Feast on history at this cafe

New Delhi: History lovers visiting Delhi’s Mehrauli Archaeological Park can now feast their eyes on a set of restored monuments and a revived old water body while satisfying their taste buds at a cafe set up in a stone-built circular heritage building. The curious-looking round structure that overlooks the water body, sits in the historic park and has been conserved and adaptively reused as a cafeteria. Named ‘The Garden Cafe’, it is a self-service cafe in the sprawling Mehrauli Archaeological Park which is dotted with more than 50 old structures dating to different periods, neighbouring the iconic Qutub Minar.

The cafeteria’s main lounge is housed in a monument, labelled “Unknown Circular Monument” on an inscription stone near it. This round structure, along with a number of other monuments and the historic water body in the over 200-acre park, earlier lay neglected, and have received a new lease of life under a revival and restoration project undertaken in the last six to seven months. The site was in bad shape earlier, and some of the monuments had graffiti scrawled on their walls, while the water body till a few months ago had silt and garbage in it, presenting an ungainly sight to visitors. The restoration and redevelopment work undertaken in the park was unveiled by Lt Governor V K Saxena on Friday evening. After the event, refreshments were served to Saxena and other guests near the newly set-up cafeteria.

“This cafe is now open to people and they can come and enjoy here from 10 am to 7 pm. Visitors can now feast on history and some good food while exploring the historic park,” a senior official of the DDA said.

The park comes under the Delhi Development Authority (DDA). The location of the cafe offers a beautiful view of the Qutub Minar -- a UNESCO World Heritage Site -- from one side and of gushing fountains which get illuminated by sunset from the other side. “Delhi is full of heritage and there is a need to preserve it. A few months ago, this area had a dense jungle, debris lay scattered and the water body was covered in silt. But, in six to seven months the area has been transformed,” Saxena told reporters during his visit to the park on Friday.

The Lt Governor, also chairman of the DDA, said a cafe has also been set up as part of the revival and redevelopment project. “In future, there will be more such projects, and we are looking for more such heritage sites which can be revived where families can come and enjoy,” he said, adding, in November, “another gift” will be given to the people of Delhi. According to a menu board displayed at the cafe, visitors can order tea, coffee, muffins, sandwiches, burgers, and kulchas, among other items.