Hauz Khas, a Historical Oasis Part I, Delhi

“There is no solitude in the world like that of the big city.”

Kathleen Norris

Hauz Khas, a Historical Oasis Part I, Delhi

No one knows the above quote better than some monuments of erstwhile Siri! Built by many dynasties over centuries, they exist in plain public view unseen. Siri, one of the eight cities of Delhi, now includes the posh neighbourhood of Green Park, Hauz Khas enclave and village and Shahpur Jat. Its most famous landmark being the Hauz Khas (Tank of Royals) and Fort apart from the designer boutiques, hip eateries and the deer park.

Siri, the second oldest of the eight cities of Delhi, existed only for two decades and is the only unconquered one! Established in 1303 AD, by Alauddin Khilji, the second ruler of the Turkish-Afghan tribe, the city fell into ruins after being taken over by the Tughlaq dynasty.

History of Hauz – i – Khas

When Alauddin Khilji commissioned Siri, it served the purpose of a military camp to protect the capital from the Mongol army. The location where the Khiljis took on the Mongols and defeated them is where the fort of Siri stands. Just outside the fortifications, Alauddin provided for the water needs of the city by building Hauz-e-Alai, a tank fed by streams.

Spread over 123.6 acres, the reservoir had a double storeyed pavilion in its centre. You may believe it or not, today we know it as the Munda Gumbad (Bald Dome) because the upper dome is missing. One can still see the steps leading to the upper storey. This pavilion is the first structure as we enter Deer Park from Africa Avenue. But as the city dwindled, so did the water body.

The Tughlaq king, Firoz Shah, restored the tank, and renamed it Hauz Khas during his reign in the mid-14th century. Not only that, he also built an Islamic seminary (Madrasa), a mosque and a tomb for himself adjoining the reservoir.

Structures within Deer Park

The deer park is an oasis amidst an urban cacophony, with many historic edifices within its cool expanse. As we go deeper into the park after crossing the Munda Gumbad and across the tank, the first one of importance is Bagh-e-Alam ka Gumbad with its mosque. This is a Lodi-era tomb with no markings, although the exteriors have arched niches, bands of red sandstone and blue-tile patterns. The adjoining wall mosque has several unmarked graves too. Overgrown trees and wild plants make the tomb almost invisible with their foliage.

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Opposite this large tomb is a small hut like building of black colour, the Kaali Gumti. The black colour is because of the organic mortar used in its construction. There is no grave inside this structure from the Tughlaq or Sayyid era.

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Close by is another shrubbery-encroached monument, the Tohfewala Gumbad (The Gifted Dome). A Tughlaq era tomb, it has many cenotaphs bearing clear markings indicating the burial of a man. It is one of the better preserved but invisible structures in the deer park. This is much confused with another tomb in Shahpur Jat that is the Thanawala Gumbad. Historical and government sources point to the Tohfewala Gumbad to be the one inside the deer park.

This is but one part of the Hauz Khas precinct. Two more posts follow, covering the rest.

Coming up next week, the intriguing Chor Minar and other tombs in the area.

Pin the heritage!

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