Jackals, ghosts, and silence: walking Delhi’s ancient Ridge

It was November 2025. Winter was setting in. Sunlight filtered through the treetops. The place felt wild yet very close to the busy city. You leave the bustling Ridge Road, and suddenly everything changes. The crowded city disappears. You enter a rugged landscape of rocks, thorny bushes, and pockets of green peace. This is the Sardar Patel Marg side of the Central Ridge.

The Central Ridge is often described as the green lung of New Delhi. It is a living remnant of the ancient Aravalli hills, which existed long before kings or cities emerged in the region.

I walked deeper into the ridge along a dusty path with my friend Pritam Dhariwal, who was born and raised near the Ridge in the Talkatora Garden area. Naturally, he knows the Central Ridge like the back of his hand. As soon as we moved inside the massive ridge area, the air became cooler and carried the scent of dry leaves and warm soil. This is not a neat garden; it is real, tough wilderness.

Ancient landscape

The Central Ridge covers about 864 hectares and lies between Dhaula Kuan, Sardar Patel Marg, and the Chanakyapuri diplomatic area. It acts as a massive natural wall in one of the world’s busiest cities, where both human and vehicular populations are growing rapidly.

Here, you do not complain about deforestation killing the ridge. It is thickly covered with trees, and more are being planted. They stand like quiet guards.

Many tall vilayati kikar trees grow here.

“These were brought during British rule,” said Dhariwal. “Now they cover large parts of the ridge. Their branches are twisted, and their leaves are soft. They give cool shade. These strong trees thrive on dry, rocky land. Their deep roots hold the soil tight.”

You also see neem with its medicinal leaves, peepal with heart-shaped leaves, shisham, jamun, mango, and even a few rudraksha trees. We took a break under a neem tree. Its leaves carried a slightly bitter-sweet fragrance. You feel a sense of hope.

Here you also see the thorny side of the ridge. Babool trees carry sharp spines, while karonda bushes bear small sour fruits that both birds and people enjoy.

These trees do more than look nice. Their roots hold the soil, their leaves cool the air, and they enrich the poor soil. In a hot and polluted city, the Central Ridge lowers temperatures and absorbs carbon. It fights climate change quietly.

Vanishing spaces

When we walked near Mahavir Vatika, Dhariwal told me it was once part of the Central Ridge and that his father was among the several gardeners who developed it in the 1980s.

Mahavir Vatika was once notorious for men posing as police personnel who harassed young couples and extorted money from them.

The Central Ridge forms part of the larger Delhi Ridge, an old extension of the nearly 1.5-billion-year-old Aravalli range. It helps stop hot winds from Rajasthan, clean the air, recharge groundwater, and provide a safe home to many plants and animals.

The British planted thousands of trees here in the late nineteenth century to fight the heat. In 1914, the Central Ridge was declared a Reserved Forest.

Over the years, however, the growing city swallowed parts of it. Recently, the Delhi government granted full Reserved Forest status to 673.32 hectares of the area under Section 20 of the Indian Forest Act, 1927.

After a 32-year wait since 1994, the move is expected to strengthen protection against illegal cutting, encroachment, and unauthorised construction.

Wildlife corridor

The best moments come when the animals appear. We did spot many during this walk, though early mornings and evenings are the ideal times for sightings.

You may see a golden jackal moving silently in search of food or hear its call at night. Black-naped hares dart across open ground. Nilgai once lived here in small groups; their numbers have declined, but they can still occasionally be seen. Large monitor lizards bask on warm rocks and run away if you get too close.

More than 100 species of birds inhabit the Central Ridge. Parrots fly overhead, screeching loudly. Drongos swoop to catch insects mid-air. Owls rest in tree hollows during the day. Many migratory birds arrive in winter.

Butterflies of every colour flutter near flowers. Insects, bats, and occasionally snakes also make their home here. Together, they keep the forest alive.

During your walk, you are bound to see monkeys everywhere. You cannot help wondering how many generations have lived here.

As you move towards Buddha Jayanti Park, you feel the weight of history around you. The park’s statues and manicured lawns gradually merge with the wild ridge. But the real beauty lies in the small, quiet paths where the city’s noise fades completely. Only the rustle of leaves and bird calls remain.

Lingering memory

Near Buddha Jayanti Park, the usually talkative Dhariwal suddenly fell silent, lost in thought.

When I asked why, he replied quietly, “We are near the spot where the bodies of Geeta and Sanjay Chopra were found.”

The 1978 killing of the two siblings remains etched in the collective memory of Delhiites, especially older residents.

As the sun went down, long shadows stretched across the ridge. We emerged from the bushes feeling refreshed. Our bodies were tired, but our minds were happy.

This is not some faraway jungle. It is Delhi’s own wild backyard.

Also Read: Allnutt to Elias: principals behind 145 years of excellence at St. Stephen’s

The Central Ridge teaches us that cities and nature can coexist. With stronger legal protection now in place, there remains hope that the Central Ridge will survive as one of Delhi’s most important ecological spaces.

Before you leave the Central Ridge, take a deep breath and look back. This small patch of wilderness still offers peace, tranquillity, and perspective amid the chaos of the capital.