Mehrauli Archaelogical Park (Ekaant, Epic Channel, 1 October 2015)

I missed some of this episode. The anchor was aided by a woman called Nidhi who conducts heritage walks in the park.

A lot of tourists come to visit Kutub Minar annually. But this park, which is very close by, doesn't see much of a footfall. The most ancient structure here is the resting place of the Turkish Sultan Balban (who ascended Delhi's throne in 1246). It might have been constructed around 1270 and contains no sarcophagus. No one knows where it is. The resting place of his son, Mohammad Khan, is nearby. He had died near Lahore in a battle with the Mangols. It is said that his death shocked Balban to the core and he died soon afterwards. The writings of Ibn-E-Batuta mention that Balban was deputy of Sultan Nasiruddin Mahmud and poisoned the Sultan to usurp the throne. But Tarikh-e-Firozeshahi, which is considered a more authentic historical document of that time, says that though Balban was ambitious and had gotten rid of most of his enemies, he has nothing to do with Sultan's murder. Upon ascending the throne, Balban enforced a lot of disciplinary rules - no one must laugh in the royal court, no one must talk loudly and everyone must obey the royal customs. Two of his most important rules were that whoever entered the royal court had to bow to the Sultan and kiss his feet.

When the anchor asked Nidhi about the fragrance that hung about the whole place she replied that it was because of the perfumes that the people apply here in hopes of getting their wishes fulfilled by the Jinns who are believed to inhabit this area. She recounted a personal experience she once had when she came to this area quite early in the morning with one of her friends. They saw a man wearing white clothes right in the middle of the road. His clothes were emitting very strong fragrance and he had an aura about his face. He smiled at her and told her that whatever she asks for will be granted. She told the anchor that that's what happened.

Another important structure here is Jamali Kamali. It houses a mausoleum and a mosque. The word 'Jamali' means a handsome guy in Urdu. In 16th century Delhi, there was a trader who also was a Sufi saint and a poet (Shaayar). His sobriquet was Jamali. Though he was from the same era as Kabir, Surdas and Tulsidas, his writing was so good that he stood on his own when it came to popularity. This was the time when the Lodhis were losing their power and the Mughals gaining theirs. Jamali died when Humayun was in Gujarat. Some say that it was Humayun who constructed Jamali's Mausoleum. These days no one is allowed inside it. From the outside there is nothing distinguishing about the mausoleum but it is said to be very beautiful inside with lot of engravings everywhere, especially on the ceiling which is said to look like a beautiful Persian carpet. 16 of Jamali's couplets have been engraved on 4 walls. Two There are 2 graves here - one of Jamali and the other one is of Kamali. No one knows for sure who this Kamali was, whether it was a man or a woman. Some say Jamali-Kamali were teacher-student, some say they were close friends and some say that they were a gay couple.

There is a mosque to the south of the mausoleum. It is from Jamali's time and might have bee constructed by him. The first proof that this area was called as Jamali-Kamali can be traced to the 19th century but history is mum about why and how these names are linked together.

Very few people know that there is a step well here. Not many details are available about its history. Though it is called Raajonki Baoli (Well of the Kings), what it actually means is the well of the stonemasons (the word for it is 'Raaj' in Hindi). It is said that these masons used to stay here, do their cooking here and use this place for social networking. The ladies and gents used to come at different times.

This complex houses another structure of historical importance - the mausoleum of Kuli Khan, the son of Akbar's governess Mahamanga. Kuli Khan was a general in Mughal armed forces. This mausoleum, which was perhaps constructed in the 17th century, represents two different periods in history. In the 20th century, Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah the 2nd, had built a palace in Mehrauli. Thomas Metcalf, who was an agent of the British East India Company, had been appointed here to keep an eye on the Mughals. When the Mughal princes came to Mehrauli, Metcalf too shifted here and turned Kuli Khan's mausoleum into a Leisure House by constructing gardens and big buildings around it. He would himself stay here and give it on rent to honeymooning couples.

After 1857, the British brought new ways of ruling in India. In 20th century, when New Delhi came into existence, the population started growing there. And then Mehrauli, along with its historical monuments slowly went into oblivion.

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Mubarak Fort, Bhatinda (Ekaant, Epic Channel, 24 September 2015)

In India, whenever someone mentions a desert, the listener assumes he is talking about the state of Rajasthan. But what if someone told you that the desert is in the state of Punjab instead? Punjab has traditionally been associated with evergreen fields but once upon a time western Punjab was at the border of a great desert called Cholistan. In Turkish language, the word 'Choli' means barren land. Bhatinda is about 200 Km away from Amritsar. And here stands a fort that is slowly getting erased from the face of the earth - Fort Mubarak.

It is said that at one time the sand was stretched right upto the fort. In those days from the distance it would look like a ship moving through sand. Some people say the fort was constructed by King Kanishka (2nd century). Some associate King Bhattirao (3rd century) with it. Earlier it used to be called Bhatinda Fort. It was renamed 'Mubarak' when its control passed in the hands of the Patiyala dynasty. The word 'Mubarak' means 'Auspicious'. If you think for a moment, you would realize that this fort has been standing since Jesus was in Jerusalem. But today it is in such ruins that it is dangerous to go into some of its areas. An interesting thing about its construction is that it is made entirely of bricks. In fact, it is the oldest and biggest such fort in India. These bricks, called Nanakshahi Bricks in this region, are smaller (quarter of a size smaller) and thinner than the normal brick size. A major part of this fort was constructed by Patiyala king Aalaasingh. The bigger bricks that you see in the construction were used at the time of its restoration.

If you mention the word Fort to someone, it is automatically assumed that it contains Diwan-e-Aam, Diwan-e-Khaas along with lots of palaces. But this fort is bereft of most of such things simply because it is a military fort used exclusively for use of armed forces. One major attraction, however, is its RaniMahal or Queen's Quarters. This is the only historical building that can be seen today inside the fort. Unfortunately, if you walk there the whole structure shakes. Maybe that's why tourists are not allowed in this area of the fort. It is said that once upon a time this area used to contain beautiful paintings. The fort used to boast of 32 Buruj of all sizes. They too lie in ruins now - some are completely destroyed while some are being repaired. In the middle ages, this fort was considered as the Entry gate to India. Bhatinda was situated right on the road between Multan and Delhi. Most of the attacks on India happened along this route from the North-West and so many forts had been constructed from security point of view. The only one to stand test of time is the fort of Bhatinda.

Bhatinda is hardly 300 Km from Delhi. Naturally whoever ruled Delhi owned this fort. Its name is associated with historical figures such as Prithviraj Chauhan, Mohammad Ghori, Mahamood Gazni. But the most important of them is Razia Sultan. The rest of them came here as owners. Razia, however, came here as a prisoner. Her crime? She loved a Habshi slave called Yakut. Razia, who belonged to the Turkish dynasty, ruled Delhi from 1236 to 1240. The wealthy and influential of Delhi weren't too thrilled to be ruled by a woman. On top of it, Razia would dress like a man, would go on battlefield (sitting atop her elephant) instead of remaining in seclusion like other women and insist that she be called 'Sultan' instead of 'Sultana'. She would call herself 'Sultan Razia'. Then she fell in love with Yakut, who was earlier employed in the kitchen but was shifted into Razia's service when she liked him. Soon everyone in Delhi knew that the two are close. The elite of Delhi got the chance that they had been waiting for. When Malik Altunia of Punjab rebelled against Delhi and Razia left to fight with him, these people rebelled against her. They killed Yakut and imprisoned Razia. When she was handed over to Malik Altunia, she was brought to fort Mubarak.

It is said that she was allowed to leave fort only on Fridays, to attend prayers in nearby mosque. She would be taken there in a Palkhi. It is also said by some that Malik Altunia was in love with Razia, who was his childhood friend (though there is no historical basis for this), and wanted to marry her. After being in prison for a while Razia too agreed to get married to him. No one can say for sure why she married him - was it because she wanted to rule Delhi again with his help? Because she wanted to get out of prison? Or because she too was in love with him?

It was then that one of her brothers usurped the throne of Delhi. Razia attacked the city in a bid to get her rightful place back but she and Malik Altunia lost the battle. Their armed forces deserted them and they fell into their enemy's hands who lost no time in killing them both. The historians are not in agreement when it comes to her resting place. Kaiser, Delhi and Tonk all lay claim to her remains. But history doesn't offer any proof for this.

Then why is this fort, with such an illustrious past, in ruins today? Three main reasons can be cited for the same. One, Bhatinda was right at the border of a desert which started claiming more and more land thus making it difficult to maintain the road leading to it. Two, by the end of the 14th century, Taimur attacked the region and destroyed all the major cities that lay along the route from Multan to Delhi. And third, when the Mughals came to India at the time of Babar, they moved their kingdom's boundary from Bhatinda thus reducing its political importance. In fact, the fort doesn't find much of a mention in Mughal history. In the 18th century during the Sikh reign, the fort was passed in the hands of the Patiyala dynasty and renamed Mubarak. It shot into prominence once again. All 3 Gurus of the Sikh religion  - Guru NanakJi, Guru TegbahadurJi and Guru GobindSinghJi - had visited this fort. In fact, a Gurudwara had been constructed here to commemorate Guru GobindSinghJi's visit. Even today lot of people come to pay their respects.

The fort lost its importance during the British era. Soon it was forgotten by the general populace and slowly fell into ruins.