City Neighbourhood – Pahari Bhojla, Old Delhi Hangouts Life Walks by The Delhi Walla - May 21, 2023May 21, 20230 'Hood on the hill. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The congested mohalla of Pahari Bhojla is nestled about a pahari, a hill, and is said to have been the hideout of Bhojla daku, back when the Walled City was all rocks and bushes. Here’s an anthology of some of the mohalla scenes observed across many days. Sequenced in no particular order of time. 5.30pm: The most beautiful time of the day here. Half of the mohalla's main street is sunk in shade, the other half is shimmery with the evening sun’s aggressive gold glow. The light and shade are intersecting in front of Aslam Tea Parathe Wala. 7am: This little unnamed storefront, underneath Zoya Beauty Salon (“Trained by VLCC”), is a
City Monument – Jagannath Temple, Hauz Khas Road Faith Monuments by The Delhi Walla - May 21, 20230 Vision in white. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Amid acres of dusty brown ruins, rises an apparition in spotless white. This afternoon, Sree Jagannath Mandir is looking like an edifice of ice. The only notable interruption to its serene whiteness is the flag atop its shikhar, sporting the playful colour of summertime Amaltas. And those grey pigeons too, restlessly perched along the temple’s towering shikhar, like mountaineers on the Everest slopes. Overlooking the Hauz Khas Village road, the temple has been holding its own since the 1970s, in a historic district over-saturated with centuries-old monuments. The inner sanctum is presided over by the trinity of Bhagwan Jagannath, the black-faced idol with round staring eyes, his brother Balbhadra, and their sister Subhadra.