What is Malcha Mahal, the place where Delhi’s first ‘haunted walk’ leads to?

The 14th-century hunting lodge was built by Feroze Shah Tughlaq. (Express file photo by Tashi Tobgyal)

The Mahal was lying abandoned for centuries before it came to limelight for serving as home to a mysterious family, claiming to be descendants of the Nawab of Awadh, whose last member, ‘Prince’ Ali Raza, died in 2017. Raza, known as Cyrus, was found dead inside the mahal on September 2, 2017, having led a life in abject penury, devoid of any material comforts that one associates even with a commoner, let alone a royalty.

Locals believe that the spirit of the matriarch of the family, Begum Wilayat Mahal — who died by suicide after allegedly swallowing crushed diamonds in her possession three decades ago — still lives in the ruins, making the place a perfect for the first trip of the series of ‘haunted walks’.

The Begum, along with her two children (Raza and his sister Sakina) had moved into the Mahal along with around a dozen hounds in May, 1985. Before they moved in, the structure was known as Bistadari ruins.

The Begum was allotted the Mahal after she camped in a first-class waiting room of the New Delhi Railway Station in the ’70s, demanding recognition from the government. The entire duration of their stay remained shrouded in mystery as the family did not appreciate any outside interference.

In 2019, the Delhi government had received a proposal from the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) to restore the Mahal.