SUNDIALS TO TELL THE TIMES OF PRAYERS IN THE MOSQUES OF INDIA
When Prof. S. R. Sarma, an eminent authority on Indian astronomical instruments, requested me some months ago for photos of the sundial in the Jama Masjid, little did I imagine that I would be in for an exciting journey of discovery. Soon I found myself embarked on a sundial hunting spree: from Delhi to Hyderabad, […]
Whispering Stones of Qutb Complex: Forgotten Calligraphy and Hidden Symbols
The word ‘calligraphy’ is derived from the Greek word ‘Kallos’ meaning beauty, and ‘graphe’ meaning writing. The literal meaning of calligraphy as ‘beautiful writing’ is a bit shallow transliteration of the Arabic word ‘Khatt’ which is derived from three components – ‘line’, ‘design’ and ‘construction.’ Islamic calligraphy is strongly associated with the beautiful reproduction of […]
Tree Spotting at Qutb Complex – Delhi’s First Settlement
Exploring Qutb complex is like un-layering the very root of the city of Delhi. When exactly the city began here, no one is quite sure. Some say its antiquity dates back to the times of the Mahabharata as Indraprastha—its legendary capital. When the Turks, led by Muhammad Ghori, descended here in 1192 to establish the […]
1857 Uprising, “The Sigh of the Oppressed”: Exploring Kashmiri Gate
Early in January 1857, at the Dumdum cantonment near Calcutta, a Brahmin sepoy was walking down to his post to prepare his food with a lotah or brass water-pot, when a low caste khalasi asked if he could get some water to drink from the pot. The soldier refused to share his pot, saying that […]
Sufi Soul of Delhi and Beyond
The tourist triangle of Delhi, Jaipur and Agra is probably the most popular in the country – thanks to seven world heritage sites in their cradle, all within a short distance from each other. The grandeur of these majestic monuments notwithstanding, something more sublime and invisible is in the air around them. This is the […]
A Breath of French Air for the Blind Emperor of Delhi
Where with right pomp the stately domes arise: In yon dark tower an aged monarch lies, Forlorn, dejected, blind, replete with woes: In tears his venerable aspect shews; As through the lonely courts I bent my way: Sounds struck my ear, which said, or seemed to say…, “Lo, the dire tempest gathering from […]
Qudsia Begum: The Matriarchal Ruler of Delhi and a Story of Diamonds
In the heyday of her unusual sway over the Mughal empire, Qudsia Begum — wife of the emperor Muhammad Shah, and mother of his successor-son, Ahmed Shah — laid out a beautiful garden complex adjoining the west bank of Yamuna. A palace, a summer-house, pavilions, and a mosque were set amidst rolling greens of rose […]
Sunken City Siri: Alauddin Khilji’s Dar-ul Khilafat
The now-disappeared city of Siri has a somewhat grim and frightful legend behind it: its name ‘Siri’ is believed to have come from the word ‘Sir’ or head, since the heads of 8000 Mongol invaders were buried in the foundation of this fort. Another legend says the heads of captured Mongol invaders were regularly hung […]
Rashtrapati Bhavan: Lutyens’ Empire in Stone
After the crushing of the 1857 rebellion, Her Britannic Majesty, Victoria, Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, was declared Queen of India on 2 August 1858. The Crown was projected to symbolize the multi-racial Indo-British co-operative society and focused on the unlimited future potential for India and the native Indians. In […]
Qutb Complex: Rise of the Incomparable Slaves
Who can forget Prithviraj Chauhan, the romantic king of India ruling from the twin capitals of Delhi and Ajmer, who whisked away the daughter of his contemporary king Jaichand of Kannauj right under his watch? He belonged to the Chauhan clan and is the successor of his maternal grandfather Ananga Pal II, the last Tomar […]