City Monument – Black & White Ruins, Around Town
The dream images. [By Mayank Austen Soofi] Last night The Delhi Walla dreamt Delhi again. It seemed to me I was in Chausath Khamba. The Jehangir-era monument seemed to have taken leave of its colors. The white daylight streamed in…
City Monument – Roshanara’s Tomb, Near Ghantaghar
A woman’s place. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Roshanara Begum lies buried in the ruins of this 17th century pavilion. Her own brother—Mughal emperor Aurangzeb—sentenced her to death after she was discovered with eight men at her apartment…
City Monument – Masjid Rukn ud Daula, Chawri Bazaar
A dream in the market. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Everything beautiful in this secretive city seems to be concealed ‘up a flight of steep dark stairs’. This Mughal-era mosque, too, is such a revelation. Lost in the…
City Monument – Aga Khan’s Grand Heritage, Hazrat Nizamuddin
The great restoration project. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] This could be the closest thing to paradise. Here, the world is all grass and birds, air and sky. Sunflowers sway gently in the afternoon breeze. Tiny manicured gardens…
City Monument – Paradesi Synagogue, Jew Town, Cochin
India’s oldest surviving Jewish temple. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] Its name literally means ‘foreigner’ in Hindi. The Delhi Walla is in Paradesi Synagogue in Jew Town, Cochin. India’s oldest surviving Jewish temple, it is a dream world…
City Monument – Bijay Mandal, Near IIT Delhi Flyover
Delhi’s most puzzling ruin. [Text and pictures by Mayank Austen Soofi] This was the palace of Muhamamd bin Tughlaq (1300-1351), a sultan so stupid that he forcibly moved Delhi’s entire population 700 miles south to the Deccan. Having survived many…
City Monument – Zafar Mahal, Mehrauli
The last palace. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The summer palace of the Mughals, it turned out to be their last major building. It is in ruins. Situated beside the shrine of Sufi saint Khawaja Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki,…
City Monument – Bedil’s Tomb, Pragati Maidan
The dead poet’s society. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] One of the principal pilgrimages of poetry lovers in Uzbekistan and Afghanistan lies in Delhi–the tomb of Mirza Abdul Qadir Bedil. A 17th century Persian poet of Delhi, Bedil…
City Monument – Baolis, Step Wells of Delhi
The water resorts. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] The wet sari clinging to her skin, Zeenat Begum is washing herself in cool water. The pool is covered with Kikar leaves. “It’s my hamam,” says the elderly woman. Picking…
City Monument – The Oberoi, Zakir Hussain Marg
The old hotel. [Text and photos by Mayank Austen Soofi] There is no furniture in the lobby. The rooms are vacant. The Oberoi looks abandoned. Its security staff prohibits people from taking photographs of the building even from outside. The…
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