I was told that this market had been there for 100s of years - in fact
maybe one of the oldest in India. Thankfully, on my last visit to
Mehrauli I was relieved to see that such a blotch on the face of the
world class city of Delhi had been conveniently relocated.
Begumpur used to lie in the middle of the city called Jahanpanah which was one of the many capital cities founded around Dilli. The village, which is now integrated with colonies like Malviya Nagar, still feels separate from the urban sprawl of modern South Delhi in the way that Shahpur Jat, Hauz Khas, Mehrauli and other villages around are. On the road between Mehrauli and Shahjahanbad it has probably traditionally always been a bustling, happening place. Apart from the mosque there's the remnants of a palace called the Bijay Mandal. Both of them offer views (something of a rareity in squat south Delhi) if you dare the stairs up.
From archnet:
The Begumpur Mosque is situated at the center of the sultanate capital of the Tughluq dynasty, Jahanpanah, now part of south Delhi. It was built during the reign of Muhammad Shah Tughluq (1325-1351) or his successor, Feroz Shah (reg. 1351-1388). The mosque is congregational, with a corresponding generosity in size; it measures 307ft by 295ft. It was in its time an important social center of the capital, and included within its walls a madrasa and a treasury. It is a courtyard mosque of the Timurid type, with single-vaulted arcade wings on the northern, southern, and eastern wings surrounding a large courtyard. A deeper prayer hall closes the west, facing Mecca. The mosque is entered through a single gate on the eastern side, and the whole is built in an austere style of rubble masonry.The mosque contains 64 domes, with one central one with a height of 9ft. The Begumpur Mosque is known as the first Indian example of the "Brhatmukhi" mosque type: at the center of the 24 arches on its main façade, an extremely large arch stands out, flanked by massive tapering pylon-minarets.
Dilli Kids at Night
Delhi air quality index as of 9th of November, 229.3 = Emergency zone and greater than combined index of several other metros. Oh my, our poor poor lungs.
Get the full juciyness here: http://www.pals.in/#aqi
Once a stately bungalow, at what must have been a very posh address, just behind, what was then the new commercial center, Connaught Place (now Rajiv Chowk), this building, in complete disrepair, seem to have at least managed to retain a prolific mali with the potted plants fitted with little plaquettes stating the type of growth they hold.
A great pleasure it is that Delhi offers - the ambling about the circles emanating from CP down towards the south looking at the bungalows now housing the powerful (and no doubt often corrupt) Indian political elite. The difference between the various parts such as New, South, East, West and Old Delhi is so clear that when you're in an auto you need no map to know when you've passed from one area to the other.
At first I was somewhat apprehensive of the green wide streets of Lutyens Delhi, feeling that it made the city feel so un-urban with the bungalows which - unalike traditional Indian dwellings (so tell me the excellent Lucy Peck book on Delhi) - "faces" outwards requiring large gardens to create a green buffer between the outwards focal point of the building and the street. And even though I have yet to cosy up to one of those IAS fellows living inside, I can still enjoy the views of the gardens and verandas as I stroll between CP and Central Secretariat, the apprehension gone after having spent almost a year living in the dense crowded colonies of South Delhi, about which another blog post might be dedicated.
All in all, this is one area I have learnt to appreciate, and as in many places in India it holds neat little surprises. Like 20 Barakhamba road.
Don't know if this ad makes me more or less inclined to buy a coffee at the Coffe Bean & Tea Leaf...
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