir

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      Rozabal in Srinagar, Kashmir

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      Rana Safvi’s new book is a great way to discover Delhi’s historical treasures

      inBook and Publication
      0

      POORNIMA NARAYANAN 22 July, 2018

      In The Print India

      Forgotten Cities of Delhi blends the historical facts behind each ‘hidden-in-plain-sight’ structure with anecdotes, legend and Sufi couplets.

      Na Sikandar hai na Dara hai na Qaiser na Jam

      Be-mahal khaak mein hain qasr banane waale

      (Neither Alexander, nor Darius, nor Caesar or Jamshed remain

      The builders of palaces under the open skies in dust) are lain

      – Barq Mirza Raza

      A passionate new book detailing Delhi’s ancient but forgotten forts, tombs, baolis is an obvious labour of love. But the real magic happens when you read finely curated Sufi couplets along with the descriptions of the historical structures.

      Historian and translator Rana Safvi’s The Forgotten Cities of Delhi is a handy addition to the popular literature on the capital’s richly layered, 1,500-year history.

      The tombs, forts, baolis, walls, and shrines of Delhi’s ancient cities, where kings, poets, and mystics walked are now silent and often careworn witnesses to traffic and manic ‘development’.

      Sections divided on the geography map these ancient cities now spread across modern India’s capital, with each segment listing a large number of surviving structures. The Forgotten Cities blends the historical facts behind each listed structure with anecdotes and legend. There are detailed, yet simple explanations of the architectural styles and traditions that prevailed during each historical period, starting with the Tomar dynasty in the 10th century, through the Muslim-rule era of the Khiljis, Tughlaqs, and Lodis and on to three centuries of Mughal domination – a vast canvas.

      Adding charm to the descriptions of various historical structures are finely curated Sufi couplets. Be it the one quoted above on Firoz Shah Kotla or another that appears to foretell the fate of the once impressive Khirki Masjid:

      Woh masjid ghar na ban jaaye kisi ka

      Namaaze’n band hain khaali padi hai

      (Alas! That mosque may become someone’s residence

      No longer are prayers held there, what echoes there is silence)

      – Sardar Asif

      But The Forgotten Cities isn’t merely a nostalgic ode to the national capital’s past. Safvi’s straight-bat style, part documentary and part plea for the preservation of Delhi’s legacy points to the general apathy of the powers that be and its citizenry towards this priceless heritage.

      UNESCO honours be damned, centuries old structures have been swallowed up by deathly dull stacks of concrete. Elsewhere, the palaces of former kings now offer dingy shelter to feckless youths who gamble and smoke up with happy abandon in these lost spaces.

      This sad state of affairs notwithstanding, Safvi’s own adventurous spirit and her concise documentation of innumerable, lesser-known heritage structures make for inspired reading. And a call for action, too. There’s a nice, ‘carry along’ feel to the book. So, on a sunny weekend, tuck a copy in your backpack, lace up those walking shoes and set out to discover Delhi’s historical treasures. They’re hiding in plain sight.

      Poornima Narayanan is a Delhi-based freelance writer and editor.

      https://theprint.in/pageturner/book-bites/delhis-forgotten-cities-find-a-new-chronicler/86464/

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      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.

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