The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) will organise 12 guided heritage and nature walks across six locations over six months, beginning October 24, under a memorandum of understanding with the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), Delhi Chapter. The programme will cover Sanjay Van, Mehrauli Archaeological Park, Sultan Garhi, Tughlaqabad, Deer Park-Hauz Khas and the Northern Ridge.
The walks will be held twice a month, according to the DDA. The first session is scheduled at Mehrauli Archaeological Park on October 24 at 4pm. Each walk will accommodate up to 40 participants, with the fee fixed at Rs 500 plus GST per person. Online registration is available through the DDA portal.
Participants in the first walk will be introduced to the archaeological park’s historic structures, architectural features and lesser-known accounts connected with Delhi’s past. The programme combines built heritage with the city’s natural landscapes, bringing sites such as Sanjay Van and the Northern Ridge into the same public engagement effort as Mehrauli, Sultan Garhi and Tughlaqabad.
Under the six-month MoU, INTACH will curate the routes, themes and interpretative content. The heritage organisation will also arrange heritage experts and guides in coordination with the DDA. The authority will facilitate access, permissions and other administrative arrangements for the walks.
DDA officials said the initiative was taken on the directions of Lieutenant Governor TS Sandhu. The authority said the programme is intended to connect residents with Delhi’s historical legacy, architectural heritage and natural assets. It follows a heritage walk led by Sandhu at Sanjay Van earlier in October and the launch of a digital booklet titled Exploring the Delhi Ridge: Reviving the Heritage of the Lungs of Delhi.
The booklet and the new walks place the Delhi Ridge within the DDA’s wider focus on ecological conservation and heritage protection. The Ridge is a major natural landscape within the capital, while several of the other locations in the programme contain archaeological remains, historic structures or long-established urban green spaces. The initiative therefore extends heritage access beyond individual monuments to larger landscapes where history, ecology and public use overlap.
The programme is also aligned with the Master Plan for Delhi 2047, which emphasises heritage conservation alongside planned and sustainable urban development. According to officials, the plan encourages heritage trails and cultural circuits to promote tourism and connect people with the city’s history.
The DDA had organised Heritage Week earlier this year to increase awareness of Delhi’s cultural and architectural heritage, particularly among students and young people. The latest programme will run for six months and provide a structured schedule of guided visits rather than a one-time event. Its next public milestone is the first walk at Mehrauli Archaeological Park on October 24 at 4pm.
