Delhi: Now, you need tickets to visit Hauz Khas monuments

NEW DELHI: Visitors will now have to pay to enter the Hauz Khas monuments in south Delhi, with the Archaeological Survey of India issuing a notification this month to make the 13th-century complex the 11th ticketed monument in the city.

Hauz Khas, or Royal Tank, the main water source for the medieval city of Siri, has been notified under category B of the ancient monuments Act, under which Indians will pay Rs 15 and foreign nationals Rs 200 to enter. TOI had reported that ASI’s Delhi circle had proposed to make Hauz Khas a ticketed monument in view of its popularity and its potential for revenue generation. Around a thousand people visit the site every day. ASI now plans to add amenities like a cafeteria, benches, souvenir shops, etc.



There are also plans to have a museum where visitors will also learn about other ASI monuments in the vicinity, such as Neeli Chhatri and Dadi Poti.

As per sources, Hauz Khas monuments was identified as a potential site because it was popular and received many visitors, specially due to the neighbouring Hauz Khas village shopping area and restaurant hub.

“Most visitors who visit the Hauz Khas monuments are youngsters, who come to spend time in the adjacent village and then visit the monument. Occasionally, more interested visitors come here to see the lake as well. The site is also one of the best conserved monuments and making it a ticketed site would allow ASI to generate some revenue,’’ said an official.

As per officials, a total of 27 new monuments nationwide have been identified to be ticketed including Hauz Khas monuments.

Officials believe that making the monument ticketed would deter anti-social elements who deface the walls.

Located in a prime area of south Delhi near high-end boutiques, art galleries, restaurants and upscale residential areas, Hauz Khas monuments’ history traces back to the 13th and 14th centuries. The site includes a madrassa, a water tank, a mosque and the main tomb of Feroz Shah Tughlaq with six pavilions around it, all built between 1352 and 1354 AD.

The site was part of Siri, the second medieval city of the Delhi Sultanate built during the reign of Alauddin Khalji (1296–1316). The site is also a popular destination for heritage walks with huge number of visitors, students, scholars and history enthusiasts coming to see the monuments that are pivotal to Delhi’s history and a testimony to the rule of Feroz Shah Tughlaq. The main tomb which Tughlaq built for himself is a focal point of the complex. Located at the intersection of the two arms of the L–shaped building which constitutes the madrasa. Entry to the tomb is through a passage in the south leading to the doorway Several experts concurred with the decision to make entry to the Hauz Khas monuments ticketed. “It definitely gets more visitors than other ticketed sites such as Tughlaqabad Fort or Sultangarhi. Both these sites have out-of-the-way locations and ASI has not publicised these places enough. Hauz Khas complex, on the other hand, is a popular place. Located in the middle of south Delhi, many people frequent this place and its surrounding areas of Hauz Khas village,” said an expert.

Sources said Hauz Khas monuments had been selected out of a number of city monuments which ASI wants to make ticketed. Other sites which were considered are Adham Khan tomb, Jamali-Kamali, Khirki Masjid, Ashokan rock edict in Srinivaspuri, Begumpuri Masjid, Bijai Mandal, tomb of Wadde Khan, Chhote Khana and Bade Khan in South Extension.