5 amazing secret spots that you have to see in Delhi
Delhi is filled with amazing places to see, delicious foods to eat and quirky spots to find and although all the obvious places are a definite must to visit, some of Delhi’s more exciting ‘treasures’ are not as well known as you’d expect.
Here are 5 amazing secret spots that you have to see in Delhi.
Tomb of Adham Khan
The 16th-century tomb of Adham Khan, he was a general of the Mughal Emperor Akbar. He was the younger son of Maham Anga, Akbar’s wet-nurse thus also his foster brother. However, when Adham Khan murdered Akbar’s favourite general Ataga Khan in May 1562, Akbar immediately ordered his execution by defenestration from the ramparts of the Agra Fort.
The tomb was built in 1561, and lies to the north of the Qutub Minar, Mehrauli, Delhi, immediately before one reaches the town of Mehrauli, it is now a protected monument by Archaeological Survey of India.
Gandhak ki Baoli (Mehrauli)
The medieval royals had no hydraulic installations, or even electricity, but all the land and labour to make good use of. This gave birth to baolis or step-wells.
Gandhak ki Baoli was built in Mehrauli under the reign of Iltutmish, presumably to keep the villages in Mehrauli hydrated. Five storeys deep, it gets its names from the strong smell (gandh) of sulphur that came from its water, that is, when it wasn’t dry.
Turn into the narrow lane leading to the bazaars of Mehrauli and you will find this step-well. It is at a walking distance from Adham Khan’s Tomb.
Khooni Darwaza
Khooni Darwaza (literally The Gate of Blood), also referred to as Lal Darwaza (Red Gate), is located near Delhi Gate, on the Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg. It is one of the 13 surviving gates in Delhi. It was just south of the fortified Old Delhi constructed by Sher Shah Suri.
The Khooni Darwaza (Bloody Gate) earned its name after the three princes of the Mughal dynasty – Bahadur Shah Zafar’s sons Mirza Mughal and Mirza Khizr Sultan and grandson Mirza Abu Bakht, were shot by a British Soldier, Captain William Hodson on September 22, 1857 during the Indian Rebellion (also known as the Indian Mutiny or the First War of Indian Independence).
Khan-e-Khana’s Tomb
Situated in Nizamuddin East, in close proximity to Humayun’s Tomb lies the tomb of Khan-i-Khana, a famous composer during the time of Mughal Emperor Akbar, more popularly known as Rahim.
This tomb was originally built by Rahim for his wife in 1598, but he himself was buried here in in 1627. The tomb is topped with a bulbous dome and is adorned with canopies and arches. The tomb of Rahim is located below the surface and is inaccessible to the public.
Chor Minar
Situated in the posh area of Hauz Khas, this unique minaret was built in the 13th century by the barbarian ruler Alauddin Khilji.
According to local legends, it was a ‘tower of beheading’, where the severed heads of thieves were displayed on spear through its 225 holes, to act as a deterrent to thieves though some historian suggest that the Khilji king slaughtered a settlement of Mongol people, nearby, to stop them from joining with their brethren in another Mongol settlement in Delhi, the present day locality of ‘Mongolpuri’.
