Tag: sonipat

A picturesque tomb in a semi-urban neighborhood..

This monument is one of the key attractions in the city of Sonipat, Haryana, India. This is a 16th century tomb complex, built by the emperor Ibrahim Lodhi, dedicated to the saint Khwaja Khizr.

The main structure stands amid a decently maintained large green park and has recently been restored by the government agencies. One can see children from the local village nearby playing cricket and enjoying in the lawn around the main structure. The tomb stands on a mound in the centre of the park and one needs to climb up a few big steps/stairs made of stone to reach the main complex.

The architecture is crisp, beautiful and picturesque, has artfully crafted doors and even the original calligraphy is quite clearly readable. At several places we see a good mix of Indo-Islamic architecture..esp the doorways which look like exquisitely carved temple-doorways.

The tomb houses inside the graves of Khwaja Khizr and there also are two small graves which are believed to be the graves of two cats who were close to the saint. We could see offerings, sweets and incense sticks lying inside the main shrine…these were perhaps ‘offered’ here by the local devotees who come here to pray. Apparently, local people of various religious beliefs come to this shrine to offer prayers.

The big park is surrounded by residential area and one can even see a pond nearby where locals bathe their buffaloes (cattle) 🙂 This can be an interesting site for some…esp for those who’ve only witnessed the cosmopolitan-lifestyle 🙂

There’s no food shop etc within the complex..however, this being amid a residential area ..I anticipate that there must be several shops nearby where one can get some quick food.

It was fun to stop here for some time while we were on our way to Panipat from Delhi.

Hope the review helps you. Blessings and bon voyage 🙂