Khirki village relics of the past

Quest aims at stirring awareness and opinions. Today, when all that children see are shopping malls and cineplexes, we at The Indian Express want to show a completely different picture of this city to them. Delhi has changed beyond nostalgia and recognition since Independence. How many of these kids know of the ‘Seven Cities’ of Delhi or the stories of the pigeon fliers of Old Delhi?

The idea behind such an activity is to create awareness about the various structures and monuments that the students do not know about. This is a specially designed programme, which will help the students appreciate the rich culture and background of this city. In association with INTACH and the ASI, this is a small effort on our behalf to depict a phase of our national life and the decay of a whole culture, a particular mode of thought and living. The visit is followed by the students sending in articles, pictures, poems, paintings, and collages to express their experiences about the heritage walk.

We invite schools to be a part of this Express Group initiative. For queries mail to heritagewalks@expressindia.com

Walk to the khirki mosque
On November 12, we were taken to the monument of Satpula, which means ‘seven bridges’.

It was built during the Tughlaq dynasty in the 14th Century. It served as a multi-purpose building: as a dam which had wooden gates that could be lowered and pulled up by pulleys to stop or allow the water flow as per need. This water was thought to have magical healing powers; Roshan Chirag used it for his prayers. It was an important defence structure as well where archers used to lie waiting for the enemy. It was also a part of the wall which joined the cities of Lalkota and Siri to form the city Jahanpanah.

The place, an important part of our heritage, is falling to pieces. If the monument is not repaired, we would lose a significant part of our history. Later we visited the Khirki Mosque built in 1380 AD. It was named so as it had several khirkis (windows) there. It is the largest of the covered mosques in Delhi. The western wall is blank as it faces Mecca. The roof was made of four parts.

We must urge the authorities to repair them and also stop defacing them.
RACHITA GARG, VIII-A

A walk to the past
We were taken to the Khirki Village which is at Saket but there were no sign-boards and no proper entrance. It was a well-fortified area built by Mohammad Tughlaq around the 14th Century, which was earlier two cities — Siri and Lalkota. Under the threat of Mongols he built a fortified wall of Jahanpanah and a room for guards to protect the fort. The construction was very different and included materials like limestone mixed with mortar to make it strong. Adjacent to the room were seven bridges through which water passed and flowed into the dam, which is now a huge dry pit. Sufi saint Roshan Chirag Dehli used to pray in the water. People believed the water to be sacred. There was also a large mosque which has 85 domes. It was abandoned years ago.

As the Mughal dynasty started disintegrating, the villagers who resided inside the mosque moved out.
Anisha David, VIII-C

‘Monuments are living examples of our culture’
Students got an opportunity to visit the old city of Jahanpanah and two other heritage listed buildings there.

Our first visit was to a part of the city wall built by Mohammad-bin-Tughlaq in the 14th Century at the time of the Mongol invasion in India. A stream used to run through the city wall through seven openings (Satpula) on the wall. This stream was also used by a Saint Roshan Chirag Dehli for prayers; people believed the water had healing properties. The Archaeological Survey of India thought that the stream would destroy the wall and hence shifted its flow.

Next we were taken to a mosque also known as the Khila, which was unusual, as it was fortified as well. By the 18th Century the mosque was occupied by the villagers of Khirki. As years passed they were slowly forced to move out. These monuments give us the imprints of ideas and technologies used in the past. Let’s keep them protected.
JULIYA ELSA BENNY, VIII-C

Wake-up call
Students were taken for a heritage walk to Satpula and Khidki Mosque. First was our visit to Satpula, which means ‘seven bridges’. We were told that a tributary of the Yamuna used to flow there and the historic monument used to act like a dam. There were 11 gates in total. There were many slits present in the walls through which soldiers used to attack the enemies. It was really interesting to know the story of the monument and ancient Delhi. I was really disappointed to see the condition of the monument. There was garbage lying outside the monuments, which is not cleared regularly. There were also names inscribed on the walls by people who are disrespecting the monument by doing so. The condition of the roofs and the walls inside the monument were even worse.

Next was Khirki Mosque which was a beautiful example of Indo-Islamic architecture. The best part was the stairs, which led us to the top of the mosque. The problem is, however, same — it is half-broken. Both monuments need urgent restoration. If we don’t take care and get it repaired fast, we will soon lose two of our great historical monuments.
Karishma, VIII-A

Neglected heritage sites of delhi
Delhi is thousands of years old. Being the Capital of India, we should show respect and care for its history. However, due to tremendous technological developments and social and economic progress in India, nobody cares for our heritage any more. Many monuments in Delhi are not maintained properly. Take, for example, Sat Pula near Chirag Dilli and the Khirki Mosque.

During the early 13th Century, when Muhammad-bin-Tughlaq was the ruler of Delhi, the city was divided into two parts. One was Lalkot, which is now part of the Mehrauli area, and the other was the City of Siri, which is now part of Safdarjung Development Area and Siri Fort area. The City of Siri was built by Alauddin Khilji. Muhammad-bin-Tughlaq constructed a long wall connecting the City of Siri with Lalkot. These two cities were situated at two corners of Delhi. Muhammad-bin-Tughlaq made the wall the border of the city. This city was known as Jahanpanah. The wall was erected for the purpose of protection as well as to act as a dam. A small stream from the Yamuna flowed into the city. The land behind the wall was low and the water was stored there for the use of people living in the city. The water used to flow into the lake through the seven gates on the wall, which was called Satpula.

The location of Satpula is near Chirag Dilli. During those days, a famous Sufi saint called Roshan Chirag used the water from the lake for performing his rituals. Therefore, the water was considered to be sacred. Now, however, no lake remains.

The Khirki Mosque is situated a few metres away from here. It was built by Feroze Shah Tughlaq’s Wazir or Prime Minister. The mosque is an excellent example of Indo-Islamic architecture. This was made of mortar and lime stone. It was originally covered with plaster, but now it’s worn out. The mosque is known as the Khirki Mosque as it has number of windows (in Hindi khidki) all around it. It has a roof consisting of eight small domes at the centre and a large dome at the front. It has pillars like the shape of the Qutab Minar. They were built in that shape to honour Qutabuddin Aibak’s work.

These monuments have now developed cracks and the walls have fallen down at many places. People litter the place, scribble and draw caricatures on the walls. These are very important monuments which need to be preserved. But people abuse them and do not attach any importance to them. These historical monuments should be properly repaired, maintained and preserved for the coming generations.

I hope this is an eye-opener for the public and the government to take action to protect and preserve the heritage sites of Delhi.
Rohin Vijay Kumar, VIII – A