//
Photo: Shamikhfaraz, CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
A museum of dolls from all over the country. You get to see the costumes and art from all over India, as well as some nice crafts.
The International Dolls Museum is a large collection of dolls in New Delhi, though part of Central Delhi, Delhi, India. It was set up by K. Shankar Pillai, a political cartoonist. Housed in the Children's Book Trust building on Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, accessed through a separate entrance, a winding staircase, leading up to a foyer. The museum has a floor area of 5,184.5 sq ft (481.66 m2) and occupies a portion of the first floor.
© OpenStreetMap contributors
शहीदी पार्क Śahīdī Pārk
An open-air museum with a vast collection of sculptures of famous personalities in Indian history, including freedom fighters, soldiers, thinkers, monarchs, and even rishis (Hindu sages) and deities. The sculptures range from bas-reliefs and busts to full statues.
Feroz Shah Kotla is the fifth citadel of Delhi and was built by Feroz Shah Tughlaq in 1354. The previous citadels of Delhi were abandoned due to lack of water, so Feroz Shah Kotla was built right next to the Yamuna River. Today the ruins of Feroz Shah Kotla lie nestled between the cricket stadium, of the same name, and the Ring Road. The ruins of the Feroze Shah Kotla are said to be the abode of friendly djinns (spirit) and every Thursday hordes of devotees, irrespective of religion, visit the ruins of Feroz Shah Kotla with photocopies of letters, citing their problems. They stick the letters on different strategic spots of the citadel and offer prayers to the Djinns. Feroz Shah Kotla still houses several interesting ruins. Although minimalist in nature, they still reveal the former glory and splendor of the ancient citadel. The ruins of the citadel are scattered over a large area and consist of a handful of prominent structures like the Hawa Mahal, Jami Masjid and Circular Stepwell.
Bloody Gate
It is here in this gate that Major William Hodson shot dead the last Mughal ruler Bahadur Shah Zafar's sons Mirza Mughal and Mirza Khizr Sultan as well as grandson Mirza Abu Bakr after the defeat in Revolt of 1857. The gate served as an execution chamber under Sher Shah. The severed heads of those executed were put on display in this gate. Here Jahangir ordered the killing of two sons of Rahim Khan-I-Khana who was a Navaratna in Akbar's court. The gate was part of a defensive mechanism set up by Sher Shah and was known as Kabuli Gate, as it faced the city of Kabul now in Afghanistan. But because of its bloody incidence it came to be known as the Khooni Darwaza. The 15.5 meter double storied structure is made of Delhi quartzite stone and is topped with battlements. The windows and the archways have red sandstone ornamentation. There are three different sets of stairways leading to different levels of the gateway, but these are kept under lock & key.
Main Mosque of the citadel
The Jami Masjid, or the Main Mosque, lies just south of the Hawa Mahal. It is a gigantic mosque and approached by a long flight of stairs. During the time of construction it was the largest mosque of Delhi and was an inspiration for the Jama Masjid, the present largest Mosque in Delhi. The mosque is built of quartzite stone. It rests on a series of cells on the ground floor. Entrance is through a domed pavilion on the north, the pavilion in turn is approached by a long flight of steps. The roof of the mosque has long collapsed; apart from the side wall, a few pillars are all that is left of the grand prayer hall. Strangely the Jami Masjid is still an active mosque and attracts thousand of devotees during the time of Eid. Even on normal days large groups of local Muslims along with Muslim office staff from nearby offices drop in for there daily namaz.
A circular stepwell
Just in front of the step pyramid of Hawa Mahal lies the circular stepwell. Delhi has a number of stepwell but the one at Feroz Shah Kotla is unique as it is the only circular stepwell in Delhi. Sadly the stepwell is kept under lock and key and interiors are not accessible.