Heritage walks throw a lifeline to Haryana’s forgotten monuments

Sumedha Sharma

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Gurugram, May 28

The popularity of heritage walks in neighbouring Delhi has inspired the Haryana Archaeology Department to open the gates for those interested in looking for Mughal history beyond Agra and Delhi. Started as an experiment, these special walks have become a ray of hope for survival of many such monuments in Haryana.

Situated about 20 miles South of Delhi is the NCR’s very own ‘Sheesh Mahal’. Lost in the pages of history, the Mughal monument has for almost a century remained forgotten and is in a shambles. Situated in the main market area of Farukh Nagar, a satellite town near Millenium City Gurugram, the monument along with others such as ‘Delhi Darwaja’ and ‘Jama Masjid’ faces neglect. Having temporarily served as a school and even municipal office, the building remains as one among many sites in the files of the Haryana Archaeology Department.

Rakhi Garhi favourite spot

We initially started with tours with 10 persons and now every weekend we get groups of almost 20 people. More than a history lesson, it’s the tales that attract people to these untouched instagramable points. The most successful tours have been that of Rakhi Garhi. — Vinit Bhanwala, coordinator of the initiative

Banking on social media outreach, the heritage walks being organised by local resource persons is now drawing millennial crowd and foreign tourists looking for something different during their golden triangle tour.

“Life of any monument depends on the fact that how many people know, value and appreciate and visit it. Haryana has a vast treasure of heritage monuments, but sadly they have been forgotten with time. We have been working on restoring and reviving these not just physically but even in the minds of people. The heritage walks were started as an experiment inspired by such activities in Delhi and it has been a great success. People were surprised to find these gems lying neglected in their own area. Places such as Rakhi Garhi have a huge fan following for heritage tours and walks,” said the Director of Archaeology and Museums, Haryana, Amit Khatri.

The Department of Archaeology and Museums, Haryana, has been organising weekly heritage awareness programmes in 12 districts of Haryana, including Hisar, Nuh, Gurugram, Sonepat, Panipat, Kaithal, Rakhi Garhi etc., for the last five months. These programmes include heritage walks, tours, meetings, heritage events, exhibitions, etc., led by local historians and enthusiasts. Participants from different parts of Haryana and Delhi join these events. Additionally, the local administration, the American Institute of Indian Studies, INTACH, colleges, universities and other organisation are involved in organising these programmes.

“We initially started with tours with 10 persons and now every weekend we get groups of almost 20 people. More than a history lesson, it’s the tales that attract people to these untouched instagramable points. The most successful tours have been that of Rakhi Garhi,” says the coordinator of the initiative, Vinit Bhanwala.