This story is from September 14, 2019

Monsoon heritage walks bring alive the history and ecology of Mehrauli

The recently concluded three-day Mehrauli Monsoon festival saw five heritage walks taking place in Mehrauli. The walks were dedicated for rediscovering the popular tourist spots and monuments as well as exploring the not-so-frequented heritage sites of Delhi.
Monsoon heritage walks bring alive the history and ecology of Mehrauli
The participants of the walk in front of the Moti Masjid at Zafar Mahal
The recently concluded three-day Mehrauli Monsoon festival saw five heritage walks taking place in Mehrauli. The walks were dedicated for rediscovering the popular tourist spots and monuments as well as exploring the not-so-frequented heritage sites of Delhi. Organised by INTACH and supported by Delhi Tourism, while some walks took participants to monuments and baolis, others took up explaining ecology with heritage.
The food, music, art, and architecture of Mehrauli were also discussed during these walks.
‘Mehrauli looks so different during the monsoon’
During the walk, some participants said that for them, Mehrauli meant the Qutub Minar and the Mehrauli Archaeological Park, and that they were not aware of the other sites around the area. Rati Mittal, a college student, says, “Monsoon treks are usually organised in Manali, Ladakh etc, but what’s the point of monsoon walks, I wondered. But, when I joined one of these walks, I realised that Mehrauli actually looked different during the monsoon, and only participating in a walk like this one could make you see the difference.” Ramit Mitra, who conducted one of the walks, said, “The concept behind this monsoon festival walks was that they would serve as both nature and heritage walks and the participants liked this concept.”
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The walk participants click pictures of the Zafar Mahal
The participants gathered near Adham Khan’s tomb, then visited the baolis, crossed the Zafar Mahal, the jharna and ended their walk at Jahaz Mahal where cultural performances were organised. When the participants crossed the Zafar Mahal, the summer palace of Bahadur Shah Zafar II, they were told about the history of the palace. Mitra explained, “Every time I narrate the story of Bahadur Shah Zafar, it leaves the walkers impressed, regardless of their age or profession. Then I tell them about the Dargah of Khwaja Qutubuddin Bakhtiar Kaki which is also in Mehrauli.”

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SELFIE TIME: In front of the Zafar Mahal
A 2-hour walk extends to 3-3.5 hours due to photo enthusiasts
While the walks were scheduled to last for two hours, some stretched to three-three-and-half hours because the participants were not only interested in the history of the place, but also in capturing the beauty of the sites through the lenses of their phones and cameras. But nobody seemed to mind the extra hours. Sunil Kant, an event organiser, says, “We reach the site, we listen to our guide narrate the history of that site, then we click pictures. Then repeat. I am so glad that most of these monuments are still unexplored by tourists. There’s no rush and we can spend as much time as we wish to. Plus there are no extra charges for the camera.” MP Bakshi, who like a number of other participants, was carrying old photographs of the sites, says, “Everyone takes similar photographs. So I thought why not make my pictures look a different by holding the old pictures next to the monuments.”
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At the Jharna Mahal, some of the participants compare the current structure of the monument with the older one (inset)
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Adham Khan’s Tomb was one of the sites that the monsoon walks covered
Adham Khan’s Tomb was one of the sites that the monsoon walks covered
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