Mehrauli

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?Meharauli Delhi • India
Meharauli
Coordinates: 28°31′00″N 77°10′00″E / 28.51667, 77.18333
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
District(s)	South West district
MLA	Balrum Tanwar
Codes • Pincode • Telephone • Vehicle	• 110 030 • +011 • DL-xx

Coordinates: 28°31′00″N 77°10′00″E / 28.51667, 77.18333

Mehrauli (Hindi: महरौली, Urdu: مہرؤلی , Punjabi:ਮਹਰੌਲੀ) is a neighbourhood in the South West district of Delhi in India. It represents a constituency in the legislative assembly of Delhi. The area is located close to Gurgaon.

1 History
2 Geography and climate
3 Architecture
4 Accessibility
5 Areas Under Meharauli
6 Areas In South Delhi
7 References
8 See also

[edit] History

Mehrauli, Which was earlier known as Mihirawali means Home of Mihir, was founded by The famous Gurjar Pratihara Samrat Mihir bhoja Mahan.^[1]

Mehrauli is one of the seven ancient cities that make up the present state of Delhi. The Lal Kot fort was constructed by the Gurjar Tanwar chief Anangpal I around 731 AD and expanded by AnangPal II in the 11th century, who shifted his capital to Lal Kot from Kannauj. The Gurjar Tomars or Tanwars were defeated by the Chauhans in the 12th century. Prithviraj Chauhan further expanded the fort and called it Qila Rai Pithora. He was defeated in 1192 by Mohammed Ghori, who put his general Qutb-ud-din Aybak in charge and returned to Afghanistan.

Mehrauli remained the capital of the Kanas dynasty which ruled until 1290. During the Khilji dynasty, the capital shifted to Siri.^[2]

In Jain scriptures, the place is also mentioned as Yogninipura, now noticeable by the presence of the famous, "Yogmaya Temple", near the Qutub Minar complex, believed to be built by the Pandavas ^[3]

[edit] Geography and climate

Mehrauli lies in the South West district of Delhi at 28°31′0″N, 77°10′60″E.^[4] To its north lies Hauz Khas. Vasant Kunj lies to its West and Tughlakabad to its south.

Like the rest of Delhi, Mehrauli has a semi-arid climate with high variation between summer and winter temperatures. While the summer temperatures may go up to 46°C, the winters can seem freezing to people used to a warm climate with near 0°C.

The soil of Mehrauli consists of sandy loam to loam texture. The water level has gone down in the recent past hovering between 45m to 50m due to rise in population.^[5]

[edit] Architecture

Though Mehrauli is like any ordinary neighbourhood today, its past is what distinguishes it in terms of architecture. Yet the famous conservation architect AGK Menon is doing all he could to displace the indigenous population and return Mehrauli to its past glory, as accorded by the British Colonial norms.

Even though the capital shifted from Mehrauli after the Slave dynasty rule came to an end, many other dynasties contributed significantly to Mehrauli's architecture.

The most visible piece of architecture remains the Qutb complex which was initiated by Qutub ud din Aybak with subsequent additions by Iltutmish and Alauddin Khilji.^[6] The Qutb complex is today a UNESCO world heritage site.^[7]

King Balban of the Slave dynasty was buried here upon his death and his tomb constructed in the 13th century can still be seen though in a dilapidated condition. Another tomb, considered to be that of Balban's son is also located here.

A baoli or stepwell known as Rajon ki Bain was constructed in 1506 during Sikandar Lodhi's reign. It was used to store water though it is now completely dried and is now known as Sukhi Baoli (dry well).

The Jamali Kamali mosque was built in 1528-29 in honour of the Sufi saint Shaikh Hamid bin Fazlullah, also known as Dervish Jamali Kanbo Dihlawi or Jalal Khan. The saint's tomb built in 1536 upon his death is adjacent to the mosque.

The Adham Khan Tomb was constructed by Emperor Akbar in memory of his foster brother and general Adham Khan in 1566. The tomb, also known as Bhulbhulaiyan, was later used by the British as a residence and even as a police station.