The Walled City encyclopaedia.

[Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi]

Some 400 years ago, Shahjahan founded the Walled City of Shahjahanabad, today known as Old Delhi. Waiting for the completion of his Red Fort, the Mughal Emperor meantime built a palatial mahal out of earth as his temporary residence. The palace was called Matia Mahal—matia being derived from Hindustani word mitti for earth/mud. Today, the palace is nowhere to be seen, but the site on which it stood continues to be known as Matia Mahal.

If you recall, dear reader, a version of these words appeared on this space a few weeks ago, as part of The Delhi Walla’s “This way to” series, aimed at creating a definitive encyclopaedia of every Old Delhi gali, kucha and bazar. But that was a dispatch on Matia Mahal Bazar. This is a dispatch on Gali Matia Mahal.

Two places, same name. Actually, the main road of Matia Mahal Bazar is like a long river fed by numerous tributaries, or side-streets. Gali Matia Mahal is one of these. The narrow street is dense with two types of businesses: religious books, and factory carpets. Something else, however, makes Gali Matia Mahal count among Purani Dilli’s most extraordinary streets.

The gali has a baoli. The stair-wells of yesteryears are usually found in open spaces. Yet here it is, in super-congested Purani Dilli, tucked deep into the street innards, beside a mohalla mosque called… well, Baoli Wali Masjid.

The step-well is believed to be older than Old Delhi. Late Walled City scholar Abdul Sattar once told this reporter that the baoli in Matia Mahal was built by wandering tribes, when the area was a wilderness overrun with dacoits. The legends notwithstanding, the baoli somehow survived the founding of a ruler’s new capital. Over the ensuing centuries, it also outlived the drastic transformation of Shahjahanabad. And today, it helps steer the street’s contemporary life: a passer-by informs that the baoli’s water is supplied to the area’s households.

The baoli though is not easily approachable. It lies hidden under a hodgepodge of modern-day construction. The view inside is accessed through a metal window. This afternoon, the baoli’s interiors consist of a void with no discernible bottom. Neither are stone steps visible (are there any?). A scaffolding of poles and ropes can be spotted in certain parts, see photo. Ostensibly, some repair work is being executed.

To strike a more direct connect with the baoli, return to the street entrance. There stands a series of taps; the water in them is said to come straight from the baoli.