The mausoleum of Hazrat Nizamuddin sits amidst a labyrinth of really narrow passages which mostly and quite magically lead up to the dargah regardless of where you might be starting out from. Am sharing here a few images that hopefully capture the ambience of the place.
The Delhi Sultanate (1206-1526CE) is collectively credited for welcoming into its centuries-long fold Sufi intellectualism even as the Mongols were busy trouncing it back home in Central Asia. Eventually, the Mongols too pushed their way into Hindustan but by then this mystical tradition of Islam, drawn no doubt in equal part by the spiritual mystique of Bhakti thought, had found a firm foothold. The Sufis of yore were philosophers, scholars and poets of immense note, as much as they were itinerant knowledge seekers who established a number of silsilas (orders) in their adopted homes.
Shirtless Latinos grappling with chiselled Danes may not be par for the course (perhaps I was the Chosen Few), this still is a favourable period weather-wise to look towards Punjab’s under-celebrated charms. Some of which I explored as unhurried day trips while at a pretty little village in Gurdaspur last month.
Kabbaddi match in progress, Gurdaspur
Here’s wishing everyone another fun-filled year on the road. Countless sunrises, unavoidable bends, breathtaking sunsets…and all. To cutting loose endlessly, cheers!
The old-worldly Kothi, set at the top end of a tree-lined driveway merging with viridian grounds efflorescent with colour, is a happy marriage between traditional Punjabi and colonial design motifs. It was once part of a rambling ancestral haveli that is today an amorphous result of expanding families and their need for privacy without losing all connectedness.
Last week begged for some quality me-time, elsewhere. No sooner (five hours later if truth be had), I found me in Nawanpind Sardaran, a picturesque little canal-side village just off Gurdaspur in north Punjab. It proved to be most rejuvenating of escapes in recent memory, came as it did with oodles of tea, glorious home-cooked food, endless sun-soaks, refreshing morning walks, languorous evening strolls, and mellifluous birdsong. Though nothing can replicate being there in person, through this pictorial post I attempt to walk you through a day in the life of a Punjab village.
The expansive Majithia Farm lends itself to a perfect winter weekend–or longer–getaway. Oozing infinite charm and style, it is set to one side of a massive sprawl of undulating landscaped grounds, and is surrounded by acres of rolling fields.
Detail – Haji Jamal Tomb, Nakodar
The Mughals left a large and visible footprint in Punjab given its vantage location on their high road from Agra to Kabul, later Delhi to Lahore. Most notable of these structures are from the reigns of Akbar and Jahangir with the latter contributing towards construction of bridges, digging of wells & tanks, and the repair of bridges. Later Shah Jahan would construct and embellish royal structures, serais and roads. Baolis (stepped wells) and traditional wells can still be spotted in close proximity to resting inns and settlements; they once served both man and animal. This harmonious melding of Indian and Persian influences has bequeathed the land with many striking examples of architectural heritage that includes tombs and bridges across perennial streams.
Went down Memory Lane recently… All the way back to a past life when it was apparently uber-chic to deface, sans prejudice, a picturesque, historical, or even kitschy backdrop with a foreground – regardless of how…umm…attractive the latter might have been. In short, some images from my earlier travels.
As someone who lives in the foothills of the Himalayas, and has travelled much in their higher reaches, I sport a barely veiled disdain for lesser highlands. Particularly those bumps in the road masquerading as “hill stations”. Every now and then though, one of them turns around with a resounding ‘Take that!’ moment. Another true story.