[jyotirmoy]

Hazrat Shah Turkman Bayabani was a saint who belonged to a special sect known as Bayabani, who believed in praying and living alone in a secluded place, close to nature, away from the inhabited area. East of Turkman Gate on Asaf Ali Road, just before the Holy Trinity Church lies the dargah (shrine) of this very pious and holy Muslim saint. The shrine is said to be the oldest place in the whole of Old Delhi, as it had been here even before Shah Jahan's new capital city Shahjahanabad was built. Turkman Gate was named after this saint who died in 1240 AD. At present, the shrine is located in a thickly populated area but the small decent white building, which marks the shrine, is still close to nature as it is situated under a huge tree. One can very well imagine that this place in the early 13th century must be a densely wooded area quite far from any habitation. The grave is inside this building and is covered with a bright colored cloth and flowers with incense sticks are lighted in a corner. The shrine is quite popular among the local people.

[crvlvr]

I was told that artifacts in the Purana Quila can be dated back to the Mahabhataha (5,561 BC according to this website)..

From wikipedia:

Quote

Recent archaeological excavations have exposed evidence such as pottery and other pieces of art and handicrafts which throws a new light on the existence of the city of Indraprastha, mentioned in the great epic of Mahabharata. A report by the Archaeological Survey of India suggests that the historic city of Indraprastha stood on the site where the Old Fort stands today. These findings have attracted the attention of a lot of archaeologists and Indian historians.

Edited by crvlvr, 24 May 2007 - 02:44 AM.

[dzibead]

crvlvr, on May 23 2007, 02:12 PM, said:

I was told that artifacts in the Purana Quila can be dated back to the Mahabhataha (5,561 BC according to this website)..

From wikipedia:

I think jyoti was just talking about  the oldest part of "Old Delhi" (so called), which isn't as old as some other parts of Delhi, ironically.  I vaguely recall that Dalrymple talks in The City of Djinns about the "grey ware" pottery found in Delhi - I guess it was around Purana Qila, but I can't remember - and the thought that where it was found might be the site of Indraprashtha.  This stuff is fascinating.

[jyotirmoy]

There is a lot of controversies surrounding the Indraprastha of Mahabharat. One of the biggest difficulties faced is the changing course of the Yamuna. Mythologies like the Mahabharata is a queer mix of facts & fictions. Places are described more "romantically" than geographycally. I have seen some the pottery & artifacts that have been found at the site(incidently one of my favourite places to spend a winter afternoon) and they are different not just by the appearence, material too. Considering the position of the Yamuna at that time the location seems to be alright. Note that the Old Fort is located  further east compared to the red fort. Although the shifting of the course of the Yamuna had been random in nature one can still venture to predict the period when the river flowed next to Indraprastha and that points quite closely to the period of Mahabharata. I myself is quite convinced that an ancient civilisation did flourish at this location.