NEW DELHI - In this dense concrete jungle, sunlight struggles to reach the ground between two rows of buildings just about a metre apart. A canopy of electric cables also gets in the sun’s way. The whir of sewing machines and roar of motorcycles animate this forest.

This spot in the urban village of Kotla Mubarakpur in Delhi is supposed to be the approximate location of Kanchni Wali Gumti, a monument “protected” by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), a government organisation that preserves the country’s ancient monuments and archaeological sites.