PIECE OF HISTORY LOST FOREVER: The mosque at Qadam Sharief built by Feroz Shah Tughlaq gives way to a modern day structure.

NEW DELHI: It is over 600 years of history now reduced to dust. With buildings with a past disappearing from the Capital slowly, the latest casualty is a mosque at Qadam Sharief near Paharganj built by Feroz Shah Tughlak. Razed to make place for a modern structure, while there are many `protectors' of heritage in the Capital, there seems to be no real commitment to protect historic buildings.

Listed by the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) in "Delhi: The Built Heritage" as Archaeological Value A, the mosque had been notified by the Municipal Cooperation of Delhi (MCD) in 2001. The INTACH list also mentions that modern alterations had been made to the building and that there was serious deterioration to the structure, but nothing was done by the MCD to rectify the situation.

While the notification clearly states that no alteration can be made on the structure without the permission of the MCD, the mosque has been knocked down and rebuilt, but the MCD Heritage Committee is totally clueless. With little idea of where the building is or what state it was in, officials seem to be more keen on celebrating World Heritage Day on April 18, rather than enforcing laws to safeguard heritage.

A classic example of how little heritage matters in the city, despite having many guardians, including the Delhi Wakf Board, the mosque could not be saved. Officials claimed to be "helpless" as the residents were responsible for looking after the building.

"These things have happened in the past. There have been many committees and especially after the new by-laws have come into place, such things should have stopped. The officials claim that they have instructed their people to ensure that heritage is protected. The area inspectors have a list now. If they know something is happening to a building, they should stop it. Otherwise there should be some kind of punishment," said the convenor of the Delhi Chapter of INTACH, O.P. Jain.

Lost in the maze of tiny bylanes, the mosque was situated in the heart of what was the imposing Qadam Sharif fort built by Feroz Shah. Legend has it that when he heard of the stone bearing the Prophet's footprints, he sent an emissary to the Caliph of Egypt with the present day equivalent of 1,100,00,00 silver coins to get the relics. These relics are only brought out during Urs.

Interestingly, the listing of Delhi done by Zafar Hasan in the 20th Century, which serves as a "Bible" for the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), observed that the walls of the fort were `protected'. However, over the years the walls have disappeared and taken off the ASI list. Zafar Hasan also states that the mosque should be protected. A significant building that seems to have escaped the attention of the ASI, has been lost forever.

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