Category Archives: Travel & Tourism

Gunning For ‘Gun House’ Once Again!

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Karnataka (under research project), Science & Technology, Travel & Tourism, , , , , ,

Mysuru, KARNATAKA :

GunHouse01MPOs26sept2018

Yesterday evening as I was turning the pages of SOM to scan the headlines, I literally jumped out of my skin in excitement upon stumbling on the news that the Gun House Imperial Restaurant that used to once function from the Palace Gun House was soon going to throw its doors open once again to customers after a gap of thirty long years. I do not know what this bit of news is going to mean to other people but to me it perhaps is the beginning of the coming true of a long cherished dream and the end of a sense of anguish that had been gnawing at my heart strings ever since the hotel suddenly shut its doors without as much as a hint that it was going out of business.

My first memory of this once very beautiful landmark of our city is from the early sixties when I used to go there once a year in the company of Prof. M. Salar Masood, the younger brother of my maternal grandfather Alhaj M. Khaleelur Rahman. He was a Professor of Geography at Manasagangothri and it was he who usually took all the children of the large household on frequent excursions to the Palace, the Jagan Mohan Art Gallery, the Zoo, the Brindavan Gardens and Srirangapatna.

The large household that I am talking about was more of a hostel than a home as at any given time it used to have at least a dozen children of all shapes, sizes and ages! This was the result of my grandfather’s penchant for inviting all his relatives, especially those from the Malnad areas, to leave their children under his care here in Mysuru for their education. That is how I became an inmate of this warm and cozy nest of immeasurable happiness when I joined the Good Shepherd Convent School in the year 1960.

Our visits to the Palace Gun House used to be an annual affair to watch the ceremonial firing of the canons housed there to mark the beginning of the Dasara festivities. It used to be a very exciting moment with all of us expectantly staring with unblinking eyes at the red-turbaned guard on horseback at the Southern Gate of the Palace. Upon a cue from the Durbar Commandant that the Maharaja had arrived, he would raise the red flag which used to be the signal for the head of the battery to shout “Fire” at the top of his voice. That was when the gunners in green tunics and red turbans would start touching the firing holes of their loaded canons with smouldering wicks in a sequence. The almost blinding orange flash would be accompanied by a deafening boom followed by a thick cloud of acrid black smoke that I would find intoxicating!

The batch of seven cannons would be reloaded twice to complete the volley of the twenty-one shots that had to be fired for the occasion. And, this reloading had to be done only after thoroughly rinsing the barrels with cold water and brushing them dry once again. This precaution was most essential to ensure that there were no traces of smouldering gunpowder inside that could prematurely set off the powder charge the moment it was rammed down the barrel!

A team of City Armed Reserve (CAR) Police personnel conducting dry practice of cannon firing at the Mysore Palace
A team of City Armed Reserve (CAR) Police personnel conducting dry practice of cannon firing at the Mysore Palace

Somewhere down the years, for some inexplicable reason, these seven cannons along with their four accompanying ox-drawn powder carriages were shifted to the long verandah of the Palace where they now stand all through the year except when they are taken to the Bannimantap Grounds on Vijayadashami Day for the breathtaking Torchlight Parade that is undoubtedly the pride of our annual Dasara!

Now, it is not just for the annual firing of the cannons that the Palace Gun House had become dear to me. Long after the show had stopped there and well after I had grown up into a man from the school boy that I was, I found myself drawn to it for a completely different reason. Very soon after I joined the Mysore Medical College to do my MD in Medicine the Mysore royal family converted the place into a restaurant. Because of its unique ambience and the excellent food it served, most of our unit get-together and dinners used to take place there. Then, when I got married, soon after passing my MD, it also became the favourite dining-out place for me and my wife, especially on every Saturday evening!

Incidentally, on the days when my practice was unusually good, I would invariably take her to the Metropole Hotel, which was again in a building that was once a royal Guest House. These two places were the ones that served the best chilli chicken and egg fried rice, which accompanied by some chilled Torino and the timelessness of each others’ company  was nothing but pure Nirvana for the two of us!

Gun House also had a live band where Sebastian Deniz, my favourite singer, used to perform with his fellow musicians on weekends. Fondly known to all as ‘Singing Seby,’ he knew all my favourite Jim Reeves and Frank Sinatra numbers so well that without the slightest need to be told he would start singing them the moment he would see us walking in! He had a voice that could make even unwilling hearts melt which was why perhaps we used to see so many boys taking their still undecided lady loves there for dinner!

Along with Seby’s voice the irresistible chilli chicken too perhaps played its part in breaking down any remaining traces of indecision and resistance to the proposals they made! So when the magical Gun House suddenly shut shop, it was sudden heartbreak for my wife and me and ever since then it has always been a bitter-sweet experience to drive past it. Sweetness from the warm recollection of the almost magical time we once had there and bitterness that it was the end of an era that was so dear to us! Hopefully, the clock is now all set to turn back and the good old days of our nostalgia are poised to come back once again!

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Columns: Over A Cup of Evening Tea  / by Dr.K. Javeed Nayeem MD – email:kjnmysore@rediffmail.com / September 21st, 2018

In a masjid during a mutiny

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Freedom Fighters (under research project), Leaders, Travel & Tourism, , , , , , , , , , , ,

NEW DELHI :

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In 1857, the mosque built by Shah Jahan’s wife was confiscated by the British

When the city of Shahjahanabad was being built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, his wives and daughter were also involved — they built mosques, markets and sarais to embellish the city.

The emperor’s daughter, Jahanara Begum, was the most prolific, and is best known for building the famous Chandni Chowk (moonlit square), a sarai or inn for travellers, and a beautiful garden known as Begum Ka Bagh.

The road to the mosque

Shah Jahan’s wives — Akbarabadi Begum, Sirhindi Begum and Fatehpuri Begum — built mosques in 1650 CE. The Fatehpuri mosque built by Fatehpuri Begum was aligned to the Red Fort — more specifically, to the Diwan-e-Am via the Naqqar khana (drum house) and Lahori Gate. Nobles who came to the court of the public audience had to dismount here and walk up to the court. As this was inconvenient for them, Aurangzeb had a barbican built in front of the Fort’s Lahori Darwaza so that they could dismount closer to it. Shah Jahan, who was then under house arrest in Agra Fort, sent a note to his son saying that the beautiful bride (Qila) had now been veiled.

The road from Fatehpuri mosque to the Fort passed through Chandni Chowk and Urdu Bazar (the original Urdu Bazar was located in front of the Lahori Gate till part of present day Chandi Chowk) and was lined with trees and flowers. These were cut in the beginning of the 20th century. Basheeruddin Ahmed, the writer of Waqeat e Dar ul Hukumat Dehli (1919), lamented that “the trees on both sides of the road provided solace to the inhabitants in the severe Delhi heat with its summer wind, the loo, in which the eagle abandons the eggs and deer become dark.” Today, when you go from the Red Fort to Fatehpuri mosque at the end of Chandni Chowk, you have to navigate your way through the nightmarish traffic, carts with goods, rickshaw-pullers, e-rickshaws, salesmen calling out to passers-by, and busy shoppers.

Crowded outside, peaceful inside

The mosque is next to the Khari Baoli, or spice market, so the entrance is always crowded. However, once inside the masjid, you realise that you’re in a different world — a world in which you feel a sense of peace and which is in stark contrast to the scenes outside.

Apart from the main entrance in the east, there are two other doorways — one in the north and the other in the south. With their arched entrances and parapets, these doorways have obviously seen better days. Shops outside flank them.

In the courtyard, the first thing that catches the eye is the lovely white dome with its longitudinal green stripes and green lotus finial. A masonry finial crowns it. Though the dome is made not of marble but red sandstone, it has been plastered so perfectly that it gives the impression of being made from marble when seen from afar. Red battlemented parapets run all along the roof in front of the dome.

The mosque, too, is built of red sandstone. Its unique feature is that it is the only medieval mosque with a single dome, flanked by two 80 ft tall minarets on both sides.

The mosque is built on a plinth of 3.5 ft. In the centre is a lofty archway with two wings which have three scalloped arches on each side. The central mihrab (in the direction of the qibla) is deep and high, and gives a beautiful appearance to the interior of the mosque. The pulpit next to the mihrab is the only piece of marble in the mosque. A mukabbir, or platform, was added in front of the main arch later, so that the imam’s words could be repeated from there and reach all those gathered in the courtyard.

There is a huge oblong tank for ablution in the courtyard that used to be fed by the famous Faiz Nahar (canal) in the Mughal era. A red sandstone enclosure next to it has graves of religious leaders who lived, prayed and taught in the mosque. There are galleries, with rooms on the ends on both sides.

From 1857 till today

The Indian sepoys, or ‘rebels’ as the British called them, who had risen up against the East India Company in 1857 had used this mosque. After the fall of Delhi in September that year, the mosque was confiscated by the British, and the courtyard, galleries and arcades on the three sides were put up for auction. As the dispossessed and displaced Muslims of Delhi post-1857 were in no position to buy it, Lala Chunnamal, a rich merchant of Delhi, bought it at the cost of ₹29,000.

In 1873, Anjuman Rashidin Sulah e Kul Islamia applied for return of the mosque. The British government agreed and tried to buy it back, but Lala Chunnamal refused. In 1877, the British offered an increased amount as well as four villages and bought it back from Lala Chunnamal’s son and restored it to the Muslims of the city. The masjid was brought back into use as a masjid, and remains so till today.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Opinion> Columns / by Rana Safvi / September 16th, 2018

The Paigah’s necropolis

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Leaders, Travel & Tourism, , , , , ,

Hyderabad, TELANGANA :

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A visit to what some call the Taj Mahal of the south

What comes to your mind when you think of Hyderabad? Sumptuous haleem and biryani, perhaps? Or the beautiful icon of the city, Charminar? Or maybe the unique khada dupatta and its accompanying necklaces, if you love clothes and handicrafts. All of these are understandable connections. Few would relate Hyderabad to an exquisite necropolis that is hidden away in the heart of the city, which I discovered recently thanks to a friend.

Dilapidated graves

At the entrance of the Pisal Banda suburb in Santosh Nagar, I stopped at a small café and asked for directions to this necropolis. No one seemed to have a clue. As I was following the GPS, I decided to trust it and ventured deeper into the crowded alley. Soon I saw a modern grave enclosure with the words ‘Paigah Tombs’ written on it there. I felt a little cheated, but then to my delight, just behind the grave enclosure was a white gateway which I entered.

On my right lay many dilapidated graves inside a rectangular enclosure. Some were as new as 2009, while some others were at least a century old and reminded me of verses on the dismaying finality of death and the futility of gathering wealth.

With my loud sighing at this state of disrepair, I managed to attract the attention of a caretaker of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), Rahmat, who then gave me a conducted tour.

In the courtyard were intricate work on the walls and small cupolas with Grecian horns on the roof, which were not only breathtaking but also striking in their originality. I had never seen work like this before. There were limestone trellises, ornamented pillars and roundels on the façade of the tombs. “You won’t find such work anywhere in the south or north,” Rahmat said proudly.

And how can it be that we speak of a tomb and someone hasn’t already compared it to the Taj Mahal? This is called the Taj of the south, Rahmat said, which I frankly think is gross injustice. There is no similarity in the architectural styles of the two tombs and this one is beautiful in its own right.

Origin of the name

The Maqbara Shams-ul-Umara, now better known as the Paigah Tombs, belongs to a family which was ranked only second to the Nizam of Hyderabad and to whom it was allied through matrimony. The family members were fierce loyalists of the Nizam and maintained an army to fight for the Nizam.

The word Paigah, which means pomp and rank in Persian, was a title given by the second Asaf Jahi Nizam of Hyderabad to the estate of Nawab Abul Fateh Taig Jung Bahadur in appreciation of the royal services rendered by him. The nawab was also conferred with the title of Shams-ul-Umra, which gives the tombs their name.

The first tomb, built in the 18th century and of Makrana marble, is that of Shams-ul-Umra, or the Sun of the Nobles, himself. It is delicate, with limestone and stuccowork on its enclosures. Twenty-seven members of the Paigah family, including the famous Nawab Sir Vicar-ul-Umra, are buried here.

The tombs all lie in a row under a foliated arched gallery with ornamented pillars and spectacular limestone jaalis on the façade of the buildings.

There are a number of open double storey enclosures that mostly hold several tombs inside. Each enclosure has limestone jaalis on the walls and exquisite carved teak doors as entrances. Each jaali is unique — some have motifs of fruits and flowers; others have drums, serpents, and vases.

The crypts are made of marble with intricately designed qalams (pen made of dried reed) or takhtis (slate) and headstones. A qalam or small raised mound on the cenotaph denotes that the grave belongs to a man, and a flat design of a slate denotes that a woman is buried here.

The architectural style inside the tombs and galleries is a mix of Rajasthani, Deccani and Persian, while the design on the roof is Moorish. The 30-acre compound also includes a mosque. Prayers are still held here. The sounds of the azaan and namaz waft over the graves. The Paigah family has handed over this architectural marvel to the ASI as part of our national heritage for safekeeping.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Opinion> Columns> Where Stones Speak / by Rana Safvi / January 21st, 2018

Hidden Mughal-era artwork to be latest Red Fort attraction

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Travel & Tourism, ,

NEW DELHI :

This Mughal-era artwork — geometric and floral motifs in an 80-metre-long vaulted arcade called Chhatta bazaar — was hidden under multiple coats of whitewashing applied casually over the years as part of Red Fort’s maintenance and structural conservation work.

New Delhi

An almost a year-long exercise by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to restore a mural serendipitously discovered while cleaning the ceiling of a historic marketplace in Delhi’s Red Fort is on the verge of being completed and will be ready for visitors to see from next month, according to three senior officials familiar with the restoration work.

This Mughal-era artwork — geometric and floral motifs in an 80-metre-long vaulted arcade called Chhatta bazaar — was hidden under multiple coats of whitewashing applied casually over the years as part of citadel’s maintenance and structural conservation work. The ASI had forgotten about the mural’s existence, and discovered it last October when it began restoring the corridor that is lined by souvenir shops on both sides.

In addition to the mural, visitors to the Red Fort will be also have access to buildings constructed by the British during its 90-year-long occupation of the monument between 1857 and 1947. Four British-built barracks, which were under the control of the Indian Army since Independence and were inaccessible to visitors,are being converted into themed museums, said one of the officials cited above.

“The conservation of the painting on the roof of Chhatta bazaar may take another month. People coming to the fort after that will see Mughal-era art that was lying concealed for decades,” said the official, who asked not to be named because he is not authorised to speak to the media. “We will hand over all four barracks by end of this month,” he added.

The four museums proposed to be set up at the barracks will be dedicated to the first war of independence in 1857, the Indian National Army led by Subhas Chandra Bose, India’s soldiers who participated in World War I, and the Jallianwala Bagh massacre of 1919.

NK Pathak, ASI’s superintending archaeologist, Delhi circle, said that nearly 70% of mural has been restored and the remaining work will be completed in a few weeks. “Lime coats are being manually scraped of with precision, which is a time-consuming process. This is to ensure that the original design is not damaged. Once entire artwork is exposed, we will take measures to protect it. Hopefully, by mid-October, we will be able to finish the work,” Pathak said.

A third official said that around 30-35 experts from ASI’s science branch have been working tirelessly to restore the designs. “Chhatta bazaar’s passageway has bitumen, which is being replaced with red stone. We are also asking shopkeepers to remove encroachment and metal shutters. The shops will now have sliding glass doors. We will not allow any extensions. All efforts are being made to restore the market’s original look,” said the ASI official on condition of anonymity.

There are 32-arched two-storeyed bays on either side of the arcade. The shops, dating back to when the Red Fort was completed by emperor Shah Jahan in 1648, were meant for common people coming to the Mughal Durbar and the setting is a replica of a bazaar in Peshawar, according to historian Swapna Liddle.

The author of Chandni Chowk: The Mughal City of Old Delhi, Liddle said that the market once had shops selling clothers and jewellery. It still draws buyers visiting the fort, but the shops now sell handicraft items, wooden articles, and other souvenirs.

source: http://www.hindustantimes.com / Hindustan Times / Home / by Parvez Sultan, Hindustan Times,New Delhi / September 19th, 2018

Kodagu floods: Pouring out a cupful of compassion

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Karnataka (under research project), Travel & Tourism, , ,

Sakleshpur Taluk, Hassan District , KARNATAKA :

Shaik Ahmed, a roadside tea seller, plans to contribute his earnings on Saturday for rain relief works in Kodagu. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Shaik Ahmed, a roadside tea seller, plans to contribute his earnings on Saturday for rain relief works in Kodagu. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

A tea seller at Channarayapatna has contributed his day’s earnings towards the relief works in flood-affected Kodagu. Shaik Ahmed, 60, opened his shop on Bagur Road at 5 a.m. on Saturday with a board stating that whatever he got on the day would go to the flood relief funds.

Till 6 p.m., he had collected a little over ₹7,000. “My aim is to collect at least ₹10,000 for the relief work. I will keep the shop open till 9 p.m. and will hopefully reach the target,” he said.

Mr. Ahmed, a native of Sakleshpur taluk, has been living in Channarayapatna for the past three decades. For years he worked in hotels, but about six months ago he decided to open a tea stall of his own.

Mr. Ahmed, a father of three, was moved by the plight of the victims on news media. “I felt bad for the people affected. My wife and children also supported my decision. We have decided to make Bakrid a simple affair this year,” he said. He added that the business on the day was better than most days. On a normal day, he requires 25 litres of milk, but on Saturday he needed 40 litres.

“I did not give tea or coffee to any customer on credit today.My customers obliged. Many of my friends came to my shop just to give me some business,” he said. He plans to hand over the money to the authorities on Sunday.

Many organisations, including the Hassan unit of Red Cross, have collected donations from people for relief works in Kodagu and Kerala. Members of Prakruti Seva Samudaya, which works for the welfare of transgenders, have also raised funds for flood victims.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Karnataka / by Special Correspondent / Hassan – August 18th, 2018

Detailing dargahs of Deccan in ‘Culture of Amity’

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Travel & Tourism, , , , , , , , ,

Hyderabad, TELANGANA :

Dargah01MPOs11sept2018

The booklet edited by Department of Culture chronicles the dargahs of Hyderabad and sets right some of the preconceived notions about them

How many Dargahs does Hyderabad  have? It is easy to remember. There is the Yousufain Dargah, Jehangeer Peer Dargah, Shah Khamoush Dargah, Husain Shah Wali Dargah, Shah Raju Qattal Dargah… And there ends the list for an average citizen of Hyderabad. The list, in fact, is quite substantial.

In an age where religious lines are hardening, the dargahs in India remain comparatively open spaces where the faith of the person is not questioned while entering. The people who come to find solace range from men sitting in corners in a forlorn way to women who come with their families and friends and sit outside, and then there are couples who pray for the intercession of the saints buried in the dargahs. Said dargahs also keep the social and spiritual life thrumming as they become epicentres for local festivals dictated by the lunar calendar. Urs, sama, chiragaan, sandal are few of the events inside dargahs that people living in the area wait for.

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“Telangana is a confluence of different cultures, religions and beliefs. From the very rustic and rural Bonalu to the newer faiths like Christianity, people in the region have accepted and adopted all streams of beliefs. This book is a tribute to that,” says Mamidi Harikrishna, head of the Department of Culture who has edited the booklet called Culture of Amity being distributed free. The booklet lists 51 dargahs scattered across the city. “The list is exhaustive and we have discovered more. We will be listing 81 dargahs in the next edition of the book,” says Vasanta Sobha Turaga, an architect, who has edited the book along with Harikrishna.

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Between the pages

Without delving into each specific religious space the booklet has information about the dargahs and what goes on in them and how they shape beliefs. “The earliest and the oldest are from the 13th to 14th centuries: the Pahadi Shareef (1266) and Jehangir Peer Baba (1318). And the latest is less than 15 years-old.” The booklet also tracks the progression and change in architectural style. “We have looked at the architectural style of the buildings. But we have also tried to look at the rituals and traditions. There is a lot of intermingling of practices and colourful rituals,” says Turaga who has plans to expand the work into something more substantial.

The booklet also sets right some of the beliefs which people have about the various dargahs. It calls out the belief that the structure atop Moula Ali hillock is a dargah while in reality, it is an ashoorkhana with a few practices of a dargah like the urs that is celebrated in the Islamic month of Rajab.

sources: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Society> History & Culture / by Serish Nanisetti / September 10th, 2018

Goa: Safa Masjid

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Travel & Tourism, World Opinion, , , , , , ,

Ponda Town, GOA :

GoaSafaMasjidMPOs07sept2018

Explore a little-known facet of Goan history with our Quick Guide to the Safa Masjid

Set on the edge of a large tank just outside Ponda town, the Safa Masjid, built in 1560, is the only surviving mosque of the 27 shrines that Ibrahim Adil Shah of Bijapur constructed. Broken columns surround the mosque, which once graced a garden with laterite walkways. It’s among the few ancient Muslim monuments left in a state that has a long association with Islam and its solitude is evidence of the energy with which the Portuguese battled Muslim rulers.

Muslims – who now form just over five per cent of the state’s population – have lived in Goa since at least the 10th century CE, when the Kadamba rulers urged merchants from East Africa and Arabia to settle in the state.

But the kingdom’s affluence soon brought it to the attention of raiders. The raids, which started in the 10thcentury, reached a crescendo with strikes by Allauddin Khilji in 1294 and Muhammad Tughlaq in 1325. After briefly being held by the Vijayanagara Kingdom, Goa in 1358 came under the sway of Alla-ud-din Hasan Shah of the Bahmani family. When the Bijapur sultans took over from the Bahmanis in 1490, Yusuf Adil Shah started a construction campaign, building a mosque and a palace.

Ismail Adil Shah’s defeat in 1510, at the hands of the Portuguese Commander Alfonso de Albuquerque, had disastrous consequences for Goa’s Muslims. Angered that Muslims had helped Adil Shah’s defence, Albuquerque’s soldiers hunted them down viciously.

source: http://www.outlookindia.com / Outlook Traveller / Home> Explore> Story

Bhatkal: A food story

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Karnataka (under research project), Travel & Tourism, , , , , , , ,

Bhatkal, KARNATAKA / Bengaluru, KARNATAKA  :

This sleepy and now maligned town on the Karnataka coast boasts of a unique cuisine embracing Konkan and Middle-Eastern influences

Bhatkali biryani is topped with fried onions, curry or mint leaves.
Bhatkali biryani is topped with fried onions, curry or mint leaves.

Bhatkal is a small port town on the Arabian Sea, near Mangaluru. Between the 8th and 15th centuries, it was one of the chief ports on the western coast, specializing in the trade of rice, sugar, spices and horses. Yemeni horses would be brought from the port of Hormuz in Iran to Bhatkal, and traded across the country. Over the centuries, traders from Iraq, Iran and Yemen settled in Bhatkal and formed the Navayath (newcomers) community. Some of them intermarried with the locals, many of whom belonged to the Jain community, and were influenced by their customs, languages and culture. This, in turn, led to a unique and multicultural food practice.

In recent times, however, whenever Bhatkal shows up in the news, it is with reference to radical Islamist elements and polarization between religious communities. As a result, the spotlight is rarely turned on this unique cuisine. Other than the Bhatkali biryani, little else is known and even less represented in mainstream restaurants, even in its home state of Karnataka.

The Alibaba Cafe and Restaurant on Bengaluru’s busy MM Road in Fraser Town is one of the few places that is changing this trend. The décor seems straight out of an Arabian Nights tale. Coloured glass lanterns hang from the ceiling and the mud-plastered walls are reminiscent of a Yemeni village home. There are Indian references too. The restaurant’s heavy wooden door has a lotus motif and large copper cooking pots in the corner look curiously Mangalurean. Shaad Hassan Damudi, the owner, greets visitors while taking orders on the phone in rapid-fire Konkani.

Damudi is from the Navayath community and his restaurant’s menu reflects his heritage. “What you see on the menu here is centuries of cultural amalgamation between the various communities, resulting in a very unique cuisine,” Damudi explains. The meat-heaviness is also reflected in the star dish on the menu—the Shaiyyo biryani, made from vermicelli (shaiyyo) instead of rice. The vermicelli adds a uniquely Konkani touch to the distinctly Middle-Eastern flavours of the dish, featuring layers of delicately spiced meat and a generous helping of browned onions. Shaiyyo is sun-dried in vast quantities in early summer, so it can be prepared and enjoyed throughout the long west-coast monsoon. “Navayath cuisine tends to have milder flavours than traditional south Indian coastal cuisine,” says Damudi. “We use local Byadagi red chillies, known for their bright red colour and slightly sweeter taste.”

Any conversation about Bhatkali food always turns to Bhatkali biryani, made with basmati rice flavoured with saffron and whole garam masala. Tender pieces of mutton, chicken, fish or prawns are cooked separately with spices. Some even describe it as a korma and rice dish which is assembled in layers and finally topped with fried onions, curry or mint leaves.

Seafood is a staple of Bhatkali cuisine. Fish, prawns, mussels, clams, oysters and squid, available in plenty along the Konkan coast, are combined with local spices to create preparations like the laun miriya mhaure, where sliced fish (typically seer) are cooked in a traditional salt and red chilli paste, or shinonya nevri, steamed mussels stuffed with a spicy rice and coconut mixture.

Aftab Husain Kola, a Bhatkal native and a food and travel writer, says that although modern influences have crept into traditional Navayath cuisine, many of the old traditions of seasonal food have been preserved. He also throws light on some of the other Navayath home specialities like haldi pana nevri, rice pancakes steamed in turmeric leaves, and mudkuley, tiny steamed rice-flour balls in a delicately spiced curry. The community also gets together during weddings and festivals, for dawats or feasts which celebrate Navayath fare.

The wide range of Bhatkali desserts reflects the cultural intermingling of communities. Shaufa pana (dill leaves) feature in a variety of desserts, from poli (bread) to appo (pancakes), even puddings. Saat padra navariyo, a baked, layered dessert, reminiscent of Goa’s bebinca, and tariye khawras, a semolina, coconut and cashew pudding, are unique to the region. Some of the desserts have interestingly Middle-Eastern hybrid names too. Al basra poliand aflatoon poli are two such delicious concoctions—baked pancakes made with combinations of milk, coconut, egg and sugar. The Bhatkal version of kheer is godan—it has various manifestations, but the base always comprises coconut milk and jaggery.

The culinary diversity of this little coastal town is quite mind-boggling and more conversations about this and other aspects of Bhatkal’s rich culture could present an alternative narrative to those of terror and violence.

Aflatoon poli

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 tbsp refined flour

2 cups milk

4 eggs, beaten

1-2 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp broken cashews

1 cup coconut milk

K cup condensed milk

2 tbsp ‘ghee’

Method

Add the refined flour to the milk and stir over a low flame until it thickens. Leave aside to cool. Add in eggs, sugar, nuts, coconut milk and condensed milk, and mix thoroughly.

Grease a baking tin with ‘ghee’ and pour the mixture into it. Bake at 160 degrees Celsius for about 20 minutes. Check if it is done by inserting a toothpick into the pancake; it should come out clean. Remove from the baking tin and serve warm.

source: http://www.livemint.com / LiveMint / Home> Leisure / by Sriram Aravamudan / September 02nd, 2018

MoU signed to give facelift to Ajmer dargah

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Community Involvement / Social Issues, Travel & Tourism, , , , ,

Ajmer, RAJASTHAN :

AjmerDargahMPOs04sept2018

To clean and manage the 13th-century shrine, a Swachh Iconic Place, ₹5.68 crore to be spent

The historical dargah of Sufi mystic Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti in Ajmer is all set to get a facelift as a memorandum of understanding has been signed by the Dargah Committee, the Ajmer Municipal Corporation and Hindustan Zinc for spending ₹5.68 crore to clean and manage the shrine.

The 13th-century dargah has been included among the Swachh Iconic Places, a clean-up initiative focused on iconic heritage, spiritual and cultural places through a multi-stakeholder approach model. The campaign was initiated under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan in 2016.

Select 100 SIPs across the country will be cleaned and developed at a higher level of sanitation and facility management in collaboration with corporates and leading public sector units as part of the initiative.

In Ajmer, the Collector will act as the project’s nodal agency with the Dargah Committee and ‘khadims’ (workers) being the primary stakeholders. An amount of ₹5.68 crore will be invested in the project’s first phase for establishment of two flower compost making machines, cleaning and basic repair of the Jhalra pond, re-flooring in select areas, procurement of machines for cleaning the floors, risk management system plan, conservation of Shahjahani Gate and initial plans for Nizam Gate.

More amenities

The MoU was signed in Ajmer on Saturday in the presence of Union Minister for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi. Mr. Naqvi said the project would help in the dargah’s upkeep and provide more facilities to the pilgrims coming during the Urs and in other seasons.

Two flower compost machines have already been installed in Kayad at a cost of ₹27 lakh for churning out about 25 kg of compost from 100 kg of flowers offered at the dargah. A vision document for the shrine has been prepared by a team of architects and building plan and design consultants.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Other States / by Special Correspondent / Jaipur – September 04th, 2018

Sayyid Ahmad Khan’s 19th-century books on the pre-1857 monuments of Delhi are now in English

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Books (incl.Biographies - w.e.f.01 jan 2018 ), Leaders, Travel & Tourism, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

DELHI :

In the two volumes of ‘Asar-us-Sanadid’, Sir Sayyid combined anecdotes with rigorous measurements and descriptions.

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Introducing Asar-us-Sanadid

by Rana Safvi

Asar-us-Sanadid by Sir Sayyid Ahmad Khan is an important book for many reasons. It was the first time that a book on this scale describing Delhi’s monuments had been written. The first volume was published in 1847 and a second volume in 1854. Though both had the same name and were about Delhi, they were very differently written. The first was an anecdotal description of the buildings, while the second took a more scientific approach with historical references, and the dimensions of the monuments.

It was also the first time in India, that a book had lithographically produced illustrations. As many as 130 illustrations of Delhi’s monuments were drawn by Faiz Ali Khan and Mirza Shahrukh Beg. The drawings were probably based on rough sketches provided by Sayyid Ahmad Khan himself. He made many sketches – a fact he mentions in the book – and also copied the inscriptions on each of the monuments, often at great risk to life and limb, as in the case of the Qutub Minar, where he hung down from the top of the minaret in a basket held by ropes. It was the first time that inscriptions on the buildings were noted down.

Asar-us-Sanadid is an invaluable work. Both editions – Asar-1 and Asar-2 (published in 1847 and 1854, respectively) – were written before the Uprising of 1857. As is well known, much of Shahjahanabad changed during and in the aftermath of the events of 1857. The British broke down many structures to make governance easier and there was massive restructuring, in particular, of the Red Fort.

Later, when Lutyens’ Delhi was being built, many more changes were brought about, not to mention the changes that are still taking place today. Thus, in his descriptions of the buildings and monuments of Delhi prior to 1857, Sayyid Ahmad Khan gives us a glimpse of lost glory. For students of history and heritage this is where its greatest importance lies.

The partition and transfer of population in 1947 meant that the landscape of medieval Delhi was changed further. Today urban development has resulted in encroachment and destruction or alteration of many more monuments.

Mehrauli is the first documented city of Delhi and it was from here that the Tomaras, Chauhan and early Delhi Sultans ruled. As it was a hilly and wooded area it become a favourite of the Mughals too, with the last two emperors shifting here during the monsoons. The last Mughal building is the Zafar Mahal, situated in Mehrauli, which was the royal residence during those months.

A unique festival called Phool Waalon ki Sair was also celebrated in the monsoons under the last two Mughal emperors.

The excerpt below describes some of the buildings in Mehrauli.

The Bagh e Nazir is now Ashoka Mission. According to some monks I spoke to there, the family of Nazir Roz Afsun fared very badly in the riots which took place during the partition of India in 1947, and the lone survivor, a young boy, migrated to Pakistan.

In 1948 Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru gave the land as a gift to the famous Cambodian monk Dharmvara Mahathera on behalf of the Indian state for the purpose of opening a Buddhist institute. It was he who founded the Ashoka mission there. It is now the Official Buddhist Mission in Delhi, known as Ashoka Mission.

The Hauz e Shamsi is a poor reflection of what it was, and though the pavilions of the Jharna still stand forlorn, they are desolate. The water is a dirty and stagnant pool and gone are the diving competitions or sliding stones. The mango orchard has disappeared and there are only residences in the area. One can only thank Sir Sayyed for a glimpse into that era when emperors and their consort picnicked here.

Bagh-E-Nazir

This is a beautiful, attractive, verdant and luxuriant garden near the waterfall of Qutub Sahib [in the Mehrauli area]. It is still very well maintained, with blooming flowers and green trees. The buildings around it are still intact and thousands of people come here during the Phool Walo’n ki Sair procession, to enjoy its beauty. The spectacle is as entertaining as though one were at a fair. This garden was built by Nazir Roz Afzun during the reign of Muhammad Shah Badshah. I will write down the verses inscribed on the entrance as they give the date of the construction and name of the builder:

By the orders of Muhammad Shah Adil,
Whose head bears the sacred crown.
He founded this garden near [the shrine and tomb of] Qutub Sahib,
And has adorned it with the flowers of paradise.
It should remain green till the Day of Judgment,
By the Grace of the Holy Quran.
The year of its construction,
Was found to be the blessed date,
AH 1116 in the thirty-first regnal year of Muhammad Shah.

Bagh-e-Nazir | Courtesy: National Archives of India, New Delhi
Bagh-e-Nazir | Courtesy: National Archives of India, New Delhi

A wall surrounds the garden and there are red sandstone buildings of great attraction built all around, within the wall. There is one building in the middle of the garden that is the biggest and best of all the buildings there. Thus I am attaching its sketch here.

Jharna
This is a place for recreation and pleasure; it is exotic and unearthly, elegant and refined, interesting and delightful, happiness-bestowing and heart-pleasing. Qutub Sahib’s waterfall [jharna] is famous for its verdant green trees and reminds one of heaven. Initially, Sultan Firoz Shah had constructed a dam here and the wall of the waterfall is that dam. It is still intact.

He had diverted the excess water of Hauz-e-Shamsi reservoir into Naulakh canal [nala] towards the moats of Tughlaqabad Fort. After some years however, the fort was abandoned and water stopped going to that area. The excess water from the Hauz-e-Shamsi then started flowing into the jungles from this dam and was wasted. Nawab Ghazi-ud-Din Khan Firoz Jung built a tank, water channels, and chutes for the water to flow through. The waterfall is an awesome spectacle and pleases the heart, causing the spectator to involuntarily exclaim in delight. There are various buildings around this waterfall which I will describe here.

Jharna | Courtesy National Archives of India, New Delhi
Jharna | Courtesy National Archives of India, New Delhi

Pavilion on the western side
On the western side, adjoining the wall of the dam stands a pavilion at an elevation of 11 feet and 5 inches. It has three arches, and the waterfall cascades down on it. There is an attractive tank in front of it, into which people jump from the roof of this building. During the Phool Walo’n ki Sair festivities people diving into this tank and swimming in it, make for a huge spectacle. They use various diving styles including somersaulting into the water, they also make a pyramid by climbing onto the shoulders of men standing below until the man at the top of the pyramid reaches tree-branch height. Then those at the bottom dive into the tank and all those on their shoulders plunge into the tank. This is called a “tree dive” [darakht kakudna] or a “wild growth dive” [jhad-jhankar ka kudna].

There are thirteen small water pipes under the roof of this building and water from the waterfall flows down through these, via the pavilion, and into the tank. There is a 3.2-feet wide water chute inside the pavilion which falls from a height of 4.3 feet into the tank. There are niches built under the chute in the pavilion wall, and water flows over lighted lamps that are placed within the niches.

This 25-feet square tank has an opening of 1.7 feet for water to flow into it and is 7.6 feet deep. There is a 22 feet long, 6 feet wide and 3.6 feet deep water-channel, which flows out of this tank in a 5.6 feet cascade and is joined by two smaller cascades from the north and south. There are beautifully carved stone chutes [salami pathar] measuring 3 feet 7 inches, to receive the cascade. The water winds its way down the carvings on the chute creating a mesmerising effect.

The water channel in front of this pavilion is 26 feet long, 6 feet wide and 2 feet deep, while the water channel in front of the smaller cascades is 15.3 feet wide, 2.9 feet wide and 8 feet deep. All the water collects at this point and flows into the jungle. The waterfall passes over all these pavilions and the water channel, and in reality it is a truly spellbinding sight. The sound of the flowing water mingles with the singing of the nightingale, the chirping of doves, peacocks dancing and the sounds of merriment of finely attired men and women. It is a mesmerizing scene, which could put Raja Indra’s assembly in the shade.

Pavilion on the northern side
There is a very attractive double pavilion on this side. Muin-ud-Din Muhammad Akbar Shah Badshah built the double pavilion in his reign, around three years ago. These are the most attractive buildings in the place.

Pavilion on the southern side
There is a three-arched pavilion in this area, with two smaller pavilions on its sides which gives it the impression of being five arched. In addition to this there are two doors next to it, thus making it seven arched. This pavilion was built around 50 years ago in the reign of Shah Alam by Shahji’s brother, whose name was Sayyid Muhammad.

Pavilion on the eastern side
There are only mountains on this side and no buildings, but Muhammad Shah Badshah built a stone slide [phisalna pathar] 18 feet 3 inches long and 7 feet 7 inches wide.

The mango orchard
There are many mango trees in this area. People tie swings to the branches and have fun swinging on them. Numerous dancing and singing girls gather here to enjoy themselves. In short, this place is magical and the mind boggles at its attractions. There is also a grave here with the following verse inscribed on it:

Abid who was wise, learned, pious and man of intellect,
Was martyred by a dishonest robber.
The invisible crier told me the chronogram of his death,
The soul of Abid, the martyr entered paradise [in] AH 1209.

Hauz-E-Shamsi
This reservoir [hauz] was one of a kind. Sultan Shams-ud-Din Altamash built it during his reign and that is why it is famous as Hauz-e-Shamsi. Once upon a time this reservoir was made of red sandstone but now all the stone has been torn off and it is just a simple reservoir and that’s why people call it Qutub Sahib’s reservoir, while some still call it Hauz-e-Shamsi. The water from here feeds the waterfall and also fed the moats of Tughlaqabad in olden days.

It is difficult to imagine there is a reservoir of this size on the face of earth. It is spread across 276 bighas [a land measurement] and its water reaches eight provinces [subahs]! The pavilion has been built around the mark of a hoof which people call the hoofprint of the Prophet’s celestial steed Buraq, but to me it seems a made-up story. God alone knows the truth.

Auliya Masjid
On the eastern side of the Hauz-e-Shamsi is a platform and on it another smaller platform about a gaz or so with a small wall. According to legend, Hazrat Khwaja Qutb-ud-Din Bakhtiyar Kaki and other Sufi saints undertook their spiritual retreat/penance [chillah] on it. They built the mosque with their own hands, bringing baskets [of mud from the reservoir] and that’s why it is called Auliya [The Saint’s] Mosque. Now people have plastered it with mortar and lime.

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Excerpted with permission from Asar-us-Sanadid, Sayyid Ahmad Khan, translated and edited by Rana Safvi, Tulika Books.

source: http://www.scroll.in / Scroll.in / Home> Book Excerpt / by Sayyid Ahmed Khan & Rana Safvi / August 31st, 2018