Lodhi Garden heritage walk provides an excellent opportunity to visit royal tombs of Lodhi & Sayyid dynasty. It was called Willington Park in 1936 during colonial time. Originally, it was built on the site of the village of Khairpur.

After independence, it was re-landscaped and renamed as Lodhi garden, spread over an area of 90 acres. It is paradise for joggers in South Delhi. No doubt, atmosphere within the garden is extremely relaxing, soothing and refreshing, therefore it has turned out to be a favourite hangout and picnic spot for Delhiite on weekends. Usually, one can easily find a lot of families enjoying picnic, unwinding by playing chess, children playing with the ball, young couples having cosy and intimate conversation behind the trees or in the backdrop of exotic monuments. You never feel it crowded here as there are monuments scattered around the park and have enough space to accommodate a large number of visitors who come here to relax everyday.

Why was this place chosen for final resting place by royal families those days ? Proximity from Hazarat Nizammudin’s tomb may provide the obvious reason for the selection of this site for the construction of royal tombs of Lodhi and Sayyid dynasty. First, tomb in our walk was the Tomb of Mohammad Shah Sayyid, the only Sayyid monument in the Garden which was built by Alauddin Alam Shah for his father. The large dome with an inverted lotus finial on the top is surrounded by cluster of small royal umbrellas or chhatris. Bara Gumbad is easily visible and looks impressive due to beautifully carved doorways. Stuccowork with floral design & geometric design share a story of bygone era.

Rectangular hall is believed to be either a guesthouse or an assembly hall. Pathways leads to another Lodhi building, Shish Gumbad or “Glass Dome”. It derives its name from glazed tiles. It shone so bright that it appeared like a mirror. Another aesthetically beautiful tomb belongs to Sikandar Lodhi and it is in excellent condition. When you enter, you feel as it you are entering into a fortress but that is the speciality of Lodhi & Tughlak period and it shows the spirit of that time. Athpula is another structure that can easily grab your attention if you are walking in the garden aimlessly. It is an over bridge that was originally built during Emperor Akbar’s reign by his minister Nawab Bahadur. Most probably it was built to span a tributary of Yamuna that met with the Barahpula, near Nizamuddin. Some minor ruins are covered towards the end of the walk. A small gateway or garden pavilion & a mosque of the late Mughal period. Another striking structure during this trail was a standalone turret, which was probably once a corner tower of some enclosing wall. Thank you everyone for joining us & making this walk a memorable one.