This winter, explore Delhi’s famous and unexplored monuments — one heritage walk at a time

To alteration this, the Delhi Tourism Department has organised a Heritage Walk Festival — which kicked disconnected astatine Ashokan Pillar, a abbreviated locomotion distant from the Mutiny Memorial — Thursday. As portion of the festival, the section volition organise 100 Heritage Walks until December 31.

Among those who confessed ignorance astir the Mutiny Memorial was Delhi Tourism Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj. “I grew up successful South Delhi but had nary thought astir this awesome operation until a fewer days ago. Such initiatives are important for radical to cognize astir and beryllium arrogant of the affluent past of our country,” helium told The Indian Express.

Bharadwaj, though, had his ain absorbing heritage-related anecdotes to share. “I grew up successful Chirag Dilli. We had a good determination that was called sadela (rotten) kuan’. It was really a hackneyed mentation of sureela (melodious) kuan since the h2o was sweet. There was this fable astir a buffalo appearing from determination successful that well. On digging deeper, radical recovered retired that the buffalo really entered from a passageway successful Tughlaqabad and recovered its mode to Chirag Dilli… Many specified legends abound successful the city,” helium said.

Rooprai chimed in: “One crushed the good was called sureela is possibly owed to the whistle-type dependable that would look owed to winds blowing successful the area…”

“Quite possible,” replied Bharadwaj.

Elaborating connected the value of heritage, the curate said, “Once radical cognize however good, however glorious their past was, they consciousness a consciousness of confidence, a consciousness of ownership and nationalism… Once we link radical with their history, they volition make a consciousness of preserving them. And then, perhaps, they volition besides refrain from defacing monuments by penning ‘I emotion you’ and different declarations.”

Taking visitors connected a circular of the Mutiny Memorial, Rooprai pointed astatine immoderate inscriptions written successful colloquial Hindi. “‘Unki yaadgaari ke wastey… (in their memory…)’. As you tin see, this is successful nary mode the Hindi that we cognize today. This was successful 1862. The connection has evolved massively since then,” helium said.

Among the visitors was Adah Shaheen, a tourism absorption graduate, who was fascinated by the memorial. “This is my archetypal clip here. I cognize astir Kamla Nehru Park but I had nary thought astir this memorial. Even rickshaw drivers were discouraging maine from coming here. And truly, erstwhile I came present aboriginal successful the morning, I could lone spot monkeys and dogs! But arsenic it unfolded amid the lush Ridge area, this locomotion presented Delhi to maine successful a antithetic light,” she said.

This is what the festival is aiming for, said a elder authoritative of the Delhi Tourism Department.

“Delhi is known for its past but we privation tourists to research some kinds of monuments: The explored and the unexplored.”

The festival was inspired by the occurrence of 50 practice walks that were organised by the section earlier this year. “This time, we’ve added galore caller addresses specified arsenic Sanjay Van, Isa Khan Niyazi tomb, and Sultan Garhi. We’ve besides included nighttime walks arsenic we learnt that radical besides privation to research Delhi aft dark,” the authoritative told The Indian Express.

The practice walks volition beryllium based connected unsocial themes specified arsenic “Dekho Apna CP”, “Jahanara ki Dehli”, and “Queer History of Medieval Period”.