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Starting off at
dusk from the Jama Masjid, where they witness a sea of faithful
breaking their Roza fast the walkers are taken along the bustling
zig-zag alleyways up to a walled courtyard housing the tomb of
Raziya Sultana, the only woman ruler of Delhi. |
The grandeur of
history in the long winding lanes of Old Delhi have always been a
must see for tourists. There is, however, an added charm during
the month of Ramzan.
A walk in the
narrow lanes during Ramzan organised by a Delhi-based NGO has
received enthusiastic response.
"Raunak-i-Ramzan"
organised by Itihaas takes visitors on a trip across the walled
city giving them a peep into how it prepares itself for the
Ramadan festival, interspersed with forgotten nuggets of history.
"One of our USPs
is destinations off the highway. We have been taking small groups
of people through guided tours across Delhi. The walk through
Chandini Chowk especially during the Ramzan period has been very
popular," says Smita Vats, Founder-Director, Itihaas.
Starting off at
dusk from the Jama Masjid, where they witness a sea of faithful
breaking their Roza fast the walkers are taken along the bustling
zig-zag alleyways up to a walled courtyard housing the tomb of
Raziya Sultana, the only woman ruler of Delhi.
Newer
constructions and ancient havelis jostle cheek in jowl along the
path lined with shops selling breads, sweetmeats etc.
"Life changes at
every corner here. Once street may have goats and cats while the
next street hosts cattle and dogs. Every step is an adventure
here," says Vats.
Walking through
the lanes that lead through Chitli Qabar the unmarked graves of
Raziya Sultana and another said to be her sister Shazia's lie
inside the monument near the entrance of Turkman's Gate that have
been converted into a mosque.
"In the 13th
century the site of the tomb was a neglected jungle as Razia was
buried far away from the city. Nobody is sure who killed the queen
whether it was her nobles or perhaps bandits. Nobody wanted her
memory to survive," says one of the caretaker of the monument that
is labelled by the ASI.
"The houses in
the area were built with 'lakori' bricks a mix of material from
Lahore and Lucknow. These are quite dense and have survived the
test of time. So often you can find buildings with dense bricks on
the lower part of the building and on top there is newer
construction," says a guide.
Next on the walk
is Kalan Masjid, a 14th century mosque built by Khan-i-Jahan Junan
Shah, in Ferozabad, the city built by Feroz Shah Tughlaq and about
a kilometre from the Turkman Gate.
"The mosque on
the hilltop was built away from the main cities Mehrauli as well
as Jahanpanah and Firoz shah Kotla. Maybe the dargah of popular
saint Shah Turkman was nearby and the mosque was built in respect
to him," points out Vats.
The 30 domes
that cover the mosque is quite spectacular.
"Earlier there
were only four to five families around the mosque but today there
are many hundreds of families who come to offer prayers here,"
says the young son of the caretaker.
Traversing the
lanes of Meena Bazaar and Chitli Qabar the walk ends at Turkman
Gate with a delicious Ramzan feast by Abdul Ghani whose ancestors
catered to the Mughal rulers.
"I usually add a
lot of red chilly to my food. It is a secret handed down by my
forefathers who served the emperors. I was told that Emperor Shah
Jahan had started the practice of adding chilly to mitigate the
effect of the hard water," says Ghani.
"Even though I
have been numerous times to Jama Masjid and the Red Fort and had
street food and shopped for wedding here, this walk showed me
places which I had no idea existed here," says an elderly woman
who participated in the walk.
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