Weekly Photo Challenge: Grand

What is the image the word “grand” brings to mind? To a Delhi-wala, there can only be one vision: towering minarets, bulbous domes and soaring arches! Ruined as they may be today, the forts of Delhi still inspire jaw-dropping amazement a thousand years after they were built. So here’s my take on this week’s photo challenge…the grandness…

Wonder where this is?

Can you guess the name and location of this erstwhile Jami Masjid in Delhi? Picture by K K Vinod.

A Girl Praying at the Tomb of Sultan Iltutmish

One of the first tombs built from scratch in India, this is the tomb of Sultan Iltutmish, inside the Qutb Minar complex. It was built by the Emperor himself in 1235 AD. Note that the Mamluk Dynasty had only recently come to wield power over northern India, a territory so far occupied by Hindus alone….

A Fort Lost in Time | Adilabad Fort, Delhi

The one place that every child visiting Delhi is dragged to, is, of course, the Red fort. It is a monument that attracts one of the highest footfalls in the country.  That’s perhaps because it used to be the power-center of a greater part of India less than a century ago. But what of the…

Who am I?

I sleep within these fortress like walls. Have slept there for hundreds of years now. I was born a prince, ready to take on the mantle of king, and rule this city of dreams. But fate had other plans for me… I never became king, but today, I am venerated like a saint. Who am…

The “Window” Mosque

Have you ever heard of the “Khirki Masjid”? That’s right, the “Window Mosque”. My guess is, you haven’t. And yet, if I told you where this historic monument of the 14th century stands, you’d be surprised! Bang opposite one of the most frequented malls in present-day Delhi, the Select City Walk in Saket. Just a…

Colors of Durga Puja

If you’re lucky enough to be in India at this time of the year, you are in for a season of festivities. Navrata, Durga Puja, and Dussehra just passed by our lives and filled Delhi with a spirit of celebration. While Durga Puja is typically the main festival of Bengalis and is celebrated with much fervor in…

Peacocks at the Hauz Khas!

Have you seen the gorgeous beauties at the Deer Park in Hauz Khas village? They make this little village all the more special! Here are a few pics from my camera…  

Pic-A-Day Project: DU of the Past?

The Hauz Khas Madrasa at the end of the bohemian village of Hauz Khas in South Delhi, was once– believe it or not– a university of international repute. The emperor Feroze Shah Tughlaq had it built alongside the lovely tank of Hauz Khas, and built his own tomb next doors. Imagine these ruins once echoing…

Pic-A-Day Project: Homeward Bound

Not hard to believe that the National Capital Region now has over 11 million vehicles and growing! This is a picture of a sea of traffic at the Gurgaon-Delhi toll plaza on National Highway 8, making their way home on a Friday evening. Thanks to Bipasha Sarkar for this (almost) bird’s eye view of the city!…

Pic-A-Day Project: Eating up the Sun :)

Don’t you wish you could do the same in this hottt summer? On the second day of our series, we bring to you a picture of the Lotus Temple, a Bahai House of Worship, beautifully adorning the Delhi skyline since 1986. Its 27 marble petals are clustered to create a lotus-shaped temple. Thanks to Deblina…

An invitation to Dilli Haat

The other day I took a friend visiting from Chennai to that most artsy of markets in Delhi: Dilli Haat. And hello, was I surprised! Her rapture revealed to me how much I take this place for granted. In the ninety minutes we had, my friend had lapped up skirts, trinkets, wooden artifacts and jute…