Nestled behind the Qutab Minar, within walking distance from Mehrauli
DTC Bus Stand, is the Dargah of the 13th century, Sufi saint, Khwaja Qutbuddin
Bakhtiar Kaki. This is the venue for the annual Phoolwalon-ki-sair Festival.
Khwaja Qutbuddin Bakhtir Kaki, said to be in the same line of Sufi
Saints from Ajmer Sherif, lies quietly in the dargah. People say about him, “You,
love silence”, the “you” meaning to refer to the Sufi Saint.
The road, to the Dargah is lined with vendors and food stalls. And
people, quintessential as they come. Unlike both Ajmer and the Dargah at
Nizamuddin, in Delhi, the Dargah of Qutbuddin Bakhtiar is quiet and not hounded
by too many people, although, many from India and abroad visit him regularly.
Women are not allowed inside the dargah and must be satisfied to pray
through the exquisitely carved in marble, windows, which allow the women to see
the dargah, without being visible to the men from inside. So yours truly too,
joined the women and prayed holding the marble veiled window.
The dargah complex houses graves
of later Mughal emperors, Bahadur Shah I, Shah Alam II, and Akbar II, in an
adjacent marble enclosure. To the left of the dargah, lies Moti Masjid, a small
mosque, built for private prayer by the son of Aurangzeb, Bahadur Shah I.
The Slave Dynasty ruler of the Delhi Sultanate, Balban's tomb was
constructed here in the 13th century. It is architecturally important structure
as it is the first true arch in Indo-Islamic architecture. Another tomb, that
of Balban's son, Khan Shahid, who died before he could be crowned, is also
located nearby in Mehrauli Archeological Park.
A baoli or stepwell known as Rajon Ki Baoli was constructed in 1506
during Sikandar Lodhi's reign. It was used to store water though it is now
completely dried and is now known as Sukhi Baoli (dry well).
The Jamali Kamali mosque was built in 1528,in honour of the Sufi saint
Shaikh Hamid bin Fazlullah, also known as Dervish Shaikh Jamali Kamboh Dihlawi
or Jalal Khan. The saint's tomb built in 1536 upon his death is adjacent to the
mosque.
The Adham Khan's Tomb was constructed by Emperor Akbar in memory of his
foster brother and general Adham Khan in 1566. The tomb, also known as
Bhulbhulaiyan, as one could get lost in the labyrinth of its passages, it was
later used by the British as a residence, rest house and even as a police
station. Close to Adham Khan's tomb, lies that of another Mughal General,
Muhammad Quli Khan,later it served as the residence of Sir Thomas Metcalfe,
Governor-General’s Agent at the Mughal court. The Mehrauli Archaeological Park
spread over 200 acre, adjacent to Qutb Minar site was redeveloped in 1997.
Much of the matter you have read above is thanks to Wikipedia. What is
not possible to capture in words is the experience of the dargah as well as the
old world feeling that go with this dargah.
My effort has been to capture that for my readers. Enjoy!
