Bijay Mandal

Tucked inside in an urban village and several residential colonies in south Delhi, this charming complex is believed to contain the ruins of the palace built by the 14th-century ruler Muhammad bin Tughlaq. The visiting Moroccan traveller Ibn Battuta had described the palace as having a thousand wooden pillars. Climb up the central two-storey octagonal tower for sweeping views of the surrounding monuments and buildings in south Delhi. Situated near the Bijay Mandal, the simple-yet-grand Begumpur Masjid was also built in the 14th century by Muhammad bin Tughlaq’s cousin and successor Firoz Shah Tughlaq’s prime minister. Its spacious courtyard houses a central two-storeyed prayer hall with numerous domes. Visitors can climb to the top for a bird’s eye view of landmarks such as the Qutub Minar and Lotus Temple.