<p>The Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports, Kiren Rijiju has said that <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/ddca-to-rename-feroz-shah-kotla-as-arun-jaitley-stadium-246017">Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA</a>) have taken the right decision of renaming the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium as Arun Jaitley Stadium.</p>

<p>"Indian cricket and Delhi cricket have been closely associated with Arun Jaitley. As a sports minister, I would like to say that DDCA has taken the right decision by deciding to rename Feroz Shah Kotla to Arun Jaitley Stadium. I will go to the program which will be arranged and it will be the right tribute to Arun Jaitley," Rijiju told ANI.</p>

<p>DDCA on Tuesday announced that the renaming of the stadium will be done on September 12.</p>

<p>The former Union Minister who passed away on August 24, was appointed as the chief of Delhi's cricket body in 1999 and he held the post for 13 years.</p>

<p>Rijiju also met shuttler PV Sindhu on Tuesday as she returned after a winning stint at the BWF World Championships.</p>

<p>The Sports Ministry awarded Sindhu with Rs 10 lakhs as she became the first Indian to win gold at the championship.</p>

<p>"We have felicitated everyone who have returned from the BWF World Championships. This was the first time, that we had the cheques ready before the players arrived in Delhi. I believe the government should help players in every way possible," Rijiju said.</p>

<p>"PV Sindhu was also awarded 10 lakhs, Sai Praneeth was given four lakhs for winning a bronze medal in BWF World Championships," he added.</p>

<p>Rijiju had also handed over cheques worth Rs 1.82 crores to para-badminton world championship winners.</p>

<p>The gold medal winners got Rs 20 lakh each while silver and bronze medallist took home Rs 14 lakh and Rs 8 lakh respectively.</p>

<p>Winners in doubles events were given Rs 15 lakh each for gold, Rs 10.5 lakh each for silver and Rs 6 lakh each for bronze.</p>

<p>"Para-Athletes who have returned from badminton championships have also been awarded. Players winning gold have been awarded 20 lakhs, players who have won gold in the doubles event, have been awarded 15 lakhs each," Rijiju said.</p>

<p>"All the para-athletes were very happy. The Narendra Modi-government is adamant on working hard and we will encourage every athlete in the country," he added.&nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;</p>


The Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports, Kiren Rijiju has said that Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) have taken the right decision of renaming the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium as Arun Jaitley Stadium.

The Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports, Kiren Rijiju has said that Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) have taken the right decision of renaming the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium as Arun Jaitley Stadium. "Indian cricket and Delhi cricket have been closely associated with Arun Jaitley. As a sports minister, I would like to say that DDCA has taken the right decision by deciding to rename Feroz Shah Kotla to Arun Jaitley Stadium. I will go to the program which will be arranged and it will be the right tribute to Arun Jaitley," Rijiju told ANI. DDCA on Tuesday announced that the renaming of the stadium will be done on September 12. The former Union Minister who passed away on August 24, was appointed as the chief of Delhi's cricket body in 1999 and he held the post for 13 years. Rijiju also met shuttler PV Sindhu on Tuesday as she returned after a winning stint at the BWF World Championships. The Sports Ministry awarded Sindhu with Rs 10 lakhs as she became the first Indian to win gold at the championship. "We have felicitated everyone who have returned from the BWF World Championships. This was the first time, that we had the cheques ready before the players arrived in Delhi. I believe the government should help players in every way possible," Rijiju said. "PV Sindhu was also awarded 10 lakhs, Sai Praneeth was given four lakhs for winning a bronze medal in BWF World Championships," he added. Rijiju had also handed over cheques worth Rs 1.82 crores to para-badminton world championship winners. The gold medal winners got Rs 20 lakh each while silver and bronze medallist took home Rs 14 lakh and Rs 8 lakh respectively. Winners in doubles events were given Rs 15 lakh each for gold, Rs 10.5 lakh each for silver and Rs 6 lakh each for bronze. "Para-Athletes who have returned from badminton championships have also been awarded. Players winning gold have been awarded 20 lakhs, players who have won gold in the doubles event, have been awarded 15 lakhs each," Rijiju said. "All the para-athletes were very happy. The Narendra Modi-government is adamant on working hard and we will encourage every athlete in the country," he added.

DDCA has taken right decision in renaming Feroz Shah Kotla after Arun Jaitley: Kiren Rijiju

<p>The Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) announced to rename the Feroz Shah Kotla cricket stadium as <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/former-finance-minister-arun-jaitleys-mortal-remains-moved-to-bjp-headquarters-several-leaders-arrive-to-pay-respects-245427">Arun Jaitley</a> Stadium to give tribute to the former DDCA President and BCCI Vice-President.&nbsp;</p>

<p>DDCA also confirmed that the stadium has been named as Arun Jaitley Stadium. The ground will continue to be called the Feroz Shah Kotla.&nbsp;</p>

<p>A stand will also be named after Indian skipper Virat Kohli.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The ceremony will take place on September 12.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Big announcement: DDCA president <a href="https://twitter.com/RajatSharmaLive?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RajatSharmaLive</a> and Apex Council decide to name one Stand of Ferozshah Kotla stadium as ‘Virat Kohli Stand’ in honour of his achievements. <a href="https://twitter.com/imVkohli?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@imVkohli</a> and Indian team will be felicitated on September 12. More details on DDCA website... <a href="https://twitter.com/BCCI?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BCCI</a></p>
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<p>"Kotla to be renamed as Arun Jaitley Stadium. The renaming of Delhi's famous cricket venue as Arun Jaitley Stadium will take place on September 12 at a function where a Stand of the ground will be named after India captain Virat Kohli," DDCA tweeted.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"Kotla to be renamed as Arun Jaitley Stadium. In a fitting tribute to its former president Arun Jaitley, @delhi_cricket has decided to name the Stadium after him. Mr Jaitley, who passed away on August 24, was president of the DDCA from 1999 to 2013," DDCA further added.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Watch:&nbsp;Cremation at Nigam Bodh Ghat: India bids farewell, State funeral for Arun Jaitley</strong></p>

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<p>Jaitley, former finance minister of India, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/arun-jaitley-cremated-at-delhis-nigambodh-ghat-last-rites-performed-by-son-rohan-245500">passed&nbsp;away on August 24</a> after a prolonged illness.&nbsp;</p>


The Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) announced to rename the Feroz Shah Kotla cricket stadium as Arun Jaitley Stadium to give tribute to the former DDCA President and BCCI Vice-President.

The Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) announced to rename the Feroz Shah Kotla cricket stadium as Arun Jaitley Stadium to give tribute to the former DDCA President and BCCI Vice-President. DDCA also confirmed that the stadium has been named as Arun Jaitley Stadium. The ground will continue to be called the Feroz Shah Kotla. A stand will also be named after Indian skipper Virat Kohli. The ceremony will take place on September 12. Big announcement: DDCA president @RajatSharmaLive and Apex Council decide to name one Stand of Ferozshah Kotla stadium as ‘Virat Kohli Stand’ in honour of his achievements. @imVkohli and Indian team will be felicitated on September 12. More details on DDCA website... @BCCI — DDCA (@delhi_cricket) August 18, 2019 × "Kotla to be renamed as Arun Jaitley Stadium. The renaming of Delhi's famous cricket venue as Arun Jaitley Stadium will take place on September 12 at a function where a Stand of the ground will be named after India captain Virat Kohli," DDCA tweeted. "Kotla to be renamed as Arun Jaitley Stadium. In a fitting tribute to its former president Arun Jaitley, @delhi_cricket has decided to name the Stadium after him. Mr Jaitley, who passed away on August 24, was president of the DDCA from 1999 to 2013," DDCA further added. Watch: Cremation at Nigam Bodh Ghat: India bids farewell, State funeral for Arun Jaitley × Jaitley, former finance minister of India, passed away on August 24 after a prolonged illness.

DDCA to rename Feroz Shah Kotla as Arun Jaitley Stadium

IPL 2019: Match preview of Delhi vs Bangalore and Kolkata vs Mumbai

<p>Shreyas Iyer-led Delhi will host Dinesh Karthik-led Kolkata in an&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/ipl-2019">Indian Premier League</a> match at the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Known for its slowness, the conditions of Kotla might turn out to be favourable for the visiting team Kolkata.&nbsp;</p>

<p>As we have seen in the previous match when Chennai exploited the slow conditions at Kotla better than the home side with their spinners taking full advantage of the track.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The same way, Kolkata also have a world-class spin bowling attack led by Kuldeep Yadav, Sunil Narine, along with Piyush Chawla.&nbsp;</p>

<p>With a rock solid bowling attack, their batting is also top-notch at the moment with the likes of Sunil Narine, Nitish Rana, Andre Russell, Robin Uthappa and Shubhman.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Especially, Russell, with his incredible power-hitting ability, is the most dangerous batsman.&nbsp;</p>

<p>For Delhi, both the openers Shikhar Dhawan and Rishabh Pant have been in good form but to score runs at Kotla's slow pitch against spinners is a difficult task.&nbsp;</p>

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<p>Despite having Shreyas Iyer and Prithvi Shaw, middle batting order will be an issue for the team.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In the bowling unit, Delhi spinners Axar Patel, Rahul Tewatiya and Amit Mishra will have to be on top form while dealing with the in-form Kolkata batsmen.&nbsp;</p>

<p>But Kagiso Rabada needs to step up as will also have to take the load of stopping runs in the beginning.&nbsp;</p>

<p>It will be interesting to see what kind of track Delhi opts for in the remainder of the home matches and how Delhi-led team will prepare for Kolkata.&nbsp;</p>


Shreyas Iyer-led Delhi will host Dinesh Karthik-led Kolkata in an Indian Premier League match at the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium. Known for its slowness, the conditions of Kotla might turn out to be favourable for the visiting team Kolkata.

Shreyas Iyer-led Delhi will host Dinesh Karthik-led Kolkata in an Indian Premier League match at the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium. Known for its slowness, the conditions of Kotla might turn out to be favourable for the visiting team Kolkata. As we have seen in the previous match when Chennai exploited the slow conditions at Kotla better than the home side with their spinners taking full advantage of the track. The same way, Kolkata also have a world-class spin bowling attack led by Kuldeep Yadav, Sunil Narine, along with Piyush Chawla. With a rock solid bowling attack, their batting is also top-notch at the moment with the likes of Sunil Narine, Nitish Rana, Andre Russell, Robin Uthappa and Shubhman. Especially, Russell, with his incredible power-hitting ability, is the most dangerous batsman. For Delhi, both the openers Shikhar Dhawan and Rishabh Pant have been in good form but to score runs at Kotla's slow pitch against spinners is a difficult task. × Despite having Shreyas Iyer and Prithvi Shaw, middle batting order will be an issue for the team. In the bowling unit, Delhi spinners Axar Patel, Rahul Tewatiya and Amit Mishra will have to be on top form while dealing with the in-form Kolkata batsmen. But Kagiso Rabada needs to step up as will also have to take the load of stopping runs in the beginning. It will be interesting to see what kind of track Delhi opts for in the remainder of the home matches and how Delhi-led team will prepare for Kolkata.

IPL 2019, Kolkata vs Delhi: Game of spinners at Feroz Shah Kotla

<p>Chennai failed to reach atop league's table as MS Dhoni-led Chennai team was defeated by already eliminated Delhi on Friday at Feroz Shah Kotla stadium and by handing over a tragic defeat to Chennai, team&nbspDelhi has managed to salvage its cricketing pride.</p>

<p>Earlier, MSD had won the toss and invited the host to bat first as the skipper Dhoni was suspicious that the pitch might deteriorate after some time.</p>

<p>Delhi, batting first put up a modest target of 163 runs which Chennai failed to achieve in 20 overs and lost the match by 34 runs.</p>

<p>While chasing, Chennai started off well as the opener Ambati Rayudu slammed half-century off 29 balls, on the other hand, another opener Shane Watson lost his wicket to Amit Mishra's tricky spin bowl after scoring just 14 runs.</p>

<p>Suresh Raina (15) and MS Dhoni (17) lost their wickets to &nbspSandeep Lamichhane and Trent Boult respectively. It was a good opportunity for the batsmen to prove their calibre by chasing the total but the "Yellow Brigade" lost it.</p>

<p>Unbeaten Ravindra Jadeja tried to push the run rate in the death over, he scored 27 crucial runs and held the inning on one side but other batsmen kept losing their wickets from the other side.</p>

<p>Trent Boult and Amit Mishra struck twice to restrict the Chennai team, also, young talent from Nepal Sandeep Lamichhane and Harshal Patel took one wicket each to help the bowling unit in defending the total.</p>

<p>In the first innings, Delhi's opener Prithvi Shaw and Shreyas Iyer scored 17 and 19 runs respectively.</p>

<p>Prithvi Shaw lost his wicket to Deepak Chahar and pacer Lungi Ngidi out bowled skipper Shreyas Iyer.</p>

<p>At number three, Rishabh Pant came in and scored 38 crucial runs for the team. Also, Vijay Shankar and Harshal Patel contributed with their bats to push the run rate and put up a decent total on the board.</p>

<p>Glenn Maxwell, who has been on and off throughout the tournament, again failed and scored only five runs.</p>

<p>For Chennai, Lungi Ngidi was proved most economical as he took two important wickets and other than that, Deepak Chahar, Ravindra Jadeja and Shardul Thakur got one wicket each.</p>


Chennai failed to reach atop league's table as MS Dhoni-led Chennai team was defeated by already eliminated Delhi

Chennai failed to reach atop league's table as MS Dhoni-led Chennai team was defeated by already eliminated Delhi on Friday at Feroz Shah Kotla stadium and by handing over a tragic defeat to Chennai, team&nbspDelhi has managed to salvage its cricketing pride. Earlier, MSD had won the toss and invited the host to bat first as the skipper Dhoni was suspicious that the pitch might deteriorate after some time. Delhi, batting first put up a modest target of 163 runs which Chennai failed to achieve in 20 overs and lost the match by 34 runs. While chasing, Chennai started off well as the opener Ambati Rayudu slammed half-century off 29 balls, on the other hand, another opener Shane Watson lost his wicket to Amit Mishra's tricky spin bowl after scoring just 14 runs. Suresh Raina (15) and MS Dhoni (17) lost their wickets to &nbspSandeep Lamichhane and Trent Boult respectively. It was a good opportunity for the batsmen to prove their calibre by chasing the total but the "Yellow Brigade" lost it. Unbeaten Ravindra Jadeja tried to push the run rate in the death over, he scored 27 crucial runs and held the inning on one side but other batsmen kept losing their wickets from the other side. Trent Boult and Amit Mishra struck twice to restrict the Chennai team, also, young talent from Nepal Sandeep Lamichhane and Harshal Patel took one wicket each to help the bowling unit in defending the total. In the first innings, Delhi's opener Prithvi Shaw and Shreyas Iyer scored 17 and 19 runs respectively. Prithvi Shaw lost his wicket to Deepak Chahar and pacer Lungi Ngidi out bowled skipper Shreyas Iyer. At number three, Rishabh Pant came in and scored 38 crucial runs for the team. Also, Vijay Shankar and Harshal Patel contributed with their bats to push the run rate and put up a decent total on the board. Glenn Maxwell, who has been on and off throughout the tournament, again failed and scored only five runs. For Chennai, Lungi Ngidi was proved most economical as he took two important wickets and other than that, Deepak Chahar, Ravindra Jadeja and Shardul Thakur got one wicket each.

IPL 2018: Delhi beat Chennai by 34 runs to salvage cricketing pride

<p>Delhi&#39;s Rishabh Pant slammed a 32-ball century in Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy against Himachal Pradesh, making it the fastest ton by an Indian and second fastest in T20&#39;s history.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The wicketkeeper-batsman scored an unbeaten 116 runs off just 38 deliveries at the Feroz Shah Kotla ground, leading his team to a thumping 10-wicket victory on Sunday.</p>

<p>His thriving knock included 12 sixes and eight fours.</p>

<p>Chris Gayle still holds the record for the fastest century in the format when he clubbed 100 off just 30 deliveries against Pune Warriors in an Indian Premier League match back in 2013.</p>

<p>Pant, who was retained for Rs 15 crore by Indian Premier League franchise Delhi Daredevils, had veteran batsman Gautam Gambhir in partnership but the latter only played the watching game as the youngster kept smashing the balls all around the park.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The two chased down the target of 144 in just 11.4 overs.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Pant, who batted with a phenomenal strike rate of 305.26, also took four catches behind the wicket.</p>

<p>It is interesting to note that Pant was sacked from state captaincy for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy campaign despite leading the team to the Ranji Trophy final.</p>

<p>The decision was taken after the coach and selectors felt that captaincy was affecting Pant&rsquo;s batting.&nbsp;</p>


His thriving knock included 12 sixes and eight fours.

Delhi's Rishabh Pant slammed a 32-ball century in Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy against Himachal Pradesh, making it the fastest ton by an Indian and second fastest in T20's history. The wicketkeeper-batsman scored an unbeaten 116 runs off just 38 deliveries at the Feroz Shah Kotla ground, leading his team to a thumping 10-wicket victory on Sunday. His thriving knock included 12 sixes and eight fours. Chris Gayle still holds the record for the fastest century in the format when he clubbed 100 off just 30 deliveries against Pune Warriors in an Indian Premier League match back in 2013. Pant, who was retained for Rs 15 crore by Indian Premier League franchise Delhi Daredevils, had veteran batsman Gautam Gambhir in partnership but the latter only played the watching game as the youngster kept smashing the balls all around the park. The two chased down the target of 144 in just 11.4 overs. Pant, who batted with a phenomenal strike rate of 305.26, also took four catches behind the wicket. It is interesting to note that Pant was sacked from state captaincy for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy campaign despite leading the team to the Ranji Trophy final. The decision was taken after the coach and selectors felt that captaincy was affecting Pant’s batting.

Rishabh Pant slams fastest T20 century by Indian, second-fastest in history

<p>Former captain Angelo Mathews dug deep into his reservoir of experience as Sri Lankan showed some stomach for a fight, reaching 192 for three at lunch against India on the third day of the final cricket Test here.</p>

<p>Starting the day at 131 for three, the Sri Lankan batsmen were cautious in their approach during the first session on a benign Feroz Shah Kotla track that offered little help to the Indian bowlers.</p>

<p>Mathews was batting on 90 in the company of skipper Chandimal, who remained undefeated on 52 when play broke for lunch.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Also read: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/cricket/3rd-test-play-halted-twice-due-to-pollution-lanka-players-wear-masks-while-fielding-25729">Pollution halts play three times, Lanka players wear masks while fielding</a></p>

<p>Also read: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/cricket/cricketers-vomiting-after-playing-in-polluted-delhi-sri-lanka-coach-25769">Cricketers vomiting after playing in polluted Delhi, says Sri Lanka coach</a></p>

<p>Mathews went on to score his eighth Test century.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The duo added 117 runs for an unbroken fourth-wicket stand, as Sri Lanka trailed by 344 runs in their first innings.</p>

<p>Such has been the Indian dominance that this was the visiting side&#39;s first-century partnership of the series.</p>

<p>It also helped that two of Sri Lanka&#39;s most experienced batsmen in Mathews and Chandimal shouldered the responsibility under pressure.</p>

<p>Mathews has so far faced 194 balls, hitting 11 boundaries and two sixes. Chandimal has so far consumed 165 balls, hitting seven fours in the process.</p>

<p>The Indian bowlers could not be faulted despite little assistance from the track.</p>

<p>Even then Ishant Sharma (1/61 from 17 overs) got some of the deliveries to rear up awkwardly, but the Lankan duo did not do anything impetuous, leaving most of them alone.</p>

<p>Ishant, in particular, bowled a testing spell to Mathews with some of the balls coming into him after hitting the seam. However, his short deliveries most of the times could be left alone as they were not pitched in the right areas.</p>

<p>After the first hour, Kohli brought back Mohammed Shami (1/49 in 17 overs) to make good use of the old ball. Chandimal hit a gorgeous cover drive and Shami responded with a well- disguised bouncer. He followed it up with one into his body that Chandimal tried to tuck away.</p>

<p>The ball was in the air but fell agonisingly short of Ajinkya Rahane at leg gully. The skipper was on 43 then.</p>


Sri Lanka were at 192 for 3 when play broke for lunch

Former captain Angelo Mathews dug deep into his reservoir of experience as Sri Lankan showed some stomach for a fight, reaching 192 for three at lunch against India on the third day of the final cricket Test here. Starting the day at 131 for three, the Sri Lankan batsmen were cautious in their approach during the first session on a benign Feroz Shah Kotla track that offered little help to the Indian bowlers. Mathews was batting on 90 in the company of skipper Chandimal, who remained undefeated on 52 when play broke for lunch. Also read: Pollution halts play three times, Lanka players wear masks while fielding Also read: Cricketers vomiting after playing in polluted Delhi, says Sri Lanka coach Mathews went on to score his eighth Test century. The duo added 117 runs for an unbroken fourth-wicket stand, as Sri Lanka trailed by 344 runs in their first innings. Such has been the Indian dominance that this was the visiting side's first-century partnership of the series. It also helped that two of Sri Lanka's most experienced batsmen in Mathews and Chandimal shouldered the responsibility under pressure. Mathews has so far faced 194 balls, hitting 11 boundaries and two sixes. Chandimal has so far consumed 165 balls, hitting seven fours in the process. The Indian bowlers could not be faulted despite little assistance from the track. Even then Ishant Sharma (1/61 from 17 overs) got some of the deliveries to rear up awkwardly, but the Lankan duo did not do anything impetuous, leaving most of them alone. Ishant, in particular, bowled a testing spell to Mathews with some of the balls coming into him after hitting the seam. However, his short deliveries most of the times could be left alone as they were not pitched in the right areas. After the first hour, Kohli brought back Mohammed Shami (1/49 in 17 overs) to make good use of the old ball. Chandimal hit a gorgeous cover drive and Shami responded with a well- disguised bouncer. He followed it up with one into his body that Chandimal tried to tuck away. The ball was in the air but fell agonisingly short of Ajinkya Rahane at leg gully. The skipper was on 43 then.

3rd Test, Day 3: Sri Lanka's Angelo Mathews digs deep into reservoir of experience, hits ton

<p>Indian cricket&#39;s current &#39;Milestone Man&#39; Virat Kohli today became the first international captain to hit three successive hundreds in a three-Test series.</p>

<p>Kohli also completed his individual 5000 runs in the longest version of the game.</p>

<p>While many captains have had three or four Test tons in a five-match series, it is rarity that a batsman has scored three consecutive tons in a three-match series.</p>

<p>Kohli now has 11 international hundreds in a season -- one less than Sachin Tendulkar&#39;s 12.</p>

<p>The Indian captain scored 104 not out in Kolkata followed by 213 in Nagpur before completing his hat-trick with his 20th Test hundred in his 63rd game here.</p>

<p>Incidentally, this is also Kohli&#39;s first ever Test hundred at the Feroz Shah Kotla.</p>

<p>His century off 110 balls and the half-century off 52 balls were his individual fastest landmarks in this format.</p>

<p>The 5000 runs came in 105th innings, which is the fourth fastest among the Indian batsmen after Sunil Gavaskar (95 innings), Virender Sehwag (98 innings) and Sachin Tendulkar (103 innings).</p>


Kohli also completed his individual 5000 runs in the longest version of the game

Indian cricket's current 'Milestone Man' Virat Kohli today became the first international captain to hit three successive hundreds in a three-Test series. Kohli also completed his individual 5000 runs in the longest version of the game. While many captains have had three or four Test tons in a five-match series, it is rarity that a batsman has scored three consecutive tons in a three-match series. Kohli now has 11 international hundreds in a season -- one less than Sachin Tendulkar's 12. The Indian captain scored 104 not out in Kolkata followed by 213 in Nagpur before completing his hat-trick with his 20th Test hundred in his 63rd game here. Incidentally, this is also Kohli's first ever Test hundred at the Feroz Shah Kotla. His century off 110 balls and the half-century off 52 balls were his individual fastest landmarks in this format. The 5000 runs came in 105th innings, which is the fourth fastest among the Indian batsmen after Sunil Gavaskar (95 innings), Virender Sehwag (98 innings) and Sachin Tendulkar (103 innings).

Kohli first captain to score hat-trick of tons in 3-match series

<p>Opener Murali Vijay stroked a fluent fifty to steer a record-chasing India to 116 for two at lunch on the opening day of the third and final test against Sri Lanka on Saturday.</p>

<p>The tourists struck twice in the morning but could not stem the flow of boundaries, which made up 72 of India&#39;s runs at the interval.</p>

<p>Vijay, who scored 128 in the second test in Nagpur, was 51 not out, with skipper Virat Kohli looking characteristically fluent at the other end on 17 after he had won the toss and opted to bat at the Feroz Shah Kotla.</p>

<p>Right-handed opener Lokesh Rahul made way for the left-handed Shikhar Dhawan as India, 1-0 up in the series, shuffled the top of their batting order for a third match in a row.</p>

<p>Dhawan could not make the most of the opportunity, though, his attempted sweep shot off Dilruwan Perera resulting in a top edge which Suranga Lakmal pouched at deep square leg.</p>

<p>The opener made 23 before becoming the off-spinner&#39;s 100th test victim in a Sri Lankan record 25 tests, two less than spin great Muttiah Muralitharan.</p>

<p>Next man in Cheteshwar Pujara played with trademark sagacity and hit four boundaries before walking into a Sri Lankan trap.</p>

<p>Paceman Lahiru Gamage stationed Sadeera Samarawickrama at leg slip and bowled the perfect delivery which Pujara tickled to the fielder to depart after making 23.</p>

<p>On a track that appears pregnant with runs, Vijay drove and cut with impunity, hitting seven boundaries in his elegant knock.</p>

<p>The right-hander brought up his fifty courtesy an overthrow by the Sri Lankans in the final over before lunch.</p>

<p>The hosts, chasing a record-equalling ninth consecutive test series victory, also made a bowling change with paceman Mohammed Shami returning to the side at the expense of Umesh Yadav.</p>

<p>Sri Lanka made three changes, including a first cap for 29-year-old batsman Roshen Silva, while also bringing in left-arm wrist-spinner Lakshan Sandakan and batsman Dhananjaya de Silva.</p>


Vijay, who scored 128 in the second test in Nagpur, was 51 not out

Opener Murali Vijay stroked a fluent fifty to steer a record-chasing India to 116 for two at lunch on the opening day of the third and final test against Sri Lanka on Saturday. The tourists struck twice in the morning but could not stem the flow of boundaries, which made up 72 of India's runs at the interval. Vijay, who scored 128 in the second test in Nagpur, was 51 not out, with skipper Virat Kohli looking characteristically fluent at the other end on 17 after he had won the toss and opted to bat at the Feroz Shah Kotla. Right-handed opener Lokesh Rahul made way for the left-handed Shikhar Dhawan as India, 1-0 up in the series, shuffled the top of their batting order for a third match in a row. Dhawan could not make the most of the opportunity, though, his attempted sweep shot off Dilruwan Perera resulting in a top edge which Suranga Lakmal pouched at deep square leg. The opener made 23 before becoming the off-spinner's 100th test victim in a Sri Lankan record 25 tests, two less than spin great Muttiah Muralitharan. Next man in Cheteshwar Pujara played with trademark sagacity and hit four boundaries before walking into a Sri Lankan trap. Paceman Lahiru Gamage stationed Sadeera Samarawickrama at leg slip and bowled the perfect delivery which Pujara tickled to the fielder to depart after making 23. On a track that appears pregnant with runs, Vijay drove and cut with impunity, hitting seven boundaries in his elegant knock. The right-hander brought up his fifty courtesy an overthrow by the Sri Lankans in the final over before lunch. The hosts, chasing a record-equalling ninth consecutive test series victory, also made a bowling change with paceman Mohammed Shami returning to the side at the expense of Umesh Yadav. Sri Lanka made three changes, including a first cap for 29-year-old batsman Roshen Silva, while also bringing in left-arm wrist-spinner Lakshan Sandakan and batsman Dhananjaya de Silva.

India vs Sri Lanka: Murali Vijay fifty pushes India to 116-2 at lunch

<p><strong>Eerie atmosphere, crying sounds, terrified people</strong></p>

<p>I smelt sandalwood and rose as I was taking off my shoes to enter the alleyway. &ldquo;<em>Beti, baal toh bandh le. Jinn ki kamzori hai khule baal aur ittar ki mehek</em> (Child, at least tie your hair. Jinns are drawn towards loose hair and the smell of perfume),&rdquo; said an old woman. I bunned my hair that very instant and tried to ignore the chills that went down my spine from her statement.</p>

<p>Another woman sat outside one of the dungeons, banging her head against the wall, crying to herself. It was a disturbing sight. &ldquo;What happened to her?&rdquo; I asked a <em>baba</em> sitting beside her. &ldquo;She is in the possession of a jinn. She cannot even stand up until the jinn permits. He punishes her but also takes care of her,&rdquo; he explained. She laid down on the floor, shouted &ldquo;forgive me, forgive me&rdquo; and started beating her chest. I couldn&rsquo;t bear the sight, so moved forward.<br />
A line of about 20 identical dungeons--the scene inside every dungeon was also almost identical too--bats hanging from the ceiling, clay&nbsp;diyas lit over a bed of flowers, incense sticks, and a dozen handwritten or photocopied letters. As mystical as the atmosphere appeared to be, it was as bewildering at the same time.</p>

<p>Every Thursday, the ruined fort of 14th century Emperor Feroz Shah turns into a sacred place--where jinns are worshipped.</p>

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<p>I noticed a young, college boy on the phone--who was very dedicatedly following rituals of hanging flowers, letters, sticking coins to the walls and pouring oil in the dungeons.&nbsp;Later, I overheard him on the phone &ldquo;I am still in the temple,&rdquo; he said. &lsquo;Temple&rsquo;--the word struck me. There was an evident cultural mix in the devotees that came to pay their respects to the jinns. Clearly, a major share were Muslims--there is an open-air mosque in the premises and the fort belonged to a muslim ruler--which explains why. But there were several Hindus in the premises too. Men in saffron kurtas and women wearing bindis--who were offering milk and rice to the jinns.</p>

<p>I went to the guy and asked him what this place is all about, and if he believed that jinns were real. He was taken aback and petrified as if seen a ghost &ldquo;Yes, it&rsquo;s true. Be careful and don&rsquo;t make faces when you hear stories. It might offend them,&rdquo; he said. There was an emphasis on secrecy, he was reluctant to talk any further and left in a hurry.&nbsp;</p>

<p>After being put away by several people who seemed a bit afraid to talk, I met a man who had been visiting the premises for ages. &ldquo;The jinns love this city. They will never let it fall down,&rdquo; he had a point, I thought to myself. Delhi has been ruled over by a number of dynasties and has always been the center of power. It has been destroyed over and over but emerged like a phoenix each time.</p>

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<p>A view of the dungeons--where people believe the jinns reside (WION)</p>
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<p><strong>A thousand petitions addressed to jinns</strong></p>

<p>Many of those who come to Firoz Shah Kotla deposit multiple photocopies of petitions addressed to the jinns in various niches and alcoves throughout the ruins, as if submitting applications to different government departments. People write about all sorts of intimate problems--search for a job, finding a suitable matrimonial match for your unwed child, restoring mental balance or physical health for a family member, business losses and even a jinn-led search for lost family members.<br />
<br />
The belief is that jinns function in a structure, much like our government. You write a letter to the jinns, stating your problem. But there&rsquo;s a catch--each jinn looks over a different administration--your request must reach the right jinn for your problem to get solved.&nbsp;Therefore, one makes copies of letters and puts it in every dungeon--quite a systematic method of praying. The next day, all the letters are cleared--there are thousands of letters. The jinns should be really fast in reading and solve all problems in less than a day&rsquo;s time. But some people proudly narrate tales of personal problems getting solved and mental patients getting healed--that made them return persistently.</p>

<p>But there is a connect between ritual and history. In the 14th century, letters addressed to rulers--documents, letters of forgiveness with the seals of spiritual authority--played an important role in the process of addressing grievances.</p>

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<h5>This explains the relations with jinns--it is a combination of reverence, fear with a kindred spirit of intimacy</h5>
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<p><br />
<strong>Shapeshifting jinns made of smokeless fire</strong></p>

<p>Plenty of stories abound. Some people visualise the jinns as talking crows or men in white robes with long beards. Some think there are many of them and that they have their unique smell. They are not angels and thus, like us, they too can be ill-tempered or evil.&nbsp;Leaving behind milk and food for the animals and feeding even meat chunks to the circling set of huge kites is a norm. People believe the jinns accept these offerings through their animals.<br />
<br />
The concept of jinns is explained in Islam. &ldquo;Jinns are a separate species created by the Supreme Power. The word &lsquo;jinn&rsquo; in Arabic means &lsquo;the hidden or invisible one&rsquo;. The story of genesis says they were created before humans. It is said that the supreme power has created man from dry clay, <em>farishtey</em> (angels) from water and djinns from smokeless fire,&rdquo; explains Ramit Mitra, founder and explorer at DelhiByFoot, a walking tour venture based out of the capital of India.&nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;<br />
Jinns are supposed to be on earth to help humans, but were to be &lsquo;invisible to the eyes of men&rsquo;. &ldquo;Forged from smokeless fire, they are physically stronger, live longer, possess magical powers, have the ability to shapeshift and can travel swiftly at the speed of thought,&rdquo; he explains.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
We start praying to what we believe is more powerful than humans. This explains the relations with jinns--it is a combination of reverence, fear with a kindred spirit of intimacy. &quot;People look upon jinns as fulfillers of blessings and as connectors of human beings across centuries. So jinns being prayed to is also akin to someone praying to his ancestors for guidance &amp; blessings,&rdquo; Mitra added.</p>

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<p>A woman claimed to be under the possession of jinns. (WION)</p>
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<p><strong>So how did a 14th-century fort become the residence of the jinns?</strong></p>

<p>This fort, besides which Yamuna River flowed once upon a time, was the fifth city of Delhi. It was founded and&nbsp;built by Emperor Firoz Shah Tughlaq in the second half of 14th century. Today, it lies forgotten, adjacent to the famous Feroz Shah Kotla Cricket Stadium.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
What makes people recognise the ruins of Delhi&rsquo;s past as one of their own concerns? What makes people&nbsp;deposit multiple photocopies of their petitions to the jinns, as if to the offices of a modern bureaucracy, in the ruins of a 14th-century palace?</p>

<p>Anand Vivek Taneja, an anthropologist and now an Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at Vanderbilt University, did his Ph.D. as a student of Columbia University, on the ruined fort and dissected various elements of the recent rituals that take place in the fort.</p>

<p>He explains that the partition in 1947 unleashed violence, destruction and mass migration of Delhi Muslims to Pakistan--changing radically the character of the city. By the time the immediate violence had ended, approximately two-thirds of Delhi&rsquo;s Muslim population had either died or left for Pakistan and other places. From being a city with almost equal numbers of Hindus and Muslims, Delhi became a city with a Muslim population of about ten per cent, as the influx of Hindu and Sikh refugees swelled the city&#39;s population to almost double its 1941 size. It was followed by the relentless structural violence of the post-colonial state, which continued policies of discrimination and displacement against the Muslim populace of the city. This post-colonial remaking of Delhi has led to a gap between the once interconnected realms of the sacred, the ecological and the everyday.&nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;<br />
The popularity of Firoz Shah Kotla as a <em>dargah of jinns</em>&nbsp;can be dated back to 1977, to the months immediately after the end of the Emergency of 1975-77, a time marked by 20 months of the undemocratic rule which were particularly hard on the lower-classes of the city, and especially those who lived in Old Delhi. Several other human rights violations were reported from the time, including a forced mass sterilisation campaign. The Emergency is one of the most controversial periods of independent India&#39;s history.<br />
&nbsp;</p>

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<h5>The popularity of Firoz Shah Kotla as a dargah of jinns&nbsp;can be dated back to 1977, to the months immediately after the end of the Emergency of 1975-77, a time marked by 20 months of the undemocratic rule which were particularly hard on the lower-classes of the city</h5>
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<p>&quot;Emergency saw some really strict societal diktats on the largely Muslim population living in &amp; around Turkman Gate on Asaf Ali Road by the erstwhile party in power, Congress,&quot; adds Mitra.&nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;<br />
According to research, in 1977, a Fakir called Laddoo Shah Baba, who was earlier based near the Turkman Gate, was asked by the authorities to move away, and he made his station at the ruins of the Kotla. And as it happened, his devotees started to throng this place. Later, during meditations he sensed &#39;higher spiritual powers&#39; at the Kotla Ruins, giving a stronger, &#39;saintly&#39; validation that this was actually the abode of jinns.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
&quot;And once a belief becomes popular, then even after a generation of people leaving behind that place to migrate away, the stories linger and thus the next set of people who populate the area then fan on these stories,&quot; explains Mitra.<br />
<br />
A tall pillar in the premises is considered to be the <em>Laat wale baba</em> or the <em>Sarkar</em> (head) of jinns. This is actually the Ashokan Pillar that Feroz Shah, a keen historian, and architect, uprooted from Punjab and erected in his fort.<br />
How did a Buddhist pillar become the governmental head of jinns? The answer itself lies in <em>Laat Wale </em><em>Baba</em>, and its long association with the mythic past.</p>

<p>Even now, when you look at the pillar, its impressive height framed by sky, indecipherable inscriptions, its lustre relatively undimmed over two millennia, you experience a sense of bafflement. How was it made? How on earth did they get this up here atop this pyramid?</p>

<p>&quot;In absence of factual information to the working and poor class thronging there, it became the head--the embodiment of the powers of all the jinns,&quot; adds Mitra.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
In a time where the society was reeling under the post-colonial and post-partitional trauma, legends of jinns helped in alleviating the troubles.<br />
&nbsp;</p>

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<h5>There is an elaborate etiquette of nameless intimacy that avoids religious and caste identification and opens the possibilities of relating to the world and the self outside of the dominance of socially constructed identity</h5>
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<p><strong>An alternate court of justice, that is otherwise denied</strong></p>

<p>The postcolonial condition of Delhi is an unforgettable one. The jinns are present precisely at the locations of archival absence, where the plans of the bureaucracy, the verdicts of the judiciary, and the illegibility of the state coincide to create vast erasures of the texture of the city&rsquo;s everyday life, both lived and remembered.&nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;<br />
According to German philosopher Walter Benjamin, the present turns to the past not to return to a historic, originary moment, but to a moment in the past where it recognizes itself and its own concerns<br />
&nbsp;<br />
In a country where people&rsquo;s relation to the state is dominated by narratives of corruption, and the arbitrary violence of the state is manifested at the very sites of the government&rsquo;s care, the petitioning of the government of the jinns in the ruins of a pre-modern palace invokes an older idea of government. The troubled who have lost faith in the man-made order of justice, look for a parallel, supreme one in the ruins of Kotla Firoz Shah.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
I noticed women telling their children that &ldquo;<em>Sabko salaam </em><em>karna</em><em> hai</em> (We have to salute all jinns)&rdquo; - as if greeting government officials. Could it be the structure of the monument--where the dungeons represent the chambers of officers? I wondered.</p>

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<p>View of the open-air mosque (WION)</p>
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<p><br />
<strong>A secular site where Hindus and Muslims come together to pray</strong></p>

<p>Sacred rituals are performed amidst &lsquo;secular&rsquo; ruins, secular not just in that they were not built as spaces of worship, but also in that they are now under the jurisdiction of the Archaeological Survey of India, and have no officially appointed clergy or formal sanctification.</p>

<p>Though these ruins are associated with the city&rsquo;s Islamic past, specifically the Tughlaq sultanate, and the ritual vocabulary the place is similar to that of other Muslim shrines or dargahs.&nbsp;A&nbsp;majority of the people who come here are non-Muslim.</p>

<p>In a rapidly modernising city whose elite mourn the lack of &#39;historical sense&#39;&nbsp;among the common people, people by the thousands regularly come to these ruins of Delhi&rsquo;s past, and form deep affective bonds with them. For them, these ruins are experienced not as locations of history as the past, but of presence.</p>

<p>The relations that people make between each other in this place, while deeply intimate, are often nameless, purposefully avoiding communal and caste identification. There is an elaborate etiquette of nameless intimacy that avoids religious and caste identification and opens the possibilities of relating to the world and the self outside of the dominance of socially constructed identity.&nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;<br />
As the sun came down and darkness enveloped the already blood-curdling scene, I still wasn&rsquo;t sure if I really believed in jinns. Yet I felt a profuse urge to pay my respects, I made a silent, trivial wish.</p>


Bats on dungeon ceilings, crying sounds, and a thousand petitions addressed to the jinns

Eerie atmosphere, crying sounds, terrified people I smelt sandalwood and rose as I was taking off my shoes to enter the alleyway. “Beti, baal toh bandh le. Jinn ki kamzori hai khule baal aur ittar ki mehek (Child, at least tie your hair. Jinns are drawn towards loose hair and the smell of perfume),” said an old woman. I bunned my hair that very instant and tried to ignore the chills that went down my spine from her statement. Another woman sat outside one of the dungeons, banging her head against the wall, crying to herself. It was a disturbing sight. “What happened to her?” I asked a baba sitting beside her. “She is in the possession of a jinn. She cannot even stand up until the jinn permits. He punishes her but also takes care of her,” he explained. She laid down on the floor, shouted “forgive me, forgive me” and started beating her chest. I couldn’t bear the sight, so moved forward. A line of about 20 identical dungeons--the scene inside every dungeon was also almost identical too--bats hanging from the ceiling, clay diyas lit over a bed of flowers, incense sticks, and a dozen handwritten or photocopied letters. As mystical as the atmosphere appeared to be, it was as bewildering at the same time. Every Thursday, the ruined fort of 14th century Emperor Feroz Shah turns into a sacred place--where jinns are worshipped. Every Thursday, the ruined fort of 14th century Emperor Feroz Shah turns into a sacred place--where jinns are worshipped. × I noticed a young, college boy on the phone--who was very dedicatedly following rituals of hanging flowers, letters, sticking coins to the walls and pouring oil in the dungeons. Later, I overheard him on the phone “I am still in the temple,” he said. ‘Temple’--the word struck me. There was an evident cultural mix in the devotees that came to pay their respects to the jinns. Clearly, a major share were Muslims--there is an open-air mosque in the premises and the fort belonged to a muslim ruler--which explains why. But there were several Hindus in the premises too. Men in saffron kurtas and women wearing bindis--who were offering milk and rice to the jinns. I went to the guy and asked him what this place is all about, and if he believed that jinns were real. He was taken aback and petrified as if seen a ghost “Yes, it’s true. Be careful and don’t make faces when you hear stories. It might offend them,” he said. There was an emphasis on secrecy, he was reluctant to talk any further and left in a hurry. After being put away by several people who seemed a bit afraid to talk, I met a man who had been visiting the premises for ages. “The jinns love this city. They will never let it fall down,” he had a point, I thought to myself. Delhi has been ruled over by a number of dynasties and has always been the center of power. It has been destroyed over and over but emerged like a phoenix each time. A view of the dungeons--where people believe the jinns reside (WION) × A thousand petitions addressed to jinns Many of those who come to Firoz Shah Kotla deposit multiple photocopies of petitions addressed to the jinns in various niches and alcoves throughout the ruins, as if submitting applications to different government departments. People write about all sorts of intimate problems--search for a job, finding a suitable matrimonial match for your unwed child, restoring mental balance or physical health for a family member, business losses and even a jinn-led search for lost family members. The belief is that jinns function in a structure, much like our government. You write a letter to the jinns, stating your problem. But there’s a catch--each jinn looks over a different administration--your request must reach the right jinn for your problem to get solved. Therefore, one makes copies of letters and puts it in every dungeon--quite a systematic method of praying. The next day, all the letters are cleared--there are thousands of letters. The jinns should be really fast in reading and solve all problems in less than a day’s time. But some people proudly narrate tales of personal problems getting solved and mental patients getting healed--that made them return persistently. But there is a connect between ritual and history. In the 14th century, letters addressed to rulers--documents, letters of forgiveness with the seals of spiritual authority--played an important role in the process of addressing grievances. This explains the relations with jinns--it is a combination of reverence, fear with a kindred spirit of intimacy × Shapeshifting jinns made of smokeless fire Plenty of stories abound. Some people visualise the jinns as talking crows or men in white robes with long beards. Some think there are many of them and that they have their unique smell. They are not angels and thus, like us, they too can be ill-tempered or evil. Leaving behind milk and food for the animals and feeding even meat chunks to the circling set of huge kites is a norm. People believe the jinns accept these offerings through their animals. The concept of jinns is explained in Islam. “Jinns are a separate species created by the Supreme Power. The word ‘jinn’ in Arabic means ‘the hidden or invisible one’. The story of genesis says they were created before humans. It is said that the supreme power has created man from dry clay, farishtey (angels) from water and djinns from smokeless fire,” explains Ramit Mitra, founder and explorer at DelhiByFoot, a walking tour venture based out of the capital of India. Jinns are supposed to be on earth to help humans, but were to be ‘invisible to the eyes of men’. “Forged from smokeless fire, they are physically stronger, live longer, possess magical powers, have the ability to shapeshift and can travel swiftly at the speed of thought,” he explains. We start praying to what we believe is more powerful than humans. This explains the relations with jinns--it is a combination of reverence, fear with a kindred spirit of intimacy. "People look upon jinns as fulfillers of blessings and as connectors of human beings across centuries. So jinns being prayed to is also akin to someone praying to his ancestors for guidance & blessings,” Mitra added. A woman claimed to be under the possession of jinns. (WION) × So how did a 14th-century fort become the residence of the jinns? This fort, besides which Yamuna River flowed once upon a time, was the fifth city of Delhi. It was founded and built by Emperor Firoz Shah Tughlaq in the second half of 14th century. Today, it lies forgotten, adjacent to the famous Feroz Shah Kotla Cricket Stadium. What makes people recognise the ruins of Delhi’s past as one of their own concerns? What makes people deposit multiple photocopies of their petitions to the jinns, as if to the offices of a modern bureaucracy, in the ruins of a 14th-century palace? Anand Vivek Taneja, an anthropologist and now an Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at Vanderbilt University, did his Ph.D. as a student of Columbia University, on the ruined fort and dissected various elements of the recent rituals that take place in the fort. He explains that the partition in 1947 unleashed violence, destruction and mass migration of Delhi Muslims to Pakistan--changing radically the character of the city. By the time the immediate violence had ended, approximately two-thirds of Delhi’s Muslim population had either died or left for Pakistan and other places. From being a city with almost equal numbers of Hindus and Muslims, Delhi became a city with a Muslim population of about ten per cent, as the influx of Hindu and Sikh refugees swelled the city's population to almost double its 1941 size. It was followed by the relentless structural violence of the post-colonial state, which continued policies of discrimination and displacement against the Muslim populace of the city. This post-colonial remaking of Delhi has led to a gap between the once interconnected realms of the sacred, the ecological and the everyday. The popularity of Firoz Shah Kotla as a dargah of jinns can be dated back to 1977, to the months immediately after the end of the Emergency of 1975-77, a time marked by 20 months of the undemocratic rule which were particularly hard on the lower-classes of the city, and especially those who lived in Old Delhi. Several other human rights violations were reported from the time, including a forced mass sterilisation campaign. The Emergency is one of the most controversial periods of independent India's history. The popularity of Firoz Shah Kotla as a dargah of jinns can be dated back to 1977, to the months immediately after the end of the Emergency of 1975-77, a time marked by 20 months of the undemocratic rule which were particularly hard on the lower-classes of the city × "Emergency saw some really strict societal diktats on the largely Muslim population living in & around Turkman Gate on Asaf Ali Road by the erstwhile party in power, Congress," adds Mitra. According to research, in 1977, a Fakir called Laddoo Shah Baba, who was earlier based near the Turkman Gate, was asked by the authorities to move away, and he made his station at the ruins of the Kotla. And as it happened, his devotees started to throng this place. Later, during meditations he sensed 'higher spiritual powers' at the Kotla Ruins, giving a stronger, 'saintly' validation that this was actually the abode of jinns. "And once a belief becomes popular, then even after a generation of people leaving behind that place to migrate away, the stories linger and thus the next set of people who populate the area then fan on these stories," explains Mitra. A tall pillar in the premises is considered to be the Laat wale baba or the Sarkar (head) of jinns. This is actually the Ashokan Pillar that Feroz Shah, a keen historian, and architect, uprooted from Punjab and erected in his fort. How did a Buddhist pillar become the governmental head of jinns? The answer itself lies in Laat Wale Baba, and its long association with the mythic past. Even now, when you look at the pillar, its impressive height framed by sky, indecipherable inscriptions, its lustre relatively undimmed over two millennia, you experience a sense of bafflement. How was it made? How on earth did they get this up here atop this pyramid? "In absence of factual information to the working and poor class thronging there, it became the head--the embodiment of the powers of all the jinns," adds Mitra. In a time where the society was reeling under the post-colonial and post-partitional trauma, legends of jinns helped in alleviating the troubles. There is an elaborate etiquette of nameless intimacy that avoids religious and caste identification and opens the possibilities of relating to the world and the self outside of the dominance of socially constructed identity × An alternate court of justice, that is otherwise denied The postcolonial condition of Delhi is an unforgettable one. The jinns are present precisely at the locations of archival absence, where the plans of the bureaucracy, the verdicts of the judiciary, and the illegibility of the state coincide to create vast erasures of the texture of the city’s everyday life, both lived and remembered. According to German philosopher Walter Benjamin, the present turns to the past not to return to a historic, originary moment, but to a moment in the past where it recognizes itself and its own concerns In a country where people’s relation to the state is dominated by narratives of corruption, and the arbitrary violence of the state is manifested at the very sites of the government’s care, the petitioning of the government of the jinns in the ruins of a pre-modern palace invokes an older idea of government. The troubled who have lost faith in the man-made order of justice, look for a parallel, supreme one in the ruins of Kotla Firoz Shah. I noticed women telling their children that “Sabko salaam karna hai (We have to salute all jinns)” - as if greeting government officials. Could it be the structure of the monument--where the dungeons represent the chambers of officers? I wondered. View of the open-air mosque (WION) × A secular site where Hindus and Muslims come together to pray Sacred rituals are performed amidst ‘secular’ ruins, secular not just in that they were not built as spaces of worship, but also in that they are now under the jurisdiction of the Archaeological Survey of India, and have no officially appointed clergy or formal sanctification. Though these ruins are associated with the city’s Islamic past, specifically the Tughlaq sultanate, and the ritual vocabulary the place is similar to that of other Muslim shrines or dargahs. A majority of the people who come here are non-Muslim. In a rapidly modernising city whose elite mourn the lack of 'historical sense' among the common people, people by the thousands regularly come to these ruins of Delhi’s past, and form deep affective bonds with them. For them, these ruins are experienced not as locations of history as the past, but of presence. The relations that people make between each other in this place, while deeply intimate, are often nameless, purposefully avoiding communal and caste identification. There is an elaborate etiquette of nameless intimacy that avoids religious and caste identification and opens the possibilities of relating to the world and the self outside of the dominance of socially constructed identity. As the sun came down and darkness enveloped the already blood-curdling scene, I still wasn’t sure if I really believed in jinns. Yet I felt a profuse urge to pay my respects, I made a silent, trivial wish.

Why do Hindus and Muslims of Delhi go to pray at House of Jinns?

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