Delhi Development Authority (DDA), in collaboration with the INTACH Delhi Chapter, has mapped 11 heritage sites across the 87-hectare Northern Ridge in a digital booklet aimed at helping visitors explore the area’s rich history before setting out. New Delhi: Delhi’s green lung is getting a digital guide.
Damaged during the Mughal period, it was later reassembled and re-erected in 1867. The booklet also documents the Northern Ridge’s role during the 1857 uprising. Flagstaff Tower, built in 1828 as a military signal station, served as a refuge for British officers and civilians when the uprising reached Delhi on May 11, 1857.
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Titled Exploring the Delhi Ridge: Reviving the Heritage of the “Lungs of Delhi” , the booklet traces a historical journey spanning centuries, from the third-century BCE Ashokan Pillar to colonial-era sites associated with the Revolt of 1857. “The book brings several scattered sites into a connected trail, with coordinates, nearest metro stations and visitor information to help residents, students and tourists explore the history within the capital’s green lung,” said an official. The booklet provides all details,” an official said. Officials said the Northern Ridge near Delhi University also offers evidence of human activity spanning prehistoric times, the Delhi Sultanate and the colonial period. “Stone Age tools discovered in the area suggest hunter-gatherer communities inhabited the landscape long before cities emerged, with the digital booklet documenting these findings,” said the official. “Erected by the British in 1863 to commemorate members of Delhi Field Force, the monument later received a plaque in 1972, honouring Indian freedom fighters associated with the uprising,” the booklet states. The booklet also identifies conservation needs,” said another official. Officials said INTACH Delhi Chapter has identified circuits and trails that are intended for development as heritage walks for visitors in the coming days. “Heritage walks, QR-enabled interpretation, interactive maps and AI-assisted digital resources are envisaged as part of the wider initiative to make the monuments easier to discover and understand,” said the official.
Among the highlights is the Ashokan Pillar, which originally stood in Meerut before being brought to Delhi by Firoz Shah Tughlaq in the 14th century. “Its journey links the Mauryan era with Delhi’s medieval and colonial history. Other sites included in the Northern Ridge circuit are the Mutiny Memorial, the historic Hindu Rao Hospital building, Old Baoli, Pir Ghaib, Chauburja Mosque, Southern Guard House, Flagstaff Tower, the grave enclosure of Lieutenant Edwards, Northern Guard House and a siege battery site. The building now associated with Hindu Rao Hospital was another key British position during the siege. At the Mutiny Memorial, also known as Ajitgarh, visitors encounter varying interpretations of the conflict. “Each site entry explains its history, architectural features, significance and present condition. the publication’s broader scope covers all four Ridge zones—Northern, Central, South-Central and Southern—including heritage landscapes around Sanjay Van, Qutub Minar complex, Mehrauli, Tughlaqabad and Sultan Ghari While the opening chapter focuses on the Northern Ridge. In recent months, the authority has undertaken restoration work on several historical structures located in parks and ridges to attract more visitors. Download the TOI App.