Lado Serai

I visited Lado Sarai for the first time to take a look at the few historical structures still standing there. While the structures are small and few, they are interesting to visit for various reasons. There are a couple of nameless tombs, one mosque and a dargah just outside the village. All three structures within Lado Sarai village are from the Lodhi era (15th c.) . The first tomb is located near the Mehrauli-Badarpur road on the outskirts of the village, and has a small park around it. On the outside it has some glazed tile-work visible, and has been well restored inside. In fact it’s worth visiting just to see the stunning interiors of this small tomb.

Lado Sarai tomb near Mehrauli-Badarpur road

Glazed tile-work along the kanguras (battlements) and crown of the dome

Tomb interiors

. The second tomb is well within the village and encroached upon on three sides. Or three and a half sides! It is larger than the first tomb, and what little can be seen of the exterior is well detailed.

Lado Sarai tomb inside the village

Cowshed in front of the tomb

Proximity of nearby buildings

. The mosque has also been encroached upon on two sides, and its high platform is inaccessible since the stairs leading up to the mosque no longer exist.

Back of Lado Sarai mosque

Typically “sultanate” side turret

Front of the mosque, where the stairs would have been

Indicators of the past abound in Lado Sarai, like this stone wall

. Dargah of Sheikh Haidar, a 14th c. disciple of Nizamuddin, located outside Lado Sarai along the Mehruali-Badarpur road.

3 thoughts on “Lado Serai

    • Not sure, the sarai that the village is named after has long disappeared, but it must have been a sarai for visitors to Mehrauli/Bakhtiyar Kaki’s dargah.

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