A trans conservationist’s guide to queer heritage in Delhi

No heritage trail in this eternally mourning city could be possible without visiting a grave. A little deeper inside the sloping lanes of Mehrauli village lies the Hijron ka Khanqah (translating to ‘burial ground for the third gender’), built sometime in the fifteenth century, and tucked just off the tourist-heavy Mehrauli Archaeological Park.

The medieval mosque-cum-graveyard was historically managed by the third gender community of Old Delhi’s Turkman Gate. Over time, a shift in power made management difficult, and the keys to the door passed on to a family living nearby. 

‘In the 1990s, Shree ji’s family used to deliver milk to the Hijra haveli at Turkman. Over time they gained trust for the upkeep of the complex, which is home to about 51 graves,’ says Batool. 

Entry to this gate is restricted to transpeople or known allies, so you can’t really walk in on a ticket. A burnished silver gate at the entrance blends almost too well into its surroundings, and is easy to miss at first glance. It opens into a narrow, low-ceilinged passage that spills into a quiet courtyard. 

Inside, you’ll find whitewashed walls, glittering Persian calligraphy, and sharp right-angled passages wrapping around the graves. At its centre lies the tomb of Sadhu Mai, a leader of the Hijra community, revered for once saving a king’s life. Batool tells us the site is venerated across Southeast Asia, drawing reverence far beyond Delhi’s (and India’s) borders.

Ticket: Free (entry restricted)
Address: Mehrauli Village, near Mehrauli Archaeological Park, South Delhi – 110030, India

This eighteenth-century Mughal garden was built by Mughal emperor Muhammad Shah Rangila’s chief eunuch, Roz Afsun Nasir. It served as a waystation for pilgrims visiting the dargah of Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki Dargah, located right next to the garden. 

Against Delhi’s arid climate, the trans noble figure built a Persian-style garden with elegant pavilions of red sandstone, stone, and plaster. The travel lodge-cum-garden was once enclosed by a stone wall and threaded with water channels that no longer survive. For Roz Afsun, it was their pocket of serenity beside the bustling Qutub complex.

Today, the garden stays true to its hidden nature, quietly fading into the Aravalli ridges of Delhi. Bagh-e-Nasir is a popular summer stopover for birds, even as the spot slips by almost unnoticed to most cityfolk. 

Ticket: Free
Address: Inside Mehrauli Archaeological Park, Mehrauli Village, South Delhi

This mosque once cradled the mighty Delhi Sultanate, but we’ll have to drop the whole story about that particular empire in exchange for a better one: that of Sultana Razia. 

Razia was an anomaly, almost a blip in the long line of the Sultanate’s male rulers from 1206 to 1526. What’s more – Razia didn’t wear a veil, cross-dressed as a man, rode horses and elephants, and also went to the mosque, defying everything stereotypically feminine. Mind you, this is the early thirteenth century.

In the run-up to succession, Razia went up to the Quwwat-ul-Islam Masjid on a fine Friday morning, when the mosque had its maximum number of worshippers. She asked the gathered crowd who they would want to see as their ‘king’. Backed by her father, Iltutmish, and after securing support from her citizens at the mosque, Razia became the first and only female ruler of Delhi.

Ticket: ₹35 to ₹40 (Indians), up to ₹600 (foreigners), free (children below 15)
Opening hours: Mon- Sun. 7am to 6pm
Address: Qutub Minar Complex, Mehrauli, New Delhi, Delhi 110030