Stories in Stone, A Heritage Walk at Begumpuri Mosque

One learns history not as much from the text books or by 'mugging up'. One learns best by going back into the past and reliving, as it were, some of the glorious moments and the bloody battles from the past. This is exactly what was intended by INTACH in association with the Darvesh group when the students of class XI, visited the Begumpur Mosque and the Bijai Mandal on the occasion of World Heritage Day.

The heritage walk was conducted on 20th April 2015 and our School was proud to be a part of such a rich and enhancing journey back to the times of Muhammad bin Tughluq. From the time we sat in our buses to the time we entered the beautiful monument, our hearts beat in delight and anticipation for what lay ahead of us!

The Begumpur Mosque was one of the biggest mosques in Delhi before the the construction of Jama Masjid ; its foundation stone was laid by Firoz Shah Tughluq s Khan i Khan Telegani.

Our storyteller and guide, Yuvika was one of the members of the Darvesh group. In her eyes one could see the sparkle for her love and passion for history! She gave us all bands to wear on the hand which was symbolically supposed to take us back to the 14th century! Back in the 14th century we actually had a chance to meet the great Sultan Muhammad bin Tughluq.

No, she was not playing the fool. Alas we were not 'physically' transported to that era. We stayed in the same place. But through the exceptional storytelling and theatrical skills of Yuvika and Nikita who dramatised 'Muhammad bin Tughluq', all of us felt as if we were present in the court of the great Sultan himself.

Muhammad bin Tughluq was originally named Ulluk Khan. He was a very ambitious king who became ruler at a very young age of 21. He is believed to have killed his father and brother to capture the throne of Delhi. He was called a 'mad-genius' by many. If today psychologists were to test his brain, he would be termed a person with a sort of multiple personality disorder. He also implemented some innovative ideas which were alas a failure when implemented. He died on 20 March 1351.

After a two hour long session of storytelling and a sneak- peek into the life of Muhammad bin Tughluq we were given some refreshments. After that we headed to the Bijai Mandal. This whole area was Jahanpanah, once flourishing with gardens laid by Muhammad bin Tughluq. The fort was used to announce a victory when the sultanate had won over a kingdom or state. From the top of the 'victory tower' one can actually see the Qutub Minar in the distance. The fort that now lies in ruins was once a majestic and exalted hall of one thousand pillars made of wood. Delicate carvings were once present in those halls, but of course none of the wood work survives. There were chambers, both for the use of the commoners and the king himself.

This trip was one of a kind. It was a great historical lesson. Some of the spontaneous comments shared by the classmates were:

"Wonderful experience...should have more trips like these more often" - Shubham "It was magical. Something worth experiencing." - Preet "Worth all the tiredness." - Ritwick "It was amazing and just awesome." - Shilpi Surabhi Sanghi, XI C.