As the Mughal dynasty started disintegrating, the villagers who resided inside the mosque moved out.
Anisha David, VIII-C

‘Monuments are living examples of our culture’
Students got an opportunity to visit the old city of Jahanpanah and two other heritage listed buildings there.

Our first visit was to a part of the city wall built by Mohammad-bin-Tughlaq in the 14th Century at the time of the Mongol invasion in India. A stream used to run through the city wall through seven openings (Satpula) on the wall. This stream was also used by a Saint Roshan Chirag Dehli for prayers; people believed the water had healing properties. The Archaeological Survey of India thought that the stream would destroy the wall and hence shifted its flow.

Next we were taken to a mosque also known as the Khila, which was unusual, as it was fortified as well. By the 18th Century the mosque was occupied by the villagers of Khirki. As years passed they were slowly forced to move out. These monuments give us the imprints of ideas and technologies used in the past. Let’s keep them protected.
JULIYA ELSA BENNY, VIII-C

Wake-up call
Students were taken for a heritage walk to Satpula and Khidki Mosque. First was our visit to Satpula, which means ‘seven bridges’. We were told that a tributary of the Yamuna used to flow there and the historic monument used to act like a dam. There were 11 gates in total. There were many slits present in the walls through which soldiers used to attack the enemies. It was really interesting to know the story of the monument and ancient Delhi. I was really disappointed to see the condition of the monument. There was garbage lying outside the monuments, which is not cleared regularly. There were also names inscribed on the walls by people who are disrespecting the monument by doing so. The condition of the roofs and the walls inside the monument were even worse.

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