Hauz Khas Complex

The tank was dug in the late thirteenth century to supply Siri, the second city of Delhi, and Firoz Shah Tughlaq later built a madrasa along two sides of it, an L of arcaded halls and pavilions stepping down to the water, with his own tomb at the junction. Students and teachers were buried in the surrounding pavilions. The reservoir survives as a lake in a deer park, and the medieval village behind the complex, Hauz Khas Village, filled from the 1980s with galleries, boutiques, restaurants and bars, so the ruins and the nightlife share the same lane.

History

The tank was built in the reign of Alauddin Khalji, 1296-1316, to supply water to his new fort at Siri, the second city of Delhi, and was first called Hauz-i-Alai after him. Firuz Shah Tughlaq, who ruled in 1351-88, re-excavated the silted tank and cleared its inlet channels, and built a madrasa and mosque overlooking it, with his own tomb at the corner of the L-shaped complex; in the 1980s the village behind it was developed as an upmarket residential and commercial area (Wikipedia, Hauz Khas Complex).

What to look for

• The madrasa arcades - halls and pavilions stepping down to the water.
• Firoz Shah's tomb - the sultan's domed chamber at the corner.
• The reservoir - the medieval tank surviving as a lake with a deer park.
• The village lanes - galleries, shops and bars in the streets behind.

When to go

October to March; sunset over the lake from the madrasa terrace is the classic time, and the ruins close around then while the village stays open into the night.

What to expect

The monument and the bar district are jarringly adjacent, which some enjoy and others do not. Ruins close before dark. The village lanes are narrow, crowded at night and parking is impossible.

Nearby

Deer Park adjoins the lake; Qutb Minar lies south.

Key facts