Hazrat Kaki’s Dargah

 

“www.monumentsofdelhi.com”

HAZRAT KHWAJA QUTBUDDIN BAKHTIYAR KAKI, r.a., born in 1173 was an Islamic Dervish (Sufi Mystic) following Chisti Order of Sufism. He was born in Aush in Transoxiana (A region in central Asia corresponding approximately with modern-day Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and southwest Kazakhstan) and left his body on 27-11-1235 in Mehrauli, Delhi (INDIA), where he is buried.

Hazrat Sahab was disciple and spiritual successor of Gharib Nawaz Hazrat Khwaja Muinuddin Chishti (r.a.), one of the most famous sufi saints of world. Further, his most famous disciple and spiritual successor was Baba Farid, who in turn became the spiritual master of Delhi’s noted Sufi saint, Nizamuddin Auliya, who himself was the Master of Amir Khusro and Nasiruddin Chirag-e-Delhi. His name was Bakhtiyar and titles were Qutub-Ul-Aqtab (Chief of the great saints) and the Qutub-ul-Islam (Chief of Islam).

According to his biography mentioned in, Ain-i-Akbari , written by Akbar’s vizier, Abu’l-Fazl ibn Mubarak, he was the son of Kamalu’ddin Musa, whom he lost at a young age, and came from Ush, a small town in Farghana (present Fergana Province in eastern Uzbekistan, part of historic Transoxania). The name Kaki was attributed to him by virtue of a keramat(miracle) that emanated from him at a later stage of his life in Delhi . He also belonged to the direct lineage of the Prophet Muhammad, descending from Hussain ibn Ali. Khawaja Bakhtiyar Khaki was one and half years old when his father died . His mother arranged for his education.

About the place

Few clicks from the place…

After we took these photos, some noble person from the shrine told us that photos should not be taken at this sacred place. So we stopped with further photography, and uploading only what we clicked.

We went straight from Qutub Minar, and passed small congested streets of Mehrauli. Though the main entrance of Dargah is on other side, we reached the back side of Dargah, which is also known as the Ajmeri Side or the Ajmeri Gate. It is adjacent to Zafar Mahal, built by Akbar Shah II. Also, next to the shrine is Moti Masjid, the private mosque of royal family residing in Zafar Mahal. There are several other graves adjacent to Dargah, including that of Akbar II.

Moti Masjid and other Tombs

 

(left) Tomb of Bahadur Shah I near Moti Masjid, next to Dargah

(right) Other graves in the premise including Akbar Shah II, Shah Alam II and Mirza Fakruddin (son of Bahadur Shah Zafar II), with Moti Masjid in background. The gumbad of Hazrat Kaki’s Dargah is also visible (with ladder)

Moti Masjid (three Gumbads) and Hazrat Kaki’s Dargah (bigger gumbad) is visible from Zafar Mahal with Qutub Minar at Distance (between both). On right side, below that pillar (under renovation), lies the grave of Bahadur Shah I (in marble enclosure) and Bahadur Shah II (outside enclosure). Ruins of walls of Zafar Mahal are also visible.

Moti Masjid, next to Zafar Mahal, and Hazrat Bakhtiyar Kakai’s Dargah

Phoolwalon-ki-sair Festival

The Dargah shrine of Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki has also been the venue of the annual Phoolwalon-ki-sair Festival (Festival of flower-sellers) in autumn, which has now become an important inter-faith festivals of Delhi .

The festival has its origins in 1812, when Queen Mumtaz Mahal, wife of Mughal Emperor Akbar Shah II (r. 1806-1837) made a vow to offer a chadar and flower pankha at the Dargah and a pankha at the Yogmaya Mandir, also at Mehrauli, if her son Mirza Jehangir, who after inviting the wrath of Sir Archibald Seton, the then British Resident of the Red Fort, was exiled to Allahabad, returned safely. And as the legend goes he did, and so began the tradition henceforth .

Incidentally, Akbar Shah II is now buried in nearby a marble enclosure, along with other Mughals, Bahadur Shah I (also known as Shah Alam I) and Shah Alam II [1]. An empty grave also known as Sardgah of the last Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar, can also be found here, as he had willed to be buried next the famous shrine, as did his previous Mughal predecessors, though unfortunately after his exile to Rangoon in Burma, he never returned and died there, talks of bringing back his remains here have been raised in the past, from time to time .

How to reach…

Go straight from Qutub Minar towards Mehrauli Market, crossing Mehrauli Bus Stand. That straight road leads to Hazrat Kaki’s Dargah.

More stuff coming up…

We are/were ‘1’

PHOOLWALON KI SAIR

SAIR-I-GULFAROSHA.N

When Mughal conquered India, they adopted the Indian lifestyle and respected religion of locals. From Akbar offering Chhatar to Hindu temples and donating land for Golden Temple of Sikhs, each Mughal emperor was involved in some or other interfaith activity. The communal unity was at its peak with many Jain, Hindu and Sikh nobles serving in the Mughal court. British realized this strength of Indian people and decided to implement their Divide and Rule policy. They identified Aurangzeb as the pivot, during whose rule, maximum forceful conversions and temple destruction took place. The fact that these incidents happened only in the areas where Hindu/Sikh groups started mutiny against Mughal crown was deliberately removed from History books. It was projected that Mughals, especially Aurangzeb were always bad. Following their Divide and Rule policy, all events that exhibit Hindu Muslim Unity were banned, including the one I am going to talk about today:

It was year 1812. East India Company had penetrated to Mughal court completely and a Resident Officer was living inside the Red Fort, controlling the administration of India. Coins were struck by British Mints and name of Mughal Emperor was removed from currency. Emperor Shah Alam II had died, for whom people started saying

‘Badshah Shah Alam, Az Delhi, Ta Palam’

It meant, Emperor Shah Alam’s rule is from Delhi (Red Fort) to Palam (present day Delhi Airport) only. Shah Alam II’s son, Akbar Shah II was the puppet king and Archibald Seton, a Scottish East India Company Administrator was the appointed Officer in Red Fort. Next in line to throne, Crown Prince Mirza Jahangir was against British way of working. One day, this reckless young prince of 19 insulted Seton by calling him Lullu. Seton did not react then. Perhaps he did not understood the meaning of the word. Few days later, when Seton was returning from court, Mirza Jahangir, sitting on the roof of Naubat Khana, fired a shot at him, missing Seton completely. While Seton escaped unhurt, his orderly lost his life. Angry with this, British arrested Mirza Jahangir and sent him to Allahabad fort. Back then, it was famous that a political prisoner, who is sent to Allahabad Fort, never returns alive.

The Mughal court tried its best to save him, but the administration was in British hands completely. Having failed at every door, Empress Mumtaz Mahal, mother of Mirza Jahangir came to the shrine of Sufi Saint Khwaja Qutubuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki (ra) in Mehrauli, Delhi. She took a vow that if Mirza Jahangir returns safely, she would offer a sheet (chadar) of flowers at the Dargah.

After few years of praying, Mirza Jahangir one day miraculously returned to the Red Fort. The Empress approached Emperor Akbar Shah II and told him about her vow. Emperor was more than happy to be a part of pledge. They both decided to start from the Red Fort with sheet of flowers for the Shrine. News spread like jungle fire and everyone in and around the Palace got ready to walk with the royal family, to pay homage to Sufi Saint resting in Mehrauli.

It was the month of September. Convoy started with all the praise singing and merry making. When they reached the outskirts of Mehrauli, Mughal Emperor stood by the Temple of Ma Yogmaya and said, Mehrauli is known for this deity and it will be a sin to pay respect to Sufi Shrine and not visit the Hindu Temple.

Yogmaya Temple in Mehrauli is considered to be one of the Temples Pandavas built. It is attributed to Maa Yogmaya, sister of Lord Krishna, who was replaced with Krishna upon birth to save him from his evil uncle Kans. This temple gave this area its name ‘Yoginipura’. She is also known as Maha Maya or Mehraa.N waali maayi (mother of graces) and some say, the name ‘Mehrauli’ is a distorted version of ‘Mehra.N Waali’ (NOTE: Mehra-waali = Mehravali = Mehrauli).

Emperor Akbar Shah II entered the Hindu Temple and offered a Pankha (fan) to the deity. He then went to the Muslim Shrine to fulfil rituals of offering Chadar. For seven days, entire court was shifted to Mehrauli and with all the merry making and celebrations, people were very happy. Emperor ordered to repeat this event every year. A palace, called Rang Mahal was constructed as every year, entire Mughal court used to get shifted to Mehrauli for 7 days. Every year, Mughal Emperor would come with everyone from Red Fort and around, with a sheet of Flowers and a decorated Fan for Temple. This festival became popular with name ‘Phoolwalo.N ki Sair’ or ‘Sair-i-Gul-Farosha.N’.

Rang Mahal was later termed as Lal Mahal. Mirza Jahangir could never become king. Instead, his brother, who was a poet and had no interest in ruling the country, Mirza Sirajuddin aka Badshah Bahadur Shah ‘Zafar’ was made emperor. Zafar added portion to this palace and it is today popular with name Zafar Mahal.

Emperor Akbar Shah II and his family got buried in this Zafar Mahal, next to the shrine. Emperor Zafar also designated a place for his grave next to his father, but since he was exiled to Rangoon, he could never return and fulfil his last wish.

In early 1940s, British imposed ban on all activities that exhibited communal harmony. So was the fate of Phoolwalon ki Sair. It was stopped for almost 2 decades, until in 1961, Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru asked the mayor of Delhi, Mr. Nooruddin Ahmed and a scion of prominent family Shri Yogeshwar Dayal to revive the festival. On September 6, 1962, Pt. Nehru played the part of the Mughal Emperor and the festival was celebrated like old days. He continued to do so until his death, after which, his daughter Indira Gandhi took special interest in the festival. She invited other states of India to participate, so that the festival of Communal Harmony becomes the festival of National Communal Harmony.

Phoolwalon ki Sair is celebrated till date, for 7 days, every September. It is managed by Anjuman-i-Sair-e-Gulfaroshan, a society governed by notable Hindus and Muslims of Mehrauli. Pankha and Chadar are offered by President, Prime Minister, Chief Minister of Delhi, Lt. Governor of Delhi and different state governments. Pity, that we are too busy in propagating religious biasness, that we pay no attention to such celebrations.

Hey Ram!

We were about to complete 6 months of India’s Independence from the British, when entire world heard the sound of three bullets being fired in a posh bungalow of Albuquerque Road in Lutyen’s Delhi. This house, built by a millionaire from Marwari Maheshwari family, Ghanshyam Das Birla, was those days being used as residence by the most famous Indian of modern times, Mohan Das Karamchand Gandhi aka Mahatma Gandhi. Those three shots from Beretta M 1934 series semi-automatic pistol pierced Mahatma Gandhi’s body from point blank range and ended an era of non-violent struggle for freedom. Words “Hey Ram” followed the gunshots and father of nation went into a deep sleep, to never awake again.

Padma Vibhushan, Shri Ghanshyam Das Birla was the member of famous Birla Family. His father, Baldeo Das Birla was adopted from Navalgarh Birla family and he later partnered with his nephew Fulchand Sodhani to venture into opium trade, which soon became a 10 million rupee business. This business was passed to GD Birla’s eldest brother Jugal Kishore Birla and GD Birla himself went to Calcutta (now Kolkata), to invest in jute business. He faced much challenges from the British & Scottish merchants, who tried to shut his business but he managed to sustain until the First World War broke. During the World War, when supply problems were at peak throughout the British Empire, GD Birla’s business skyrocketed and he could make enough fortune to afford a royal mansion right in the heart of new Imperial City of Delhi, later known as the Lutyen’s Delhi. He was also member of the Central Legislative Assembly of the British India. In 1916, shortly before he established the Birla Brothers Limited Company, he met Mahatma Gandhi and soon became a close associate.

On 9^th September, 1947, when Mahatma Gandhi arrived Delhi from Kolkata, he was motored to Birla House, where he spent the remaining 144 days of his life. Next few days, he visited some refugee camps and met Lady and Lord Mountbatten. He had meetings with various leaders from different sects and discussed the growing tension between newly formed Pakistan and India. Given the pain of partition riots, he said on his birthday on 2^nd October “It is more proper to offer condolences than to offer congatulations; I do not wish to live long.” Given the growing tension between India and Pakistan, Gandhi started another fast on January 13^th 1948, which was broken with a glass of orange juice on January 18^th from hands of Maulana Azad. The next day, during the prayers, a bomb exploded, which was meant for Gandhi’s assassination. On 27^th January, he wrote ‘Congress Position’, suggesting that Congress should cease as political body and should devote to people’s service. He then left for Phoolwalon ki Sair festival, the Urs celebrations at the Dargah of Khwaja Qutubuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki (ra) in Mehrauli. On 30^th January, he was walking through the lawn of Birla House for evening prayer, when Nathuram Vinayak Godse shot him.

 

Nathuram Godse was born on 19^th May 1910 in Pune. Nathuram’s original name was Ramachandra Godse. Three boys born before him died in their infancy. However, a girl child survived and fearing the curse targeting male children, Ramachandra was brought up as a girl for first few years of his life. His parents pierced his nose and made him wear a ‘Nath’ (nose-ring). From this, he got his name “Ram with Nath” or NathuRam. It was only after his younger brother was born, his parents started treating him as a boy. Nathuram was a strong follower of Gandhi and respected him as a role model. In those days, he was a member of the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) and the Hindu Mahasabha. He later started a Marathi newspaper called Agrani. His fascination for Gandhi’s ideology ended when he found that Mahatma is favouring Muslims and which has made Hindus suffer. His last speech, which he delivered during his trial for Gandhi’s assassination could come as a surprise to many. He said that Gandhi’s control over congress was harming the nation and he is strongly responsible for the partition of India. Godse said “He was, paradoxical, as it may appear, a violent pacifist who brought untold calamities on the country in the name of truth and non-violence, while Rana Pratap, Shivaji and the Guru will remain enshrined in the hearts of their countrymen forever for the freedom they brought to them. The accumulating provocation of thirty-two years, culminating in his last pro-Muslim fast, at last goaded me to the conclusion that the existence of Gandhi should be brought to an end immediately.” Godse felt that when Muslim League began massacre of Hindus during the partition, Gandhi did nothing to save them except peace appeal and later fasted to support the same Muslim League. He held Gandhi & Nehru strongly responsible for India’s Partition and justified his act of killing Gandhi.

Much later, in 1966, the government of India started negotiations with K.K.Birla for acquiring the Birla House. It was a hard bargain for Shahi Bhushan, Krishna Kant, Mohan Dharia and Chandra Shekhar as KK Birla was not willing to give it to the government for a cheaper price. The house was evaluated and while deciding the sale price of the mansion, Birla even calculated the value of fruit bearing trees and the saplings that have been planted to the price tag. Finally, the bargain was settled at Rs. 5.4 Million in addition to seven acres of prime land in Delhi. The building was later modified a little and the road on which it was built, was renamed to 30 January Marg. Now, a memorial pillar stands at the spot where he was shot dead, which bears words “Hey Ram!”

Prison Palace of the Last Mughal

On Friday the 7th November, and the 14th Jamadu ul Awwal, Abu Zafar Siraj ud Din Bahadur Shah was freed from the bonds of the foreigner and the bonds of the flesh. “Verily we are for Good, and verily to him we shall return”

– Ghalib

Ref: The Last Mughal by William Dalrymple: p 475

 

In 2005, I was sitting in my room when my dad called me and said, “Vikram, i have made the 3D model of Zafar’s last house”. I jumped with joy and rushed to his office, which is not too far from house. While I was walking towards his office, the entire scene of how my dad was working towards this from several months ran through my mind. And finally he succeeded in recreating the bungalow, where the last Mughal emperor was kept and where he died.

Computer generated 3D model of the last residence of
Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar made by S. Gurdev Singh

 

Why is it Important?

This building mean a lot to historians, writers, archaeologists and people with several other interests that help them relate themselves to this place. But for our family, it was important because one British officer wrote to the Queen that ‘Ram Singh’, the state prisoner from Punjab, who is arrested after his non-cooperation Kuka Movement is taken to exile and will be kept in the same building in Rangoon, where Bahadur Shah Zafar was kept in his last days. My father was working on a project related to Kuka Movement and this bungalow was very important for the completion of his work. Being a Namdhari (Kuka) family, this place is a shrine for us. Hence, the exploration began.

 

The Development?

After my father learned the details of our religious master, Satguru Ram Singh Ji’s exile, he started reading document and books about Bahadur Shah Zafar. He spent 3-4 months in National Archives and read almost every letter that he thought could give a hint about Zafar and his stay at Rangoon. He found letters written by Captain H. Nelson Davies describing about Zafar, his family and health. Capt. Davies was supposed to give regular updates to the Queen regarding the deposed Emperor of Hindoostan. In one letter, he described the place where the former emperor under trial was kept.

On 3rd August 1859, Capt. Nelson Davies wrote:

The house is situated within a few yards of the Main Guard and like wooden houses of the country is considerably raised off the ground. It is in an enclosure 100 ft. square and is surrounded by palisading 10 ft. high. The accommodation consists of 4 rooms each, each 16 ft. square, one of which is allowed for the ex-king, another is occupied by Jawan Bakht and his young Begum, a third is appropriated by Zinat Mahal Begum; to each of these rooms a bathing is attached, Shah Abbas and his mother occupying the remaining rooms .

The attendants either lounge about the verandahs or put up underneath the house, which is covered by pounded brick to keep the place dry. A drain all around the house also contributes to his object. There are two bathrooms and a double necessary for the use of the servants, also a place to cook in.

The venradahs in the upper storeys of the house are surrounded with chicks battened down. Here the old and enfeebled ex-K ing and his sons generally sit, and as the floor of the upper storey is raised nearly to the level of the pallisading, they enjoy the benefit of the prevailing sea breeze, and also an extended and cheerful view.

But this was not enough. What really did the trick was a hand drawn map by the resident engineer, which gave the exact location of road and other buildings nearby. My father was then able to trace that map in Autocad:

Once my father had this layout, he went on to research the architecture used in Burma/Rangoon those days. He was aware that the first floor of the building was of bricks and the upper part was traditional wooden structure in native architecture. Being an architect, my dad had no trouble getting the designs. The result was this 3D model.

The next step

Our family was happy with this creation and my father soon packed his bags and drove to Gurudwara Sri Bhaini Sahib near Ludhiana (Punjab), from where the Kuka Movement started. He was greeted by the authorities of Gurudwara and his discovery was sanctioned for the next level. He was ordered to make a miniature model of the same place and keep it at the Gurudwara. He came back and spent next several weeks creating a miniature model of the place. Following are the pictures of wooden model that he made:

(Please note that minor modifications were done to the bungalow before moving H.H. Satguru Ram Singh Ji here. The final model was made accordingly)

The above model was first kept at the reception of (Village) Gurudwara Sri Bhaini Sahib in district Ludhiana of Punjab, India. Later it was moved to the museum in ‘Ram Mandir’ in the same Village-Gurudwara. After this model, my father built the model of the original house that H.H.Sri Satguru Ram Singh ji built from where the Kuka Movement started. During this, he was also redesigning entire village, which is now converted to a huge Gurudwara and is the headquarters of the Kuka/Namdhari community. People loved this model so much that my father was asked to create a miniature park depicting the entire history of Kukas. This park was built in 2 years with several models of forts and palaces involved in the Kuka Movement built in 1:100 ration. I will write a post about them in coming days. That park includes a much bigger model of this Bungalow.

 

The Rangoon Bungalow at Present

The bungalow was later converted to a Warrant Office (Military Post Office) and now a portion of its land is part of the local School. Locals created a small shrine on the remaining part of the property but on 16th February 1991 they found a grave some 25 feet away from that shrine while digging. “Three feet deep, the skeleton of the king was found intact”, reports William Dalrymple. That is when they realize that actual grave is in the garden behind. The new complex, now called the ‘Dargah of Bahadur Shah Zafar, Emperor of India’ opens to Zi Wa Ka Street connecting U Wisara Road (originally called Voyel Road) and Shwedagon Pagoda Road.

Following pictures are by Zafar Khan Kasi of Quetta:

 

Sardgah: Where he wanted to be buried

Bahadur Shah II (Zafar) wanted to be buried next to his father Akbar Shah II in Zafar Mahal (which was originally known as Lal Mahal or Rang Mahal) in Mehrauli. This building was constructed next to the Dargah shareef of Khwaja Qutbuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki (r.a.) when Akbar Shah II started the famous Sair-e-Anjuman-e-Gul-Faroshan (Phoolwalon ki sair). This place was used as the palace for the royal family, where they used to stay during the Urs of Khwaja, when the said festival was celebrated.

When Akbar Shah II was buried next to the Moti Masjid behind the Dargah, Zafar had the tomb enclosed in marble and reserved some space for him next to his father within the enclosure. But his fate took him away from the place and he could never return. He even wrote a poem while I was in exile (though he was not allowed pen or paper, some historians believe that he wrote on walls, which were later penned down by someone)

lagtā nahīń hé jī mérā ūjař’é dayār méń
kiskī banī hé ālam-e-nā-pāyedār méń
būlbūl ko pāsbāń se na saiyyād se gilā
qismet méń qaid likhī tthī fasl-e-bahār méń
kaeh do in hassretoń se kahīń aur jā bas’éń
itnī jageh kahāń hé dil-e-dāGhdār méń
ik shāKh-e-gūl pe baiTh ke būlbūl hé shādmāń
kānTe bichā diye héń dil-e-lālāzār méń
umr-e-darāz māńg ke lāye tthe chār din
do ārzū méń kaT gayé do intezār méń
din zindagī ke Khatm hué shām ho gayī
p’hailā ke pāoń soyeń-ge kūńj-e-mazaar méń
kitnā hé bad-naseeb zafar dafn ke liye
do gaz zamīn bhī na milī kū-e-yār méń

 

– Vikramjit Singh Rooprai
www.monumentsofdelhi.com

 

Zafar Mahal, Mehrauli

This page is no longer updated. The main article is moved to

“Zafar Mahal – Monuments of Delhi”

 

The Zafar Mahal, adjacent to Dargah of Hazrat Bakhtiyar Kaki (r.a.), was the summer palace of later mughal kings. Built by last second king of India, Emperor Akbar Shah II (Badshah Abu Nasir Mu’in ud-din Muhammad Akbar Shah II a.k.a. Mirza Akbar) in 18th Century, it was refurbished by his son, the last Mughal king of India Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar II (Badshah Abu Zafar Sirajuddin Muhammad Bahadur Shah Zafar).

The image on left is of HATHI GATE, built by Bahadur Shah Zafar II in the eleventh year of his accession as Emperor in 1847-48 AD. A broad Chhajja (cantilevered projection) built in the Mughal style is a striking feature of the arch. At the entrance gate, the logo has small projecting windows flanked by curved and covered Bengali domes. On both sides of the arch, two ornate medallions in the form of large lotuses have been provided. The gateway also depicts a classic tripolia or three-arch opening into the baaraadaree or 12 opening structure, which fully draws the breeze.

Tomb of Akbar Shah II and last wish of Bahadur Shah Zafar II

It is said that Bahadur Shah Zafar II wanted to be buried at this place, next to his father’s grave near his idol Hazrat Kaki’s tomb.

This picture on left is the picture of Bahadur Shah Zafar II, before he died in Rangoon without any honor. His wish for place of burial was never fulfilled. This is probably the only camera picture of any Mughal Monarch. On right is the picture of grave of Emperor Akbar Shah II, which lies in the premise of Zafar Mahal. Before dying in Rangoon, Bahadur Shah Zafar II wrote…

lagta nahin hai dil mera ujray dayar main
kis kee banee hai aalam-e-na paedaar main

umr-e-daraaz maang ker laye the chaar din
do arzoo main kat gaye, do intezar main

in hasraton se keh do, kahin or ja basain
itni jaga kahan hai dil-e-daaghdar main

kitna hai badnaseeb zafar dafn ke liye
do gaz zameen bhi na mili koo-e-yaar main

Model of the Bunglow in Rangoon (British Burma), where Bahadur Shah Zafar II was kept in his last days (during exile). Later, Satguru Ram Singh, the famous rebel from Punjab, who pioneered Kuka Movement was kept in exile at this place. Currently this model is placed at Sri Bhaini Sahib Gurudwara in Ludhiana, Punjab (India).

Zafar Mahal was under local encroachment till some time back, when Archeological Survey of India took it and starting restoring. Now, they are planning to start a Mughal Museum here. Articles will be brought in from Red Fort and other places. I recently learned that Indian Government is also holding talks with Yangoon’s government to bring back the remains of Bahadur Shah Zafar to India, and place them here.

This place has been brutally misused by locals. But ASI is trying to help it out. The architecture is really nice and exhibits a touch of Indian-Mughal style.

Moti Masjid and other Tombs

(left) Tomb of Akbar Shah II near Moti Masjid, next to Dargah

(right) Other graves in the premise including Shah Alam II and Mirza Fakruddin (son of Bahadur Shah Zafar II), with Moti Masjid in background. The gumbad of Hazrat Kaki’s Dargah is also visible (with ladder)

Moti Masjid, next to Zafar Mahal, and Hazrat Bakhtiyar Kakai’s Dargah

Phoolwalon-ki-sair Festival

The Dargah shrine of Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki has also been the venue of the annual Phoolwalon-ki-sair Festival (Festival of flower-sellers) in autumn, which has now become an important inter-faith festivals of Delhi .

The festival has its origins in 1812, when Queen Mumtaz Mahal, wife of Mughal Emperor Akbar Shah II (r. 1806-1837) made a vow to offer a chadar and flower pankha at the Dargah and a pankha at the Yogmaya Mandir, also at Mehrauli, if her son Mirza Jehangir, who after inviting the wrath of Sir Archibald Seton, the then British Resident of the Red Fort, was exiled to Allahabad, returned safely. And as the legend goes he did, and so began the tradition henceforth .

Incidentally, Akbar Shah II is now buried in nearby a marble enclosure, along with other Mughals, Bahadur Shah I (also known as Shah Alam I) and Shah Alam II [1]. An empty grave also known as Sardgah of the last Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar, can also be found here, as he had willed to be buried next the famous shrine, as did his previous Mughal predecessors, though unfortunately after his exile to Rangoon in Burma, he never returned and died there, talks of bringing back his remains here have been raised in the past, from time to time .