‘Delhi’s Mehrauli park needs development plan’

The Delhi culture department hosted a brainstorming session at Mehrauli Archaeological Park to discuss its development as a heritage and tourist hub.

The Delhi culture department on Saturday evening hosted a brainstorming session at the Mehrauli Archaeological Park, located adjacent to the Qutub complex, during which historians threw light on the significance of the area, noting that the park requires planning in order to be developed as a heritage and tourist hub.

The Mehrauli Archaeological Park nestles multiple monuments that are either protected by the Archaeological Survey of India or the Delhi government’s state department of archaeology. (HT Photo)

The programme was conducted on the lawns in front of the 17th century tomb of Muhammad Quli Khan — the brother of Adham Khan, the foster brother of Mughal emperor Akbar.

Art historian and filmmaker Sohail Hashmi said, “The entire city is a living architectural museum. It is the biggest money spinner that you can imagine. Add to that, the musical heritage, and the cuisine… this is something we need to sit down and plan.”

With the tomb lit up in the backdrop, historian and author Swapna Liddle said that Mehrauli is “one of the richest archaeological areas of Delhi”.

She said, “We can’t think of the park cannot happen without thinking of the village. We all know the impact of the drain on the park– how it leads to flooding, damage to the park. We need to look at those problems while looking at the area as a whole.”

Hashmi added, “Jamali Qamali (in the park) is one of my favourite spots, and I get people here from October to March every year. The walk goes on for 5 hours because there are so many stories to tell.”

Located adjacent to the Qutub complex, the Mehrauli Archaeological Park, comes under the jurisdiction of the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) and nestled multiple monuments that are either protected by the Archaeological Survey of India or the Delhi government’s state department of archaeology.

A senior culture department official said that the park has been renovated in an attempt to turn the area into a tourist hub. The official said, “Right now, people come to Qutub Minar, but very few come here... Not just in this park, but we want to conserve heritage buildings in the area. We are in talks with DDA to develop the area as a tourist hub.”