Also Known As · Kushak-i-Shikar · Pir Gaib
New Delhi, Delhi · monument
A weathered Tughlaq hunting lodge on the forested Ridge — hunting palace, colonial survey 'observatory' and 1857 battery in one rubble-stone ruin.
Pir Ghaib is one of the few surviving Tughlaq-era secular buildings in Delhi — a compact, double-storeyed rubble-masonry lodge on the wooded Northern Ridge, near Hindu Rao Hospital, carrying an unusually layered story across six centuries. It was built around 1354 CE by Sultan Firoz Shah Tughlaq as a royal hunting lodge, originally named Kushak-i-Shikar ('the hunting palace'), and stood at the northern edge of his city of Firozabad alongside the Chauburji and an Ashokan pillar the sultan had transported to the Ridge.
Pure-veg chhole bhature
Pure-veg North, South Indian and Chinese
Rasgulla, rasmalai and raj bhog — pure-veg, no onion or garlic, desi ghee
Pir Ghaib is one of the few surviving Tughlaq-era secular buildings in Delhi — a compact, double-storeyed rubble-masonry lodge on the wooded Northern Ridge, near Hindu Rao Hospital, carrying an unusually layered story across six centuries.
entry is free and un-ticketed, but this is a secluded, forested Ridge site — visit only in full daylight, ideally in a small group and not solo, as the wooded stretches are deserted; the lodge is often locked behind a fence, so you may view it from the perimeter. Watch for uneven paths, stray dogs and the occasional wild pig; there are no facilities. Nearest metro: Tis Hazari (Red Line), about 1 km via Hindu Rao Hospital. Allow about 45 minutes to an hour.
Visiting Hours
Entry Fee: Free — not on the ASI ticketed-monuments list; no charge to the monument or the Ridge.
Verified: July 2026
Address
Northern (Kamla Nehru) Ridge, uphill from Hindu Rao Hospital, Malka Ganj / Civil Lines, New Delhi, Delhi, 110007
On the Northern Ridge above Hindu Rao Hospital, near Chauburji
🚇 Nearest Metro: Tis Hazari (Red Line) — about 1 km via Hindu Rao Hospital; Vishwavidyalaya (Yellow Line) ~2 km via a Ridge walk
🚶 Walking from Metro: About 1 km from Tis Hazari via Hindu Rao Hospital, then a 250–300 m uphill Ridge walk.
Distance from
Parking
street · Free / nominal
Park near Hindu Rao Hospital; the last stretch to the lodge is on foot.
🚕 Ride Hailing Tip: Autos and e-rickshaws reach Hindu Rao Hospital, the practical drop point; walk 250–300 m uphill.
How to Reach: Pir Ghaib is on the Northern (Kamla Nehru) Ridge, uphill from Hindu Rao Hospital in Malka Ganj / Civil Lines. Metro is the easiest anchor: from Tis Hazari or Pulbangash (Red Line), take a short auto/e-rickshaw to Hindu Rao Hospital, then walk about 250–300 m uphill; alternatively walk the Ridge road from Vishwavidyalaya (Yellow Line, ~2 km) past Flagstaff Tower as a heritage walk.
History
Pir Ghaib was built around 1354 CE by Sultan Firoz Shah Tughlaq as a royal hunting lodge named Kushak-i-Shikar, at the northern edge of his city of Firozabad.
🏛️ Architect: A compact double-storeyed structure of coursed rubble masonry in austere Tughlaq style, with steep stairs to the roof, two upper rooms with arched openings and mihrab-like niches, and a distinctive hollow masonry cylinder rising through the building; a ruined stepwell (baoli) that once served the lodge lies nearby, its access now blocked.
Significance
Pir Ghaib is one of the few surviving Tughlaq-era secular buildings in Delhi and a key monument of the Northern Ridge heritage cluster, valued for its triple-layered story — a Firoz Shah Tughlaq hunting lodge, a colonial trigonometrical-survey 'observatory', and a British battery in the 1857 siege — anchoring a Ridge heritage trail with Chauburji and the Ashokan pillar.
A wooded stretch of the Northern Ridge with colonial-era relics and forest walks.
Another Tughlaq hunting lodge, deep in the Central Ridge forest.
A lively North Campus shopping and street-food hub.
Family Highlights
💰 Equipment Fees: Free for personal photography.
📍 The Golden Spot: The rugged double-storeyed ruin framed by the forested Ridge in morning light.
🌅 Best Light Time: Mid-morning, when light filters through the Ridge canopy.
The lodge sits on a deserted, wooded stretch of the Northern Ridge with no warden, patchy signage, stray dogs and occasional wild pigs; it is often locked behind a fence.
Official AdviceGo only in full daylight and ideally in a small group (not solo, especially for women travellers); keep to the path, carry water, and view from the perimeter if it is locked.
🌅 Secret View: The curious hollow masonry cylinder rising through the building fuels the "observatory" legend — look for it and the mihrab-like niches in the upper rooms.
🎯 Crowd Hack: It stays almost empty; pair it with Chauburji and the Ashokan pillar for a quiet Ridge heritage morning.
💎 Secret Fact: Built c. 1354 as Firoz Shah Tughlaq's hunting lodge Kushak-i-Shikar, it later served as a Great Trigonometrical Survey station and a British battery in the 1857 siege of Delhi.
⚡ Express Tour
30 minutes — the lodge and its Ridge setting.
🔭 Deep Dive Tour
A morning — Pir Ghaib, Chauburji and the Ashokan pillar on a Northern Ridge walk.
👕 Dress Code: Closed shoes for uneven, overgrown Ridge paths; carry water and sun protection.
📷 Photography Rules: Personal photography is welcome; the rugged ruin and forested Ridge are the draw.
🏧 Nearest ATM: Carry cash — nearest ATMs are toward Kamla Nagar / Malka Ganj (1–1.5 km).
Entry is free and un-ticketed, but it is effectively daylight only (roughly sunrise to sunset) with no fixed gate hours; the grille is opened irregularly, so you may view the lodge from the perimeter. It is not safe after dark.
Tis Hazari (Red Line) is nearest by distance, about 1 km via Hindu Rao Hospital; alternatively walk the Ridge from Vishwavidyalaya (Yellow Line, ~2 km) as a heritage walk.
It is a 14th-century Tughlaq hunting lodge (Kushak-i-Shikar, c. 1354 CE) on the Northern Ridge that was later used as a colonial survey 'observatory' and a British battery in the 1857 siege — a layered heritage ruin, not a place of worship.
The name means 'the vanished saint' — from local folklore about a mystic who used an upper chamber as a retreat and then mysteriously disappeared. It is a heritage monument and its folklore, not an active shrine.
Visit only in full daylight and ideally in a small group, not solo — the wooded Ridge stretches are deserted, with uneven paths, stray dogs and the occasional wild pig, and no facilities; the lodge is often locked, so view it from the perimeter.
Nearby Kamla Nagar has excellent pure-veg options — the iconic Chache Di Hatti, Govardhan Vegetarian and Baanke Bihari Brajwasi sweets.
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