Also Known As · Tower of Thieves
New Delhi, Delhi · monument
A stark, hole-riddled Khilji-era tower on a raised platform in a quiet Hauz Khas park — one of Delhi's most macabre and offbeat monuments.
Chor Minar — the 'Tower of Thieves' — is one of Delhi's strangest and most offbeat monuments: a squat, tapering rubble-masonry tower riddled with roughly 225 holes, standing on a raised platform in a small residential park in Hauz Khas Enclave. It dates to the early 14th century and the Khilji dynasty, associated with the reign of Sultan Alauddin Khalji, and today survives as a Monument of National Importance protected by the Archaeological Survey of India, oddly marooned amid a modern South Delhi colony.
Pure-vegetarian South Indian dosas
Pure-vegetarian South Indian thali
Pure-vegetarian South Indian and filter coffee
Chor Minar — the 'Tower of Thieves' — is one of Delhi's strangest and most offbeat monuments: a squat, tapering rubble-masonry tower riddled with roughly 225 holes, standing on a raised platform in a small residential park in Hauz Khas Enclave.
entry is free — Chor Minar is an open-access monument in Kaushalya Park, not part of the ticketed Hauz Khas Complex, so no fee applies. It is unstaffed and unlit, so visit in daylight and ideally with company, as the quiet residential setting can feel isolated; the interior stair is usually locked. Nearest metro: Hauz Khas (Yellow + Magenta interchange), about 0.7–0.8 km. Respect the neighbourhood, keep noise down, and allow 20–30 minutes.
Visiting Hours
Entry Fee: Free — an open-access ASI monument in a public park; not part of the ticketed Hauz Khas Complex.
Verified: July 2026
Address
Kaushalya Park, Hauz Khas Enclave, Hauz Khas, South Delhi, New Delhi, Delhi, 110016
In Kaushalya Park, Hauz Khas Enclave, near Hauz Khas metro
🚇 Nearest Metro: Hauz Khas (Yellow + Magenta lines) — about 0.7–0.8 km; Green Park is farther
🚶 Walking from Metro: About 0.7–0.8 km / a 10-minute walk from Hauz Khas metro into Hauz Khas Enclave.
Distance from
Parking
street · Limited street parking
Narrow residential colony lanes — parking is limited; come by metro.
🚕 Ride Hailing Tip: Autos and cabs drop on Sri Aurobindo Marg; walk into Kaushalya Park from there.
How to Reach: Chor Minar stands in Kaushalya Park, Hauz Khas Enclave, South Delhi. Nearest metro: Hauz Khas (Yellow + Magenta lines), about 0.7–0.8 km on foot; or an auto/cab off Sri Aurobindo Marg. Use Kaushalya Park as your map pin, as it sits inside a residential colony.
History
Chor Minar (the 'Tower of Thieves') is a rubble-masonry tower of the early 14th century, built during the Khilji dynasty and associated with Sultan Alauddin Khalji.
🏛️ Architect: A short, tapering cylindrical tower of rough rubble masonry rising from a raised square platform with arched recesses at the base and a narrow internal staircase; its defining element is the grid of about 225 small circular holes evenly perforating the plain, unornamented exterior.
Significance
Chor Minar is a rare surviving purpose-built medieval 'display tower' from the Khilji era and one of the few tangible reminders of the harsh public-deterrence practices of the early Delhi Sultanate; its 225 perforations make it architecturally unique among Delhi's Sultanate-period towers.
A 13th–14th-century fort, madrasa and reservoir with a deer park.
Delhi's oldest surviving Tughlaq dam, near Khirki village.
A leafy market area with pure-veg dining.
Family Highlights
💰 Equipment Fees: Free for personal photography.
📍 The Golden Spot: The grid of holes across the tapering tower against the residential park backdrop.
🌅 Best Light Time: Late morning to mid-afternoon in clear daylight.
🌅 Secret View: Circle the base to see the arched recesses and the sheer regularity of the ~225 perforations — architecturally unique among Delhi's Sultanate towers.
🎯 Crowd Hack: Almost nobody visits — it is one of the calmest heritage stops in busy Hauz Khas.
💎 Secret Fact: By tradition the holes displayed the heads of executed criminals; historians also tie it to the display of Mongol captives after the raids of c. 1305 near the city of Siri.
⚡ Express Tour
15 minutes — a slow circle and a few photos.
🔭 Deep Dive Tour
A half day — Chor Minar, the Hauz Khas Complex and the lake.
👕 Dress Code: Comfortable walking clothes; sun protection in summer.
📷 Photography Rules: Personal photography is welcome; the perforated tower is a striking offbeat shot.
🏧 Nearest ATM: ATMs around Hauz Khas / Aurobindo Market (within 1 km).
Entry is free — it is an open-access ASI monument in Kaushalya Park (not part of the ticketed Hauz Khas Complex), open roughly sunrise to sunset with no gate; visit in daylight.
Hauz Khas (Yellow + Magenta interchange) is nearest, about 0.7–0.8 km / a 10-minute walk into Hauz Khas Enclave.
By tradition its roughly 225 holes were used to publicly display the severed heads of executed criminals as a deterrent; historians also link it to the display of Mongol captives executed after the raids of around 1305.
It dates to the early 14th century and the Khilji dynasty, associated with the reign of Sultan Alauddin Khalji — an ASI-protected Monument of National Importance.
It is a quiet, offbeat heritage stop best visited in daylight and ideally with company, as the residential park is unstaffed; the interior stair is usually locked. Allow 20–30 minutes.
The Hauz Khas area is rich in pure-veg dining — Naivedyam in Hauz Khas Village, Saravana Bhavan near Green Park and Dasaprakash at Aurobindo Market.
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