Mirza Ghalib Haveli
The Haveli of famous poet Mirza Ghalib (1796-1869) is located in Gali Qasim Jaan, near the corner of Ballimaran, one of the alleys of Chandni Chowk. The great poet stayed here during 1865 to 1869 and spent his last phase of his life. The Haveli has been since considerably renovated and was used lately as shops till December 1999 when Delhi Government acquired a portion of the Haveli and set up a memorial museum dedicated to the great poet. The Lieutenant Governor of Delhi inaugurated the museum in the gracious presence of Chief Minister of Delhi, Minister of Education and it was opened to public on 27th December 2000 on the birth anniversary of Mirza Ghalib.
The acquired portion of the Haveli has been restored to its original splendor. Originally the Haveli consisted of arched corridors on three sides enclosing an open courtyard. However now only a portion of it is open for the visitors but a lot of care and effort has been put so that the visitors can relive and experience the nineteenth century grandeur. The special features of the Haveli were highlighted like the Mughal Lakhori bricks, sandstone flooring, wooden entrance gate and chhajja in the courtyard.
The museum houses various important things related to the great poet, which gives an insight into the life of this Urdu poet. It contains the letters of Ghalib written in his own hand, last photograph of the poet, chronology of events, selected couplets from his works, books and some personal belongings of the poet. The museum also has a life-like replica of the poet in a realistic setting with a hookah in his hand..
