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Ancient Mughal tradition of pigeon-rearing thrives in India's capital ...
NEW DELHI, - In the heart of India's capital city New Delhi, a few men are practising the ancient Mughal tradition of pigeon-rearing, training the birds to navigate long distances, as they preserve a skill passed on for generations.Ancient Mughal tradition of pigeon-rearing thrives in India's capitalEvery day, among the packed lanes near the Jama Masjid, in the old part of the city and a few kilometers away from its toniest areas, Azhar Udeen, 30, gathers with his younger brother and friends at his terrace, letting more than 120 pigeons of various breeds out of their cages.The birds are then fed and trained to fly in different formations, and are sometimes raced, as men cheer them on."I saw my grandfather doing this when I was a child, and after I grew up, I watched and learned from my ustad ", Udeen told Reuters.Kabootarbaazi, as the tradition is known, comes from the Hindi/Urdu word for pigeon, and was patronised by the many Mughal kings who ruled in India, when men kept a flock, taught them to fly in formation, and used them as messengers.Training the birds how to fly straight against the wind and return after covering a long distance takes nearly four months, and involves beating a whip against a hard surface to create loud sounds that will scare the birds into flying farther out, the trainers said.For many, the rooftop gatherings are as important as the flying itself. Practitioners describe kabootarbaazi as a stress reliever that creates a pocket of calm and community in a crowded city. "We sit with our friends and students, and all the tensions from our work or homes, all of it disappears and that’s what the main intention behind pigeon keeping is," Kahlifa Mohsin, another pigeon-keeper, said.This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Living with the Mughals: a legacy that endures despite erasure
A reproduction of a 17th century miniature showing Mughal emperor Shah Jahan on the peacock throne. On a hot, wind-swept April day 500 years ago, a tall, lean man and his army of 15,000 soldiers waited in battle formation on the dusty fields of Panipat, less than 100 km from Delhi. Facing them was the wary yet formidable force of Delhi Sultan Ibrahim Lodi, nearly 10 times larger, with 1,00,000 soldiers and 1,000 war elephants.The invading army, led by Zahiruddin Babur, a Chagatai Turk who traced his lineage to both Timur and Genghis Khan, had reached Panipat on April 12, 1526. Lodi’s forces probed and provoked the enemy camp, even taking heads as trophies, but to no avail. “...they broke ranks they had maintained and as though undecided whether to stand or proceed, were able to do neither,” wrote Babur in his memoir about the Sultan’s army. Published - April 17, 2026 06:05 am IST
NDMC tightens measures against pigeon feeding in Delhi, NGT told
Pigeon keeping has a long and rich history in Old Delhi. Pigeon keeping and flying became immensely popular during Mughal rule. When Shahjahan shifted his ...
Reuters - In the heart of India's capital city New Delhi,... | Facebook
Reuters (Verified account) 11m · Public In the heart of India's capital city New Delhi, a few men are practising the ancient Mughal tradition of pigeon- rearing, training the birds to navigate long distances, as they preserve a skill passed on for generations. Ancient Mughal tradition of pigeon-rearing thrives in India's capital MV Flaviu and 20 others 21 reactions · 4 comments वेद ...
