The

Dargah A dargah ( fa, درگاه ''dargâh'' or ''dargah'', Turkish: ''dergâh'', Hindustani: ''dargah'' दरगाह درگاہ, bn, দরগাহ ''dorgah'') is a shrine or tomb built over the grave of a revered religious figure, often a ...

Qadam Sharif in

Paharganj Paharganj (literally 'hilly neighbourhood') is a neighbourhood of Central Delhi, located just west of the New Delhi Railway Station. Known as ''Shahganj'' or King's ganj or market place during Mughal era, it is one of the three administrative ...

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders wi ...

consists of a small tomb complex, built in 1375-1376 CE, which also houses a

mosque A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a Place of worship, place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers (sujud) ...

, a

madrasa Madrasa (, also , ; Arabic: مدرسة , pl. , ) is the Arabic word for any type of educational institution, secular or religious (of any religion), whether for elementary instruction or higher learning. The word is variously transliterated '' ...

and a shrine ("dargah"), which is surrounded by a massive gated wall.

History

Originally,

Firuz Shah Tughlaq Sultan Firuz Shah Tughlaq (1309 – 20 September 1388) was a Muslim ruler from the Tughlaq dynasty, who reigned over the Sultanate of Delhi from 1351 to 1388.

(1309 – 1388) constructed the large rectangular

tomb A tomb ( grc-gre, τύμβος ''tumbos'') is a repository for the remains of the dead. It is generally any structurally enclosed interment space or burial chamber, of varying sizes. Placing a corpse into a tomb can be called ''immuremen ...

at its core for himself, and surrounded it with massive walls and impressive gates in typical Tughlaq style. However, when his son Fateh Khan died in 1376, he repurposed the tomb to be used for his son. Also added was a stone with a foot print of

Muhammad Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the monot ...

, which Hazrat syed Jalaluddin husain Bukhari alias hz Makhdoom jahanian jahangasht the spiritual guide of Firuz Shah had brought in from

Mecca Mecca (; officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, commonly shortened to Makkah ()) is a city and administrative center of the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia, and the holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow val ...

. This foot print (" Qadam Sharif" = "Footprint of the Prophet" in English) gave the whole complex its name, Dargah Qadam Sharif. A

and a

round out the inner tomb complex. In the centuries since then, the whole area has been "absorbed" by housing and commercial buildings, although the tomb, most of the walls as well as a couple of the gate houses are still clearly visible. Furthermore, the madrasa and mosque at the tomb are still actively used, and the foot print is an important

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...

site. The complex is located just northwest of the New Delhi Railway Station in a dense "urban jungle." Since most of the maps (including the Eicher city map) are highly inaccurate, one should use the map included in Peck's book to explore the area. Nearby (and barely noticeable as a U-shaped building) are the remains of one of the glorious Seven Mosques of Firoz Shah's

Wazir Wazir often refers to: * Vizier or wazir, a high-ranking political advisor or minister Wazir may also refer to: Places * Wazirabad, a City in Punjab, Pakistan * Waziristan, a region in tribal belt of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan * Wazir Akbar K ...

Khan-i-Jahan Maqbul Tilangani (Khan Jahan). The exact coordinates for the tomb are (28.649818,77.211879) and the U-shaped building are (28.649328,77.217689). On a side note,

Firuz Shah Tughlaq Sultan Firuz Shah Tughlaq (1309 – 20 September 1388) was a Muslim ruler from the Tughlaq dynasty, who reigned over the Sultanate of Delhi from 1351 to 1388.

's final resting place was in a new tomb in

Hauz Khas Hauz Khas is a neighborhood in South Delhi, its heart being the historic Hauz Khas Complex. Well known in medieval times, the Hauz Khas village has amazing buildings built around the reservoir. There are remnants of Islamic architecture roughl ...

. A watercolour of the tomb complex from 1823 from the British library (http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/onlineex/apac/addorimss/q/019addor0000547u00000000.html).

References

*
The Shrine of the Holy Footprint in Delhi
by A Welch.''Muqarnas''. Vol. 14, (1997), pp. 166–178 {{Commons category Tughlaq dynasty Mausoleums in Delhi Buildings and structures completed in 1376 1376 establishments in Asia 14th-century establishments in India