Discovering the City and its Environs Ramji Das and his Tareekh-o Aasar-e Dehli

Abstract

In 1854, Ramji Das, a retired officer from the Collectorate of Delhi penned a small, wonderful work, at the behest of Colonel Hamilton, called Tareekh-o Aasar-e Dehli, introducing to us several typologies of structures focussed partially on the city and the rest in its environs, including villages. He used the structures to highlight three to four important issues. The names of the builders, the purpose of the structures, their present state and the colloquialisms, anecdotes and popular cultures associated with them. The underlying theme of all structures was that they were for the benefit of large numbers of people. The author of this book apprised the readers of the newly created administrative divisions in the geographical region of Delhi. Ramji Das’s work was contemporaneous with Saiyid Ahmad Khan’s second edited version of Asar-us Sanadid, yet it has a relevance, importance and uniqueness of its own. Only one manuscript copy has been located recently, that too after nearly 165 years and it is now a published text in Urdu.