Have you ever wondered why “Tis Hazari” is called Tis Hazari and not Chaalis ya Pachaas Hazari?
Let’s decode how this name and place came into existence.
In 1783, Baba Bagher Singh, Jassa Singh Ahluwalia and Jassa Singh Ramgarhia came to Delhi with troops and 40,000 horses from Punjab to Delhi. The Sikhs came to Delhi to battle with the Mughals and end their reign.
Before attacking the Red Fort and Fateh Delhi, the Sikhs were divided into three groups, A group of 5000 were deployed at the Majnu-Ka-Tila; 5000 were deployed at Ajmeri Gate and the rest of the 30,000 were camped at this place which we now call “Tis Hazari” before attacking Red Fort and defeat the Mughal Emperor.
When Shah Alam II, the then Mughal Badshah of Delhi, came to know about the arrival of the Sardars he ordered and managed to close the gates of Delhi.
Delhi, during that time was fortified which means ‘Shahjahanbad’ had gates all around it and the only way to access the city was through gates. But now the gates were closed and guarded by the Mughals.
The Sikhs were trying to figure out the solution to this problem, then it is believed that the Sikhs met with a ‘man of god’ who was a mason in Mughal Darbar. The man said that there was a spot in one of the walls from where they could enter Delhi.
The Sikhs after gathering the information decided to create a “Mori”, which means ‘hole’ in Punjabi, on the wall and defeated Shah Alam II and conquered the fortified Delhi in the Battle of Delhi. Today, this place is known as “Mori Gate”.
After capturing Delhi the Sikh took the throne to the Darbar Sahib which is still present in the Ramgarhia Bunga. The Sikhs were awarded 3 Lakh rupees by the court of Delhi for construction of all historical Sikh Gurudwaras in Delhi.
The Court also gifted a lot of mithayi to the Sikhs which were distributed among the civilians of Delhi. Later, the place came to be known as “Pul Mithayi”. This is a bridge built during the Mughal Era as an epitome of triumph for the Sikh Forces after successfully conquering Delhi. This act of sharing sweets not only marked their success but also celebrated the joy among the soldiers and the civilians.
Today, Tis Hazari is the area that is synonymous with the swarmed complex of Delhi Courts, yet it holds a historical importance for the city and the Sikhs.
