The Delhi Ridge digital guide launched by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) and the INTACH Delhi Chapter maps 11 heritage sites across the 87-hectare Northern Ridge, providing coordinates, nearby metro stations, historical background and visitor information for residents, students and tourists.
Titled Exploring the Delhi Ridge: Reviving the Heritage of the “Lungs of Delhi”, the digital booklet connects sites spread across the Ridge into a single heritage trail. Its historical coverage extends from the third-century BCE Ashokan Pillar to locations associated with the Revolt of 1857 and the colonial period.
The Ashokan Pillar is among the sites highlighted in the guide. The pillar originally stood in Meerut before being brought to Delhi by Firoz Shah Tughlaq in the 14th century. After being damaged during the Mughal period, it was reassembled and re-erected in 1867, according to the booklet.
Other locations 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 booklet also records evidence of human activity in the area before the emergence of cities. Stone Age tools discovered in the Northern Ridge suggest that hunter-gatherer communities inhabited the landscape, while other entries document the Delhi Sultanate and colonial periods.
Several sites are linked to the events of 1857. Flagstaff Tower, built in 1828 as a military signal station, became a refuge for British officers and civilians when the uprising reached Delhi on May 11, 1857. The building now associated with Hindu Rao Hospital was another British position during the siege.
The Mutiny Memorial, also known as Ajitgarh, was erected by the British in 1863 to commemorate members of the Delhi Field Force. A plaque added in 1972 honours Indian freedom fighters associated with the uprising. The guide presents the monument’s competing historical interpretations alongside information on its architecture and significance.
Each site entry includes its history, architectural features, significance and present condition. The booklet also identifies conservation needs, linking visitor information with the authority’s recent restoration work on historical structures located in parks and ridges.
Although its opening chapter focuses on the Northern Ridge near Delhi University, the publication covers all four Ridge zones: Northern, Central, South-Central and Southern. The wider scope includes heritage landscapes around Sanjay Van, the Qutub Minar complex, Mehrauli, Tughlaqabad and Sultan Ghari.
DDA and INTACH have identified circuits and trails intended for development as heritage walks. Officials said the broader initiative is expected to include QR-enabled interpretation, interactive maps and AI-assisted digital resources to make the monuments easier to discover and understand. The next stage will involve developing the identified trails and heritage walks for visitors.
