DELHI

Jahaz Mahal
Jahaz Mahal
This pavilion is built on the banks of the Hauz-i-Shamsi,
or water reservoir. One is not sure of the origins, but it
may have been built around the 15th century in the Lodi
period. It could have served as a serai or a rest house for
travellers, or as a retreat for the later Mughal emperors.
It is also the venue of the annual Phoolwalon ki Sair, the
procession of florists held around October. The reservoir
itself may have been built around 1230 A.D. by Iltutmish.
Unfortunately, it requires cleaning up and a conservation
effort to restore it to its original pristine state. And a
commitment by residents not to throw garbage or wash
clothes in it. Across the road, through some slums is
another place called the Jharna meaning waterfall. It was
built within some Mughal Gardens around 1700, and water
from the reservoir would flow into it. This water would be
used to run fountains, and to further channelize it for use
of residents.
Mehrauli village is clearly a case of being a rich place going
to seed – but it is still worth the obstacle course created by
high density living and poor maintenance.
Shrine of Khwaja Qutubuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki
Many an emperor and other nobles preferred to be buried in the area as it was the khanqah or blessed area of the Sufi
saint and mystic, Qutubuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki, who came from Iran and died in 1235 A.D. His shrine adjoins the Zafar
Mahal, and is one of the more revered destinations for the devout.
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