Haveli Nawab Mandu

“Girya chahai hai kharabi mere kashane ki
Dar-o-diwar se tapke hai biyaban hona”
—Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib
 

Living beyond the realm of the twilight of Mughal splendour, havelis today are not a…

Dara Shikoh Library

Dara Shikoh, the eldest son of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, Library was constructed in 1643, during his father’s reign. Around 1640, when the Mughal Capital moved from Agra to…

Haveli Azam Khan

Walking from the Jama Masjid towards Chitli Qabar Chowk, one would think that Haveli Azam Khan would be like any other traditional haveli or maybe even like Chunna Mal’s…

Haveli Razia Begum

According to the present-day residents of Haveli Razia Begum, the building they are living in is from the time of the British (angrezon ke zamaane ka). Around 50 families…

Dilli ka Akhri Qabala Navees

Almost immediately after exiting the Chawri Bazaar Metro Station at the Hauz Qazi exit, right next to the Ashok Chaat corner, one can find Delhi’s aakhri qabala navees or…

Begum Samru

Why do you ask my native place,
O dweller of the East,
Making mock of me for the poor plight I am in?
Delhi, which was once the jewel of the world,
Where…

Tracing Dilli ki Tehzeeb

It was early Sunday morning (8 am on October 18, 2015) and Team DEF was waiting at Chawri Bazaar Metro Station Gate No. 3 for an expected crowd of…

Gurdwara Sis Ganj Sahib

Gurdwara Sis Ganj Sahib is one of the 10 historical gurdwaras of Delhi. It is a place of high symbolic and religious significance for the Sikh community and, thus,…