Pir Ghaib
Southwest of Chauburji Masjid in the grounds of Hindu Rao Hospital lies a rubble built double storey structure, with the remains of a Baoli or step well. It is located in a neighborhood popularly known as Pir Ghaib, which means ‘Vanishing Saint’. Built around 1630 AD by Feroz Shah Tughlaq as a part of his either Kushk-i-Shikar (hunting lodge) or Kushk-i-Jahan Numa (world showing palace), the monument is so called after a saint who suddenly disappeared while meditating at the cenotaph in the northern apartment of the monument.
At present, the monument is in a deplorable condition and is survived by two chambers and two rooms on the ground floor as well as on the first floor. Some believe it was an astronomical observatory because a hollow masonry cylinder perforates the floor and the roof of the southern apartment of the monument. However, its exact use is still not known, as it could also have been a tower for viewing animals. It is said that the rooms on the second floor were used as a mosque because one can find mihrabs in the western wall with inscriptions above them but now hardly visible.
Just near the monument are the remains of the baoli, which was a part of the palace and was the source of water for the area. The baoli does not exist today and one can only imagine the baoli by seeing the impression on the ground and a portion of arched construction in stone. Do visit the monument as you may find the ‘vanishing saint’ and get lucky!
