Mughal Pigeon-Rearing Tradition Lives On

On rooftops near Jama Masjid in New Delhi, a small group of men still trains pigeons in a Mughal-era practice that has survived into 2026. (reuters.com) Reuters reported on April 21 that breeder Azhar Udeen, 30, gathers with his younger brother and friends each day and releases more than 120 pigeons of different breeds from their terrace in Old Delhi. The birds are fed, flown in formations and sometimes raced. (reuters.com) The craft is known locally as kabootarbazi, a form of pigeon keeping and flight training that has been passed down through generations in the capital. Udeen told Reuters the group wants younger people to learn it rather than let it disappear. (reuters.com, localsamosa.com) The practice persists in one of the most crowded parts of the city, a few kilometers from central New Delhi’s wealthier districts, even as rapid urbanization has changed the skyline and reduced open rooftop culture. Reuters described the community as a “few men,” underscoring how small the remaining circle has become. (reuters.com) Kabootarbazi has roots in the Mughal period, when pigeon keeping was associated with royal courts and elite households in North India. More recent accounts from Delhi describe it as a fading neighborhood pastime rather than a mass sport. (homegrown.co.in, localsamosa.com) In Delhi, the basic skill is simple to describe and hard to master: handlers release birds from rooftop coops, use calls and visual cues, and train them to circle, regroup and return home. Some versions of the sport also involve trying to draw rival birds into a flock, according to cultural reports on the tradition. (homegrown.co.in, localsamosa.com) The birds in Reuters’ report were not presented as a commercial operation but as part of a daily routine built around care, training and social ties. Men cheer from the terrace as the pigeons wheel overhead, turning the rooftop into both workshop and gathering place. (reuters.com) Interest in the practice now comes from two directions at once: hobbyists who still breed and fly pigeons, and heritage-minded observers who see it as one of Old Delhi’s living customs. That combination has helped keep the birds in the air even as the community itself remains small. (reuters.com, localsamosa.com) For now, the tradition survives one terrace at a time: a handful of trainers, more than 120 birds, and a patch of sky above Old Delhi that still answers to old signals. (reuters.com)