Built by Mohammed-bin-Tughlaq, Adilabad Fort is referred to by historians as the fourth fort of Delhi, in the footsteps of famous contemporaries like Red Fort, Old Fort and the adjacent Tughlaqabad Fort. But despite being under the protection of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), Adilabad Fort remains a rare, hidden treasure of Delhi with very few people even aware of its existence.

The first obstacle any visitor wanting to explore the fort faces is the lack of proper access. Even asking locals in Tughlaqabad area for directions elicit blank looks. The only sure way of finding the way to Adilabad Fort is by asking ASI officials at the ticket counter of Tughlaqabad Fort. And the road is not easy. A maze of kuchcha paths lead to the beautiful fortress located southeast of Tughlaqabad Fort, partially hidden by foliage and undergrowth.

The first thing that strikes one is the absence of the blue ASI board at the site, as well as the fact that there seems to be no caretaker around. Though one of the oldest forts in the Capital and one of the remaining examples of Tughlaq-era architecture, Adilabad Fort has managed to remain elusive for years, completely overshadowed by Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq's fort. ``As it is not too many people visit Tughlaqbad Fort, so it's only once in a blue moon that Adilabad gets a visitor. Most people have not even heard of it,'' said the lone ASI official at Tughlaqabad.

But once in Adilabad, it's like stepping back in time. Broken steps and a kuchcha slope lead into the fortress and one can see that most of the structure is in ruins. According to historians, Adilabad began as a small fort with massive ramparts protecting it. In comparison to its predecessor, the mammoth Tughlaqabad Fort, Adilabad is a dwarf as far as stonework is concerned. However, with construction of the peripheral defensive fortifications around the city of Jahanpanah, the scope and utility of the fort increased as it offered protection to the people living within the boundary. The fortified area had a palace citadel housing the royal palace as well as important administrative buildings.

AT THE MUSEUM
The museum on Walled City will depict the history, architecture, city planning, cuisino, etc of the following eras:

• Pre-Moghul era
  
• Moghul era.
  
• 1857 year of mutiny.
  
• 1857-1947 British trade
  
• 1947-2008 Post Independence era
  
• 2008 onwards redevelopment era

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is keen to develop the land since it is within the buffer zone of Humayun's Tomb, a world heritage site, but it has no claim over the area as it had been allotted to BSG by Union ministry of urban development in 1964. Citing a Unesco guideline, a senior ASI official said: ``It's mandatory to beautify areas around world heritage sites. After the tomb was declared a heritage site in 1993, ASI has been seeking the transfer of land but nothing has happened so far.''

Some say tongas were brought to Delhi by Mughal emperor Shahjahan when he shifted his capital from Agra to Shahaja hanabad, as the city was called then, in 1638. The tonga is still popular in parts of the old city but the Municipal Cor , poration of Delhi says it is "out-of-sync with modern life and therefore must go".

"We are planning to phase out tongas to streamline Delhi's transportation system," said Vijendra Gupta, chairman of the Standing Committee of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi. "To start with, the tonga stand near the Civic Centre at Minto road (one of the biggest in Delhi) will be removed."

"There are various modes of transportation available and tongas create un wanted congestion and take up a lot of space on the roads," said Gupta. The civic agency will first find out how many tongas roam the Capital and "phase them out in a time-bound manner", said Gupta. Tonga drivers will be rehabilitated, he said.

The work on this gateway started months ago. Major part of the plan was to remove the adjacent encroachments by locals and slum dwellers. Due to its location near the congested Old Delhi markets till a few months ago, a huge garbage pile was seen right next to the gate. ``Removing the encroachments and cordoning the monument from misuse by locals was a big task. People used the area as a garbage dumping ground ,'' said a senior ASI official.

To prevent further misuse of the monument, ASI has fenced the entire area with a single entry/exit point near Ritz cinema. The malba and garbage surrounding the Kashmere gate has been cleared. Benches will be placed within the new park area. ``The entire area within the fences is about 400 sq mtrs and we will grow grass and plant trees. The idea is to give visitors a chance to come with their families and enjoy a green area even at night,'' said an ASI official. To ensure visitors don't spoil the grass, ASI plans to bring in more security guards.

Conservation work on the main structure is on. As part of the plans, the area around Kashmere Gate will be excavated to bring its buried portion to the surface. Standing adjacent to a bustling market and inter-state bus terminal, Kashmere Gate had lost much of its glory with the passage of time.

Along, winding narrow passage behind Bluebell's School opposite Lady Shri Ram College in south Delhi leads to an obscure and partially hidden little Lodi-period structure. Historians have never been able to establish who made this tomb. But one can infer from the marvellous architecture and craftsmanship of the building that it was built somewhere around the 15th century.

Further along this path and tiny passages, one can see through the maze another similar looking tomb. Sadly, locals are using it as an extension of their residential quarters. The dome, partially broken and defaced in several places, serves as a makeshift cowshed and garbage dump yard.

MONUMENTAL NEGLECT: A Lodi-period tomb in Zamroodpur village in south Delhi is being used as garbage-dumping site; (below) the narrow lane leading to the tomb

These historic structures are yet to be taken over for protection by the government. And these are not isolated cases. Similar is the condition of many buildings in the list of the 250 unprotected monuments that have to be taken up for protection by Delhi government's state department of archaeology. Times City found that many of the listed structures have disappeared with time or just have symbolic presence.

Take for example the historic Lal Mahal, located behind Nizamuddin police station. According to some historians, this 13th century structure was built by Ghiyasuddin Balban before he ascended the throne and housed Arab traveller Ibn Battuta there. Today, a huge garbage pile and encroachments have taken over the building. According to sources, the building is said to have been sold to a private party for demolition.

MT, as locals refer to it, used to be a popular dormitory neighborhood for Tibetan travellers. These were refugees settled in India or new arrivals from `home', visiting the city However, . a noticeable number of western backpackers have now started patronising it. "It started around five years ago. Today one in every three is a foreigner," says Tenzing, who works in a travel agency and would only give her first name.

New archaeological evidence unearthed near Humayun's Tomb has revealed that the Nila Gumbad was also a part of the tomb complex.

The Nila Gumbad, located east of Humayun's Tomb next to the railway line, is an early Mughal period monument. The two monuments are at present cut off from each other by a road. The road forms a loop around the tomb and connects East Nizamuddin with Gurdwara Dumduma Sahib.

FROM THE HISTORY
NILA GUMBADis an early Mughal perios monument dating back to mid 16th century and showcases Persian influonce on Mughal architecture.
THE GUMBAD was originally a river island tomb accosible from Humayun's Tomb.
THE ARCADED platform protected the gumbad from Yamuna that once flowed near Humayun's tomb.

The historic link - an arcaded platform- was discovered during a routine inspection of the Nila Gumbad site. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) had commissioned India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) to develop a park around Nila Gumbad. But Parvez Dewan, CMD of ITDC, suspended the work after the discovery of the archaeologica1 remains.

Once it was a fortified village but now only remnants of the gates on all four sides remain. The flyover on the main road was named after the village, which in turn got its name from the famous Sufi Chisti saint, Shaikh Nasiruddin Mahmud. He was the spiritual successor of Hazrat Nizamduddin Auliya.

"The saint once wanted to build a baoli in Nizamuddin. Mohammad Bin Tughlaq, the ruler at that time, was also constructing a few buildings. During the day, people worked for the king and in the night for the saint. Tughlag was upset and stopped the supply of the oil. Then the saint took the water and illuminated the lamps and was hence given the name Roshan Chirag-iDilli (Illuminated Lamp of Delhi)," explains Naseer Ahmad, who lives inside the dargah. "The saint was highly respected and hugely popular during his days and well into the 19th century," says historian Swapna Liddle.

58-year-old Kashyap does not know what he would do and how would he feed his family after the cinema theater screens its last show on Thursday The first film was screened on December 17, 1970 and the last film to be shown is the Akshay Kumar starrer 'Welcome'.

First And Final

• The first show Mora Naam Joker, Dec 17, 1970
  
• The last show Welcome, Dec 27, 2007

The Coronation Park was the site of the British Durbar in 1877, 1903 and 1911. It was at this site that King George V announced on December 12, 1911 that the Capital of India was being moved from Calcutta to Delhi.

DDA got the green signal to redevelop the park after the 49.2 acre land where the Coronation Park is located was recently transferred to the DDA. Till now the land was under the Land and Development Office (L&DO) and was being maintained by the Central Public Works Department (CPWD). "The land was transferred to DDA about a fortnight ago. We will start work in another four months. We have already prepared a detailed plan as to how the park will be redeveloped and landscaped," said Savita Bhandari, director, Landscape unit, DDA.

At present apart from a 15 metre high statue of King George V six oth , er statues of British governors and nobles are dumped at the site. A large sandstone pillar with a plaque - famously known as the Coronation Pillar - was erected at the site in 1913.

"The historical park is in a mess with wild grass and weeds all over the place. The statues are poorly maintained. This is not all. There are about a dozen empty pedestals at the site with their statues missing. Nobody knows their whereabouts," said a DDA official.

The official added, "The CPWD has informed us that they had only seven statues in their possession. We are now writing to the Public Works Department (PWD) to find out if some sculptures of British monarchs are in their possession or not when them uprooted them from various parts of the city Apart from installing the statues DDA has also proposed to beautify the park. "We will develop a water body, a nature trail, amphitheatre and even a food court in the vicinity of the park. Besides a information centre will also come up which will give the historical background/facts relating to the site," said Bhandari.

For those who are still willing to explore the monument, there are only two ways of getting there. One path winds through Ahimsa Sthal, but the gate leading to the tomb from this side is mostly locked. The alternative is to take a narrow lane behind the tomb and then brave an arduous climb.

The ASI admits that the tomb hardly attracts any visitors, as there's no easy accessway. ``We have plans to develop a proper passage for tourists who want to explore the tomb and work on this should begin shortly,'' said a senior ASI official. But the official could not put a tentative date to when this work would begin.

Mehrauli is synonymous with farmhouses, probably not without reason. Even when it had ceased to be the capital of the Sultans and the administration was shifted to Shajahanabad, they all had their summer retreats in Mehrauli. Like now, it had jungle even then. The Last Mughal, Bahadur Shah Zafar, went on hunting trips to the nearby jungle from his summerhouse - Zafar Mahal-in Mehrauli.

"When the British built New Delhi, Mehrauli which was close to it became a part of it but it is indeed the oldest part of Delhi," says Prof Azizuddin of Jamia University.

True. Mehrauli has seen habitation for over a millennium now and many rules: the Tomar Rajputs followed by Chauhan rulers, who were replaced by the Turkish and finally the British.

This is not a very touristy place but has every reason to be one. It has many layers of history hidden away in the remains from each era it has seen.

Visitors may get an idea about the beautiful mosque built by Shahjehan's wife Begum Akbarabadi with the Delhi Urban Art Commission (DUAC) recommending excavation at the site where the mosque once stood.

DUAC, mandated to maintain the aesthetic quality of urban forms and environment, has said the remains of the mosque could be integrated with the Jama Masjid Redevelopment Plan and an interpretation centre opened to give visitors a fair idea of the history of the area and the historic buildings and bazaars.

The commission has also said that the spatial relationship that existed between the Red Fort and the Jama Masjid where Emperor Shah Jehan went to offer his Friday prayers should be restored to the extent possible. Possibilities of the visual and physical extension (as a pedestrian route) of Netaji Subhash Marg to the Southern Gate of the Red Fort should also be explored, it said.

The area between the Red Fort and the Jama Masjid was once thickly populated. As a part of the military reorganisation of Delhi, all buildings within 500 yards of the Red Fort were demolished.