City Monument – Barah Khamba, Hazrat Nizamuddin Basti
Too moon-soaked to be substantial. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] As soon as the sun sets, the Lodhi-era Barah Khamba, tucked within an unlit park, starts marinating in darkness; its 16th century stone walls and dome gradually become…
City Monument – Gol Gumbad, Lodhi Road
The romance of an illuminated ruin. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The Lodhi-era Gol Gumbad, tucked in a corner of Central Delhi’s Centenary Methodist Church, got its present look way back in 2010. The monument was set up…
City Monument – St Peter’s Church, Palam Vihar, Gurgaon
New world church. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] A slowly moving breeze is stealing through the windows as if it is trying to murmur a secret to the billowing white curtains. Otherwise, the silence is so profound and…
City Monument – Jama Masjid’s Stairs, Old Delhi
New wine in old bottle. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] It isn’t every day or even every 100 years that something new makes its appearance at historic Jama Masjid mosque. The recent addition of metal railings along the…
City Monument – Unknown Tomb, Mathura Road Graveyard
The god of small things. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] In a city of formidable-looking monuments raised by megalomaniac despots, it is still possible to find beauty in small, obscure relics. The unknown tomb lies in a graveyard…
City Monument – Dilli Gate, Central Delhi
The ignored one. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Dilli Gate is one of those great monuments that are taken for granted and seldom gushed over by guidebook junkies. Instagrammers too give it a royal ignore. Built more than…
City Monument – Three Unbreathing Soldiers, Teen Murti Traffic Circle
Souvenirs of a war. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Almost everybody knows that Teen Murti Memorial derives its name from those three statues plonked in the centre of the landscaped garden… right? But many of us probably haven’t…
City Monument – Shahi Kadam Quila, Nabi Karim
Ruined fort. [Text and photos by Maynak Austen Soofi] Some nimble guesswork may be required to figure out what one is confronted with. In truth these are the ruins of a 14th century citadel right in the heart of central…
City Monument – Hauz Khas Ruins, South Delhi
Verses in stone. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The modest stone gateway opens into a grassy spread. Unknown tombs and domed chhatris lie speckled across the garden. The lawn gives way to even more ruins spreading out into…
City Monument – Mini Qutub Minar, Uttam Nagar
The hyperlocal version. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] There is no Qutub Minar but Qutub Minar. Or is there? Well, there’s a second Qutub Minar in Delhi — quite far away from its world-famous namesake in Mehrauli. The…
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